Hi, Alex.
Nice meeting you.
Hi.
Nice meeting you too.
All right.
How old are you?
I am 21.
21 years old.
All right.
Do you-- would you have known how to use a rotary phone?
Probably not.
Really?
I mean, I-- my parents had one as like--
When you were a baby?
--a decoration.
Yeah.
Oh, as a decoration?
I was like, yeah.
So I would play with it, but--
They had one as a decoration?
Yes.
So it wasn't plugged in or anything?
No.
So I would sometimes pretend to put quarters in it,
but then the quarters wouldn't come back.
So they'd get mad at me.
But yeah.
What do you mean they wouldn't come back?
Where'd do you put the quarters?
I-- I don't know.
It was like a little slot.
And then I'd put them in.
A payphone.
And then they'd disappear.
You're not thinking--
No, it wasn't a payphone.
Well, I don't know what you're talking about then.
Because you can't put quarters in a rotary phone.
It was like-- OK, it was like a cube.
And then you had the rotary part and then the--
Right.
Thing.
[INAUDIBLE]
Is it?
I think you're talking about a payphone or a slot machine.
Well--
I think you were raised in Vegas.
Call me a millennial.
All right.
Do you know what this is?
A radio, boombox.
Boombox is right.
Boombox.
People used to listen their music this way
and make everyone within a mile also listen to it.
All right.
Do you know what this is?
Typewriter.
That is a typewriter.
That is what Angela Lansbury typed on when she wrote Murder,
She Wrote.
She would-- remember that show?
No.
Yeah.
Your parents would see it.
All right.
And then do you know what this is?
That's a camera.
It is a camera.
And then there's some film right there.
Oh boy.
Yeah.
You know how-- now, you can take as many pictures
as you want on your phone, and you can share them
with your friends immediately.
Before, when I was growing up, you would put film in there,
and you could only take 12 pictures.
And then you would have to wait like a year or so to get them
back.
Oh.
But you could pay and get doubles, which was good.
So you had two of them.
OK.
All right.
Here's your challenge.
Oh boy.
Alex.
Yes.
You're going to tune--
you're going to find the station--
does this work really?
Yes.
OK.
You're going to find-- do you know--
do you listen to NPR radio?
No.
All right.
You're going to find--
it's 89.3, I believe.
89.3.
And you're going to find that station.
OK.
Turn that on.
Find the station.
Then, you're going to put paper into this typewriter,
and you're going to type a sentence by a very famous
baby-- a boomer, Sir Mix-a-Lot.
"I like big butts, and I cannot lie."
OK?
OK.
Then, you're going to put film into this camera,
and you're going to take a selfie.
OK.
And I'm going to time you.
I'm not going to tell you how much time,
but we're going to start--
Mhm.
--now.
[ACTION MUSIC PLAYING]
OK.
Was it 89.3?
Uh-huh.
89.3.
[RADIO STATIC]
(RADIO) Anything keeping their ratings high
and their business booming.
Is that it?
Is that 89.3?
And that is the bottom line.
Yeah.
(RADIO) You can tell me what you think any day.
All right.
OK.
Now--
Mmm.
Um.
Wait.
Wait, something with this thing.
Yes.
I've seen it on TV.
Yes.
Where'd you see it on TV?
I don't remember, but it was period piece.
OK.
Are you going to start in the middle?
[LAUGHTER]
It was a period piece.
[LAUGHS]
Maybe it was on The Crown.
I don't think they had typewriters.
Awkward.
"I like--" this is fun.
Isn't it fun?
"--big butts, and I cannot lie."
I think we need more ink in there.
Let's see how that looks.
Yes.
"I like big butts, and I cannot lie."
We need a-- ribbon or whatever you do with that.
Yeah.
All right.
Now, you have to put the film in.
Oh, Jesus.
OK.
I think-- this where I used to keep my quarters.
[LAUGHS]
No.
That's a battery.
Yep.
Oh.
Is it this one?
Mike's taking a picture of her trying to load the camera.
Ooh.
There's a button that says "open."
Yes.
Look at that.
OK.
Wait.
Is there something-- is that too simple?
Does it just go in that easy?
Don't you think--
I feel like this has to be this.
Don't you think the film sticking out
seems to be sticking out for a reason?
That's what I'm thinking.
OK.
So-- yeah.
No.
No?
Nope.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yes?
No.
Oh, um.
Oh, wait.
Mhm.
Is it?
Yep, yep, yep.
Yep.
Oh.
Look at that.
Yeah?
I think so.
I mean I haven't--
You think so?
Is that right?
Does she have to pull it all the way that far?
I don't think so.
Does she have to pull it all the way over, Mike?
I think they'll just click on the--
there should be like little ridges in there
that it clicks onto.
Come help us, Mike.
Because I don't know in case--
What generation are you?
Help me.
Is that right?
I don't know if she needed to pull it out that far.
Yikes.
I think it needs to go the way we had it.
Right?
Yeah.
But then, where does that go?
Yeah.
When were you born?
'72.
All right.
There it goes.
Look at that.
[GASPS]
You did it.
Now, take a selfie of yourself.
Oh, Jesus.
Did it take?
I don't think it did.
You'll never know.
That's the thing about those cameras.
Oh--
Until it comes back you don't know how you look.
You can't look at it.
No.
Because at first, it was off.
And then I'm expecting a flash to go off or something.
How do I know--
you know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
Is there a flash?
No.
I think there's a power light on there.
I did.
It's on.
Oh.
[LAUGHTER]
You got to wind it.
You wind it?
Oh, you have to wind the film for a minute?
[CAMERA WINDING]
And then when it catches--
[LAUGHTER]
All right.
Good luck to you.
Bye.
Thank you.
[LAUGHTER]