If you wanted to ask your friend to play in 1990, you had to call his house phone and hope for the best. Was anyone there? Who would answer? Would your friend be available? Maybe you'll leave a message... It was a weird tradition we repeated ad nauseam, one of many peculiar and lost customs we were subjected to in our analog childhoods. And it's those traditions that are the subject of this episode of KnockBack. Wild rumors and speculation on the playground? The internet solves that for today's youth, but in our day, we believed it all. Wanted to know if you had a snow day? You had to start watching the local news the night before and into the next morning, hoping to see your school district appear in the scrolling marquee. New year teacher assignments and quarterly grades? Sent through the old-fashioned mail, easy to intercept or lose. Waiting was a rite of passage for all schoolkids. Now, youngins can know anything at any time, about everything in the world. The mystery is gone, yes, but we hope this show rekindles it for a moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices