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10 'Mad Men' Era Office Staples That Don't Exist Anymore

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The last 50 years has seen a lot of changes in both technology and culture, and one of the places greatly affected is the American office.

There's no denying a lot has changed in workplaces since the Mad Men era.

Here are 10 of those office staples you rarely see anymore.

Number 10. Typewriters. No desk in the secretarial pool was complete without one, and no doubt being able to whip up a memo the fastest was a source of some serious street cred. But not today. When was the last time you saw a typewriter?

Number 9. Slide Projectors. Showing a picture to a bunch of people at once usually involved dragging out a slide projector.

"This device isn't a spaceship. It's a time machine." [Donald Draper]

Great for presentations, but as the lights had to be off to see what was on the screen, not so wonderful for note taking or reading.

Number 8. Retro Fans. Unless your boss has a fondness for all things mid-century, odds are you won't find one of these beauties in your break room. Even if it is sitting there, it's probably just for show.

Number 7. Corded telephone.
"Donlad Draper's office." [Miss Blankenship]
In the times of being tethered to a landline, privacy was the exclusive domain of those with offices. Now you'd probably have to go to a museum to find one.

Number 6. Liquor. Liquid lunches weren't just an occasional indulgence, they were apparently part of the executive lifestyle. Today, if somebody is going to take a nip in the afternoon, it's probably out of a coffee cup, and the bottle most certainly isn't sitting on the desk.

Number 5. Cigarettes. Once upon a time they were thought to make a person look either super swanky like Dean Martin or enviably glamorous, like Audrey Hepburn.
"You, stand over there." [Dr. Greta Guttman]
Clearly, those days have long passed.

Number 4. Fist Fights. Considering the super-aggressive culture, that fist fight between Peter and Lane didn't seem that much of a big deal. While the aggressive culture persists in many industries, fist fights are not an option for resolving conflicts.

Number 3. File Cabinets. When paper ruled the world, file cabinets were everywhere. Oddly, despite their popularity, they only came in a limited array of styles and colors.

Number 2. Hats. They used to be part of the professional man's uniform, but now are a fairly rare sight to see.
"See if someone found my award." [Donald Draper]
"What's the category?" [Miss Blankenship]
"Best Actress." Dr. Greta Guttman

Number 1. Pen sets. No executive desk was complete without one; however, the fancy desktop stands that kept your high quality pens handy have gone the way of the inkwell and the quill.

Just because all of those things are gone, doesn't mean some of them weren't cool. Which ones do you wish were still around?
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Tech News
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