We're nostalgic for simpler times when movie night started with picking out a VCR tape and courtship occurred without texts.

• But there are certain old ways of doing things that don't seem to die.

The big picture: These bits of old tech that have endured the test of time connect older and younger generations.

💸 Zoom in: Consider paper checks. Even though there are dozens and dozens of easier, faster and arguably safer ways to move money around, paper checks refuse to die, The New York Times’ Ron Lieber writes.

• A handful of businesses and organizations — like contractors, charities and churches — still take a quarter of their payments and donations via check.
• Rent is often still paid by check too.

A few factors are contributing to their lasting power, Lieber notes.

• Giving a donation or a gift with a handwritten check can feel more personal than sending money by Venmo.
• And there are still fees associated with card transactions that you can dodge with checks.

🎶 Vinyl records have also made a huge comeback.

• In 2022 and 2023, they outsold CDs.
• Music fans — especially younger ones — are collecting records and displaying them like art, and artists are feeding the craze with special edition vinyls

The reason is simple, Billy Fields, the resident vinyl expert at Warner Music Group, told CNBC: "It's eternally cool."

📆 And some paper products, like planners, calendars and menus, are still preferred over their digital counterparts.

• The act of writing down a to-do list can motivate you and physically marking a loved one's birthday on a calendar is special.
• And nothing beats the joy of poring over a paper menu when you sit down at a restaurant.

The bottom line: Technology is constantly changing little and big things about the way we live. But some things are better the way our parents and grandparents did them.

📬 Are there any old gadgets or habits that are still a part of your daily life? We’d love to hear about them at [email protected]. We’ll feature some of your stories in future editions of the newsletter.

The sun rises over a field of wind turbines in Nolan, Texas.