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Nostalgia isn't what it used to be, according to many
people. The phrase is usually used in jest and, indeed, many
people seem to be keener than ever on looking back. Some of
us even try to recreate the past through how we decorate our
houses (someone has designed a spare bedroom to look like
World War 2 air raid shelter), through things we collect,
hobbies we have and so on.
 There are many ways in which people try to get back to the
past. Museums take us back to an age that used to be - the
RAF Museum, for example, where we
can look at old aircraft and related items, is a good case in point. Think about classic
car rallies and all that happens behind them - people have to
own the cars, maintain them and so on. They have car clubs which
meet regularly and where the members swap stories and tell each
other about past experiences.
Other people save things such as comics and magazines or
memorabilia of some sort. There are many sources through which
these things can be obtained and some of them are listed on the
Where to Go page.
 Radio
and television are other ways in which people can indulge their
nostalgia and there are numerous channels that take us back to
the past. If we wish to hark back to a Golden Age (imaginary or
not) then we can do so with ease providing we have a digital
radio and lots of channels on our television. Old films are
shown on some television channels, so we can watch those as well
as watching our former favourite television programmes.
 Of course, we all have old photos that we can look back on
and many of us have newspaper cuttings and so on that we get out
from time to time to look at. If we still have one of those
things called a record player we might play our old vinyl
records that will recall past times. Technology can help us to
bring our nostalgia up to date by helping convert, for example,
LPs to MP3 tracks and our old 35mm slides to digital
photographs. Not everyone will want to do this but many people
love to do it.
There are numerous websites that can help us indulge our
nostalgia. Perhaps the most well-known is Friends Reunited,
which helps us to find our old school friends and other past
acquaintances. Getting together with the people we grew up with
is the perfect way to indulge our nostalgia!
Most of us love looking back into the past. Our old sporting
heroes are better than the current sportsmen, the music was
better, the trains and cars had more character and the comics
were more imaginative. That's what we think, anyway, and that's
why nostalgia is alive and kicking.
So if you want to indulge in a bit of nostalgia but need a
few pointers and guidance to help you get started, read our
Guide and take it from there. It will show you where to go; how
to use the technology; what radio and TV have to offer; how to
use the Internet to help with your nostalgia; and the kind of
things that people feel nostalgic about.
Just click on the links in the box, get your appetite whetted
and get nostalgic. For a quick start, go to
www.coldal.org
to see the kind of things that people get nostalgic about. It's
definitely a feel-good website, so get yourself into the mood.
If you have anything in particular that you're nostalgic
about or you can help other people with their nostalgic
longings, let us know through the
feedback form
or by going to our
Forum.
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