A core memory of mine was listening to the Doc. The show was on late Sunday night so I rarely got to hear the Five Five. One week, it was the Memorial Day weekend. My two closest friends and I were all able to hear the whole show. We met the next day to ride the bus downtown to the big mall. We talked and laughed all day about the songs we heard. Good times :D
My kids had one of these. It's a clever design. And it's true, the old style was much more interesting. Theoretically, you could press a new record for the old-style. Which would be a cool project.
Being a latchkey kid hurt me academically. I just couldn't discipline myself to do home work. The lure of the TV or being with friends was too strong. So my grades slipped. I fell behind in math. Homework was stressful when my Mom got home because she couldn't help me. My dad worked swing shift for most of my youth. He would help when he could. If my parents or and afterschool program could have helped me learn how to do homework, I would have been better off.
Overall I was a well-cared for latchkey kid. My brothers and I were fed and my Mom was usually home around 6 or 7.
That's my experience. I have to trick my eyes to see it in 'divergent' mode. But all I have to do is cross my eyes and I can see the image. Although, I would see shapes sinking into the page not popping out.