Nine things we may not have much longer.

[rightwinger]

1. Cigarettes
Use and frequency is way down as are places to smoke. Prices are way up

2. Tombstones
Cremation is gaining acceptance and your future "monument" may be on Facebook

3. Voting Booths
Everyone will be able to vote on-line. No need to pull the lever

4. Classrooms
Kids will attend school through a video link and computer access

5. Playgrounds
They are getting smaller and smaller and less and less fun

My playground was built for speed and no sissies were allowed.

Everything was steel set in concrete that was 'padded' with sand.

Now it's platic set very deep into concrete with ground up rubber as padding.

Yeah, we're raising a bunch of whimps. When I was a kid, the monkey bars were 14 feet high over a slab of cement and if you fell and didn't crack your head open you were sent right back out to climb them again. Today they are 5 feet high over 12 inches of foam and if they fall, the school nurse is called to make sure there's no trauma.

Damn right
10 ft swings you could launch yourself off of. Slides that you were scared to climb up and burnt your ass in the summer. Climbing was climbing as you hung upside down by your knees eight feet over concrete.

Merry go rounds that you would spin at insane speeds and get off and take a walk down queer street

 

[AllieBaba]

I don't have tv or a phone. My privacy is pretty intact so far. I can go ALMOST completely off the grid whenever, and I like it like that. I like to keep a toe in; people who don't exist at all can have a hard time of it.

 

[Big Black Dog]

One of the real things that you don't see a whole lot more of now is plain old-fashioned manners. When was the last time you hear a kid say "Thank you", "Yes sir or Yes mam" or "Please"? Cashiers in the stores don't even thank you for your purchase anymore or even say "Please". They just blurt out "$4.99" or something. Ever watch a pack of kids at the mall? They run into you with no regard. They either curse you out or simply keep walking as if you were the one who caused the mishap. Maybe one of them will say something stupid like "My bad" but that is most likely the extent of it. You hear plenty of kids cursing as if it is ordinary everyday language to them while they are cruising the mall. They, and most adults, dress like everything they own came from the Goodwill store or have been used for cleaning rags for the last 6 months. I remember, as a teen, if you were going into town for anything, you got all spiffed up and put on some great clothes because you just never knew who you would run into... Making a good impression was at the top of your list. Now, it is at the bottom. People wear jeans to church, wedding, funerals and you very seldom see a woman wearing a dress anymore. The changes we have made, in my humble opinion, have not been for the better.

 

[Flopper]

I disagree with most posters on the post office issue. I think many people would miss snail mail. While use of email is growing, 38% of the households in the country do not have a connection to the Internet. Although some members of these families may email at work or a public computer, for many millions, snail mail is their only means of written communication.

For many people, Christmas would not be Christmas without all the Christmas cards hung on the mantel. Email is great for fast easy communications, but for personal communication nothings carries the warm of a hand written letter. For millions of people, particular the poor, who do not have email, snail mail is a necessity. For hundreds of thousands of businesses, bulk mail is a cheap effective method of advertising.

Yes, the P.O. has big money problems. I heard the Postmaster General a few ago addressing this subject. There are solutions but the problem is getting congressional approval. The Postmaster General was pushing 5-day mail delivery, which would wipe out half the P.O. deficit. Also he wants to close post offices in small towns and transfer the function to retails stores. This would increase revenue and foot traffic in the stores and save the P.O. millions. Changing rural free delivery to a paid service would yield big savings also. Then there's the questions about the need for various P.O. services. Does the post office need its on police force? Why do we have the post office handling passport, immigration, and many other documents that have nothing to do with mail delivery?

I suppose political pressure keeps Congress from approving needed changes. I doubt that they would approve shutting the system if they won’t even consider reducing mail delivery to 5 days.

 

[Foxfyre]

I disagree with most posters on the post office issue. I think many people would miss snail mail. While use of email is growing, 38% of the households in the country do not have a connection to the Internet. Although some members of these families may email at work or a public computer, for many millions, snail mail is their only means of written communication.

For many people, Christmas would not be Christmas without all the Christmas cards hung on the mantel. Email is great for fast easy communications, but for personal communication nothings carries the warm of a hand written letter. For millions of people, particular the poor, who do not have email, snail mail is a necessity. For hundreds of thousands of businesses, bulk mail is a cheap effective method of advertising.

Yes, the P.O. has big money problems. I heard the Postmaster General a few ago addressing this subject. There are solutions but the problem is getting congressional approval. The Postmaster General was pushing 5-day mail delivery, which would wipe out half the P.O. deficit. Also he wants to close post offices in small towns and transfer the function to retails stores. This would increase revenue and foot traffic in the stores and save the P.O. millions. Changing rural free delivery to a paid service would yield big savings also. Then there's the questions about the need for various P.O. services. Does the post office need its on police force? Why do we have the post office handling passport, immigration, and many other documents that have nothing to do with mail delivery?

I suppose political pressure keeps Congress from approving needed changes. I doubt that they would approve shutting the system if they won’t even consider reducing mail delivery to 5 days.

I hope you're right, Flopper, but I am sure that UPS or Fed Ex wouldn't mind delivering Christmas cards or snail mail with the packages. I'm also sure they would charge a hefty fee to do that. We look forward to the 'junk mail' on Tuesdays too as it will contain the grocery ads so we can find where the loss leaders and good sales will be on Wednesday. And the necessity of a hand written thank you note for gifts or kind acts or invitations to special occasions etc. all need a reliable delivery service.

You raise good points that with some sensible and practical management could make it self sustaining again. I would like to see the postal service saved but it should pay for itself.

We wouldn't miss Saturday mail delivery and could manage with shorter hours for the post office--say 9 to 4 instead of 8 to 5. And we could make do with fewer post offices, most especially since you can buy stamps etc. on line. There are three full time post offices on a six mile stretch of rural highway just east of Albuquerque. That's ridiculous since one would be sufficient for that area. Every little unincorporated place doesn't have to have a post office.

 

[Flopper]

Even if you have to print your own?

No. However, take away CASH and there are a whole lot of basic necessities of life (food, etc...) that I refuse to put on a credit card because there is no reason to, which I will not be able to buy.

You refuse now because there is an alternative. When there IS no alternative to using a credit card or debit card for food, your choices may be to use those 'conveniences' or steal or starve. That is why I'm feeling some anxiety that we could lose some or all of those nine things because we will then not have the choices we have now.

I, for instance, am very basic and low tech when it comes to working with any kind of electronics. Most of you use words and language that I have no clue what you're talking about. But I am efficient and effective with the low tech devices and programs that I use. And at my age, I am not opposed to change for the better, but in this case I don't really want to have to learn how to do it any differently.

I put it all in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it category."

You hit upon the reason that so many old technologies hang around so long. People just don't want to change and have to learn a new technology that may offer little benefits. I use Quicken for managing my finances. Every three or four years, I have to upgrade it or lose functionality. I spend hours learning a new way to do my work and avoiding all the new features that I have no need for. Each time Microsoft announces a new version of Windows, I cringe knowing the day is coming when I will have to upgrade.

Young people buy new technology because it's new and nifty. As we get we older, we ask what will it do for me? What do I have do, to make it work?

 

[Anachronism]

You refuse now because there is an alternative. When there IS no alternative to using a credit card or debit card for food, your choices may be to use those 'conveniences' or steal or starve. That is why I'm feeling some anxiety that we could lose some or all of those nine things because we will then not have the choices we have now.

Personally, either one of those options would be preferable to using "plastic money" in those places.

We used to have a discount store here in Central Massachusetts called "Spags". It was a CASH ONLY business. No checks. No Credit or Debit Cards. It boggled my mind how often I got in line there that someone couldn't come up with $12.50 in CASH in their wallets (there was an ATM machine for such occasions)

 

[Flopper]

Just because we have a new technology that's faster, easier, and more efficient doesn't mean the old technology will disappear. It's really a matter of do we like the old technology.

Just about everybody believed TV would be the end of motion picture theaters. Why do we pay 50 bucks to take a date or the family to a movie when we can choose from thousands of movies to watch at home any time we please for few dollars. We do so because we just like the experience of going out to a movie.

I think there will always be a market for books although they may not be as many produced. The good thing and bad thing about technology is that it is always changing and improving. To read a paper copy of a book, you do not need a special device, you don't need to charge batteries, and there are no compatibly problems. Unlike books on audio tape or web sites that no longer exist, the books in my library are just as readable now as they were 20 years ago. I read books on my iPad, but for me reading a paper copy is totally different experience.

But the thing is, Mr. Foxfyre and I choose NOT to spend that $50 to go to a movie as there are so few really good movies produced any more and the cost just isn't worth it. We would rather spend that $50 on five DVDs of great old movies we love to watch again and again. As a result, when we once had seen every movie nominated for something on the Academy Awards, now we haven't even heard of most of the nominees. Same with music on the Grammy awards--once we knew every melody and arrangement, what studio produced it, what artist sang it. Now we don't bother to even watch.

But maybe there's enough of the younger generations to keep it all going.

But there is a part of me that dreads the change, the loss of the familiar and comfortable as well as enjoyable parts of our life.

I agree. I guess it's just part of getting older. I don’t mind changes in technology that make my life better. But so many changes are forced on us that have little or no benefit. Take an HD TV for example. I love the big flat screen TV’s but I see very little difference in watching an HD versus a non-HD channels. I certainly don’t think going to HD was worth obsoleting 50 million televisions sets.

We buy a computer with a nice array of software. In 3 or 4 years we have to upgrade, not because there is anything wrong with the computer but because technology has changed and the old computer just doesn't work with new the technology. Before the Internet, customers had some control over the situation. If you wanted to keep the old computer running, you just didn't add a lot of new software. But with Internet, you don't have that control. The software on the Internet is constantly changing. Programs on your computer are automatically downloading changes. Eventually, things stop working because of some incompatibility and you're off to buy a new computer. It's like the customer has lost control.

 

[Flopper]

1. Cigarettes
Use and frequency is way down as are places to smoke. Prices are way up

2. Tombstones
Cremation is gaining acceptance and your future "monument" may be on Facebook

3. Voting Booths
Everyone will be able to vote on-line. No need to pull the lever

4. Classrooms
Kids will attend school through a video link and computer access

5. Playgrounds
They are getting smaller and smaller and less and less fun

My playground was built for speed and no sissies were allowed.

Everything was steel set in concrete that was 'padded' with sand.

Now it's platic set very deep into concrete with ground up rubber as padding.

Todays playgrounds are designed by lawyers with the excitement level for a two year old in mind.

No swings, monster slides, monkey bars, seesaws let alone some of the more fun aparatus of our youth (merry-go-rounds)

Even the noble sand box is gone

Yep. Playgrounds are all about safety, not fun. I understand the need for safety, but designing a playground with no moving parts is carrying it a bit far.

 

[rightwinger]

My playground was built for speed and no sissies were allowed.

Everything was steel set in concrete that was 'padded' with sand.

Now it's platic set very deep into concrete with ground up rubber as padding.

Todays playgrounds are designed by lawyers with the excitement level for a two year old in mind.

No swings, monster slides, monkey bars, seesaws let alone some of the more fun aparatus of our youth (merry-go-rounds)

Even the noble sand box is gone

Yep. Playgrounds are all about safety, not fun. I understand the need for safety, but designing a playground with no moving parts is carrying it a bit far.

I have lived next door to a Grammar School for over 20 years. During that time I have seen four complete redesigns of the playground equipment. Each time, I looked at the new apparatus and thought "That does not look as fun as the old stuff". What they have now looks like it was designed for pre-school.
I used to look at that playground when I got home from work and see tons of kids playing there. Now it is empty.
They will eventually remove it entirely and justify it by saying kids do not like playgrounds anymore

 

[editec]

Between digital development and the internet you are absolutely right that things are changing in ways that few industries are entirely prepared to cope.

Any industry that involves information has changed so much that it's alarming. And the rate of those changes is only accelerating, too.

So off the top of my head, publishing, recording, entertainment, education and communications are currently attempting to cope with, and take advanatage of these technical changes.

But there's more, too.

Banking is changing, as is bill paying and on and on and on.

And every change does one thing that apparently few of us truly understand is the bleeding EDGE of this techological revolution

Every increase in efficiency also means some people are LOSING THEIR JOBS.

Take my business for example...I can now do ALONE the same amount of work that back in the mid 90s took 4 people to do.

You multiply that kind of increase in efficiency event by millions of small and large businesses and you have the a tsuami of UNEMPLOYABLE people.

It takes fewer and fewer people every day to create the wealth that society needs.

So naturally since we are pretending this is no problem. But for every winner of this change there are a huge number of losers.

Eventually most people will be UNEMPLOYABLE, folks.

This is going happen in the next thirty years or so assuming nothing else changes in society but these technogical advances.

The only real solution (other than mass murder, I mean) is a change in the social contract.

And lord knows the winners of this seachange in how things get done have no vested interest in giving a rats ass about this problem.

You see folks, capitalism is based on the notion of SCARCITY.

But in a lot of cases (everything invovling information) there is NO SCARCITY, in fact quite the opposite.

So KNOWLEDGE (and all those associated with intellectualy property and its dessimination) keeps going down in price.

And unlike the industrial revolution, the displaced workers won't have FACTORIES to work at.

Robots are already displacing factory workers and that trend will only continue.

And no EDUCATION is NOT the solution.

This increasingly production efficienct world only needs so many workers regardless of how educated they are.

 

[Granny]

Excellent thread! I miss gas stations. It used to be you could drive into a gas station and a couple guys would run out, fill your tank, automatically look under your hood and check everything out, wash your windows, check your tires ... and the gas cost about 25 cents a gallon.

I miss children being children. Kids used to skate, ride bikes, play games where there were winners and losers and nobody got pissed off about it. These days kids are padded like hockey players from head to toe, simple games like dodge ball are banned because of the violent nature of the game ... and there are no losers ... only winners.

Oh yeah I didn't even think about that. We the college kid calls we can both be on the phone with her at the same time. Plus, we have Verizon for phone and internet and if we dropped our landline our internet charge would go up around $8 more per month.

I hate you. AT&T has a monopoly here ... and I damned well will not bundle my beloved Verizon cell service to save a couple bucks using AT&T cell service.

I miss my Verizon land line and internet service where I had no problems and reasonable rates.

 

[blastoff]

Ever try to find a pay phone lately?

 

[Foxfyre]

Ever try to find a pay phone lately?

Yes, that's one thing that we've pretty well lost already. When Mr. Foxfyre and I first started our business back in the mid 1980's, cell phones were still in their infancy and we didn't have one. But there was a bank of pay phones inside just about every chain restaurant, in booths positioned along the roads, and it was no problem calling ahead to advise appointments we were on the way, check in with clients, make a call home when we needed to.

Now the pay phones are gone, and if I don't have my cell phone, I feel marooned, isolated, and vulnerable. I like not having to get out in the rain or snow to use the phone, but I miss the option of being able to communicate just about everywhere in all circumstances.

 

[Trajan]

Younger people probably don't feel the sense of loss or even distress that some of us in the 'older generation', but the following nine things may not be with us much longer.

Agree? Rebuttal and disagreement would be welcomed.

1. The Post Office.

Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check.

Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper.

The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book.

You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music fromiTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, And can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book. Public libraries are already beginning to convert to more electronic transmission of information with the plus side being able to access that information from your home computer.

5. The Land Line Telephone.

Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

6. Music.

This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it.. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalog items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television sets along with DVD recorder/players and other peripherals.

Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Sales of DVD players and similar peripherals for home entertainment centers are declining. Network television, the television sets that receive the signals, and all the gadgets associated will inevitably be discontinued.

8. The "Things" That You Own.

Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy.

If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again. All we will have that can't be changed are memories.

no.'s 1, 2,3 5, ., yea I can see that and as far as 6, music, it depends naturally on the type, one thing is certain; in 10 years the physical catalog for Classical music cd's will be vaporized, in 25 it will be a dim memory in that there won't be anyone but uber charity orchestras playing it anymore.

4? Books, I disagree, I think they will hang on, forever.

Since the 60's, privacy has been relative.


7? I disagree, what would the stay at homes and retiree's do during the day? one word- Oprah!!!!!

 

[Trajan]

Todays playgrounds are designed by lawyers with the excitement level for a two year old in mind.

No swings, monster slides, monkey bars, seesaws let alone some of the more fun aparatus of our youth (merry-go-rounds)

Even the noble sand box is gone

Yep. Playgrounds are all about safety, not fun. I understand the need for safety, but designing a playground with no moving parts is carrying it a bit far.

I have lived next door to a Grammar School for over 20 years. During that time I have seen four complete redesigns of the playground equipment. Each time, I looked at the new apparatus and thought "That does not look as fun as the old stuff". What they have now looks like it was designed for pre-school.
I used to look at that playground when I got home from work and see tons of kids playing there. Now it is empty.
They will eventually remove it entirely and justify it by saying kids do not like playgrounds anymore

the Atlanta and Philly school system did that in the early 90's....they killed "recess" and any new school built was minus a playground.

 

[Flopper]

Todays playgrounds are designed by lawyers with the excitement level for a two year old in mind.

No swings, monster slides, monkey bars, seesaws let alone some of the more fun aparatus of our youth (merry-go-rounds)

Even the noble sand box is gone

Yep. Playgrounds are all about safety, not fun. I understand the need for safety, but designing a playground with no moving parts is carrying it a bit far.

I have lived next door to a Grammar School for over 20 years. During that time I have seen four complete redesigns of the playground equipment. Each time, I looked at the new apparatus and thought "That does not look as fun as the old stuff". What they have now looks like it was designed for pre-school.
I used to look at that playground when I got home from work and see tons of kids playing there. Now it is empty.
They will eventually remove it entirely and justify it by saying kids do not like playgrounds anymore

"The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground."
Gilbert K. Chesterton

 

[asterism]

5. The Land Line Telephone.

Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

I pay $9.99 a month for Vonage.... Unlimited local and long distance calls. Your list of dinosaurs that need to be extinct is dead on.

Mr. Foxfyre and I each have a cell phone on minimum usage plans--each costs us $20/month for a limited number of daytime minutes--those allowed evenings and weekend are more than sufficient for our needs even during family crises and other heavy usage times. We don't get internet on our phones. We don't text. We could take pictures but don't. We make and received calls. That's it.

However, we have one of those multi phone wireless systems for our main land line with phones set in the kitchen, office, family room, etc. And when friends and family called, we can each pick up a phone and have a group chat. Can't do that with our cell phones unless we set up a conference call which is a pain and expensive.

I don't want to give up that capability.

XLINK Communication Hubs and Bluetooth Cellular Gateway | Make or take cellular calls from any phone in the house.

We used something like this for years and it worked very well.

 

[Flopper]

Between digital development and the internet you are absolutely right that things are changing in ways that few industries are entirely prepared to cope.

Any industry that involves information has changed so much that it's alarming. And the rate of those changes is only accelerating, too.

So off the top of my head, publishing, recording, entertainment, education and communications are currently attempting to cope with, and take advanatage of these technical changes.

But there's more, too.

Banking is changing, as is bill paying and on and on and on.

And every change does one thing that apparently few of us truly understand is the bleeding EDGE of this techological revolution

Every increase in efficiency also means some people are LOSING THEIR JOBS.

Take my business for example...I can now do ALONE the same amount of work that back in the mid 90s took 4 people to do.

You multiply that kind of increase in efficiency event by millions of small and large businesses and you have the a tsuami of UNEMPLOYABLE people.

It takes fewer and fewer people every day to create the wealth that society needs.

So naturally since we are pretending this is no problem. But for every winner of this change there are a huge number of losers.

Eventually most people will be UNEMPLOYABLE, folks.

This is going happen in the next thirty years or so assuming nothing else changes in society but these technogical advances.

The only real solution (other than mass murder, I mean) is a change in the social contract.

And lord knows the winners of this seachange in how things get done have no vested interest in giving a rats ass about this problem.

You see folks, capitalism is based on the notion of SCARCITY.

But in a lot of cases (everything invovling information) there is NO SCARCITY, in fact quite the opposite.

So KNOWLEDGE (and all those associated with intellectualy property and its dessimination) keeps going down in price.

And unlike the industrial revolution, the displaced workers won't have FACTORIES to work at.

Robots are already displacing factory workers and that trend will only continue.

And no EDUCATION is NOT the solution.

This increasingly production efficienct world only needs so many workers regardless of how educated they are.

I don't know if it's 30 years, but the time is coming when most humans will be redundant in the workplace. There will always be a need for the Entrepreneur, the Innovator, the Artist, the Planner, and the Administrator but what of the workers. Most people are followers, not leaders, doers, not innovators.

 

[Flopper]

When we speak of technology obsoleting the TV, the Post Office, books, and newspapers, I think we neglect the fact that millions of families, about 32% have no connection to the Internet. About 15% of us watch only local TV stations via an antenna.