Obsolete

Well, another decade has come and gone... and so has a lot of our fancy techno-junk...

Remember when digital flip phones were all the rage?

Remember when shock-free portable CD players were a must have?

Remember answering machines? VCRs? Floppy drives?

Remember cube TVs!? (I do, but that's because I still have one)

The analogue era is gone, and we have officially entered the digital age.

From shopping mall directories, to pumps at the gas station, to the fridge in your kitchen, anything can be given a brain these days, and in the next 10 years the world will become a very different place yet again...

But for now, let's look back a the past ten.

The Huffington Post published an article highlighting 12 ordinary, everyday things that have essentially died off since the turn of the millenium.

Summing up how fast things change is enough to make you bust out a whaaaazzzzzuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!?

12) Calling: Believe it or not, I hate talking on the phone. Chatting with callers on the radio is one thing, but when it comes to everyday conversation, as far as I'm concerned, if it can be said in a text, say it in a text. Nothing worse than mindless Hey how are yous?

11) Newspaper Classifieds: The only thing left in the classified section these days is job ads (targeted to people who likely don't use Craigslist) and "escort services"... I can only imagine whom they're targeting...

10) Dial Up Internet: It sucked. 'Nuff said... but the sounds are pretty nostalgic, no?

9) Encyclopedias: Why buy expensive books that take up space when you can just punch it into Wikipedia? There are so many articles on there that the odds of one being fudged up by a net surfing hoodlum are pretty slim.

That said, if you want your apartment to smell of many leather bound books... an encyclopedia set may not be all that bad...

8) CDs: I still use these, and obviously they're still sold in droves. But I think that's because what people are spending their money on is not the CD (They're just going to transfer the music on to their iTunes anyway). What people are still interested in buying in the new decade is real, tangible, cover art and liner notes.

You also can't display an iTunes collection on a rack in your living room. Many people enjoy that... my CDs, however, tend to wind up on the floor of my car...

7) Landline Phones: Hellooooooooooooo? Why bother? Unless you collect rotary phones... Which is kinda cool, I must say...

6) Film and Film Cameras: These seemed to die off relatively quick! It wasn't until computer software technology caught up with that of the cameras themselves that the digital revolution seemed to take hold.

It was only a few years ago that Kodak flaunted its Advantix brand film and cameras. The ones where you can choose different photo sizes, reduce red eye, etc... impressive features for film. But, um, digital does that too.

5) Yellow Pages and Address Books: Much the same as the classifieds, these babies won't truly die out until literally every home and every person has access to an internet device. Until then, grandma is still going to turn to page 675 to find the number for the knitting store.

(No offence 'Nan, I know how much you like your knitting)

4) Catalogues: Aside from Ikea and the Sears Wishbook... when was the last time you've ever seen one show up on your door? Nope, websites are the new catalogue. It's over.

3) Fax Machines: This surprised me actually. Fax machines aren't the rock star office supply they once were, but they're still very useful I find. Besides, these days they're easily integrated into printer/scanner technology... so it's really more of a "why NOT put it in?" kinda thing.

2) Wires: The more stuff we invent, the more space their wires take up. Granted, they're still cluttering up my living room. But bit by bit and little by little they are disappearing. Wireless internet is already king. And now you can even charge some cell phones wirelessly!

The Palm Pre, for instance, charges through a magnet in the back of the phone. I don't think it'll be too long before you'll be able to make toast on your roof.

But will batteries be included? If they are they'd better toss in a loaf of bread too. Extra incentive to buy!

1) Hand Written Letters: This, I consider somewhat of a tragic result of the advances in technology.

It makes complete sense why no one writes letters anymore, why bother when you can tweet instead?

But a hand written letter is something that will never die off completely. People have been writing each other for centuries, and to this day it's still a heartwarming gesture to sit down and scribble some meaningful words for someone you love.

It's just a humbling reminder that while all these crazy innovations have become essential cogs in the way we live... the power can always go out... but the written word will last a lifetime.

Happy New Year everyone!

I wish you nothing but peace, love and the upmost of joy in 2010 and beyond!

Ian