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What will soon – within 50 years or less - be history.
I have a lifelong habit of trying to guess how, why, when, and what customs, organizations, significant problems, familiar activities, devices, structures, or technology commonly used or seen today, will disappear as a function of advances in technology and science, or other forces of progress.
Not that I saw this all coming, but a few notables from my life thus far include 78s, 45s, and LP records; eight track, reel to reel, and cassette tape recorders or players; dial telephones; CRT displays [going fast], analog clocks [going], vacuum tubes - though I read not long ago that these are making a bit of a come-back on a limited basis. Later I grieved the end of the age when state-of-the-art electronic circuits could be built by hand.
One that came to my attention today is the use of watches. CNN reports that people under thirty aren’t buying watches as have previous generations. It seems that the use of hand-held devices preclude the need for a watch. It did strike me some time ago that a very expensive analog watch can’t compete with modern digital technology, so the long revered Swiss analog watch seems destined for the novelty bin, but I didn’t think about digital watches going away.
One age now ending is the age of getting lost - no more getting lost at sea, in the mountains, or deserts. In fact, already we approach the day when can’t even get lost while trying to drive our cars in unfamiliar territory. With the new GPS navigation systems for autos, maps are all but a thing of the past. So, I guess that before long, paper road maps will mostly be gone.
Payphones
UHF and VHF TV antennas
The computer as a distinct device: Nearly everything will be or is a computer in some sense.
The word "Robot": We will start making distinctions between different kinds of robots. In much the same way, we no longer think of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles as variations on the horseless carriage. We see this already with the little robotic vacuum devices such as the Trilobite
http://www.electroluxusa.com/node70.asp
I would imagine that some name will catch on and stick - like the "shooter" or "clicker" did for remote controls.
More?
I have a lifelong habit of trying to guess how, why, when, and what customs, organizations, significant problems, familiar activities, devices, structures, or technology commonly used or seen today, will disappear as a function of advances in technology and science, or other forces of progress.
Not that I saw this all coming, but a few notables from my life thus far include 78s, 45s, and LP records; eight track, reel to reel, and cassette tape recorders or players; dial telephones; CRT displays [going fast], analog clocks [going], vacuum tubes - though I read not long ago that these are making a bit of a come-back on a limited basis. Later I grieved the end of the age when state-of-the-art electronic circuits could be built by hand.
One that came to my attention today is the use of watches. CNN reports that people under thirty aren’t buying watches as have previous generations. It seems that the use of hand-held devices preclude the need for a watch. It did strike me some time ago that a very expensive analog watch can’t compete with modern digital technology, so the long revered Swiss analog watch seems destined for the novelty bin, but I didn’t think about digital watches going away.
One age now ending is the age of getting lost - no more getting lost at sea, in the mountains, or deserts. In fact, already we approach the day when can’t even get lost while trying to drive our cars in unfamiliar territory. With the new GPS navigation systems for autos, maps are all but a thing of the past. So, I guess that before long, paper road maps will mostly be gone.
Payphones
UHF and VHF TV antennas
The computer as a distinct device: Nearly everything will be or is a computer in some sense.
The word "Robot": We will start making distinctions between different kinds of robots. In much the same way, we no longer think of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles as variations on the horseless carriage. We see this already with the little robotic vacuum devices such as the Trilobite
http://www.electroluxusa.com/node70.asp
I would imagine that some name will catch on and stick - like the "shooter" or "clicker" did for remote controls.
More?
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