You Can Kiss These Obsolete Things Goodbye

The other day I happened to spot the Yellow Pages delivery man across the street and let the landlady know he was about to dump a ton of obsolete books at the building's entrance once again.  The poor lady's 70 years old and it's hard for her to have to carry the heavy books to the garage where they eventually get thrown away anyway.  Last year I helped carry them for her but this time I did even better cutting the YP guy off at the pass.  

Why do these Yellow Pages get force delivered on people in buildings only to be thrown away you might wonder?  Because people's jobs depend on working for the Yellow Pages in spite of the fact very few people use the book as a resource any longer.  These people are obviously trying to maintain a dying industry.  Turns out there are many similar instances of industries hanging on a thread barely making it.  The reason these threatened industries still exist is many people's livelihoods and futures depend on them.  Regardless, eventually they will all be gone if they haven't disappeared already. 

According to a Staples Store retail clerk I spoke with, the most common questions the store gets is how to obtain replacement parks and supplies for technology that's over 10 years old.  The clerk says the old technology questions come repeatedly from "people of a certain generation".  Apparently some people have a tough time letting go of things.   (Photo: If a grizzly wants your bike, you can kiss it goodbye)

Here are a few once common things that are gone or quickly fading into oblivion as provided from the Huffington Post in an article You're Out : 20 Things That Became Obsolete this Decade

Let's take a look at some of the things and professions that have gradually been phased out over the past decade from 2000-2010. 

Kiss your Yellow Pages goodbye

There was a time when "let your fingers do the walking" meant opening a phone book -- not typing in a search query. Phone books, address books, and the Yellow Pages have been made obsolete, their information transferred from paper onto smartphones, and the web. - Huffington Post

Kiss your Travel Agent goodbye

The Internet's Expediia, etc.,  have pretty much taken over where travel agents left off.

Kiss Book Stores goodbye

All the bookstores are gradually being closed in San Francisco, including the used book stores.  People like me go in and read what's on the shelves but we don't buy.  After we glance over content, we buy on Amazon. Sad but true.

Kiss your VCR/VHS goodbye 

Gone for many long ago, let's face it, this was unattractive technology to begin with.  The VHS tapes took up a lot of space and attracted dust.

Kiss your Landline Phone goodbye

I use Magic Jack and my cell phone.  Why pay for a landline these days?  While many still rely on landlines--especially in areas where cellphone service is spotty--users are increasingly unplugging. As the AP explained, a recent survey found, "In a first for any age group, more than half of Americans age 25-29 live in households with cell phones but no traditional landline telephones." - Huffington Post

Kiss your Wristwatch goodbye 

I used to wear one every day, haven't been for the past two years. I used to love wearing watches too.  "While wristwatches are certainly still a style statement and/or status symbol for many, they've increasingly been replaced by cellphones, laptops, and other gadgets, which tell time and eliminate the need for an extra accessory. A survey by Beloit College of its class of 2014 found, 'Few incoming freshmen know how to write in cursive or have ever worn a wristwatch.'" - Huffington Post

Kiss Paper Maps goodbye

GPS and Internet map services are taking over the map industry for the most part.

Kiss Newspaper Classifieds goodbye 

Craigslist gets fast results and is  free

Kiss Encyclopedias goodbye 

They were stuffy old things.  Wikipedia anyone? 

Kiss CD's goodbye 

Digital music has rendered CD's nearly extinct.

Kiss Film Cameras and film processing goodbye 

Why would anyone still use film unless they're professional die hard photographers?

Kiss Handwritten letters goodbye

No one sends handwritten personal letters anymore, do they?  I don't even write cursive anymore I've been typing for so many years. Today the concept of letter writing even sounds a little strange.

There are many other industries that are quickly fading or metamorphosizing with new technology, including newspapers and magazines, that I'll do another future story on.  Things I'd love to add tot he list are attorneys but I have to do more research to determine if they're on their way out.

Future Goals:

• Kiss lawyers goodbye (no, kick their asses out the door!)
• Kiss judges goodbye (they can knock themselves out dealing with petty disputes their industry manufacuteres to bring in money for itself.  After they do, let's replace judges with robots!)
• Kiss politicians goodbye (let's put them in tar and feather museums of the future)
• Kiss the office cubicle goodbye (mobile work is the wave of the future)
• Kiss fax machines goodbye (they require a land line and we have PDF/emails now.

It's time to beam up now.