Just when I was getting used to compact disks, iPods and flash drives made them old fashioned. No-iron clothes spelled the doom for irons in the young homes. The handy public telephones that cost a dime a call are now replaced with three hundred-dollar-a-year cellphone contracts. Shared music in the park coming out of fancy boomboxes have disappeared in favor of 'earbuds' and headphones. For years I have been saving up for a laptop only to find that they are fast becoming obsolete in favor of notebooks and iPads.
I-phones do take pictures now but no sharp telephoto shots or portraits since the zooming feature is just a cropping feature. In grammar school we used to send coded notes to our friends, occasionally getting caught by the teacher who made us read them out loud. Now even adults are texting their coded messages to each other, usually containing the same baneful thoughts. A nice watch used to be a prized possession but now digitalized time stares at us from cellphones, ovens, microwaves, TVs and iPod players. Once proud of my DVD collection of movies, I am now embarrassed to admit to my guests that it isn't BLURAY.
The fairly new tube type TV that I have in my cellar entertainment room doesn't accept digital signals or the new HD channels. In fact my cablevision company now does not even send out analog signals, turning it into a seventy-five pound paper weight. I guess I'll just have to pack it away with the rabbit ears and roof antenna.
Local libraries are fast losing funds from state and local governments. They say the future lies in nooks and electronic reading. What Barnes and Noble does not say is that those unlimited free books now cost fifteen dollars each and can only be read in the park for a few hours before the batteries run out. I read four books a week and live on social security. An extra sixty dollars a week is not in my budget.
A few months ago I dutifully exchanged all our Edison filament bulbs for the new twisted spiral fluorescents. It seemed marvelous that we got the same light (almost) with one quarter of the electricity. Now I read that the future in lighting will be taken over by LEDs at three times the cost. I'm all for progress but at least give us a little time to enjoy the new inventions!
About the Author: A retired portrait and wedding photographer, I enjoy writing, how to articles, helpful articles on photography and many other subjects. My hobbies include quartet singing, shop, bicycling and photography. Please visit my web site at http://www.photoartbyken.com/ and redbubble.com [Articles, Digital Art, Poetry, Original sheet music.]
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