TECHNOLOGICAL OBSOLESCENCE
Earlier this year, I watched a show on one of the Discovery channels about the 101 most important gadgets ever invented. I realized that most of them were invented during my lifetime. What is struck me is that many of these items, which were considered to be amazing breakthroughs when they came on the scene, are now either obsolete or have been replaced by subsequent generations that are advanced beyond our dreams.
Here are just a few that come to mind:
☺ Brownie Box Camera ➔ Polaroid camera ➔ Point & Shoot ➔ SLR ➔ Interchangeable Lenses ➔ SmartPhone Cameras ➔ GoPro
☺ 35 MM camera ➔ 16 MM ➔8 MM ➔ Cinerama ➔ Super 8 ➔ Betamax ➔ VHR ➔ Video Camera ➔ Camcorder ➔ SmartPhone video camera
☺ Radio ➔ Transistor ➔ Phonograph ➔Hi-Fi ➔ Cassette Player ➔ BoomBox ➔ Walkman ➔ MP3 Player ➔ Smart Phone and the 78 rpm records ➔ 45 rpm records ➔ 8-Track tapes ➔ Cassette Tapes that went with them and gave way to downloaded music
☺ Black and white TV ➔Color TV ➔Portable TV ➔ Rear Projection TV ➔ Digital TV ➔ Smart TV ➔Cable TV ➔Satellite TV ➔ Smart TV ➔ FIOS ➔Roku ➔Streaming
☺ Typewriter ➔ electric portable typewriter ➔ IBM Selectric ➔ IBM MagCard ➔Wang ➔ Computer Work Stations ➔ Laptops ➔iPads ➔ iPods ➔ Tablets ➔ Computer Tablets ➔ SmartPhone
☺ Floppy disks ➔ CD ROMs ➔ DVDs ➔ Thumb Drives ➔ Memory Sticks
☺ Smoke signals ➔ Telegraph ➔ Dial phone ➔ Telephone booth ➔ Walkie Talkie ➔ Answering Machine ➔ CB Radio ➔ Digital Phone ➔ Cell Phone ➔ Smart Phone
You probably noticed that almost everything ends up in a SmartPhone, which was the #1 gadget on the list. My SmartPhone is a camera (still and movie), a calculator, a music player, an alarm clock, a gaming device, a wordprocessor, a message center, an answering machine, a charging station, a map, a GPS, a weather station, an information source a clock, a note pad, a calendar, a compass and a telephone book.
When I travel, whether near or far, I take with me my SmartPhone, a 12" tablet/laptop that connects to my office PC, a portable charger, a portable hotspot, a charging cord and a power adaptor. They take up almost no room, but they give me access to my office from almost any place in the world and let communicate to anyone with whom I need to be in contact. And with one push of a button and a swipe of a finger, I can become incognito. You may ask why I feel a need to do this. I have a legitimate answer, but that’s a story for another day.
Technology has taken us to new heights since I was a child. Everything is smaller, faster, more powerful and more incomprehensible. I can only imagine what the rest of this century will produce. After all, we laughed at Dick Tracy’s wrist phone and thought that George Orwell’s classic novel “1984" was fantasy.
Save the date:
Wednesday, September 28th 12:30-2:00 p.m.
I will be speaking at the Wayne Public Library's
"Lunch & Learn" series
475 Valley Road in Wayne
THE TOPIC:
ESTATE PLANNING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Free Admission. Free Refreshments. Door Prizes
Look for reminder on September 19th