In my last blog, I was talking about items we’ve probably all owned or have been to at one point that are becoming obsolete. Here are some more:
Ham Radio
I remember when I was about 12 and my dad had a ham radio. I could hear people from all around the world and I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. I guess with the Internet, we don’t really need ham radios anymore. The number of people holding ham radio operator licenses has dropped by 50,000 in the past five years.
The Local Swimming Hole
This one is due to mainly to America’s combined stupidity and love of lawsuits. Local swimming hole owners are having to shut their pools down due to fear of someone getting hurt at the pool and suing them.
Answering Machines
Since so many homes aren’t using landline phones anymore, there really isn’t much of a need for answering machines. In New York alone, the usage of landline phones has dropped 55% in the last eight years, thus depleting the need for answering machines.
Incandescent Bulbs
In case you haven’t noticed, incandescent light bulbs, which have been around in some form for almost 200 years, are going away. Now, everyone is going green and that means incandescent bulbs are out and the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are in. Those are the ones that are spirally looking. Within the next four to six years, incandescent bulbs will be completely phased out in the U.S.
Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
It is estimated that 60 million Americans still bowl at least once a year, but the facilities they go to have changed. Now, instead of just going to a bowling alley, you probably go to a combination bowling alley/laser tag/go-kart/bumper car/video arcade center. Oh well, at least bowling is not obsolete…yet.
The Milkman
I didn’t even know these guys were still around! The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that over half of all milk sold was delivered to homes in 1950. By 1963, it had cut to 1/3 and in 2001, only .4% was delivered by a milkman.
Okay, stay tuned to my next blog for more things that are quickly vanishing!