Over just the past ten or twenty years the world has gone through dramatic change. New technology has made certain technology obsolete, never to be seen again.
In the same way advancements in medicine and other fields have had a dramatic impact on the world and our everyday lives.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been partnering with Rotary in their End Polio Now campaign. Polio is 99% eradicated, and would be only the second human disease ever to be wiped off the planet. I believe that we will be the last generation to see polio, but only with one final push through the efforts of philanthropy, organizations like Rotary and its partners, and finally everyday people like you and me.
For today’s post I made a list of the top 10 things our generation will be the last to see. There are some things we know our generation will be the last to see – like phone books – and countless other things we don’t (yet) know we will be the last to see.
Read our list and then we’ll share some additional details of how you can help the campaign to make sure that we are the last generation to see polio.
10) Pay Phone
Even when I was in high school we had pay phones but I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one since then. Cell phones and new forms of communication via the internet will make these extinct in the (very) near future.
9) Tube TVs
I will admit to having a tube TV in my basement, but these heavy monstrosities will eventually become relics of the past.
8) Phone Books
It’s hard to believe that in our day and age that phone books are still delivered. With the continued evolution of online search tools, even traditional phone books are starting to be found online. Plus, how many people do you know who don’t have a landline?
7) Desktop Computers
Desktop computers – at least the large, clunky type – will continue to become smaller and smaller. Even laptops are morphing into lighter and more versatile machines.
6) Paperback Books
It may take some time before paperbacks become completely a thing of the past, but the low cost of storing a digital copy of a book will eventually push out the hardcover and paperback book market.
5) Chalkboards in Classrooms
Have you been in a classroom recently? Not only have most schools transitioned to white boards, new technology is making “smart boards” more and more common.
4) Print Newspapers
As much as people may like getting their daily or weekly print paper, as more and more people have tablets and other means to view the newspaper digitally the delivery expenses for newspapers will become unjustifiable.
3) DVDs
The trend in recent times has been a move towards streaming of movies and TV shows versus owning physical DVDs. Even if the future isn’t streaming, we will likely one day buy ‘digital’ copies of movies and TV shows versus carrying around a physical DVD.
2) Cursive
Simply put, there is no need to learn cursive anymore. Perhaps people will still learn it to sign their name, but the days where children spent hours upon hours learning how to write every letter in cursive will be no more.
If you really need cursive, you can always just type it and select a cursive font ;)
1) Polio
Through the work of Rotary and its partners, we have seen polio cases reduced by 99%. Polio is a crippling disease that affects mainly children under 5, which attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Polio is preventable and it’s just a matter of getting vaccines in the hands of those who need them. With one final push polio can – and will – be eradicated within our generation. That’s something to be excited about!
Now that we shared what we think our generation will be the last to see, we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think our generation will be the last to see. Share an instagram or twitter photo, a vine, video, or a tweet about what you think our generation will be the last to see and use the hashtag #Last2See. Using this hashtag will allow you to join with others who have voiced their support of the eradication of polio.
The top submissions could be featured on Rotary’s endpolio.org website. Join @EndPolioNow on Tuesday, July 8 at 7:00 – 7:30pm CT for a Twitter Chat as we count down the top things that our generation will be the #last2see.
Thanks for joining with me in raising awareness and voicing support for making our generation the last to see polio.
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Oh the phone book! It annoys me to no end that people waste the money to print them and then dump them on my doorstep twice a year. Waste of trees!!! I google every single number I need.
Love the campaign to eradicate polio! Wonderful way to use your platform here!
My son, who is 4, saw a phone cord for the first time last summer, in a museum! You know, the curly ones that you can stretch out and they bounce back? He was fascinated. I think it was the most interesting thing in the entire museum for him.
indebtedmom I don’t know anyone besides my grandparents who use the phone book. Plus with so many companies switching to online forms, emails, etc. the information itself is becoming irrelevant!
It’s been great partnering with them to get the word out about the End Polio Now campaign. Rotary is doing some great work that is truly making a difference.
StaplerConfessions Oh my gosh! That’s so crazy that it was in a museum! My parent’s home phone, at least the one in the kitchen, still has a cord. I also have one on my work phone but it’s gotta be just a matter of time until they are gone forever.
Great work with ending polio. Hard to believe that’s still an issue this day and age. I hope our generation is the last to see checks. It is so annoying to stand behind someone at the grocery store who whips out a checkbook. I can’t wait until everyone, even person to person, payments can be made easily. It’s kind of there with Paypal, but everyone doesn’t have an account. I also wonder if eventually cash will be obsolete as well.
Hmmm…I’m not sure about paper back books…some people will always rather read from an actual book, not an ebook. My parents would still have a tube TV if I didn’t buy a flat screen for them for Christmas. I go over on Sundays and I wanted better quality TV for football games! As for Polio…glad they are raising awareness. Sadly, even in the U.S…some diseases that were thought to be eradicated are making a bit of a comeback because parents decide not to vaccinate questioning the safety of vaccinations.
This all makes me feel so old! I have so many VCR tapes too, and no VCR. I wonder what is going to happen to every VHS tape on the planet =)
Pay Phones? What are those? OHHHHH, you mean NYC homeless bathrooms.
Good list though and great work with polio!
Oh, the arrogance of youth. I’m so looking forward to when the zombie apocalypse comes and you’re all staring at your empty tablets while I’m sitting there comfortably reading my books :)
I honestly can’t remember if I ever used a pay phone in my life. Phone books are pretty ancient; it’s funny to think back to when they were useful. Chalkboards … all of my classes in college had white boards or smart boards. I remember the really old school projectors my teachers used in elementary school! Those were a pain. Great cause to partner up with!
Eyesonthedollar Yeah I really can’t understand why someone would write a check at the grocery store. It makes no sense! I can see checks for business to business transactions, or more so business to individuals.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply I’ll avoid stirring the pot with vaccination safety, but I do think paperback books will have a long “tail end.” You could argue people will “always” want magazines, but they won’t have a choice pretty soon because the biggest distributor literally is shutting doors because the business model is unsustainable.
Holly at ClubThrifty Haha I think some of the “better” movies on VHS will be preserved as collector’s items, but honestly I think more and more are finding their way to landfills.
The New York Budget Hmm that’s not an image I wanted while eating lunch! Glad you liked the list!
Soccerfan555 Haha I have a ton of books, but I think the distribution model might collapse eventually. If I had a tablet I’d have trouble justifying the higher price of paperback books, unless of course it’s one that I really like.
JourneytoSaving Haha the old school projectors are relics! It seemed so advanced at the time but now it’s all digital.
I find most of these things are already extinct. Though I think the pay phones may have a little more lasting power because of tourism.
brokeandbeau I agree, though I think some of the things listed will have a “long tail” meaning paperback books and DVDs might not be sold at great volumes, but they will stick around for quite a few more years before going away.
Hmmm…Vladimir Putin?
Sorry, bad taste. I love that you’re campaigning to help end Polio, David.
Man I feel old reading some of these, lol. A few of these are going to die quicker deaths than some, though I think many newspapers are going to fight it kicking and screaming…even though the writing has been on the wall for some time now. At any rate, kudos to you DC for working to help end polio for good.
FrugalRules Yeah the newspaper in our town has made it clear that they have no plans to go all-digital, though they are ramping up their online income through digital subscriptions.
That list is spot on. I guess I’m old fashion because I still love my DVDs and paperback books.
My aunt is a Polio victim when she was six years old. Her left leg is paralyzed and it’s smaller than the right leg. And oh, Pay Phone, I don’t see it anymore here in our small city. :)
hat is a great list! I can’t say I will miss any of these items either. I just love how things evolve and become obsolete. Call me weird. Now I’m trying to think of something to submit for your twitter campaign.
This is hilarious because on Friday evening I was in a conversation about subtle ways a semi-recently single older friend of mine could figure out how old women are, without being obvious. So far, he’s been talking about stuff like this, where you have to remember it to know. For example, he had a conversation about long corded phones getting all twisted up.
I really hope physical books don’t become extinct. There’s just something about physically turning the pages and having the ability to actually highlight (like, really highlight) and dog-ear pages that made reading fun for me.