Ten Technologies About to Go Extinct

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Check out this list of ten technologies about to go extinct and then jump into the comments section and let us know what you think should have made the list.

Each of those marvels was a wonder of its time. Now each is obsolete, a once-outstanding advancement made laughable when compared to the contact-lens camera or Japan's soon-to-be feasible moon-walking robot.
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pretty accurate (and obvious) except #3 and #10...a wrist watch is the only jewelry a man should wear (aside from a wedding ring) IMO, and it says a great deal about his class, status and taste all in one...MABYBE it could become a niche thing for wealthy people or something but I'm not giving up mine though. I also dont think DVDs are "about" to be extinct unless they just plain stop releasing movies on the format...its got too much steam to disappear in less than 5-10 years (unless blu ray or whatever comes way down.
 
I'm not sure I can agree with the beepers one...

I see a lot of doctors still using beepers...
 
DVD 9, Blu Ray whatever optical storage will be around for sometime as its still a cheap way to archive data. BR-R is still 5 times more expensive than a single layer DVD per GB. Flash might replace it but it costs as much BR-R right now.
 
450 said:
I'm not sure I can agree with the beepers one...

I see a lot of doctors still using beepers...
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But any reason that a SMS system couldn't replace ANY beeper system? There are no cost or reliability issues are there?
 
maademperor said:
pretty accurate (and obvious) except #3 and #10...a wrist watch is the only jewelry a man should wear (aside from a wedding ring) IMO, and it says a great deal about his class, status and taste all in one...MABYBE it could become a niche thing for wealthy people or something but I'm not giving up mine though. I also dont think DVDs are "about" to be extinct unless they just plain stop releasing movies on the format...its got too much steam to disappear in less than 5-10 years (unless blu ray or whatever comes way down.
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Agreed on the watches. I remember that's exactly what my father told me when he handed down his Seamaster to me, and that's what my grandfather told him when he handed it down. And that's probably what I'll say when I hand it down. It's the only piece of hand-made workmanship that a man should wear other than taylored clothing, wedding or masonic ring etc. You don't do that with a telephone or VCR (unless your being ironic).

Most of the other things on the list have already gone the way of the dinosaur, I think.
 
Wrist watches definitely don't belong in the list.

DVD's have about 5 years left imo.
 
I disagree with #s 1, 3, and 5. They won't become extinct, but they'll become more niche.

Landlines are still useful in areas with poor cell reception, and it's useful to have a phone that will still work during an extended power outage or that goes directly to a 911 dispatcher with your location.

For something like a health profession where you might have to take pulse measurements, a watch is still useful. There are probably more situations that I'm forgetting, but I agree with maademperor, a nice wristwatch does make a statement about the person.


450 said:
I'm not sure I can agree with the beepers one...

I see a lot of doctors still using beepers...
Click to expand...

heatlesssun said:
But any reason that a SMS system couldn't replace ANY beeper system? There are no cost or reliability issues are there?
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It's mostly a coverage and realiability thing. Pagers can and will work in hospitals were cell coverage sucks, and they won't interfere with the equipment. I think the networks are also less susceptible to overload, like during a natural disaster or when everybody's drunkenly texting their friends on New Year's.
 
I won't be giving up my wrist watch either, but I don't understand spending more then $25 bucks on one. Any more is a waste, it works the same.

Landline phones will still be around for a while for many people as will optical media.
 
MiniDisc was dead before it even started. I was the only person who that i knew that had one or had even really heard of them. I recently replaced my MiniDisc player with a Sansa Clip.
 
11. Paper maps
12. Carburetor
13. Dot matrix printer
12. Paper checks
14. CRT
15. Smallpox vaccination
16. Fountain pen
17. Incandescent light bulb
18. Telegrams
19. Lighthouses
20. FM radio
 
darkpaw said:
I won't be giving up my wrist watch either, but I don't understand spending more then $25 bucks on one. Any more is a waste, it works the same.

Landline phones will still be around for a while for many people as will optical media.
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Ya...they all tell time. Similarly for cars, they all get from point A to point B. People tend to indulge in luxurious things.

But I agree, wrist watches aren't going to go extinct. Land lines...well, I prefer to have a land line in addition to my cell rather than having two cell lines.
 
They forgot to add "Fox News"

1. Landlines will never be extinct, that's just wishful thinking Wireless communications depend on undeground cables to work.
2. Uh thanks for the history lesson?
3. Umm Yeah like a cell phone is more convenient to whip out as opposed to turning your wrist.
4. Again thanks for the history lesson.
5. Nope these are still will be around for emergency and public service.
6. Okay I guess you got one thing right.
7. More of a history lesson, in other news the Dodo is extinct.
8. Wow I'm surprised you guys even know about MDs.
9. And how do you suppose people out in Montana get internet :p
10. Uh duh?
 
1. Landline Phones.
No. Try telling that to every movie I have ever seen with FBI or CIA in it. They love their landlines :)

3. Wristwatches.
No. And not necessarily because of functionality, but because of fashion.

4. VHS. Obsolete, yes. Extinct, not for awhile. I have damn near 500. I am not going out to buy them on BluRay or download them anytime soon. I am sure people still have films in much older formats too.

6. Film Cameras. No. At least not for a long time. Speed and resolution. There are very few digital cameras that can keep up with film cameras in those areas, and those that can are ridiculously expensive.

10. Optical Media. Not for awhile. Imagine the entire world downloading 1080p content around the holiday season. And then its a pain to lend and transport them.
 
I thought typewriters went extinct already

Disagree with wristwatch though. Doubt its going anywhere anytime soon
 
@ #6 -- No no no.. not film cameras. At least.. not film. If film disappears an art form dies. I still use B&W film and a dSLR for everything that my b&w doesn't need to capture.
 
Yes, film cameras for MOST are dead, there still may be a few artist and professionals with film cameras, but the way the general public takes pictures is now digital.

All the people I know who don't wear a watch look at their phone, I have always worn a watch. I don't think they are obsolete, this is one that may not be NECESSARY any more, with cell phones, but it is certainly not obsolete.

Landline phones I can agree with, even if they need underground infrastructure in some places, they are talking about the average joe signing up for a real traditional land-line phone, which is going away at a fast rate. People use VoIP or cell phones only. Businesses or hospitals will either use landlines or VoIP. The bad part about VoIP is e911 and power outages. Even a 10 dollar a month local only landline is worth it for emergencies.

Same with Beepers, sure some doctors may still use them, but we are talking the general masses here, I haven't seen anyone using a beeper in years. SMS text messaging is the same thing as a pager/beeper anymore anyway.

The MiniDisc player was never anything.

Dial-Up, I would say that is about right, MOST people who have dial-up have dial-up because DSL/Cable are not available, for all of you city folk, there is a SURPRISING amount of area that is not reachable by cable or DSL, and satellite internet is far to cost prohibitive.
 
What utter nonsense. In every case there is still a requirement for every single one of those items.

Land line rotary phones. Still essential if you have a power failure. Digital phones will not work if the power goes out, which is why installers till put in a power fail jack ahead of the switch. Just for a black, rotary dial phone.

Wrist watches. Still essential for many men. There are some areas where using broadcast electronic equipment is forbidden, such as hospitals. And you can't take a pulse with a cell phone, especially in ER or ICU.

Pagers. Same as wrist watches. I carry both. The cell phone is off until I respond to the page.

Dial up internet. There are still huge expanses of the globe where broadband is just not available and if it is, it costs and arm, a leg and your first born. Dialup is reliable, accessible and still in demand. And it works.

Floppy disks. Sometimes you still need a boot disk.

The rest of the list is largely nonsense. There are still lots of uses for every single technology listed.

BTW, our hospital just replaced all the electronic patient phones with Model 500 Touch Tone phones. Why? Reliability and ease of cleaning.
 
Like many of the above posts, I have to agree.

I don't think watches are going away any time soon, or at all for that matter. If anything, they will become more and more advanced.

I have not used a floppy disk in years. so yea.
Typewriters? come on... those have been extinct for a long time now. (sure there may be a few lingering around, but. I have not seen one or used one for at least 20 years now.
DVD, I understand, but I'd further say that CDs are more extinct than DVDs. There will be some form of optical media that dominates, and it's not blue-ray yet....(give it some time.)
 
I wouldn't say extinct, but most of them are all becoming less common. I haven't used a wrist watch in years if I put one on now it just looks and feels stupid.
 
I don't see me building a system without a floppy for a long time yet. I've tried twice to do so and I always end up having to install one for a bios or something............there is always something. I really wish usb sticks were a replacement for floppy but sadly, they are not. Yes, if you are willing to go through a convoluted process you can make them bootable blah blah blah.............but still not as reliable and sometimes the bios doesn't see it etc. etc.
 
harmattan said:
Agreed on the watches. I remember that's exactly what my father told me when he handed down his Seamaster to me, and that's what my grandfather told him when he handed it down. And that's probably what I'll say when I hand it down. It's the only piece of hand-made workmanship that a man should wear other than taylored clothing, wedding or masonic ring etc. You don't do that with a telephone or VCR (unless your being ironic).

Most of the other things on the list have already gone the way of the dinosaur, I think.
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You guys suuure would hate me...I've got earrings, lip rings, a tongue ring, eyebrow ring, nostril rings, and, um..."other" rings.

In any case, the article is pretty accurate except for maybe the DVD part. Sure, it WILL be obsolete some time, but not anytime soon.
 
Some of the reasoning for several items on the list is pretty stupid.
 
Yeah I definitely agree that watches are fashionable and still functional...

I exercise regularly and my digital watch not only keeps track of how long I've been running but obviously can check lap split times and other various features that a bulky iPod or cell phone cannot.
 
I thought 1/2 that stuff was dead or near dead already.
 
I don't agree with the dial-up internet.

Many places often people who live out in the country don't have access to broadband. Obviously because the US ranks 12th in the world for internet progression. Until the technology speeds up and availability, there will always be dial-up.
 
I think its funny that there is so much response to the wristwatch. While I do not wear one I never plan on ever wearing one. I have always hated them and can never find one that is not weigh as much as a brick. I do, on the other hand, find myself attracted to cuff links. I've got about 20 or so pairs now and cannot seem to stop. The right pair for each tie is about what cuts it. That and my wedding ring is all the jewelry I have. I even hate tie tacks and clips. they give me the heeby jeebys.
 
killerbobjr said:
11. Paper maps
12. Carburetor
13. Dot matrix printer
12. Paper checks
14. CRT
15. Smallpox vaccination
16. Fountain pen
17. Incandescent light bulb
18. Telegrams
19. Lighthouses
20. FM radio
Click to expand...

this has got to be one of the dumbest things I have read all day.
 
I agree it's weird that DVDs would be on the list but not audio CDs. I guess it's the last dying gasp of the record industry trying to keep their old model alive and/or holding out for someone to invent 100% uncrackable DRM that honest consumers can still tolerate -- impossible, IMHO -- but it just doesn't seem like they could keep selling enough physical CDs to justify the floor space in retail stores for much longer.

Also, CRTs as someone else mentioned. Can you actually still buy a tube TV anywhere besides a thrift store anymore? We still use ours for our toddler's DVD viewing since we don't care if he trashes it! :D
 
My landline connects me to my alarm monitoring security company. If the line is cut, the alarm goes off and they come. If the alarm is triggered any other way, the alarm goes off and notifies them by landline and they come. Mobile isn't reliable enough for that kind of thing.
 
What time period are they talking about when they say "are about to"...

None of those will go extinct anytime soon IMO.
With the exception of those who already have, typewriters, VHS/VCRs, Portable music (as listed) & Floppy disks.
 
1. Landline phones:
Most people don't live in a dorm. Most offices still have them.

3. Wristwatches:
Have mine on right now and don't see not having it any time soon.

5. Beepers:
A lot of work enviroments still use them.

6. Film cameras:
There's a large community still using them. I love my Zorki-2C and FED-3. They take better pics than most digital unless you're willing to drop a few thousand on a digital.

9. Dial-up Internet access:
Some people have no other options.
 
The only reason why typewriters have hung around for so long is that they are an impact type print machine. Your fancy laser or inkjet no matter how nice won't punch down enough force thru a carbon copy to get text thru. Same with dot matrix printers they are a niche device but for some payroll stubs they just won't go away.
 
1. NO, P.O.T.S. phones are too reliable and used too much in business.
2. Floppy Disks: Hopefully this is true. last three computers (laptops and desktop) have lacked this feature.
3. Wristwatches, nope. They are a status symbol and are much quicker to get the time off of in most situations that a cellphone.
4. VHS will have a few hold outs, mainly aging security camera systems at businesses too cheap to replace them.
5. Beepers: aren't they already dead?
6. Film Cameras will have a hobbyist and artistic following for decades to come.
7. Typewriters will retain their niche, but they are all but extinct now.
8. Probably true, unless you start counting portable players with memory card slot, but devices that have moving parts are dead.
9. Until broadband reaches coverage equal to P.O.T.S. service, dial up will remain in rural areas.
10. DVD's aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Blueray isn't such a huge leap forward that DVD was from VHS.
 
Um yea, my wrist watch has a lifespan of just about till the sun shuts off, my cell on the other hand doesn't last to long when you don't have power for 2 weeks like when hurricane IKE plowed Houston last year.

/love my Citizen "Military" Eco-drive watch
 
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