9 things that will disappear

9 Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime


Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office
Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Cheque
Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with cheque by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process cheques. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the cheque. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper
The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book
You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone
Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes

6. Music
This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television
Revenues to the networks are down dramatically.. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The "Things" That You Own
Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Privacy
If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

All we will have left that can't be changed are "Memories".

Five summers ago

I was browsing through my blog and came across this post which brought back pleasant memories.

H is 12 years old now and still a baseball "super star" Such a fine young athlete. Presently, he is away at camp for a month so the summer's baseball games are over but the sweet memories remain intact.



"Beautiful sunny day here in Atlanta. A perfect afternoon to attend grandson's baseball game. Blond hair and blue eyed he is 7 years old and a hum dinger of an athlete. Wearing his navy blue uniform trimmed in red, with his name and number on the back and his black helmet, he looked the part. Sorta like Robert Redford in "The Natural".

Today he played like a pro, sliding into home and scoring a run. He got a good hit and ran like a swift energizer bunny to first base where his dad, my son, was coaching. We left a bit early and H just called to tell us his team, the Indians, won the game 12 to 11. He asked if we saw him when he slid into home scoring the run.

Yeah H !!!!! You go little guy.

PS :Since when did they allow little girls to play on a baseball team? It did seem odd to look at home plate and see a small figure batting, shoulder length brown curls cascading from her helmet...:)"




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I found this on the web site of the Northside Youth Organization that sponsors the games and I like the message here:


"INVOLVEMENT

'Always be positive!

Learn to encourage, not criticize. If you don't have something good to say, don't say it.

Be a parent, not an agent. Talk to your child regarding his/her concerns, and help your child to learn to take care of most issues independently.

Rather that criticize coaches and players, and make excuses for himself/herself, take the excellent opportunity to teach him/her how to cope with adversity. Don't make lists of demands for the coaches to follow.

Spend time practicing at home. In the years to come, you will both treasure the memories of tossing the ball around, much more so than of victories and losses.

Volunteer your time. Ask the coach how you can help, and follow his/her direction. Your child will appreciate your positive involvement, and be proud to have you as part of the team.

Attend games and cheer.

Positive self esteem is the primary goal of sports, not [just] winning or losing.''

Fathers

When the good Lord was creating Fathers,
he started with a tall frame.
A female angel nearby said, "What kind of a Father is that?
If you're going to make children so close to the ground,
why have you put the Father up so high?
He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling,
tuck a child in bed without bending,
or even kiss a child without stooping"


God smiled and said,
"Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"


And when God made a Father's hands, they were large.
The angel shook her head and said,
"Large hands can't manage diaper pins,
small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails,
or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats."


Again God smiled and said,
"I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy
empties from his pockets, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."


Then God moulded long slim legs and broad shoulders,
"Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?"
The angel chuckled.


God said, "A Mother needs a lap.
A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled,
to balance a boy on a bicycle,
or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."


When God was in the middle of creating the biggest feet
any one had ever seen, the angel could not contain herself any longer.
"That's not fair..... Do you honestly think those boats are going
to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries,
or walk through a birthday party without
crushing one or two of the guests?"


God again smiled and said, "They will work.
You will see. They will support a small child who wants
to ride to Branbury Cross or scare mice away from a summer cabin,
or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."


God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words,
but a firm authoritative voice;
eyes that see everything,
but remain calm and tolerant.


Finally, almost as an after thought, He added tears.

Then he turned to the angel and said,
"Now are you satisfied he can love as much as a Mother can?"


The angel said nothing more.

By
Erma Bombeck

Photo

Here is a photo of me I took on my new Apple computer in January. I am wearing a scarf my 10 year old granddaughter gave me for Christmas.

I thought the picture turned out good,( not bad for an 81 year old lady ) :) I am sitting in front of the computer of course and the background is my guest room/ computer room.

Cheers !!

Hi all
6 weeks out and I am doing well. ( seems like 6 months) Going to out patient therapy and getting stronger every day. Thanks for your good wishes and prayers.

I have been entertaining my self with my new IPHONE. My daughter and 14 year old grandson(my computer guru) had me download "Words With Friends" to the IPHONE and I am having a ball playing it. Very much like SCRABBLE. I love word games. I picked "RANDOM PLAYER" after some hits and misses I got connected with a player who seems to have as much free time as I do. We usually play a game a day.

Buddy and Sam have been fantastic caretakers. I appreciate all they have done.

I will post more soon.