This is a bit old - you may or may not notice the date on this post but it's over a year old. That doesn't mean it's not useful but we all know how fast things chance on the web so there's a chance that techniques and technologies described here could be a little dated.

50 things killed by technology – what was wrong with painting stuff?

Posted on by

Published a few days ago and commissioned by www.mozy.co.uk this is a list of 50 things that people no longer do due to the advance of technology. It prompted some debate on Monday on the radio as I drove into work with one man complaining about the digital cameras and lots of silly little things such as glare on the view finder screen with the sun behind you. What was wrong with film cameras with view finders and printed photos he asks! What a stupid argument, how can moan about technology advancing when using a piece of technology that was sufficiently advanced over something else – come on what was wrong with drawing pictures, why are you using that fancy dan film camera?

Sure some things are more difficult to use but for all the complaints about DVD players I remember people having sufficient complaints about VCR’s.

Here’s the list of 50 with the notes on what I still do, maybe I’m not so advanced.

(Taken from The Telegraph article 50 things killed by technology)

  1. Ring the cinema to find out times
  2. Going into the travel agents to research a holiday
  3. Record things using VHS
  4. Dial directory enquiries – I have on occasions 118’d
  5. Use public telephones
  6. Book tickets for events over the phone
  7. Print photos – still get this done occasionally, and so do others given all the photo book sites around.
  8. Put a classified ad in the shop window
  9. Ring the speaking clock
  10. Carry portable CD players
  11. Write handwritten letters
  12. Buy disposable cameras
  13. Take plenty of change for pay phones – surely this is the same thing as using a pay phone?
  14. Make mix tapes – I disagree, people still make playlists and compilation CD’s, just changing the medium
  15. Pay bills at the post office
  16. Use an address book – we still have an address book at home
  17. Check a map before or during car journey – maybe not a physical one, but I don’t have a sat nav and often check google maps before heading to places
  18. Reverse charges in payphones
  19. Go into the bank or building society to conduct your business
  20. Buy TV listings
  21. Own an encyclopaedia
  22. Queue to get car tax in Post Office – I’ve done this in last minute desperation
  23. Develop and send off for photographs – still get photos printed
  24. Read a hard copy of the Yellow Pages – we have one, I’ve never looked at it
  25. Look up something in dictionary
  26. Remember phone numbers/ Have a phone book
  27. Watch videos – again this is a semantic change of medium, doesn’t count in my opinion
  28. Have pen friends
  29. Use a telephone directory – why is the yellow pages and this separate?
  30. Use pagers
  31. Fax things – yep, but only for work and work for a large company who are of course stuck in 1980 in some respects.
  32. Buy CD’s/ Have a CD collection – I still like to own a CD
  33. Pay by cheque – for sending money by post
  34. Make photo albums – photo books!
  35. Watch programmes at the time they are shown – of course we do this still
  36. Dial 1471 when you get home
  37. Warm milk or other hot drinks on stove
  38. Try on lots of pairs of shoes on high street
  39. Hand wash clothes – occasionally
  40. Advertise in trading papers
  41. Send love letters
  42. Hand-write essays / school work – probably because I’ve left school
  43. Buy flowers from a florist – still do this
  44. Work out how to spell something yourself – tweeted about this yesterday
  45. Keep a personal diary
  46. Send post cards
  47. Buy newspapers – I buy one everyday!
  48. Hang washing out in winter
  49. Keep printed bills or bank statements – only from those companies who still send them
  50. Visit car boot sales

So what about everyone else? What do you still do?