I know it’s silly to dislike lists. I think it is silly to dislike escalators too. I don’t think I have a phobia for lists but I certainly avoid creating them. I’ve noticed many bloggers and web sites often present their thoughts/information as “must-read” lists.
Seeing “the x best ...” or “y ways to …” ads frequently around the web probably is a result of the speed of sharing with smartphones and social networks. I recall the magazines of the past typically featured lists covering many topics. Anyone know if listing things became a recommended (required?) style of writing? Sure it’s an organizing technique, but our world can’t be reduced to bullet points on list. (the world might be reduced to posts on a blog?)
Show your age and tell me you remember the unlisted phone number feature. I suspect that is not even offered by most telecom companies today. You had to pay extra to be UNlisted even though you had never asked to listed.
Here’s my attempt at a list (making this list could be a form of therapy for me).
9 Things that will not make a future best list:
Please add your ideas for the list in the comments.
Seeing “the x best ...” or “y ways to …” ads frequently around the web probably is a result of the speed of sharing with smartphones and social networks. I recall the magazines of the past typically featured lists covering many topics. Anyone know if listing things became a recommended (required?) style of writing? Sure it’s an organizing technique, but our world can’t be reduced to bullet points on list. (the world might be reduced to posts on a blog?)
Show your age and tell me you remember the unlisted phone number feature. I suspect that is not even offered by most telecom companies today. You had to pay extra to be UNlisted even though you had never asked to listed.
Here’s my attempt at a list (making this list could be a form of therapy for me).
9 Things that will not make a future best list:
- places to find public pay phones
- tape players for your car
- dial-up modems
- penny candy
- camera film
- shoe polish
- slide projectors
- typewriters
- buggy whips
Please add your ideas for the list in the comments.
16 comments:
Why will shoe polish not be around? As long as there are leather shoes, that is.
Best 8-tracks for a road trip
Yes those 8 tracks tape were a bad design. The tapes never seem to last long. I don't think they will keep putting cassette tape players in cars anymore. thanks
I thought someone might not agree on shoe polish. If you still polish your shoes I suspect you are in a minority. I'm not positive but I think our throw away society has pretty much killed the idea of shoe polish. I'm not saying it will stop being made but I don't think there will be much demand. I could be wrong. thanks
We have an old slide projector (type with the round carousel holding the slides) but we never use it. (I could check) Do they still sell manual typewriters? So big bucks in manual typewriter repair? Interesting. thanks
Shoe polish has become obsolete? When the heck did that happen? What do shoe-shine boys use in its place?
Ok you are the second one to question my shoe polish selection. It is certainly still around today but I'm thinking less and less people bother to shine their shoes and many shoes are not the type that can be shined. Hard for me to say but could I be wrong?
thanks
I discovered that shoe polish is a hard to find item, recently, when my hubby decided to polish his leather boots! I suppose it's not in high demand, these days, just as you said.
How about 'bag phones' for a vehicle? I'm pretty sure those are obsolete, too. Boom boxes are another hard to find item, as I recently discovered when mine died.
In response to your question about 'Trouble', the cat. She's an outside cat, so she stays outside in the yard. A while back, she left and stayed at our son's house, (who lives very nearby) for a while, but eventually went back to my MIL's house to stay. We live close by, as well, but she chooses to stay at the empty house because she doesn't like other cats. Trouble actually belongs to me, but she left our home years ago, to live at my MIL's house after I adopted some kittens! Trouble's a bit ornery, and set in her ways, and always has been. I guess she'll be a package deal with the house, if we sell it. I've already written several posts about our adventures with her :)
thanks for sharing the 'Trouble' story. I need to read those posts about her. I assume with that name it was a male.
I still have a non-functioning bag phone. Someday I'll try Ebay with it. I thought boomboxes were just updated. Now they need to accept an MP3 type player. I've picked up old boomboxes and CD players for the parts (motors etc.). thanks
I actually a quite a proficient list maker. The older I get the more lists I have to make to keep me on track.
As for your list of things that will not make the "best" list.
Pay phones are all over Europe. Some of them are the cute red ones but a lot are just standard issue like the ones that used to be at U.S. 7-11 stores.
What? Shoe polish is on the down slide?
I would suspect there is a market in the whip business that is still popular but not necessarily for "buggies".
Wine coolers would probably not make a list after 1990 or so.
I'm guessing you mean the beverage not the appliance used to store the wine. I have no idea since my wine drinking typically consist of wine types that have French names like merlot or cabernet. Also, I prefer beer most of the time. I think sweet drinks (I enjoy a few) should just use hard liquor such as gin, whisky and rum. This is making me thirsty. thanks
Wow thanks for going to that other place where whips accessorize the players. That never occured to me. You probably will find all this stuff somewhere for a long time but I eliminated museums and my basement from consideration. Pay phones in Europe were always too confusing for me. thanks
Shoe polish is important in Honduras, where boys and men walk the streets offering shines, as well as repairs to shoes. Here in the US? Throw the shoes away when the shine is gone.
Newspapers, not digital, are failing fast all over the US. New Orleans does not have a daily paper this year. What about TV antennas? In Honduras, we just use wire coat hangers or old electric wire to make one for the indoor TV set.
Yes it's sad that the paper newspapers are dropping out of site. We still get the Chicago Tribune and enjoy it. This change reflects our drop in attention span. TV antennas - yes they could go but when we dropped cable TV (people could save $$ dropping this less than ideal service) we bought a new powered antenna to get better reception of the digital TV that is now broadcasted everywhere in the US. thanks
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