"Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know"

[ShadowBrain]

Link.

Have at it!

[Turtlekid1]

I hope for our own sake that we don't give up VHS format.  Or printed text.  These both last much longer than their digital counterparts.  All it takes is a magnet and all your important information/research/whatever?  Gone.

[Weegee]

It's preposterous to presume that Facebook will still be relevant in twenty years' time, but the rest seems sadly accurate.

[Mr. Wiggles]

The only thing that article convinced me of is that today's kids need to stay off their cell phones.

[nensondubois]

I hope for our own sake that we don't give up VHS format.  Or printed text.  These both last much longer than their digital counterparts.  All it takes is a magnet and all your important information/research/whatever?  Gone.

Wait, what? Putting a magnet near a VHS tape will erase it... Books however, will always be relevant.

On the other hand, being born in 2011 means that you ultimately missed out on the mid 1970's through early 2001, which where the best years for music [Tears for Fears, and grunge], video-games [SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, NES Gamecube and the C64], television [Seinfeld many cartoons including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and oh god so many others I can't possibly think of right now], movies [Toy Story, Home Alone, and many more] ever (with a few exceptions, of course). So said they had fade it... Now 2011ers are represented by Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber *cries*. Thanks alot time!

[Lizard Dude]

I hope for our own sake that we don't give up VHS format.  Or printed text.  These both last much longer than their digital counterparts.  All it takes is a magnet and all your important information/research/whatever?  Gone.

Wait, what? Putting a magnet near a VHS tape will erase it... Books however, will always be relevant.

You hope we don't give up VHS? Uhhh, I got news for you Rip Van Winkle, IT'S ALREADY GONE.

And what's so invincible about books? All is takes is a lit match and all your important information/research/whatever?  Gone.

I didn't know there were so many 80-year old grandpas surfing the Fungi Forums...

Anyway, I don't think watches will be obsolete until biologically-integrated tech becomes mainstream. Any useful smartphone is going to be too large to have out at all times like the article implies. Sometimes you need two hands.

[Turtlekid1]

You hope we don't give up VHS? Uhhh, I got news for you Rip Van Winkle, IT'S ALREADY GONE.

Last I checked, I could still find over a hundred VHS tapes plus a VCR to watch them on lying around my house.

And what's so invincible about books? All is takes is a lit match and all your important information/research/whatever?  Gone.

For one thing, the contents of books can't be destroyed by a virus or malware.  And all things being equal, they'll last longer than digital files, anyway.

PS: I thought you didn't like my argumentative style?

[ShadowBrain]

Alright, guys... remember, I've got a degree in this.

But seriously, I'll save my major gripes for later, and just say that, well... won't the increasing prevalence of the internet--and the fact that it's basically a digital repository of all human knowledge--mean that future-kids will at least know what these things are? And yes, I know technological progress advances exponentially, but I'm still well-aware of things that happened/existed back as far as the 60s--you're telling me one decade's going to take all that away?

[Weegee]

They'll know, but they won't care:

[Mr. Wiggles]

So said they had fade it... Now 2011ers are represented by Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber *cries*. Thanks alot time!

Because its totally fair to compare 40 years of the world against 1 that just barely started right?

Also, don't diss the Gaga.

[CrossEyed7]

I want Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber to do a duet. Partially just to see how insane the internet's backdraft of hate can get, partly because it needs to happen for historical purposes, and partly because I think it'd be a genuinely good song as a piano duet. They're both rather talented pianists, as heard in U Smile and the Cherrytree Sessions version of Poker Face.

[Black Mage]

They'll know, but they won't care:
http://4chanarchive.org/images/mu/10888878/1277831721070.jpg

I know this exists just to make me mad. Mission accomplished.

Edit: Also, I think this list has some pretty serious flaws in it. Watches, books, evening news, and Television Commercials to name a few.

[Weegee]

At least a quarter of my classmates don't wear watches for the very reason mentioned in the article.

[Luigison]

Video tape: Some studios still use tape for recording, but VHS is two generations old and almost completely gone.  I only have a few VHS in the garage that don't have DVD/Bluray versions.

Travel agents: I've always used the internet for traveling.  Why would I pay a middleman for something I can probably better tailor myself.

The separation of work and home: I don't think work and home will join for everyone, but use of cloud computing will narrow the gap for some professions.  I personally do lesson planning and grade book recording at home on weekends.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: I stopped reading the newspaper when I moved out and went to college since I could readily access news relative to me without them.  I'm still partial to printed books and magazines, but can see their decline.  Digital books are outselling hard copies, but I still love going to sleep reading a paperback. (I don't own an ereader though.)

Movie rental stores: It's been a decade since I rented anything.

Watches: I stopped wearing a watch when I got a cell phone.  Watches and jewelery were always uncomfortable for me anyway.  Of approximately two hundred students that I teach I only know of one that wears a watch.  He does not have a cell phone. 

Paper maps: While unfolding a huge paper map on a table to plan a trip is awesome, digital GPS maps are more practical.  I still print Google map directions sometimes though. 

Wired phones: I have never owned one of these.  For that matter I haven't had a home phone for over a decade.  I did I have Vonage for a while to use dialup for my TiVo though.  Using VOIP via dialup through DSL for TiVo was a strange solution, but it was much cheaper than paying for a home line and allow me to use the superior TiVo box instead of the DirecTV box.

Long distance: See cored phones above.  With cell phones we never pay long distance.  Skype, email, and facebook help. 

Newspaper classifieds: See newspaper comment above.  I listed a vehicle in a paper for awhile, but that didn't work. 

Dial-up Internet: To my surprise I was recently able to get my parents who live far from town on high speed DSL.

Encyclopedias: My parents still have my high school set.  Those and the ones at are new school never get used.  We've actually removed many reference shelves to make room for computer terminals. 

Forgotten friends: With facebook I've got friends that I never really knew in high school. 

Forgotten anything else: I use Google for spell check.  Does that count? 

The evening news: news.google.com and igoogle.com are two of my biggest sources of news.  Also, digg, CNN, and email subscriptions/feeds. 

CDs: I still buy CDs, but rip them to my computers or PS3.

Film cameras: I just bought a digital camera for my mom since I'd made here a PC and got it on DSL.  I don't know why she still keeps those throwaway cameras though. 

Yellow and White Pages: I'm sad to see these go, because they make awesome physics demos. 

I'll fill in the rest of these later.

Catalogs:

Fax machines:

One picture to a frame:

Wires:

Hand-written letters:

Talking to one person at a time:

Retirement plans:

Mail:

Commercials on TV:

Commercial music radio:

Hiding:

[ShadowBrain]

Alright, let me take this one at a time. It's not my place to say what will or won't be "known" in the future, so I'll instead focus on whether or not I care if these things get phased out within my lifetime.

Video tape: Heck, no skin off my nose if that goes. I mean, I'd hope they're backing up their data on something physical, though (that goes for anything becoming digital-only in the coming items).

Travel agents: I hate to put some people out of the job, but the (awesome) democratization of information really does make this one pointless... well, on second thought, make that "less necessary". There should be a human element to cut through the crap in some jobs, and this is one.

The separation of work and home: Depends on the job. 9-5 office work? Sure, but I'd question anything else.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Okay, I'm going to have to back up for this one. First of all, how are we defining "kids" in the future? Let's just assume, for the sake of the argument, that we're talking about ten-year-olds in 2021. Now like I said, technology is expanding exponentially, but do you mean to tell me that, in under a decade, every Barnes & Noble, every Borders, every public library will be shut down? I call BS.

Movie rental stores: For someone like me who lives in the middle of nowhere with no decent internet, I really would prefer that the local Hollywood Video hadn't shut down. Yes, there's a Redbox at the grocery store, but it's not the same. In the future, I'm sure I won't miss them, but there's something to be said for pacing the aisles in search of a movie.

Watches: I don't have one, but that's because I'm usually around a wall clock, or have my iPod. As far as I'm concerned, they can go.

Paper maps: Oh come on, we still need a few of these around.

Wired phones: "Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall?" Because it didn't need to be charged and didn't give you radiation, wiseguy.

Long distance: Oh, that can definitely die.

Newspaper classifieds: Sure, toss that one on the burner, too.

Dial-up Internet: Holy Christ, do I hope so.

Encyclopedias: Yeah, these are pretty silly. I like big books of cool facts, though.

Forgotten friends: Okay, this is going to be abrupt, but... well, I'm worried about how kids in the future are going to cope with loss when they have the technology to talk to anyone they've ever known. Am I being dramatic? Maybe, but for all of human history until relatively recently, losing and making new friends was a part of life. This isn't about technology or convenience, it's about basic human social structure.

Forgotten anything else:

Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

This guy has to be trolling, because that is practically the opening quote to a half-dozen Orwellian novels. "Why bother remembering anything?" Because you have a brain, dumb***. And just because all of humanity's collective knowledge is available doesn't mean people will go looking for it, especially if they already think it's true or false. You can disprove everything from the "don't swim half an hour after eating" myth to the "dog who ate a cell phone" story in half a minute, but I guarantee you there's still people out there now who believe it.

The evening news: I'll admit it, that is no longer necessary. Then again, so is pretty much any TV news.

CDs: See "video tape". Also, hard drive space better [darn] well increase if we're going to give the finger to music stored on something made out of atoms.

Film cameras: Once again, cellphone and what-have-you better get some better features to topple legit film cameras.

Yellow and White Pages: Oh my God, throw those things away.

Catalogs: Well... I guess these can go. I miss the Nintendo Power ones, though, and the Think Geek catalogs are kind of fun to flip through.

Fax machines: Even when I was a kid, these seemed weird to me. Sure, give 'em the axe.

One picture to a frame: There is nothing wrong with this.

Wires: I want these to go, but I also know that'll cause me to be even more paranoid about the cloud of cancer-causing whatever that's flying around my electronics.

Hand-written letters: Yeah, because putting real meaning behind your thoughts is for squares.

Talking to one person at a time: Also set to die in the next few years: Respect!

Retirement plans: I'm embarassed to say I actually don't know a lot about retirement plans, so the sarcastic write-up for this one flies over my head. I guess we have to save up on our own now...?

Mail: Packages and the occasional magazine aside, I guess I wouldn't mind this one.

Commercials on TV: Yes! But... at what cost?

Commercial music radio: Hey, I've never really liked radio, so whatever. Might be nice for the car, though.

Hiding: This one is just downright sinister to end the article with; it could've just as well read "privacy"... or safety. But like corporations and the government will stand for that!

PS: I was typing this when Luigison put up his analysis, so I'll respond to that later when he's done.

...And I can't believe the chick with the Justin Bieber avatar is the one I agree with most in that comments section.

[Black Mage]

At least a quarter of my classmates don't wear watches for the very reason mentioned in the article.

Do they know what a watch is?

I'm not going to argue that some of these things are going to become rare or obsolete, which is the premise of the article this one cited, but I take issue with the title and premise of the posted article. I've never sent a telegraph but I know what one is. I never grew up with 8-tracks, but I could point one out.

[ShadowBrain]

In the article's defense, I was a bit rash with my first comment--by "know", I think they mean "directly experience" or "frequently use".

[Black Mage]

The article's actual title is reinforced by the brief introduction:

I've used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

[Weegee]

I'm not going to argue that some of these things are going to become rare or obsolete, which is the premise of the article this one cited, but I take issue with the title and premise of the posted article. I've never sent a telegraph but I know what one is. I never grew up with 8-tracks, but I could point one out.

True. If taken literally, the article is asinine. Anyone born withtin the next hundred years will be able to identify just about everything on that list, even if only as relics of a bygone era. I think our approach of discussing it is better.

[Black Mage]

Fair enough, and I will concede my point was somewhat childish and ornery.

[Lizard Dude]

Il était une fois... les technologies du passé.

[JazzyLuv]

Just looking through...man, how depressing I find the list. They didn't mention incandescent light bulbs...but I will miss the warmth of those and Christmas lights that aren't LED. :P

I'll ALWAYS wear a watch, too, and I have a cellphone. ;) I just like watches! They're cool, they tell ME the time just fine, and I've seen, oddly enough, some awesome LED watches. XD I love the analog ones, though. I have one that's working VERY nicely, 16 years old now.

I have a VCR and working tapes as well, and I don't mind! The VCR is working nicely still, connects to the Wii...I don't mind!

I DO want to see dial-up gone, but I'd hope that everything better would cost less. *sigh*

As for books and such, I don't read novels or anything like that much anymore, but I look at other books, like graphic design, artist books, spiritual ones, etc., and frankly, I don't want to stare at a screen all day to enjoy one of these books. Sometimes I'd like to curl up somewhere and read, listening to the sounds around me that don't involve a...computer fan. :P Actually, having a book of commercial fonts for design class was necessary, because you couldn't see that kind of thing online without having to pay a bundle for it. If it's even online for viewing. o_O

The CD one made me miss floppy disks. Hee hee!

As for the wired phone, we NEED that here. When the electricity goes out, that is the only phone that will work. XD

Eh, sometimes I tire of thinking about what will be gone. I appreciate MANY older things, many newer, but sometimes there are items I just want to see left alone.

Heh...that latest link. XD

[nensondubois]

That last post was just a overreaction of my fear of things to come... nevermind it.

Here's my take on the list. I do personally find some of the items depressing for one reason or another.

Video tape: I still use my VCR and it works wonders still (though it's only a few years old). I remember my aunt buying me two Super Mario Bros. tapes (The Ugly Mermaid with some other episode on it... can't remember one...and the music box episode. I got a Super Christmas Adventure! cassette as well though it has a crack on the left window. I wish i knew where the box is), I used to record Seinfeld episodes on tapes, and the fun with creating my own video-game sessions and saving them, and don't forget all those precious home movies we've all made with varying levels of quality depending on the tape and camcorder make. All those charms are lost, yet preserved. On another depressing note; Sony has recently discontinued to Walkman brand.

Travel agents: Well, this was inevitable, but I'm sure their days aren't going to be completely obliterated by the digital age for a few more years.

The separation of work and home: We are losing our privacy sweep-by-sweep and sooner and sooner. Leave me the eff alone and go away!

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Books will never be obsolete; e-readers (I can't believe the determent to the Nintendo card-scanning product they have bought to the table) and are just a fad and rest assured they will all be recalled in March when they are discovered to be complete [dukar]. Get a book and a flashlight if you can't see in the dark. Also, carrying books prevents you from becoming a flail-less and weak. Newspapers have their advantages over the internet... and they do offer content differently; these will be around a long time if not forever.

Movie rental stores: Hey, you can pick up some overpriced snacks too! What a concept!

Watches: Smartphones are [dukar]phones. Is it such a chore to wear a watch? Fancy bling is just one way to show off your personality a little as well as informing you of how long you have to {no, I'm not going to go there on this form, but you can use your imagination and guess the joke} until your next meeting or whatver.

Paper maps: I'm sure there is at least useful thing you can do with a paper map.

Wired phones: Digital phones can't be used with the Sega Netlink, and people can intercept them. This is not the first time analogue rules over it's digital cousin.

Long distance: Overstating the usage of the internet here: Long distance is simpler and less time consuming than opening a chat-room or messaging system inherently.

Newspaper classifieds: These will exist as long as newspapers will.

Dial-up Internet: I do like the digital screaming... The only use for dial-up would be the Sega Netlink. Who wants slow internet?

Encyclopedias: They will be mostly outdated; don't bother. Just a side thought: having people mercilessly edit content can be dangerous making it elusive to trust viable sauces and a downright pain and wast of time to have to check various places. hmm.

Forgotten friends: Something Facebook-esque will exist undoubtedly as the future churns. Yearbooks on the other-hand still serve their purpose for now, at least.

Forgotten anything else: We really don't need to constantly carry smartphones that may be used to track our every move soon enough with us everywhere.

The evening news: The guy who made this list must be addicted to his smartphone.

CDs: This one is subjective. I for one hate being denied the option on whether I want to buy a physical copy of my artists' work. I should not have to kneel down before downloadable content. I like choice and so do more people than you think. Also Having everything on the Internet may one day explode - being the bubble that it is.

Film cameras: hmm... I said my stance on this matter at least once

Yellow and White Pages: Impractical, yes. Wastes space and trees? Yes. I see no real need to a giant-ass phone book to be sitting in my desk draw. Could be a useful paperweight, I presume.

Catalogs: Not everyone wants everything to be shoved in their e-mail inbox.

Fax machines: Can be used for simple things like sending a photocopy to another place; entirely different context and means than a .pdf and e-mail. This is the photo-copy equivalent to a phone.

One picture to a frame: I don't know, some people do enjoy portraits on their walls. More secure than digital photo albums to the least. You can't display a digital Picasso in a museum.

Wires: On one hand you can strangle someone with a wire while on the other hand, you need wires to play a NES, a SNES, a Famicom, a Gamecube and other 'classic' consoles. Common appliances don't require wires.

Hand-written letters: Wait, what? People won't be writing in the future? Guess we won't need desks or chairs either as we would be levitating.

Talking to one person at a time: Texting? What this guy is suggesting is the demise of all basic social skills.

Retirement plans: Yes, people will still want to retire and enjoy the rest of their non-enslaved lives. This is a exponentially a universal concept and will not be phased out for any reason unless we all succumb to Apocalypse. What kind of emotion-killing pills do they give their writer (it would have to be one given the content).

Mail: Yes, people will still be receiving packaged goods, birthday/holiday cards, and other papered whatevers from across the land *sigh*.

Commercials on TV: Nobody likes any form of blatant advertising, but as long as we have TV we might as well get used to them.

Commercial music radio: Commercial Television and Radio have changed through the years, given, but they will always remain a staple.

Hiding: I'm not going to succumb to the sacrifice of my personal privacy to smartphones and other technology, and get this: it will never happen!


I spent a good hour typing this, so I hope you enjoyed my perspective on how scary the future may become unless you stat wary and skeptical and realise that it's not always good to have everything in 1's and 0's. Good night and enjoy the rest of your day TMK. also, note these things:

Learn this Obama and the rest of the world!
1. We not be forced to learn Chinese.
2. We not be forced to work until we die.
3. We will have basic privacy and non-alienatable freedoms.
4. We will not have invasive and otherwise harmful technology, DNA cloning or anything weird.
5. Science-fiction movies will remain science-fiction for our own safety; the future will not be dangerous!
6. Game stores will forever sell NES, SNES and Game Boy games.
7. Our food will not be genetically modified.
8. We not be forced to carry smartphones, or any technology even remotely sentient.
9. We still enjoy Tears for Fears and disregard Lady Gaga (Lady Gag), Justin Beiber (that's just a last name), Eminem (I want a plain bag right now, actually) and the rest of the bad music scene's after-affects! This also applies to other forms of media.
10. The New World order will be crushed!
11. I will continue hacking games.
12. I will continue to enjoy games.
13. Enough!
14. Monty Python will still be funny.

[Turtlekid1]

Uh, wow.  NatDT much there?

[ShadowBrain]

I put this thread here under the assumption that it didn't really need to get political.

The most important thing to keep in mind, though, is that there are plenty of people out there who would profit from certain things on that list fading into obscurity. And like I alluded to, some of this comes off like troll predictions.

[TEM]

The things that are replacing the old things are replacing them because they are BETTER and more USEFUL. Stupid kids who have nothing better to do but socialize and be rude 24/7 don't represent the supreme function of new technology. Grasping for outdated technology because you "like" it better is the action of a curmudgeony old man who is afraid of the future. Be happy and rejoice that humanity has prospered and invented all of these technological wonders! Free trade! Capitalism! Globalism! USA! USA! USA!

[Turtlekid1]

Some of those things aren't obsolete technologies, and some of those things (books, VHS) will last longer than the newer equivalents.

[WarpRattler]

BETTER and more USEFUL

Since when is not owning things you pay for better or more useful? Well, it is for the businesses you're throwing money at...

ShadowBrian, dude, you can buy a terabyte for like sixty bucks now. Again, the issue with obsoleting music CDs is ownership of purchased content, not something silly like hard drive space.

[Lizard Dude]

What the dukar is up with Turtlekid1 and VHS? VHS is ULTRA-CRAP by any standard: image quality, sound quality, portability, durability, cost to produce, environmental impact, ability to repair, ability to make copies, quality loss through normal use,

VHS IS [dukar]!

[PaperLuigi]

10. The New World order will be crushed!

...seriously?

[Mr. Wiggles]

VHS IS [dukar]!

Cut it out man, my nostalgia goggles can't take any further abuse!

[The Chef]

At least you can rewind properly on VHS instead of that stupid scene skip on DVD, plus VHSes don't have unskippable advertisements and menus.

[ShadowBrain]

What? You can fast-forward on DVDs.

[nensondubois]

[Mr. Wiggles]

At least you can rewind properly on VHS instead of that stupid scene skip on DVD, plus VHSes don't have unskippable advertisements and menus.

Stop purchasing early-Millennium Disney DVDs and you won't have this problem.

[Lizard Dude]

What is The Chef talking about? DVD can fast-forward or rewind at multiple speeds with no quality loss. Superior to VHS by any measure.

Lack of animated menus is perhaps the single advantage I would grant to a VHS. You don't want to know the insane things I've done to avoid animated menu-delivered spoilers.

[The Chef]

I'm beginning to think you have some sort of mental problem.

[JazzyLuv]

I have been able to fast-forward a DVD by clicking and holding on certain buttons, but the VHS way is more fluid, as crazy as the screen looks. XD

Hee hee...Lizard Dude, I'm actually curious to know what lengths you would go with those menus. :D

[A]

Another thing babies born in 2011 will never know: An actual queen of England.

If/when Charles becomes king, Camilla's gonna go by "princess consort" to not **** off Diana's fanbase.

And then if/when William becomes king, Kate can't be a real queen like E2 is because she just married into it.

If William and Kate have a daughter, then babies born in 2011 might see an actual queen for a few years before they die, but still.