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.
