GregHowley.com

It's really interesting to look at the products and services that are becoming obsolete as a result of the emergence of new tehnologies. It's been fairly evident for a number of years that newspapers are dying out. Although I don't have any actual statistics, I'd be willing to bet that the majority of those who read newspapers are older, and that they do it largely because it's how they've always been used to receiving their news and information. I'd be surprised if more than a handful of the larger newspapers around the country are still in operation by the end of my life.

Another technology which may not die off entirely but will likely become a niche market is landline telephones. Cell phone technology is improving, and VoIP services provide an inexpensive alternative. Running wires for telephones to every house seems much more expensive than setting up a single cell tower which can service far more customers. Linda and I have recently dropped our landline, and we don't really miss it. The fact that cell phones also provide free long-distance is an added plus. Sure, you have to worry about how many minutes you're using, but with in-network calling and friends-and-family type plans, you get a bunch of phone numbers that won't count against your minutes.

The final item that just came onto my radar as potentially endangered is cable television. With services like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube delivering streaming television and movies over the internet, there seems to be less and less of a need for traditional television. If cable TV is to survive, everything will need to move to on-demand. People want to watch what they want when they want it. Linda and I dropped our cable when we moved to Buena Vista largely as a way to save money, but we're finding that we're not missing it. We still watch all our shows, and get Blu-Ray movies from Netflix in the mail. Now if only Sony updates the Playstation so that you can watch Hulu in the PS3 browser, I'll be all set.