20 Things That Have Faded Away In This Decade

The last ten years has brought crazy amounts of new gadgets and gizmos… with this new splurge of technology life has changed drastically!
Since 2000, we’ve gained iPods and iPads, Travelocity and Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare, BlackBerrys, Androids, iPhones, Xboxes and Wiis, among many other new services, sites, and electronics. We’re now poking, tweeting, tumbling, Googling, Skyping and Ovooing.
In this time we’ve also changed our way of life and lost a lot of old school ways…So let’s take a blast to the past and never ever..EVER look back!!

@Ash_Bankz

Here are 20 things that you should definitely not be using:
VCRs And VHS Tapes

The DVD was invented in 1995…Hence why you should not be using a VCR any longer!

Travel Agents

With the launch of Orbitz, Travelocity, among others…you can book your own vacation and find reasonable prices on your own. No need to consult a travel agent.

The Separation Between Work Life And Personal Life

These days, we no longer have to be in the office or even near a computer to be at work or in touch. With smartphones that are ever-more ubiquitous and ever-smarter, along with ultra-light laptops and WiFi in planes, trains, and automobiles, we can reply to our colleagues on the go and are accessible anywhere.

Forgetting

“The web means the end of forgetting,” wrote the New York Times earlier this year. “The Internet records everything and forgets nothing.” Indeed, increasingly there’s a digital copy of everything we do: the emails we send, the phone calls we make, the places we go, the pictures we take, the opinions we write. So if you ever forget something log onto google, bing…or some other reliable search engine.

Bookstores

The last decade has brought bad news for bookstore-browsing bookworms. The rise of online retailers like Amazon, which offers bargain-basement prices on books and other items, and the increasing popularity of ebooks has put pressure on bookstores and put many of them out of business. The iPad is definitely putting a smack-down on bookstores.

Watches

Wristwatches are certainly still a style statement and/or status symbol for many, they’ve increasingly been replaced by cellphones, laptops, and other gadgets, which tell time and eliminate the need for an extra accessory.

Phone Sex Via 1-900 Numbers

The porn industry has been called tech’s “quiet pioneer” and indeed the industry is frequently on the forefront when it comes to incorporating and experimenting with new technologies, from 3D TVs to robots. Over the last ten years, the Internet has proved a boon to the porn industry–while also providing a plethora of free XXX content–and even as the web has disrupted the adult industry’s business model, it has also opened up new frontiers, such as adult video chats on webcams that provide a more “intimate” experience than 1-900 numbers. There are a number of new ways to engage in “cybersex,” with sites like CupidCam replacing the phone lines and chat-rooms of yore.

Maps

GPS devices keep getting cheaper, smaller, and more portable. We have GPS in our cars and on our phones. We use mobile maps for everything from cross-country trips to tracking down restaurants, and employ services like Google Maps and Mapquest to give us customized routes. Asking for directions, carrying around paper maps, and even getting lost are all increasingly obsolete.

Calling

Text messaging, BlackBerry Messaging, Instant Messaging, Tweeting, Facebook messaging, and emailing have taken over communication and opened up new avenues for getting in touch. The popularity of text messaging is gradually edging out calling (and even talking face to face).

Classifieds In Newspapers

Not only have ad dollars followed audiences online, but the expansion of Craigslist — from one city, San Francisco, to over 500 — has sent chills down the spines of newspaper publishers everywhere, thinning newspapers and reducing ad sales.

Dial-Up Internet

It’s older and slower than the available alternatives, and very much out the door. A 2008 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that just 10% of Americans used dial-up Internet. Nostalgic? Listen to its beeps, fuzz, and hums on YouTube.

Encyclopedias

Users have traded Britannicas on the bookshelf for the collaboratively-built, online-only Wikipedia.

CDs

CDs, and the stores that sold them, have all but been replaced by digital music that can be downloaded online, one track at a time.

Landline Phones

While many still rely on landlines–especially in areas where cellphone service is spotty–users are increasingly unplugging. In a recent survey found, “In a first for any age group, more than half of Americans age 25-29 live in households with cell phones but no traditional landline telephones.”

Film (And Film Cameras)

Digital cameras–on phones, point-and-shoots, or computers–are capturing memories, instantly and cheaply, in place of film cameras.

Yellow Pages And Address Books

There was a time when “let your fingers do the walking” meant opening a phone book — not typing in a search query. Phone books, address books, and the Yellow Pages have been made obsolete, their information transferred from paper onto smartphones, and the web.

Catalogs

Earlier this decade, “spam” came through the mail slot, not into your inbox. Times have changed.

Fax Machines

This used to be hot…now??? Not so much…Just send an e-mail!!!

Wires

Wireless internet, wireless updating, wireless downloads, wireless charging, wireless headphones: Although wires are still around (for now!), they’re well on their way to being a thing of the past.

Hand-Written Letters

Love letters, thank you notes, and invitations have gone being hand-written to typed, and from the mailbox to the inbox. Sending online messages is a bargain next to $.44 stamp.
HP