# End of the newspaper, gas cars & analog TV eras. What other "eras" are coming to a close? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911 "2009-07-04T17:23:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/1 "2009-07-04T17:23:42Z")
Over the air analog TV is dead Paper newspapers are dying Paper magazines are dying [Gasoline powered cars](http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_veyron_convertible)are (slowly) on the way out What else is ending? ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/2 "2009-07-04T17:45:43Z")
Working/jobs–as we know it/them Physical currency–bills, coins Radio CDs DVDs Writing instruments–pens/pencils, etc. Paper Books ENOUGH! I’m scaring myself… ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/3 "2009-07-04T17:48:07Z")
(delete duplicate post - Rico) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/4 "2009-07-04T23:16:41Z")
Pay phones are nearly gone. Corded phones are dying, but we save one for power failures. It may be that land line phones are on the way out. Dialup is here and gone in about 25 years (my brother was using it in the 70s). Oil heating is slowly disappearing. Vacuum tubes are on life support. Students today (and for a couple decades) don’t know what a slide rule is. Then there are log and trig tables. Babbage’s original purpose for his analytic engine was to automatically compute **and typeset** such tables since the extant ones were full of errors. Seen a typewriter lately? Or an electromechanical calculator? Eight inch diskettes disappeared nearly thirty years ago, 5 1/4 nearly 20 years ago and 3 1/2 about 10 years ago. Hard drives are still around, but I predict that there will, within another 10 years, a new storage medium that will drive them out. I predict that printed newspapers and magazines will disappear, but I don’t see it happening to printed books. Not yet anyway. Good Jewish rye, the kind I grew up with, disappeared while I wasn’t looking (I was in the midwest and didn’t expect to see it, but when I came back east, it was gone. Even in NYC, it doesn’t exist as far as I can tell). It looks like incandescent lights are on the way out. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/5 "2009-07-04T23:24:08Z")
Film cam"eras" are circling the drain. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/6 "2009-07-05T01:32:17Z")
Tubes are very much alive for guitar amps and probably will be for a while. Most are now made in Russia or Slovakia. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/7 "2009-07-05T01:48:46Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Paper newspapers are dying > Paper magazines are dying Yes, the are dying, just the same way that television killed radio and movies. Too bad we can’t see movies or listen to the radio any more, since they’re completely gone and newspapers and magazines will follow them. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/8 "2009-07-05T01:51:06Z")
Yeah, and what’s up with metal money? It served us great for thousands of years, too bad I can’t buy anything with coins anymore 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/9 "2009-07-05T02:03:22Z")
I wouldn’t exactly bet my mortgage on the death of gasoline cars anytime soon, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/10 "2009-07-05T02:21:54Z")
How about incandescent light bulbs? I don’t think they’re going to be around in a decade. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/11 "2009-07-05T02:48:55Z")
Western Union stopped sending telegrams in 2006. Distribution Video Audio, the last distributor of VHS movies, stopped in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/12 "2009-07-05T04:01:32Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > It may be that land line phones are on the way out. Not as long as there are still electricity outages and internet failures, and not as long as there are still gaping holes in cell coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/13 "2009-07-05T04:43:31Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Good Jewish rye, the kind I grew up with, disappeared while I wasn’t looking (I was in the midwest and didn’t expect to see it, but when I came back east, it was gone. Even in NYC, it doesn’t exist as far as I can tell). Go to any russian grocery store. There will be a dozen different varieties. (Most aren’t the heavy German style, if that’s what you’re referring to, but they certainly are my favorite.) ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/14 "2009-07-05T04:47:44Z")
The era of space exploration seems to have come to a close. (Especially manned.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/15 "2009-07-05T05:34:15Z")
> [@](#): > > The era of space exploration seems to have come to a close. (Especially manned.) Or it’s moved to Asia. China, India, and Japan are all expanding their space programs. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/16 "2009-07-05T05:42:41Z")
I’m gonna go with desk top computers. On that note I’m going to predict that all external hardware for computers will come with a built in wi/fi. So if you’re at home and you need to print or scan a document; you can just do it from your laptop from what ever room you happen to be sitting in. I’m also sure cell phones will all be just a flat mothly rate no matter how much you use it. (These plans already exist. I’m just waiting for the day when the price comes down and it’s affordable to everyone.) Also, music. I’m dreading the day when me and my sons are cruising down the road jamming out to that catchy tune about Armor Hot Dogs. _“Hot dogs… ARRRmor Hot Dogs…”_ ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/17 "2009-07-05T06:26:07Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > I’m gonna go with desk top computers.\* I seriously doubt this. Terrestrial AM & FM broadcasting isn’t going anywhere & neither are petroleum powered cars. I could see solid state drives replacing hard disc drives. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/18 "2009-07-05T09:41:57Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Yeah, and what’s up with metal money? It served us great for thousands of years, too bad I can’t buy anything with coins anymore 🙂 That’s just you 'mericans, metal money is alive and well(or at least no worse off than paper money) over here. It wouldn’t surpise me if Bluray turns out to be the last optical storage medium and the next generation is based on solid state devices. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/19 "2009-07-05T09:49:03Z")
Most of the items I see listed in this thread are in no danger of dying out in the Third World anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911/20 "2009-07-05T14:08:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Or it’s moved to Asia. China, India, and Japan are all expanding their space programs. But they haven’t got anywhere yet! It’ll be another 20 years before any of them get to the Moon, and who knows when to anywhere beyond. And sample-return from Mars or a Jovian moon? Even that is taking far too long, with no concrete plans. This whole decade we’ve relegated ourselves to Checking Shit We Already Knew Was True. Past water on mars? Holy shit, like we didn’t know that already. A US planned return to the moon (taking twice as long and costing almost as much as Apollo)? That just adds insult to injury. Face it, space exploration is an era that’s ended (for the foreseeable future). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-the-newspaper-gas-cars-analog-tv-eras-what-other-eras-are-coming-to-a-close/501911.md?page=2)