# The List of Disappearing Products **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094 "2008-11-23T14:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/41 "2008-11-24T09:16:27Z")
Rotary Dial Phones are long gone Dot Matrix printers (at least for the home user) Manual Credit Card Machines ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/42 "2008-11-24T13:07:29Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Jalousie windows. Still available in some brands of RVs. My folks’ old lake house had these, I was sad to see them replaced when they remodeled. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/43 "2008-11-24T13:19:44Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Rotary Dial Phones are long gone > Dot Matrix printers (at least for the home user) > **Manual Credit Card Machines** I’ve seen these around still. Mostly for when phone lines or the store system go down. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/44 "2008-11-24T13:37:29Z")
SyQuest drives & cartridges ZIP drives & disks Mimeograph machines Ice picks Linotype machines Glass milk bottles Women’s hats with veils Earth shoes Hand-held 35mm slide viewers Pedestal ash trays Incandescent Christmas tree lights (the ones that got really hot) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/45 "2008-11-24T13:59:03Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [Musical anoscopes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMjI-cMn_ag). Why is that becoming obsolete? The new model humans are anus-less? ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/46 "2008-11-24T14:09:15Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > ROM cartridges are nearly extinct. The closest equivalent would be an SD card or Flash storage, but you can’t put a coprocessor on those. Once the DSi comes out without support for GBA carts it will be the end of an era: Cartridges took the console world from the first true multi-game consoles (the successors to dedicated systems) through the Crash, revival, and up to nearly the modern day, a full three decades later. I remember that the cartridge-based games on my parents’ old Commodore 64 were much more stable and reliable than the floppy-disc ones. I remember seeing leaded gasoline for sale 10 or 15 years ago, and it was a big find then. I’m not sure it’s even legal to sell anymore. Does anyone buy traveler’s checks anymore? ETA: General, printed encyclopediae (Brittanica, World Book) cannot be long for this world. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/47 "2008-11-24T14:13:46Z")
Manual-transmission cars. When I bought my last car, I read that 95% of cars manufactured _at that time_ had automatic transmissions. I had to special-order mine. That was 15 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/48 "2008-11-24T14:32:56Z")
[QUOTE=Philster;10487980Soon/next: Formica/laminate counter tops[/QUOTE] What is going to be used for cheap countertops instead? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/49 "2008-11-24T15:30:29Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Why is that becoming obsolete? The new model humans are anus-less? I would imagine because of the size. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/50 "2008-11-24T15:37:40Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Why is that becoming obsolete? The new model humans are anus-less? The new anoscopes have MP3 players installed in them, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/51 "2008-11-24T17:34:39Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > …What are we supposed to use instead of hand towels? Paper towels or disposables. “Permanent” towels become germ reservoirs very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/52 "2008-11-24T17:40:16Z")
Station wagons. It used to be if a car maker made a sedan he had a wagon version of it. SUV’s have taken their place. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/53 "2008-11-24T17:48:41Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > …“Permanent” towels become germ reservoirs very quickly. Not that I necessarily disbelieve you, but – cite? ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/54 "2008-11-24T17:58:15Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Are color contact lenses still sold? Color lenses are still available in what are advertised as more natural, subtle colors (blue, brown, green, etc.). I would be hard-pressed to call my beloved (bright) green lenses natural though. (They’re Accu-Vue.) Can you still buy a mouse with a roller ball? ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/55 "2008-11-24T18:39:11Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Paper towels or disposables. “Permanent” towels become germ reservoirs very quickly. Are you talking about in public restrooms, or in private homes? Because the shelves around me in Wal\*mart, Target, Penny’s etc are chock full of Hand Towels, and they ain’t disappearing from the average home anytime soon… ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/56 "2008-11-24T19:16:34Z")
Daily newspapers. I doubt they’ll completely disappear, but they’ll probably be restricted to no more than a few large cities. Other towns will have weeklies or no paper at all. I’ve heard some buzz that compact discs may be on the way out. I don’t really know, but can someone confirm or refute this? ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/57 "2008-11-24T20:03:51Z")
Mercury vapor lamps (in outdoor lighting fixtures) are getting rarer and rarer. I remember when I was a kid, 15-20 years ago, there were still plenty of those “cold” white/greenish/purplish lamps illuminating streets in my hometown (Luxembourg-City). They have since been mostly replaced by high-pressure sodium (orange) and more recently, metal-halide ones (“warm” white). Why yes, I AM an outdoor-lighting geek!😉 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/58 "2008-11-24T20:06:06Z")
> [@UncleNito](#): > > I remember that the cartridge-based games on my parents’ old Commodore 64 were much more stable and reliable than the floppy-disc ones. They always were. They are also, however, more expensive than disk-based and SD card- or Flash-based systems because they require specialized hardware. In addition, you can fit more data on a disk these days. Finally, of course, with broadband penetrating the hinterest of the hinterlands in this country buying games on any physical medium will soon be obsolete. Other examples: Traditional modems as opposed to DSL modems. This also means the end of modems that aren’t also routers and, therefore, the idea that only one person in the house can be online at once. Nine-pin serial ports on commodity computers. The [RS-232](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232) will hang on for a lot longer in specialist roles but the last thing the average schlub needed one for was the old-fashioned voiceband modem. I’ve even been seeing USB ports in hobbyist breadboards. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/59 "2008-11-24T20:59:36Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Manual-transmission cars. When I bought my last car, I read that 95% of cars manufactured _at that time_ had automatic transmissions. I had to special-order mine. > > That was 15 years ago. I don’t think manual transmission cars are on the endangered species list at all. Many European sports cars come standard with manual transmissions and, as for Japanese makes, you can still get most Toyota models with a manual transmission…I know this because my Solara has a 5-speed manual transmision. Yes, I had to request it, but Toyota had no problem getting one for me. I believe the same holds for Honda. My list: - Bernoulli boxes - Vanilla creme-filled Hostess Fruit Pies (with chocolate frosting on top. Yum) - Jazz drives and cartridges - Kick-start motorcycles - Kellogg’s Danish-Go-Rounds (Very old, I know, but man, I miss them) - Telex machines (these were popular with business before the Fax machine) - Fax machines - 3-piece men’s suits - Roaming office workstations - Wired remotes (for anything) - Depilatory powders for men I was going to add skinny ties for men, but I think they’re coming back. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/60 "2008-11-24T23:44:27Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Are you talking about in public restrooms, or in private homes? Because the shelves around me in Wal\*mart, Target, Penny’s etc are chock full of Hand Towels, and they ain’t disappearing from the average home anytime soon… When I was a kid, I can remember seeing these cloth towel “strips” hanging in public restrooms (particularly in rural areas). The towel strip was suspended from a large metal box, often with a mirror on the front; I think there was some mechanism for rotating/wringing the towel strip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094.md?page=4)