# What became ubiquitous then went away in your lifetime? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180 "2026-04-10T22:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/561 "2026-07-09T05:07:17Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > And bag phones that one could put in the car! I wouldn’t say those were ubiquitous. I only knew two people who had them. They’ve certainly gone away, though! ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/562 "2026-07-09T06:38:42Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I loved Sunday lunch at a cafeteria. They had a guy hand slicing a huge beef roast and sometimes a ham. The cafeteria near the place I grew up wasn’t nearly that fancy; it was more like an old-school diner that had expanded into a restaurant over the years. It was called The Southern Belle; You would get a tray and slide it along the metal rails as you walked by the various options, and the people behind the counter would put your selections on a plate (or hand you a little bowl over the counter, in the case of side dishes and desserts). I wasn’t a fan of the country-style food as a kid, but I did love going there on Sundays for chocolate pie or pudding. I also had the opportunity to dine in a cafeteria inside a department store (The Capital Room, inside Belk); it was the same serving concept, with a much fancier dining area. Most of those were gone by the time I experienced it though, and that particular location closed by the time I was in college. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/563 "2026-07-09T13:46:00Z")
Holy cow, **WolfpackJeep**! The Capital Room was a huge thing to my late wife and my MIL in the late 80s. I married my wife in 1988 and the Raleigh Belk’s was THE place for them to go shopping and eat. They acted like it was similar to a NYC tea room…except that you could get good banana pudding there. I got dragged along at least three or four times a year until they closed. I preferred Finch’s. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/564 "2026-07-09T16:59:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Great cars. Mine saved my wife’s life. She was driving it through a busy intersection - not even the first car through - when some clown ran the red light and hit the car right at the driver’s side door. The body was strong enough that she only needed some rehab, not a hospital stay. The guy in the shop where the car was taken to be pronounced totaled said it was the worst damage he ever saw where the driver walked away. It was a '92. I replaced it with a '97, which wasn’t nearly as good but did last forever. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/565 "2026-07-09T17:42:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not entirely gone, though COVID killed off a lot of buffet chains I miss Souplantation. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/566 "2026-07-09T18:44:55Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Not entirely gone, though COVID killed off a lot of buffet chains. The Northern Chicago Polish buffet institutions have really gotten hit hard. Old Warsaw & White Eagle are gone and the single remaining Red Apple is weekends only. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/567 "2026-07-09T22:17:53Z")
In a short while, we’ll be able to add video game cartridges to this list. > **[Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on...](https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/)** > > In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. If you want a game you can download it. I’m sure this will become the norm across the industry in just a few years. And will expand to include albums and movies. Physical media is going to be a relic of the past. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/568 "2026-07-09T22:53:21Z")
Wow!! My strongest memories are of The Capital Room at Crabtree Valley Mall, but my mom remembers an elementary school field trip to Raleigh when her entire (small) class was taken to The Capital Room downtown for lunch. She remembers one of her classmates got only desserts for his lunch; his family was so poor that they never had any sweets in the house, or even extra change for an ice cream treat at school. She says he got one of each and enjoyed them all. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/569 "2026-07-09T23:18:29Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > In a short while, we’ll be able to add video game cartridges to this list. > > [https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/](https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/) > > If you want a game you can download it. > > I’m sure this will become the norm across the industry in just a few years. > > And will expand to include albums and movies. Physical media is going to be a relic of the past. That move makes more sense for video games than for albums and movies. Sometimes there are critical bugs discovered after the software is shipped. Whereas albums and movies are always usable after they’ve been shipped, even if there are new editions released later on down the line. That said, if you still sell a physical disk, it should contain the entire game! Last Christmas break I saw someone try to install a game they had just received with a physical disk and the disk was only a download app: I don’t know how much of the code was on the disk but he still had to download many gigs of updates and/or original code before he could even play. What if that Christmas had been spent in a cabin in the woods with slow Internet access? Or you go on an RV trip and take along unplayed games as a way to do something on rainy days? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/570 "2026-07-14T17:40:18Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > If you want a game you can download it. A couple of days Extra Credits ran a [4-minute video](https://youtu.be/7VBoPrQZu10) on the decision to end Playstation physical media distribution. TLDW: They don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/571 "2026-07-14T17:44:43Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > That move makes more sense for video games than for albums and movies. Sometimes there are critical bugs discovered after the software is shipped. For the most part, when you buy a game on a physical disc, you _still_ install it to your console of choice at which point it gets patched with updates as they roll out. It’s been a while since games were unpatchable as delivered. I _think_ that even applies to cartridges, like used on the Switch. But yeah, it looks like game console physical media is gone, with many of the same issues raised as with movies and music. No guarantee you can re-download it at some point in the future, no guarantee that it can’t be uninstalled for you. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/572 "2026-07-15T23:53:08Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > But yeah, it looks like game console physical media is gone, with many of the same issues raised as with movies and music. No guarantee you can re-download it at some point in the future, no guarantee that it can’t be uninstalled for you. And books. If you “buy” (or rather rent) a book on Kindle, they can change it for you or even remove it. I just got a big new monitor for free, and I have a game from 2007 that will look really good on it. Since I have the CD, I should be able to load it. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/573 "2026-07-16T00:29:21Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > For the most part, when you buy a game on a physical disc, you _still_ install it to your console of choice at which point it gets patched with updates as they roll out. I believe that is still the case on a Playstation. (I mean, if you have a game on a physical disc.) > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > But yeah, it looks like game console physical media is gone, with many of the same issues raised as with movies and music. No guarantee you can re-download it at some point in the future, no guarantee that it can’t be uninstalled for you. Thank god for the tireless efforts of reverse engineers, crackers, and hard-core pirates! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Extra\_Terrestrial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@An\_Extra\_Terrestrial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Extra_Terrestrial)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/574 "2026-07-16T04:26:04Z")
Multitude of hitchhikers on Highway 101. Came into fashion as a way of meeting fellow pot smokers in mid-'60s. It was a safe way to travel, and we picked up lots of folks. Now it’s too damn dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![papermache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@papermache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papermache)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/575 "2026-07-25T03:22:54Z")
Today - July 24 - Sony had a major crash of it Playstation servers. Which, since even all digital games need to check in online, meant no games for several hours. Causing great unhappiness and anger. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/576 "2026-07-25T06:50:38Z")
_All_ games?? Somebody, somewhere must still be playing a game that includes an offline mode. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/577 "2026-07-27T17:33:32Z")
Plasma TV’s where a thing. My brother bought one for $6000. Then came along LCD TV’s for 1/10 the price. Buh Bye. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/578 "2026-07-27T17:34:41Z")
> [@An\_Extra\_Terrestrial](#): > > Multitude of hitchhikers on Highway 101. Came into fashion as a way of meeting fellow pot smokers in mid-'60s. It was a safe way to travel, and we picked up lots of folks. Now it’s too damn dangerous. For the hitchhikers, or the hitchhikees? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/579 "2026-07-27T20:12:34Z")
How about those big bastards with the three projection lenses and it came with its own screen? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/580 "2026-07-27T20:18:30Z")
Ah, a friend of mine got one of those projectors, second-hand from his sister (who was very rich) in the mid 90s. It was as big as a couch table and thus doubled as that, and my friend never got the three lenses for the different colors calibrated quite rightly, so the picture was always kind of washed out. But it was a big impressive screen for a home system back then. But not worth the money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=30)