# What currently necessary item will be the soonest to become obsolete? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817 "2013-08-09T17:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/1 "2013-08-09T17:08:13Z")
The Mensa Bulletin has posted this question. Dopers, what do you think it will be? I realize that “necessary” varies widely from person to person. My guess will be Blu-Ray. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/2 "2013-08-09T17:16:18Z")
In home DVR. Cloud takes over completely. Keys, in the stick it in a lock sense. Carry a proximity device with all our codes (car, home, work) in it. Separate shampoos and conditioners. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/3 "2013-08-09T17:21:11Z")
Security badges. Companies will be able to program their doors to be operated solely by biometric signals. Grab the handle and turn, if your DNA doesn’t correspond to someone who gets to open the door, the handle won’t turn ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/4 "2013-08-09T17:24:10Z")
Television, especially cable. A decade more of assault by the internets will suck the life out of broadcast networks. More and more entertainment will be homemade and/or interactive (Og how I despise that word). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/5 "2013-08-09T17:25:08Z")
Cars. We’re all gonna have jetpacks in the next year or so, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/6 "2013-08-09T19:49:20Z")
Brick-n-mortar banks. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/7 "2013-08-09T20:08:00Z")
Travellers cheques. Maybe compasses. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/8 "2013-08-09T20:12:26Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Travellers cheques. Maybe compasses. Are you posting from the 80’s ? Those have already become as obsolete as they’re ever going to be. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/9 "2013-08-09T20:13:55Z")
home use landline telephones. eta: GPS devices. disposable cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/10 "2013-08-09T20:49:34Z")
I wish I could say fax machines, but good lord for some reason we just cannot get rid of those things. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/11 "2013-08-09T21:35:14Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Travellers cheques. Maybe compasses. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > Are you posting from the 80’s ? Those have already become as obsolete as they’re ever going to be. Personal checks, then. I only send checks to my landlord and to pay things I’ve been billed for that I haven’t set up auto-deposit for, like parking tickets & other municipal fees. Also, printers at home. I’m also kind of wondering about the utility of gasoline other than “the cheapest they’ve got”. How many people still pay $4.25 or more for “premium” gas? There can’t be that many people driving Ferraris out there… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/12 "2013-08-09T21:44:52Z")
There are some in the broadcast industry who not only believe AM radio is obsolete, but that within 3 years, it will no longer be included in car radios and the FCC will begin reclaiming the frequencies to use for other applications. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/13 "2013-08-09T22:36:01Z")
Yeah the Government wants to shut down AM Radio because it is the most popular medium for right wingers expressing the truth. I am not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/14 "2013-08-09T22:39:41Z")
:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/15 "2013-08-09T23:18:10Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > There are some in the broadcast industry who not only believe AM radio is obsolete, but that within 3 years, it will no longer be included in car radios and the FCC will begin reclaiming the frequencies to use for other applications. I can’t see it. AM radio is very popular for news and weather and traffic. Landlines will certainly disappear soon, along with printed newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/16 "2013-08-10T00:46:53Z")
As ever, I hold out hope that humanity will in the near future come to its senses about neckties. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/17 "2013-08-10T01:15:49Z")
HDD hard drives. Once flash memory and solid state drives improve their max capacity to be competitively priced, HDD drives will be history. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/18 "2013-08-10T01:22:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > As ever, I hold out hope that humanity will in the near future come to its senses about neckties. You mean that all adult men (and 19.34% of adult women) should be encouraged to where them, on account of their awesomeness? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/19 "2013-08-10T01:27:03Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You mean that all adult men (and 19.34% of adult women) should be encouraged to where them, on account of their awesomeness? Yeah! I wear 'em, and I like 'em. Just one more way to express your fashion sense while well-dressed. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/20 "2013-08-10T02:04:57Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Personal checks, then. I only send checks to my landlord and to pay things I’ve been billed for that I haven’t set up auto-deposit for, like parking tickets & other municipal fees. > > Also, printers at home. > > I’m also kind of wondering about the utility of gasoline other than “the cheapest they’ve got”. How many people still pay $4.25 or more for “premium” gas? There can’t be that many people driving Ferraris out there… My VW Passat, with a turbo 4-cylinder engine, and my BMW motorcycle, with a two-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, both need premium gas. It’s not just Ferraris and the like. High compression is a way to get more bang out of a small engine. The power of a 6 cylinder engine in a 4-banger package. It’s that line of thought that’s going to make diesel engines (with their super-high compression ratios) as popular in the US as they are in Europe. Not saying the gasoline engine wil become obsolete in the near future, but I’m betting premium gas won’t, either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817.md?page=2)