We found several lists with info on what is about to join the 8 track and candy store in the “never more” collection. We found it interesting and thought you would as well. Times are a changing…
25. U.S. Post Office
They are pricing themselves out of existence. With email, and online services they are a relic of the past.
24. Yellow Pages
One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year — much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
23. Classified Ads
The argument is that if newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like Craigslist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them.
22. Movie Rental Stores
While Netflix is looking up at the moment; Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
21. Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008.
20. Phone Landlines
According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes were cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells.
19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
Maryland’s icon, the blue crab, has been fading away in Chesapeake Bay. Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest of 22 million pounds down from 96 million just four decades ago.
18. VCRs
For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR).
17. Ash Trees
In the late 1990s, a pretty, iridescent green species of beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer. In less than a decade, their larva have killed millions of trees in the Midwest, and continues to spread.
16. Ham Radio
The number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000.
15. The Swimming Hole
Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are becoming a thing of the past. As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post ‘Keep out!’ signs.
14. Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to # 20 on our list — the decline of landlines.
13. Cameras That Use Film
It doesn’t require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America.
12. Incandescent Bulbs
According to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
Today most new bowling alleys are part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow miniature golf.
10. The Milkman
The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the U.S.A., they are certainly a dying breed.
9. Hand-Written Letters
With over 183 billion e-mails sent each day in 2006,and half a trillion test messages sent in 2004, where is there room for the hand written letter?
8. Wild Horses
It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States. The Bureau of Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range horses to 27,0007.
7. Personal Checks
On a bill-by-bill basis, checks account for only 49% of consumers’ recurring bill payments (down from 72% in 2001 and 60% in 2003).
6. Drive-in Theaters
During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating.
5. Mumps & Measles
Despite what’s been in the news lately, the measles and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
4. Honey Bees
Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee.
3. News Magazines and TV News
In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.
2. Analog TV
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers.
1. The Family Farm
Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census.
So what do you think? Do you agree with these items? Do you have something to add to the list?
