As streaming services become more and more popular and used, many bands are opting to forego physical technology to save money and time. However, CDs are still very much sold, and a lot of people consider them important to ensure they’ll be able to listen to their favorite tracks regardless of what happens with these online services.
It’s been a long road to the death of the CD, and it’s still off in the distance. In fact, with vinyl making a comeback, the CD might have gotten a boost. It’s an ongoing battle, but the victory has yet to be announced.
From the Doorstep to the Garbage Can
Hardly anyone does anything with a phone book, be it the yellow pages or the white pages, other than picking it up and dropping it straight into the trash. Once upon an age, these were important books to have by the phone if you needed to call a friend, find a business, or look up other information, but again, thanks to the smartphone, this service is nothing more than redundant.
They might be useful as a stepping stool, to add a little bit of height to a seat, or as kindling, but otherwise, they're more or less useless.
They Look Good But use Your Phone
There's nothing wrong with liking an old analog alarm clock, but if you're using one to rise in the morning, you've missed a few things. All you have to do is ask your smartphone to wake you at a certain time and you have all the features of a circular alarm clock.
But they aren't worthless: a nice alarm clock is an interesting look for the mantle, and if you're a heavy sleeper, putting one of them across the room can help get you out of bed. Otherwise, however, leave them off and ticking away.
Calculator Days Gone By
From the abacus to the slide rule to the solar-powered calculator, people have been using math aids for millennia. Calculators used to be a mathematician's best friend, and if you took calculus in high school or college, you used a graphic calculator to get through tough problems.
But, again, with a smartphone in every pocket, needing to carry a calculator around has become pretty pointless. Even if your phone doesn't come with a calculator pre-packaged, there are plenty of free versions you can download. Drop this piece of tech on top of your alarm clock or film camera.
Good for Memories and Not Much Else
Most people have photo albums they've received from parents or grandparents, or even those they've made themselves. And if you have them, there's nothing like busting them out to talk about the old days. On the other hand, thanks to the lack of film printing, photo albums have become rare.
Digital photo albums are usually a better way to save your precious memories. If you're interested in going fully digital and don't want to dedicate space to bulky albums, there are plenty of places that will scan your pictures and create the albums for you in a snap.