Top 10 Pieces Of “Extinct Things” That Needs to Make a Come Back
As technology continues to change, new revolutions have begun to replace older revolutions that were once considered worldwide favorites. The telegraph, Walkman and typewriter are all examples of once popular revolutions that have been replaced by newer, more advanced technologies. Even Blockbuster has been replaced. As things go extinct and new inventions are created, every industry is changing, and some might get replaced but not everything deserves to be sent to the planet of oblivion. So today I will be sharing with you 10 out of style things that need to come back in style.
10) Discman
I will admit that the boom of the discman, or as some might call it a CD player, happened a little before my time (18 years to be exact). However, I can appreciate the impact that it had on the media and especially the music industry. When the CD player was first introduced in 1982, it revolutionized the way people listen to music. It became a more efficient and less expensive way to listen to music on the go and you also looked cool while doing it (my dad told me it was a “chick magnet” back in the day). However, as the 2000’s came, the popularity of the CD player increased. MP3 replaced it as the 21st century went on and now we are in the digital streaming boom. I will tell you, even though I am in my early 20’s, I have a deep connection with and appreciation for physical music and CD players. I am not the biggest fan of streaming sites for many reasons, much of which does not make sense to mention in this piece. However, royalties from streaming are enough of a reason to bring CD players back in style. Many artists, especially up and coming ones, make most of their profit from royalties generated from units sold or monetized in any way. The money from those royalties is then split between those involved in the song/album including songwriters, publishers, record labels, the artists etc. When all is said and done, there are a lot of splits of income and more times than not, not everyone gets a significant bang for their buck. Selling CD’s can allow an artist to garner all the profit from their sale except the cost of the production of the CD itself, unlike if the music was distributed via streaming.
9) Handwritten Letters
Coming from someone who has self-diagnosed carpal tunnel, I am not particularly upset that things such as writing assignments in composition notebooks were replaced by computers. However, when it comes to everything else related to writing, it breaks my heart that former past times such as writing handwritten love letters or appreciation letters to loved ones have been replaced by text messages and air drop. Close your eyes and imagine this (well close your eyes after reading this). You are lying on your couch eating a tub of Haagen Dazs salted caramel ice cream, crying as you are looking at the last scene of the notebook knowing that you are single and lonely. Then suddenly you hear a knock on the door, and it is Edris Elba on a horse handing you a pink handwritten note detailing how much he loves you and wants to marry you. You two then ride off in the sunset and live happily ever after. Well, that is not going to happen. Not only is Idis Elba already married to someone, but chances are, you would either receive not love to note at all or a text message from some guy who randomly got your number asking if you can “chill at his house tonight.” The romance just is not the same. Though America is never “great” at least we had handwritten notes… right?
8) Baby Books
I was flipping through my mother’s picture book the other day and after finding a picture of me on Halloween circa 05’ dressed up as Dora the Explorer… I was mortified but immediately felt grateful that my mother thought it was worthy enough to be in the prized picture book that is cherished by the family. While baby (picture) books are still widely known today, it is quickly losing popularity over the preference to take and save pictures of children on smartphones instead. Yes, I know it can be hard to choose which one of the 20 different but similar photos of baby Kesha in her Children’s Place onside to put in the book, but I feel like baby books, especially for newer parents have become rarer. My sister for example, who has two children (10 years and 1 year) does not have a baby book for her children and takes and saves pictures of her children on her phone. While I understand that babies grow and the grow fast, it is nice to know that when time (and technology) changes, that one thing that will always stay the same is the picture book that you made for your children and future generations to look back on and get the same level of embarrassment as I felt looking at my hair in a curly bowl cut in Kindergarten.
7) Teaching Cursive
I cannot write in cursive if my life depended on it. It just comes out looking like the lines on an EKG monitor. While I must place blame on myself for not taking the time to teach myself how to write in cursive, I also must blame the education system for not enforcing it in the classroom like it used to be. Back when my mother was growing up, learning how to write in cursive was mandatory for everyone in the classroom. The result of that? Many people across the country successfully being able to write in cursive and be able to create their own creative signature. Having your own signature is important for a lot of reasons, the most important is it can help prevent someone from forging your signature. I feel like I was robbed by not having classes growing up that taught me cursive. As an old grouchy 21-year-old woman, it is hard for me to learn new things such as cursive. I am too busy caring for my cats and doing homework.
6) Drive-In-Movies
Yet another fad I missed that I wish made a comeback. I hate movie theaters like no other. I think I can go out on a limb and say that I hate movie theaters more than anyone else. There are more negatives than positives when going to a theater. Uncomfortable seats, overcrowding, overpriced food, bed bugs… the list goes on. I have not been to a movie theater since I was 14 years old and If I had to go the rest of my life without stepping into one again… I would be happy. Drive in movies is a great alternative for people who either do not have or do not want to support streaming services but still want to support the local theater. Everyone can get in their car, drive to the spot, and watch the movie with whatever food they bring and whatever babe they want. The result? Your own personal space, food, comfort, and date all without leaving your car.
5) Having A Live Conversation
I will be the first to admit that I love phone calls. I’m not a people person and usually when I am having a in depth conversation with someone, it’s someone that I don’t want to talk to. Talking to someone over the phone allows me to put them on hold without them knowing and can allow me to focus on anything other than hearing them talk until they are done talking. However, something that the pandemic has showed me was how much I appreciated having a in person conversation with someone. Maybe it’s because the option for that was taken away from me and I miss what I had. But, talking to your grandmother over the phone who barley knows to use a phone verses sitting across from her and talking about life are two totally different experiences.
4) Cat Shows
It has been too long since I talked about my cats, so it is time for them to make an appearance again. Granted, I am not sure if cat shows were ever in style, but I know they exist(ed). For some reason there are many people on this planet who feel that cats are inferior to dogs but really, it is the other way around. Dogs wish they are as cool as cats, that is why they have Dog Shows to try to convince people that they are the coolest domesticated animal on four legs. Cat Shows are not as popular because they do not need to do stupid tricks to prove that they are the best, they already know that. However, the lack of love that cats get keeps me up at night and the lack of exposure they get on the big stage of entertainment breaks my heart every day. I wish I could tune on the TV on Thanksgiving to see cats on channel 4 doing the same stupid tricks dogs do for shows. I can get some more sleep at night knowing they have an equal chance of fun than their dog counterparts.
3)PRIVACY
One of the drawbacks of being in the digital age is the lack of privacy. Back in the day, when having a television in the house was as big as having a Roomba vacuum cleaner, it was not hard to keep your private life private. If you wanted to sneak out of the house to go to an Elvis concert, you can just sneak out the window and sneak back in before sunrise and there would be no trace that you left (if you did it right). Now, if my niece tries to sneak out the house to go to a Esports event, there would be three different alarms going off, an alert to my sister’s phone notifying her of my niece’s location and a SWAT team knocking down the door all before my niece can make it two blocks. The loss of privacy due to the internet is the biggest loss of all. Back in the day, there was no internet or at least not available for many like it is today. It is much easier for someone to steal your social security number and banking information online than it was in the early 20th century if someone just robbed you in the street. It is the cost of the internet, but drawbacks can be more detrimental for most than beneficial.
2)Journals
I am a journal STAN. If you were to walk up to me and I did not know you were coming, I would be writing in one of my seven journals about stupid stuff that is still too private to say aloud. I prefer notebooks rather than online diaries or docs because I am of the mindset that nothing on the internet is private, even if you put it on that setting. Even though I do not write about anything harmful it is still private and just like mostly everyone on this planet, I am entitled to a personal life (even though it is just full of cats and Gossip Girl). Writing in a journal gives me an extra sense of privacy than the internet does not give me. Just think about it, your information and files can be hacked at any time and sometimes you can retrieve it and sometimes you cannot but all the time it is a pain to go through the process of restoring your privacy. Yes, journals can get stolen as your files on the internet.
1)DVD Players
Just like journals and CD players, I am a huge admirer of DVD’s. I can name on the one hand the people that I know that still play DVD’s and I still have some fingers left. DVDs are great for many reasons; one is the guarantee that you always have something to watch even when the internet and cable goes down. I have dealt with crappy internet my whole life and frustratingly, it is something that I cannot seem to fix. Having my favorite shows and movies on DVD has allowed me to curb the depression of having bad internet by looking at things that make me happy without the worry of it cutting off right at the climax.
Britney Guzman is a Senior at Mercy College. She writes a column called Quali-Tea News where she discusses her love for cats, Taylor Swift and mental...
