Hi Mark and all, Yes. This is a wonderful article. I wanted to read the original article because it sounded like there were links to more detail about some of the things mentioned. Hover, when I tried to open it from this e-mail, USA Today could not find it. I discovered, and this has happened to me many times too, that the link didn’t get copied correctly into the e-mail. I took a couple of minutes to repair it, and wanted to share the one that will work in case anyone else might be interested:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/13/everyday-tasks-few-people-do-anymore-because-technology/1438758001/ Enjoy! Pete De Vasto > On Jun 13, 2019, at 5:47 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote: > > Hello Everyone, > > Since many of the items on this list involve iOS, I thought I'd post it here > for all to enjoy. > > Mark > > Everyday tasks that few people do anymore because of technology, USA Today > > Phone book, what's a phone book? 20 everyday tasks that nobody does anymore > > Kim Komando | Special to USA TODAY Updated 6 hours ago > USA TODAY > Daily necessities are vanishing one by one, thanks to new and efficient > technology. Stamps, maps and cookbooks still exist, but we hardly ever need > them. Why place a personals ad when you can just "swipe left?" > The standard electronics, gear and ways of yesteryear have vanished as if it > was never invented at all. As old formats disappear, that leaves us with the > task of what to do with our memories. > Even services that seem new are vanishing in the name of progress; Apple is > killing off iTunes, for example. and here's what it means to your music and > movies. > Here are some rituals that are no longer required in many households. If > you're 40 years or older, you'll probably smile with nostalgia. Share this > list on social media. Others will enjoy this trip down memory lane too! > > 1. > Memorize a phone number > Pop quiz: How many phone numbers do you know by heart? Some people don't > even know their spouse's numbers. How times have changed. Now, you tell your > smart assistant to call someone in your contacts, or you touch their name on > your phone. > The earliest cellphones required you to transfer your entire directory by > hand, from the old unit to the new one; now, with cloud technology, your > contacts are automatically downloaded. > What happens if you lose your phone, say, at a Disney theme park? This > couple got separated and turned to Facebook for help. > > 2. > Use a phone book to find a company to do work around your house > Generation Z may not even know what "Yellow Pages" refers to. They may not > have ever seen a phone book. > Online consumer services like Angie's List and Yelp have made finding > service people easy, plus you can read other users' ratings. One of the > newer ways to find ultra-local services is Nextdoor, which has a special > section for "recommendations," along with crime watches and other local > info. > > 3. > Sell your car with a cardboard sign stuck on the windshield > Unless you're selling your vehicle to someone you know and trust, these > transactions can get sticky and even a little dangerous, especially with all > the trolls. Craigslist started more than 20 years ago, and it's still going > strong, although it, too, still suffers from trolls and weirdos. If you want > to sell your car, here are three sites that may be better than Craigslist. > > 4. > Figure out math in your head > Few of us ever carried calculators with us to the grocery store. In > contrast, pretty much everyone with a smartphone uses it to do basic > calculations, no matter where or when you need it. In fact, you don't even > have to jab numbers anymore, physical or virtual: Tell Siri to solve a math > problem, or command Alexa to do that pesky long division for you, along with > countless other handy skills. > > 5. > Call and ask a family member, "Where are you?" > Find My Friends changed the family-safety landscape by geographically > connecting iPhone users. This app was a life-saver for parents with kids, > adults taking care of aging parents, and countless others. Phone Tracker is > a free app for iPhone and Android-powered phones that not only tracks > location but also messaging and web activity. > > 6. > Tell time by hands on a clock > Like cursive writing, analog clocks may be teetering on extinction. Few > people with smartphones bother with watches anymore, unless they're fashion > statements or fitness trackers. With digital clocks dominating our computers > and hardware, those 12-numeral timepieces may become pure novelties. > Even your trusted alarm clock has received a tech makeover. Click or tap for > three apps that monitor your sleep cycle, and wake you up when you'll feel > the most rested. > > 7. > Make photo albums > It's hard to imagine printing an image at a one-hour photo store, taking > back your packet of 4x6 snapshots, and then meticulously pasting them into a > faux-leather photo album. Given the ease of digital photography, and the > innumerable images you could produce on a regular day, you'd fill up entire > shelves in no time. > Photo-sharing services like Flickr and Amazon Cloud and have existed for > some years, and now some apps will help you organize your photos and > keepsakes, some of them from well-known companies like CVS and Walgreens. > > 8. > Have a CD or record collection > Wasn't it cool back in the day to walk into a shabby-chic apartment and see > those shelves of CDs? Wasn't it a joy to flip through boxes of vinyl > records? Napster was the first sign that music could exist as a tiny, > virtual MP3 file, and then iPods basically dealt the death blow. > Today, music exists as a digital index on a screen. Purists may love their > turntables, but CDs have probably gone the way of the wax cylinder. > > 9. > Make mixtapes > There was something so special about a mixtape. We spent hours finding the > right song, then lining up two cassettes to copy a song. So many lovers > cemented their relationships using a blank tape and a few dozen favorite > albums. > Now, you can drag and drop a digital playlist in seconds. > > 10. > Call a theater to get movie times > Back in the day, you'd dial a theater and listen to its endless-loop > recording of movies and times. Sometimes, you'd catch it mid-loop and have > to wait for it to start at the beginning to get all the movie. > With Google, type "movie times," and the search engine will list films based > on your location. You can also ask your personal assistant, such as Google > Home, what films are playing at the cineplex and what time they're on, along > with tons of other tricks and Easter eggs. > Blockbuster: There's only one store left in the entire world > Perks: Amazon expands free one-day shipping for Prime members > > 11. > Record your favorite programs on tape > All year, we'd wait for "It's a Wonderful Life" or "The Wizard of Oz" to pop > up on TV. When they did, we'd push a VHS tape into the machine and wait > until the proper moment to press "record." > When TiVo emerged, it streamlined this process by making scheduled > recordings even simpler. Now, with streaming services, web archives and > easy-to-purchase downloads, the timing of a broadcast barely matters > anymore. But as you cut on the cord on traditional cable television, make > sure you pick the services that best meet your interests and budget. > > 12. > Watch shows when they are broadcast live > In the same vein, we rarely have to sit in front of the television, eagerly > waiting for a "major network event." Services like Hulu and YouTube convert > a huge amount of national television into a digital format, and local news > stations log most of their important segments onto their websites. > > 13. > Run to the store for a last-minute gift > Curses! You forgot a Mother's Day gift! Should you change your whole > schedule so you can rush to the store and hurriedly pick something out? If > you have Amazon Prime and live in an Amazon hub, there's no need. You can > order same-day delivery and have that gift couriered to your front door. > It's just one of the many benefits you probably didn't know Amazon offers. > Click here for more than 20 lesser-known perks that come with your Amazon > Prime membership. > > 14. > Cut things out of the newspaper > When I was a kid, my dad used to cut out articles from the newspaper and put > them in my lunchbox. I miss those days. If Dad were still alive today, he'd > do what most of us do: Tap or click a button to share content by text or > email. Speaking of sharing information, do you get my newsletters? Dad would > like that! > > 15. > Send a handwritten letter > Don't get me wrong: It's still wonderful to receive a postcard from faraway > places. You might say that email, texting and video conversations have made > handwritten letters even more special. But no one is forced to transcribe > their thoughts by hand and drop those letters in a mailbox. Heck, nowadays, > we use voice dictation to write messages. > > 16. > Looking up the spelling of words in the dictionary > Spellcheck is nearly as old as word processors, and many of us have grown up > expecting Microsoft Word to underline our mistakes in red squiggles. But > autocorrect takes this concept a step further, guessing what we intended to > write and correcting our errors. > This can be handy for clumsy thumbs, but it can be embarrassing when > autocorrect guesses wrong. > > 17. > Use a phone booth to make a call > Phone booths are making a comeback in open floorplan offices where there is > no privacy. But rare is the phone booth where you handle a dirty phone and > put in a coin to make a call. The last holdouts may be an airport or a > particular part of town, but even international travelers can usually nab a > SIM card the moment they step off the plane. Did you know you can use your > cellphone as a walkie-talkie? Here's how. > > 18. > Carry cash > I remember my dad telling me, "Always carry a ten dollar bill because you > never know when you'll need it." In a world of debit cards and P2P apps > (person-to-person), we rarely have to carry cash anymore. So what happens > when your phone is dead, there's no one around and all you have is a phone > booth? Luckily, most public phones in the U.S. are outfitted with credit > card strips. > > 19. > Use a travel agent > Travel agents can be essential for elaborate vacations, but for general > flights, services like Kayak and CheapFlights have completely transformed > how we book our passage. You can compare hundreds of airlines and agencies > in seconds for the best deal. If you'd like to save even more, use Google > Flights to find the cheapest airfare. Here are five ways Google Flights can > really help you save as long as you're flexible with your travel schedule. > > 20. > Getting your old checks back from the bank every month > Oh, people still write checks, and physical paychecks are still routine > methods of payment, but I doubt this antiquated practice will last much > longer. Even depositing checks has become digitized, thanks to ATMs that > scan the piece of paper and print a facsimile on your receipt. > That said, online banking does open a whole universe of security risks. If > you're not sure whether your phone's banking app is secure, there are three > critical steps you can take. > Any long lost tech you'd like to add to this list? Drop your ideas to me on > Twitter. > What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim's national radio show > and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen > to or watch the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or > computer. Or tap or click here for Kim's free podcasts. > Originally Published 2:00 a.m. PDT June 13, 2019 > Updated 6 hours ago > > Original Article at: > https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/13/everyday-tasks-few-people-do > -anymore-because-technology/1438758001/ > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. 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