Write about an item you use frequently that you think (or hope) will be obsolete in 20 years.
I wanted to write a little story for this, I really did. I wanted to create some crazy gadget in a cool other universe and envision a future for that world where the gadget would become outdated. I wanted to write a story about a nurse or a doctor treating some “common” illness or disease that has become rare two decades from now. I wanted to take myself back twenty years and write about the demise of something I thought would last forever but has already become obsolete. I wandered too far down memory lane and couldn’t find my way back to creativity court.
Twenty years ago I was nine years old. We had a rotary phone on the wall in the kitchen. I remember getting frustrated trying to untangle the cord whenever it would get a kink. I only have a “house phone” now because our apartment complex requires a local number for the intercom system in the building and our cell phone numbers were both out of state. It’s not a cool rotary phone like we had when I was nine though. I don’t imagine “home phone” numbers will be a thing much longer, let alone 20 years from now.
I don’t wish for it to become obsolete, though. There’s a certain charm in picking up the phone to dial a loved one. Robocallers and telemarketers have certainly tarnished the appeal of having a separate means of contact, but I think it’s good to maintain a separate line of communication when you are in your home.
Personally, I don’t always keep my phone on/near me when I’m home. I always leave it on silent anyway, so I won’t necessarily see the notification light if I’m in the other room on my computer, or in the kitchen cooking dinner. It’s also a prime reason I keep a desktop computer, aside from my writing. I’m still connected, but it’s contained in its own space. The cell phone can feel intrusive at times. In a world where we are hyper connected, anything we can do to separate ourselves from that constant stream of information is beneficial in the long run.
That isn’t to say I think we should still be using analog, or even going back to it at all, but it is interesting to see how much has changed in the last twenty years, as well as where we’re going. In my trip down memory lane I encountered VCRs and cassette mix tapes, Tamogatchies and Polly Pockets. Some things are making a resurgence, like Furbies and vinyl, but in the big picture everything is still progressing forward. Time marches on. What’s the next big thing to replace our everyday tech? Maybe in twenty years our cell phones will be gone? Anything is possible!
Notes: I don’t really have much to add here tonight. I did try to think up a short story for you, I swear, but my coursework has my brain focused elsewhere. I did not get as caught up as I hoped last night because I was moody and then there was Monday Night Football and my Jets made a statement in Detroit and I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around that dominant performance. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high (I’ve been hurt before!), but it’s really hard not to be impressed with that young quarterback. Anyway.
Have a great rest of your night! I will see you again tomorrow night. Happy Wednesday!
Closet Full of Notebooks 