RIP: Telegrams, 1844-2006
This is interesting: the first telegram was sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844, and Western Union stopped sending telegrams on Jan. 26, 2006. That's a communications technology that lasted nearly 162 years. The interesting thing is not so much that the era of telegrams is gone, but that the era of technologies which can last 162 years is gone.
[Updated my bad math, thanks Bernie.]
[Updated my bad math, thanks Bernie.]
posted by Brad Williams @ 1:27 PM
1 Comments:
At 9:27 PM ,
bernie said...
You mean, of course, 162 years (actually 59,059 days).
But your point is well taken. Video tapes were around only for a generation before DVD's supplanted them. I suspect the new High Definiton DVD's will cut the DVD lifespan in half. Cell phones will replace land lines soon and then implanted rfid's behind one's ear will replace the cellphone in short order.
Perhaps someday one will enjoy a new technology on the way to work only to have it replaced by something even newer on the way home.
http://plancksconstant.blogspot.com/
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home