Goners

I heard a radio disc jockey recently talking about all of the things that are going the way of the dinosaur:  Landline phones, telephone books, newspapers, to name a few.  Then, we received the June issue of AARP Bulletin that featured a page of things anticipated to be goners within the next 50 years, including snail mail, gasoline pumps, glove box road maps, and even toilet paper.  The article also highlighted nine things that are almost gone already.  Being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I realized that I still use six of those items:  An answering machine, tube televisions, phone books, bank deposit slips, Rolodexes and incandescent light bulbs.  Granted, I rarely use bank deposit slips anymore, I no longer rely on my Rolodex (which is in a drawer these days), and we're using up our supply of incandescent light bulbs at home and replacing them with the more energy-efficient versions.  However, it's a reminder of my "advancing age" when the things that were once familiar and commonplace become extinct.  My favorite thing on the AARP Bulletin "vanishing" list:  Cursive writing, which they claim may have to be taught someday only for the purpose of being able to read historical documents!