Places that have disappeared with time...

[PeteT]

I was listening to the radio this morning and they asked the question - "Do you still watch Saturday Night Live?"

Well, there was a time when S-N-L was a staple of our world. If you missed it you just didn't fit in society... Well that was back in the days of Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Belushi... but now - I don't think I know anyone who watches anymore... Even more so - it seems that this shift has also happened in retail:

How many video stores have you seen lately? record stores? technology has killed them, between Netflix, cheaper DVDs and iTunes - you just don't need the places.... Even so, Walmart, Target and Best Buy are KILLING them.

Video Arcades - Remember those huge arcades? Remember the Bow-Wow in Queens? Sports Plus? They are GONE! Only thing left is Dave & Busters but thats a date place with restaurants now... Kids don't need it - they have their PS3, XBox 360 and everything else...

So what else has disappeared with time? And do you think it's for the best, or just another sign that our society is becoming more and more dysfunctional ?

[bunny_girl]

Cool question, Pete! Gosh, there are so many things that have disappeared; some represent much needed
improvements considering how lifestyles are so crazy in this day and age. But others, specifically
those that serve to isolate people more and stifle social interaction skills (like kids with the internet and XBoxes)
are contributing to what is going to hurt us in the future.

One of my pet peeves, as I am sure everyone can relate to,
is the myriad of automated voice over protocol almost all companies utilize today when you call
their customer service. When you have a problem, nothing beats speaking with a human but
navigating through the endless levels of "press one", "press three" only serves to
frustrate and anger. The disappearance of human customer service reps does serve
to make society dysfunctional - at least makes me VERY dysfuntional