24 THINGS ABOUT TO BECOME EXTINCT IN AMERICA
Yellow Pages ....This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages
industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to
bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet
Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/
listing services like Reach Local and Yodle Factors like an acceleration
of the print 'fade rate' and the looming recession will contribute to
the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of
newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much
higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
Classified Ads ...The Internet has made so many things obsolete that
newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a
long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could
signal the end of civilization as we know it. The argument is that if
newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like
Craigslist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them.
Movie Rental Stores .....While Netflix is looking up at the moment,
Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has
about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the
stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up
a quest of Circuit City . Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video
brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains
and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
Dial-up Internet Access ...Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in
2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate
affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home
phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin
of dial-up Internet access.
Phone Landlines ....According to a survey from the National Center for
Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-
only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received
calls on their cells.
Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs ... Maryland 's icon, the blue crab, has been
fading away in Chesapeake Bay . Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest
(22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced
96 million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they
first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the
bay and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population.
Over-fishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.
VCRs ...For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller
and staple in every American household until being completely decimated
by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only
remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank
VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS
decks are practically nowhere to be found. They served us so well.
Ash Trees ...In the late 1990s, a pretty, iridescent green species of
beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North
America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia . In less than
a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the Midwest , and
continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in
southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and
Indiana . More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.
Ham Radio ...Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often
worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to
support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if
necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and
radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity
among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five
years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has
dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
The Swimming Hole ...Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are
becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners,
like Robert Every in High Falls , N.Y. , are shutting them down out of
worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what
happened in Seattle . The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter
who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls
Park. As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes
to post 'Keep out!' signs.
Answering Machines ..The increasing disappearance of answering machines
is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines.
According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones
jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New
York ; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as
cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that
there will be fewer answering machines.
Cameras That Use Film ...It doesn't require a statistician to prove the
rapid disappearance of the film camera in America . Just look to
companies like Nikon, the professional's choice for quality camera
equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras,
pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005,
compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.
Incandescent Bulbs ...Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or,
yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the
green movement and all-things-sustainable-energy crowd, the Compact
Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era
incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs
nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20
percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new
energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12
years.
Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys ...BowlingBalls.US claims there are still 60
million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not
bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are
part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-
karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow
miniature golf. Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-
traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and
gambling casinos.
The Milkman ...According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950,
over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by
1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4%
percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs.
The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the
rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting
milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the
U.S. , they are certainly a dying breed.
Hand-Written Letters ...In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that,
worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each
second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned
cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone
coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the
number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst
this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written
letter?
Wild Horses ...It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two
million horses were roaming free within the United States . In 2001,
National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had
decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and
Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in
ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada . The Bureau of
Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range
horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia.
Personal Checks ...According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net
23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two
years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill
payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the
time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment
method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per
month by writing a check. However, on a bill-by-bill basis, checks
account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from
72% in 2001 and 60% in 2003).
Drive-in Theaters ...During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000
drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were
still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005.
Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much
of a movement toward reviving the closed ones.
Mumps & Measles ...Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles
and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States . In
1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this
figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous vaccination program.
Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a
million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting
in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
Honey Bees ...Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so
dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our
food supply as the honey bee. Very scary. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or
CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years,
wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -- and along
with it, their livelihood.
News Magazines and TV News ...While the TV evening newscasts haven't
gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In
1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the
New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs
combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what
they have today is half that.
Analog TV ...According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of
homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or
satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals
who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local
stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll
need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations
which will only be broadcast in digital.
The Family Farm ...Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been
declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the
nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003
farm census (data from the 2007 census hasn't yet been published).
Ninety-one percent of the U.S.farms are small family farms.
Yellow Pages ....This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages
industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to
bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet
Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/
listing services like Reach Local and Yodle Factors like an acceleration
of the print 'fade rate' and the looming recession will contribute to
the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of
newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much
higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
Classified Ads ...The Internet has made so many things obsolete that
newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a
long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could
signal the end of civilization as we know it. The argument is that if
newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like
Craigslist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them.
Movie Rental Stores .....While Netflix is looking up at the moment,
Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has
about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the
stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up
a quest of Circuit City . Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video
brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains
and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
Dial-up Internet Access ...Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in
2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate
affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home
phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin
of dial-up Internet access.
Phone Landlines ....According to a survey from the National Center for
Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-
only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received
calls on their cells.
Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs ... Maryland 's icon, the blue crab, has been
fading away in Chesapeake Bay . Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest
(22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced
96 million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they
first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the
bay and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population.
Over-fishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.
VCRs ...For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller
and staple in every American household until being completely decimated
by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only
remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank
VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS
decks are practically nowhere to be found. They served us so well.
Ash Trees ...In the late 1990s, a pretty, iridescent green species of
beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North
America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia . In less than
a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the Midwest , and
continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in
southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and
Indiana . More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.
Ham Radio ...Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often
worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to
support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if
necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and
radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity
among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five
years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has
dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
The Swimming Hole ...Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are
becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners,
like Robert Every in High Falls , N.Y. , are shutting them down out of
worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what
happened in Seattle . The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter
who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls
Park. As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes
to post 'Keep out!' signs.
Answering Machines ..The increasing disappearance of answering machines
is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines.
According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones
jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New
York ; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as
cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that
there will be fewer answering machines.
Cameras That Use Film ...It doesn't require a statistician to prove the
rapid disappearance of the film camera in America . Just look to
companies like Nikon, the professional's choice for quality camera
equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras,
pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005,
compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.
Incandescent Bulbs ...Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or,
yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the
green movement and all-things-sustainable-energy crowd, the Compact
Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era
incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs
nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20
percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new
energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12
years.
Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys ...BowlingBalls.US claims there are still 60
million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not
bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are
part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-
karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow
miniature golf. Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-
traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and
gambling casinos.
The Milkman ...According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950,
over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by
1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4%
percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs.
The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the
rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting
milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the
U.S. , they are certainly a dying breed.
Hand-Written Letters ...In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that,
worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each
second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned
cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone
coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the
number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst
this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written
letter?
Wild Horses ...It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two
million horses were roaming free within the United States . In 2001,
National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had
decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and
Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in
ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada . The Bureau of
Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range
horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia.
Personal Checks ...According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net
23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two
years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill
payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the
time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment
method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per
month by writing a check. However, on a bill-by-bill basis, checks
account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from
72% in 2001 and 60% in 2003).
Drive-in Theaters ...During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000
drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were
still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005.
Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much
of a movement toward reviving the closed ones.
Mumps & Measles ...Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles
and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States . In
1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this
figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous vaccination program.
Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a
million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting
in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
Honey Bees ...Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so
dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our
food supply as the honey bee. Very scary. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or
CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years,
wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -- and along
with it, their livelihood.
News Magazines and TV News ...While the TV evening newscasts haven't
gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In
1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the
New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs
combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what
they have today is half that.
Analog TV ...According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of
homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or
satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals
who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local
stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll
need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations
which will only be broadcast in digital.
The Family Farm ...Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been
declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the
nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003
farm census (data from the 2007 census hasn't yet been published).
Ninety-one percent of the U.S.farms are small family farms.
