Our hobby has become obsolete ...

[Martyd3]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/22/obsolete-things-decade_n_800240.html#s210857

[redwatch]

Very interesting article. It's true about what they said about new college freshman not being able to write in cursive. No one needs to hand write anything anymore. I know my hand writing is atrocious!

[Drulee]

Idiotic author, doesn't even understand what she is writing.

Just one example of her stupidity from her own text, under the title "Yellow Pages and Adress Books":

Phone books, address books, and the Yellow Pages have been made obsolete, their information transferred from paper onto smartphones, and the web.

It isn't the address book or "Yellow Pages" service that has become obsolete, just the medium and/or delivery that has changed.

Given her ineptitude, I doubt she has any grasp on current horological trends ...

[Nanuq]

What he said. It's all fun and games until the power goes out, THEN you'll be looking for your pen, paper, address book and phone book.

Expect the unexpected, sez me.

[Drulee]

I think a better article would have been about how journalism has gone down the toilet the past decade.

[PeteM]

What he said. It's all fun and games until the power goes out, THEN you'll be looking for your pen, paper, address book and phone book.

Expect the unexpected, sez me.

Dont forget the candles !!

Thank God for lume !!

[subbiesrock]

I think a better article would have been about how journalism has gone down the toilet the past decade.

+10.

Or perhaps an article about how First Amendment rights have been slowly eroded by the government over the past decade.

What an utterly banal, useless piece of prose. This article reads like some Top Twenty by a pimple-faced attention-seeking dweeb on Digg.

[maxman]

Digtal time is lame

[Guest Carl]

What is extremely lame is being in a business meeting, needing to know the time, and having to pull out and activate a cell phone!

A discreet glance at a wristwatch is far preferable, and far more professional.

Carl

[By-Tor]

I think a better article would have been about how journalism has gone down the toilet the past decade.

Terminology has changed too... "reality TV whore" and "old maid" both mean "single" now.

[maxman]

What is extremely lame is being in a business meeting, needing to know the time, and having to pull out and activate a cell phone!

A discreet glance at a wristwatch is far preferable, and far more professional.

Carl

Well said,bulls eye

[Ronin]

I think a better article would have been about how journalism has gone down the toilet the past decade.

Yep. With "Blogs" everyone thinks they are an expert or journalist. I much prefer to be a forum loud mouth than a blogger...

[P4GTR]

Absolutely no way, that author is retarded.

Not only are watches still practical (as Carl pointed out), they are also one of the few pieces of mens fashion that withstand the test of time. They might get a little bigger, or a little smaller- but they're one of the few pieces of Jewelry left for men to express their style with.

And like Nanuq, we'll be the only ones that know what time it is if we ever wind up off the grid, i.e. some sort've EMP gets deployed, or worse. Me and nine of my closest peeps (I only have a 10 slot watchbox) will be sporting automatics.. on our wrists, and slung across our back.

(breath P4GTR..) I like having a phone on me, and my ipod is great, but am I the only one thats a little tech'd-out? Sometimes being constantly connected isn't a good thing.

/Rant

[Ronin]

It just dawned on me. Someone needs to send the author a link to Bob's $65,000 Rolex eBay auction.

[lhooq]

Yep. With "Blogs" everyone thinks they are an expert or journalist. I much prefer to be a forum loud mouth than a blogger...

The quality of journalism on the printed page ain't too hot these days, either.

As for the Puffington Host article:

"While wristwatches are certainly still a style statement and/or status symbol for many..." immediately contradicts the claim that they're obsolete.

[StormTooper4]

Blimey we're a defensive bunch of puppies on here, she has point the younger generation of Y's and below rarely watches I know 2 company directors who are both watchless and mock my obsession, they all say my iPhone has the time. It's not until you have kids that time becomes that important , as for grammar ? some care & some don't and phone porn , I still have some numbers if anyone needs one

[lhooq]

I am not a defensive puppy!

[krpster]

I have to agree with some of the others regarding what is passed off as "journalism". Seems like anyone with access to the web and the ability type (even poorly) self proclaims their expertise and pours out pointless drivel that is often not researched and incorrect. Very sad. The internet is an amazing medium and I often think about how it used to be before it was around but it is also very enabling for those that would otherwise remain silent in their ignorance.

[lufcmattylad]

what does she mean 'things that became obsolete this decade?'... its only 2010 ya know, i.e. its the first year in a decade. You really mean 'obsolete this year' dont you? wow kinda scary, 20 obsolete items per year.. hell.

[automatico]

"I have to agree with some of the others regarding what is passed off as "journalism". Seems like anyone with access to the web and the ability type (even poorly) self proclaims their expertise and pours out pointless drivel that is often not researched and incorrect. Very sad. The internet is an amazing medium and I often think about how it used to be before it was around but it is also very enabling for those that would otherwise remain silent in their ignorance."

I agree 100%.

The flotsam and jetsam on the huffington post is an example of what passes for 'journalism' today...boring pablum written by third rate writers with no imagination and no common sense.

If anyone ventures to ask "Why is this happening?", the simple answer is "Because the bar has been lowered and this is today's norm."

It is universal and not just in 'journalism'.

For example...

How many high school graduates (and many college grads) can not make change for a dollar by counting up from the base?

The charge is $2.33.

The customer hands the kid $3.

The kid can not give the change back without a prompt from the cash register.

If you hand the kid $3 bucks and 3 pennies...they are up deep sheet creek without a paddle.

If the kid was handing out their own change instead of $$ that belonged to the boss, they would have to get smart quick or go broke. But nooo...the kid lives on Dad's dollar until he finally graduates from college (at age 32) or drops out and winds up at a job that requires a paper hat as part of their uniform.

Reality is a harsh mistress.

[scottosaurus]

Watches aren't going anywhere. As long as there are wrists, there will be wristwatches.

[boomer775]

Until Rolex starts making cellphones and my iPhone becomes waterproof, I think our hobby is safe.

[panerai153]

Unfortunately, Ms Bosker is another in a long line of pseudo journalist, who write these "Fluff" pieces for every newspaper in the land. poorly researched and no basis in reality for the most part. i would imagine that most of the young folks who are using their cell phones for keeping up with the time, will at some point in their life realize that hauling around a cell phone is neither and appropriate or in some cases safe device for telling time. Why did the wristwatch replace the pocket watch? Utility and convenience. Much easier to glance down at your wrist than drag your Elgin out of your vest pocket.It' pretty obvious to me that Ms Bosker did very little real research before she wrote this article. i would bet that she did a few Goggle searches, probably interviewed a few friends at "happy hour" after work,and called it a day. Plenty of research for a national publication!!

I'm appalled by the inability to speak and write the native language of this land, which happens to be English. I believe that much of it must be blamed on the shorthand language that todays younger folks use for text messages, tweets, etc.Unfortunately, this bleeds over into normal everyday communications. I can assure you bosses are not impressed with reports and other communication that is filled with grammatical errors, and is practically indecipherable.

I have nothing against cell phones, and other portable devices I have and use and Iphone 4, and find it a very useful tool in my work. Some of the medical and pharmaceutical apps are used on a daily basis, and I don't consider myself a Luddite when it comes to progress. I do think that many of the electronic devices we use are something of a crutch, and we become very, very dependent on them. Look around and see who is the most disturbed when the power goes off, and the cells die and the Ipads run down, and the tweets go silent? Not me, I can still find books to read, andIi can still tell what time it is with my trusty obsolete wristwatch.

[TeeJay]

Unfortunately, Ms Bosker is another in a long line of pseudo journalist, who write these "Fluff" pieces for every newspaper in the land. poorly researched and no basis in reality for the most part. i would imagine that most of the young folks who are using their cell phones for keeping up with the time, will at some point in their life realize that hauling around a cell phone is neither and appropriate or in some cases safe device for telling time. Why did the wristwatch replace the pocket watch? Utility and convenience. Much easier to glance down at your wrist than drag your Elgin out of your vest pocket.It' pretty obvious to me that Ms Bosker did very little real research before she wrote this article. i would bet that she did a few Goggle searches, probably interviewed a few friends at "happy hour" after work,and called it a day. Plenty of research for a national publication!!

I'm appalled by the inability to speak and write the native language of this land, which happens to be English. I believe that much of it must be blamed on the shorthand language that todays younger folks use for text messages, tweets, etc.Unfortunately, this bleeds over into normal everyday communications. I can assure you bosses are not impressed with reports and other communication that is filled with grammatical errors, and is practically indecipherable.

I have nothing against cell phones, and other portable devices I have and use and Iphone 4, and find it a very useful tool in my work. Some of the medical and pharmaceutical apps are used on a daily basis, and I don't consider myself a Luddite when it comes to progress. I do think that many of the electronic devices we use are something of a crutch, and we become very, very dependent on them. Look around and see who is the most disturbed when the power goes off, and the cells die and the Ipads run down, and the tweets go silent? Not me, I can still find books to read, andIi can still tell what time it is with my trusty obsolete wristwatch.

I agree with everything you've said, but that sentence in particular, resonates very strongly to me with regards my father in law. He is in his mid-50s, and been driving for quite some time, and in his youth, would often go on road trips with his friends, so clearly had to drive and navigate by map and memory of the route. While he doesn't use satnav around the town, he does use it on any out of town driving, even to destinations he has already visited, and is thrown into a panic if the satnav loses the lock while navigating roundabouts (you'd think he would remember which turn he wanted from checking the readout 10 seconds ago... ) Okay, I've never driven, but that doesn't mean I can't navigate and remember a route, and I find it pretty scary that someone who clearly once navigated without difficulty, is now completely reliant on a technological device... And yes, I agree with your comments about the way the English language has changed. Of course, there are those who say languages change and evolve, and of course, that is true, but I think the way the language has changed in the past decade, is something of a backsliding rather than a beneficial streamlining of language