Lights Out

Even when you're accustomed to living in a world of constant change and technological advancement, once in a while you see or read something that makes you take pause. That happened to me when I came across this story today. The electric incandescent lightbulb, the mother of all modern inventions, is about to become obsolete. Because of an accidental discovery by a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, LEDs can now be used to emit white light in a similar hue to the standard light bulb. This is a revolutionary breakthrough on many levels.

LEDs produce twice as much light as a regular 60 watt bulb and burn for over 50,000 hours. The Department of Energy estimates LED lighting could reduce U.S. energy consumption for lighting by 29 percent by 2025. LEDs don't emit heat, so they're also more energy efficient. And they're much harder to break.

That's certainly good news for anybody who's ever burned their finger on a bulb - when trying to change it after a paltry 1000 hours of use. In any measurable sense, this is nothing but a positive development. But a world without traditional lightbulbs will seem very strange. This got me thinking about all the things that I grew up with but have either vanished or are hopelessly obsolete.

- Every medium for recorded music. Vinyl records, 8-track tapes and cassette tapes have all faded into the sunset. And MP3 devices have started compact discs on the road to extinction. (We can throw the VCR in that category, to be followed by the DVD.)

- Camera flash cubes/flash bars. Remember those? My retinae sure do. Talk about leaving an imprint.

- The rotary telephone. This was actually obsolete in the mid-60's, but it is what I had in my house growing up. In fact, my father still had one up to a couple of years ago. The telephone itself isn't going to disappear, but with the advent of cell phones and especially VoIP technology, the traditional phone service providers need to radically alter their business models.

- Typewriters. I have to tell, you, the typewriter is one thing that I don't miss at all. I can't imagine now writing with something that doesn't have a spell checker or easy editing features. And with ink stains from the ribbon.

- Answering machines. This is another thing I won't miss when they are extinct. So much trouble, and so unreliable. I practically had to nag one friend to get rid of hers. Three bucks a month for voice mail won't kill you, but missing an important message might.

- Telegrams. Actually, you can still send one in the U.S. for $14.99 with Western Union.

- Fax machines. With PDF files and e-mail, you no longer need a fax machine. It's ironic that the device creating so much obsolescence has, itself, become obsolete. And it's another reason for the phone companies to be afraid.

- Leaded Gasoline. Believe it or not, the scientist who developed the lead additive to gasoline is the same guy who invented chlorofluorocarbons. Ouch.

There are probably tons of others I'm forgetting about. And we adapt to each change, usually welcoming it. But there's something sacred about old Edison's lightbulb. Oh well. At least we still have Pong.