It hit us today: As we were making a clean sweep of the apartment and tossing or donating the stuff we don't need, we came to the low-tech bathroom dial scale. Since we got WiiFit, we haven't touched the dusty old thing. Even the smallest innovations in technology (like a video game) have come to replace the old home standby.
Obviously, innovations like DVDs and digital media have revolutionized home entertainment and the way we store it. Plus, people are eschewing landlines and becoming cell-only households. These 21st century changes have been endlessly observed and noted.
(If you haven't checked out Wired's 100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About, now is as good a time as any.)
But as our unused scale got thrown in the "give away" pile, we ushered in a new era where nearly every low-tech thing is becoming obsolete.
Scales? Gone. Clocks? Not if you've got a cell phone nearby. Car keys? A thing of the past if you're working with a Viper Smart Start system. Heck, just the iPhone itself can replace your compass, thermometer and level.
And we're sure there's plenty more. Readers, let us know in the comments what devices have replaced your low-tech home tools!
(WiiFit/Scale photo illustration by Taryn Fiol, Wii Balance Board image via Wikimedia Commons)
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Comments (3)
I have a Wii Fit, but I wouldn't use it to replace my bathroom scale. It takes around ten minutes to get the Wii to reveal my weight, it takes my scale around 3 seconds. I guess if I was someone who never used the bathroom scale anyway, getting rid of it in favor of the Wii wouldn't be a big deal, but since I use it almost every day I'll keep the scale and use the hour I save for something else every week.
My LCD TV also works as my Macbook monitor (it's a Samsung Syncmaster monitor-TV hybrid!), and I don't need a DVD player since my laptop is always switched on. This works great for my little 1-bedroom apartment :) No longer need a landline since I have my iPhone with Skype to call the parents in Malaysia.
I had an ancient bathroom scale that I got rid of and now use my Wii board for weight/body mass monitoring. I'm not a stickler for absolute precision, but I think the Wii is doing a decent job.
I haven't had a landline in about 10 years.
I wish I was way more tech savvy so I could lose a lot more.