With all the tech that surrounds us , there are still certain things computers have not replaced. Here are 5 of them.
1. Books
"Digital Media" is a buzzword (buzz-term?) in the industry right now, and companies are hocking e-readers to you left and right. The response to these devices by most people is apathetic at best, followed by a terse comment such as, "Keeping a battery charged just to read a book sounds like a stupid idea to me." I can’t disagree with that sentiment.
I’m not saying e-readers are bad, but they don’t replace books. Not by a long shot.
2. Memo pads
Available in places like Walgreen’s, Staples and "dollar stores" everywhere, a memo pad is the Swiss Army knife of quick note-taking. Ultra-portable and just the right size, you can jot down information quickly and easily 80+ times (there’s usually 70 to 80 sheets). You can bump that up to 160 times if you use both sides of the paper. 162 if you use the front and back cover.
Jotting notes on a cell phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer simply isn’t as convenient. For example, you would never say, "Hey John, I wrote a note for you. Take my cell phone so you’ll remember it." Funny, yes, but drives home the point that memo pads are better because you can jot down a note, tear off the sheet and hand it to someone without giving it a second thought.
It’s comical when people say, "Well, I could sent a text message or an email to be printed; that’s just as convenient." That only counts if there’s some legitimate distance between you and the person you want to send the message to. Otherwise it’s faster and easier to simply write down the note and hand it over in person.
I always keep memo pads where I live, with pens at the ready to use them. And there have been more than a few times where someone is visiting, sees the pad and says, "OH! COOL! Can I use that? I need to write something down!"
Mighty convenient, those memo pads.
3. The flyer/poster
A flyer if done correctly can sell or promote anything and produce fast results if put in the right location.
Flyers have no presence on the Internet and never will because people would instantly tune them out. In real life however, if a flyer catches your eye, you will stop to read it. Maybe you won’t buy what the flyer is advertising or promoting, but the point is you did stop and put your full attention towards reading it. The flyer works.
The flyer is still seen everywhere. Most aren’t as fancy as the above, but people are still tacking them on phone poles and sticking them under windshield wipers of cars all across the world.
4. Gas stoves
Microwaves are 100% computerized (you do program it every time you use the thing), and electronic ranges have a fair deal of computerization in them.
The gas stove however is a decidedly ancient technology that largely isn’t computerized, and just so happens to be the absolute best way to cook anything in the kitchen because you have the most control over the heat level.
The only real differences between gas stoves then and now are that modern ranges have pilotless electronic ignition to fire burners and timer control for auto-on/off features.
It should be noted that any seasoned kitchen veteran can cook a meal on a gas range whether the range was made in 1965 with absolutely zero computer/electronic doo-dads or a modern range made now in 2010. Burners are burners. As long as they work, you know what you’re doing in the kitchen and the range is in proper working order, no computerization is necessary. Dinner will still taste the same when done.
5. Cash
Governments the world over have all tried (and all failed) to develop 100% cashless currency systems, but the bitter truth is that money can’t exist without some form of physical tender. Money needs to be tangible, as in something you can physically hold in your hand, in order to be used everywhere.
It’s true you can avoid physical currency entirely in favor of debit/credit cards and electronic checking, however there are more people that appreciate paper and coin over bits of data. Why? Because when cash is in the hand, it can’t be erased from a computer glitch.
Like what you read?
If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:
