Things Change...

Nowadays, the so called 'modern society' is careless. People caring for one another, people doing each other favors, courtesy while driving, shopping, etc is almost non existant. I am not talking 50 years ago... because I am 28, but I have seen how society has evolved technologically. Sadly, it is "crippled" emotionally instead. Just look at the constant shootings here and there, people killing each other more over stupid things.

Another thing that has changed for the worse... we have more channels on TV but nothing good to watch. And you are right, food is supposed to taste good. Now they make a lot of emphasis on the 'healthy' part and forget the taste. Chocolate is supposed to be high on sugar and fat to be chocolate, if not, don't eat it.

friend to see if she needed anything and while I was there found some things I know she uses and picked them up for her.  While I was paying I seperated her things and paid for them separetly and told the checker that I was getting things for a firiend and she was so suprised that I would do that. 

I agree about the TV - I was looking this weekend and there are so man channels and there is really nothing good to watch.  I end up watching a lot of the cooking shows as at least things look good on them.

I think the quality of clothing has decreased. Clothes used to be more durable and made of quality fabrics. Now, clothes wear out much faster than they did in the past.

When I was young, Mr Whippie icecreams were a huge deal. The icecream swirl was as tall as the cone and you could make them last and last. Yum! Last year we bought van icecreams and they were melting before he'd handed them over. We couldn't eat them quickly enough. They pretty much turned to liquid before our eyes! They're mostly made of water now. I'll never buy another one, but it's sad that the power of the 'buck' has reduced that experience. Good that there's so many other things to indulge in though

Robbie

I must admit I hate throwing out a toaster or a DVD player that doesn't work, but the cost of repairing them just isn't worth it.

And I've heard they make those things impossible/very expensive to repair on purpose. Not very environmentally friendly, if you ask me.

 As someone who lives in the countryside, I miss the shop car. It came twice a week and you could get all the basic stuff, like milk, bread, ice cream etc. I've heard though, that they are making comeback.

I remember back when they used to deliver milk and orange juice to our house. They would set it outside your door. The milk was in glass bottles and it had about 3 inches of cream on the top so you had to shake the milk up but it was the best milk you ever tasted. Granted, it probably wasn't good for us with all that cream, but man was it good. And I don't know what kind of orange juice it was but I've never tasted any since that was that good. And it seems like now they are changing the package size on everything so yeah maybe the price hasn't went up but the package is smaller. And even though I would love to have an e-reader I still want my print books. There is nothing like holding a book in your hands.

Linda Henderson

I have to agree with you on the pillows. I hate it, I have to use 3 pillows at night to make up for how flat they get so fast. Things are cheaply made for a higher cost sadly. I have noticed tomatoes don't taste as good as they used to. They have a bitter taste to them now. 

A thing that bugs me is how much you pay for stuff for a smaller quantity of it. Like the popcorn cans at christmas. They're 5.75 for a smaller can when it was 5.00 for a bigger can.  I just shake my head at it. 

Yeah, I remember the good old days...however, there are some things (modern) that I can't live without..For one, the internet and the eHarlequin.com Community...

And yes, I miss the wonderful candy...and the home made cakes, no Betty Crocker...and pancakes...

Wayne

My husband golfs, but lately, I'm more an Iphone widow.  That THING does everything and if itdoesn't now, soon you'd be able to buy the app to do it.  If I say, it's cold outside, I wonder what the temperature is, he pulls it out and looks it up.  It's a navigation device, a game, a computer, a restaurant guide, you name it. 

I miss the days when we could just go out to dinner with our family and not have my kids and my hubby holding their darn phones, looking things up. .. what ever happened to conversation?   My girlfriend's hubby has an Iphone too and she's constantly telling him to put the damn thing away! 

What ever happened to phones that just RANG!  Oh, the good old days,!

from CDs and DVDs! I hate how they scratch so easily and then become totally useless. I don't know how many computer games, including almost new Wii ones, we've ruined. Ack! I miss records. Well, I don't miss them that much, but at least they were better than tapes and CDs. We need some portable technology that doesn't scratch/warp/get tangled/snap in half ;-)

Jen 

It drives me crazy the amount of cell phone usage in public - the conversations I hear on the bus are amazing.  DH can't NOT answer his phone, and we've been out together and he'll decide he just HAS to talk to someone right now.  I've started taking my book out of my purse and ignoring him until several minutes after he's hung up.  At least I can tell my sons its rude and to put their phones away, but DH doesn't 'have' to listen to me.

I do have a cell phone, but use it hardly at all, and try to be cognizant of the people I'm around or out with when answering it.

Well, you had me at "tomatoes".  I LOVE tomatoes, but I rarely even buy tomatoes at the grocery -- even during the summer -- because the chain grocers apparently continue to buy from the same sources in the summer and winter, and hothouse tomatoes are not worth the effort it takes to eat them.  Yuck!  They're mooshy and grainy and, worst of all, completely flavorless, whereas homegrown tomatoes are firm and succulent and delicious: nature's perfect food!  I like them any way you can make them except for tomato juice and any sweetened version.   So, unless I can get the homegrown variety, I stick to the grape tomatoes, which don't seem to suffer from the same problems and sometimes cherry tomatoes.

Another thing that's just not what it used to be is the size of cans and boxes of things.  Drives me crazy when I'm trying to make a favorite recipe that calls for a 16 oz. can of something, and I find that 16 oz. cans no longer exist.  Now, they are 14.5 oz. cans.  Or a 2 lb. box of something becomes a 20 oz. box.  How are you supposed to make a dish you love when the ingredient sizes change without warning, or how do you adjust recipes when they do? 

As Tammy pointed out, obsolescence is built into many things we buy these days.  Until imports from Japan and some other countries became so prevalent, there seemed to be about a 2 year built-in obsolescence on American-made cars.  Competition has changed that, though, so even though the cost is much higher, the product is also of higher quality now.

On the other hand, computers and some other products are getting cheaper.  I paid almost $700 for our first color inkjet printer.  When I bought a new one 2.5 years later, or so, it did so much more and cost just over $200.  So, you get considerably more bang for your buck.

And as for technological advances, I have a love/hate relationship with them.  I love computers (except when they aren't working) and the ease with which I can see my bank balance, send a newsletter out to almost 2,000 subscribers via listserv, find almost anything you can think of out on the internet somewhere, and in my case, even meet my husband.  On the other hand, I hate how impatient people have become.  Now, there is no advanced planning for anything.  Everyone waits until the last moment to do anything and then has a tantrum if, for some reason, they can't get it instantaneously. 

Similarly, I love the security of having a cell phone so that, in case of an emergency in my family, I can be reached almost anywhere.  I love that I am only a phone call away from assistance if my car should break down somewhere at night.  On the other hand, I hate that people (including my daughter) go ballistic if, for any reason, I cannot be reached at a moment's notice.  As I tell my daughter, I don't necessarily WANT to be available to everyone 24 hours a day.   Even if my phone rings, I am neither beholden by law or ethics to answer it.  After all, I am paying the bill for the service for MY convenience.  Just because someone calls, I don't feel compelled to answer, but my DD gets nearly hysterical if she hears my phone ringing without my answering it.   So, in that respect, the cell phone is an annoyance.  In addition, I hate the added danger of people talking and texting when they should be focusing on driving.

I saw this as a poster once :

"My name was David. But it sounded so old fashioned and hence I changed it to DVD" !

:)