Frivolous Friday

 

This weeks frivolity is an obituary of sorts. Now there's two words you seldom see in the same sentence.
We are bidding farewell to what was once a staple in many homes and used by generations of young and old alike
. The name that comes to mind   is the Encyclopedia Britannica, but others of the same family will suffer the same demise. As a child I referenced the World Book Encyclopedia for school assignments and  actually did a stint trying.... unsuccessfully I might add... to sell them. Then there were  less pricey versions that were often made available in supermarkets sold individually, in  alphabetical order, to ensure your continued patronage.
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The Britannica, which has been around for 244 years, or whatever form you or your family used, has been discontinued and replaced with the digital form of up to date knowledge.
 It is the end of an era. What was once part of the status symbol of the 50s, 60s and 70s has been replaced by the digital conveniences  such as Wikipedia with up to the minute data . To quote Doug Mataconis "But in recent years, print reference books have been almost completely wiped out by the Internet and its vast spread of resources, particularly Wikipedia, which in 11 years has helped replace the authority of experts with the wisdom of the crowds."

The good news is we all are part of this change. I wonder if this is what the people of my great- grandparents generation felt like when "slates" were no longer used in schools. I, for one, am 100% on board  with the new technology, and am embracing it wholeheartedly!  As I bid a fond "adieu" to Britannica I turn and pick up my smart phone and  check the location of a friend on Google Earth!!!
Take care!