<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Slate has an little interesting story, framed with the idea that “dead” technologies take a very long time to actually depart. Apparently the last telegram will soon be sent, as India is discontinuing the service as a result of widening losses. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/06/17/death_of_the_telegraph_world_s_last_telegram_to_be_sent_in_india_on_july.html">http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/06/17/death_of_the_telegraph_world_s_last_telegram_to_be_sent_in_india_on_july.html</a>. According to the original story <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2013/0614/India-to-send-world-s-last-telegram.-Stop">http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2013/0614/India-to-send-world-s-last-telegram.-Stop</a> the system was down to its last 998 workers and was handling only about 5,000 messages a day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Of course, it’s only really with a service based technology that an actual date of death can be established. Something like a PC can just go into the attic and might one day come out again in working order. Even pneumatic tubes, a retro technology favorite, are still in use in some settings. Punched cards are still used in voting machines. Vacuum tubes are still used in expensive amplifiers. According to Wikipedia even semaphore flags are still “used during underway replenishment at sea.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So, can anyone come up with another information technology that has definitively and verifiably vanished completely from use? Specific products don’t count.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tom<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>