Death of a Diary (and many more)

I'm not talking about death of Deepak's Diary (this will remain even after I cease to exist). I'm dwelling upon telephone diary (or directory if you call it). Since I purchased a Nokia mobile set three years ago, I no longer carry a telephone diary ( I also don't wear watches but that's different story). This human invention has been replaced by slick mobile phones.

I maintain a calling list of people and make sure that I call them as often as I can. As I insert this slim object variously called cell, mobile, hand phone into my pocket, the telephone diary and wrist watch become redundant. Recently while fumbling with my paraphernalia, I retrieved my old telephone diary; torn apart. Yet, it reminded me of my long forgotten acquaintances and friends. To my surprise, I also found old phone numbers still in use.

As new technology, devices pop up, there invariably arises the fear of losing the old things. Ah, another example is alarm clock. Mobile is such a handy device equipped with multi function. So, the colorful alarm clocks are another endangered species. What else? My Nokia set also at times doubles up as torchlight (this at a time when there is three-hour load shedding two weekend days a week). I don't even need a calculator to do small calculation.

When television hit the Nepali households in early 80s, people feared that newspapers and books would not be read. But, new inventions only reinforce the use of old ones (of course, there are exceptions such as the VCR replaced by DVD/VCD). Likewise, I prefigure music cassettes being replaced by CDs.

I don't know whether world is becoming flat or it is still round. But, it has definitely shrunk. Apple's iphone boasts of the convergence of mobile, ipod, digital camera in one device. People are increasingly carrying fewer things (another example, paper note replaced by debit and credit cards). After all, it's a good news in an otherwise overcrowded world.