Pay-Up!

I was at the store and I took my purchase to the checkout register, I swiped my card, signed the little electronic pad and I was on my way.  The transaction was cleared in milliseconds and my credit card was charged with the appropriate amount.

I thought back to the last week -- when was the last time I used cash to pay for something?
If not this past week, how about the week before?
You see where I am going with this, right?
Cash is fast becoming a form of payment I use less and less.

At the end of the month the credit card statement will arrive and if I want to avoid the finance charges, I will pay for it in full -- pay for it how?
In the past, I would write a check and mail it in to the bank.
You noticed I indicated this was how things used to work.
Now I am equally likely to make an electronic payment - the funds instantaneously transferring from my bank account to the account of the bank that issued the credit card to me.

The above payment method bypasses the Post Office (and all the delays associated with using it).
It also means I will write fewer checks, and thus I will need to order new checks less often ... or never.

Lest you think I am a strange futurist who rapidly embraces all the latest technologies, I freely admit I am typically a "late-adopter", at least for technology that involves money.
This means there are many more like me who are now warming-up to this technology and even more "early adopters" who already use it.  What might this mean then?

I have already mentioned the rapidly declining volume of mail in the US Post Office in a previous blog entry.
The other day I read that check printing orders are also rapidly declining -- people are simply writing fewer checks.

Now check this out -- the latest app for your smartphone even comes with a peripheral credit card scanner that attaches to the headphone jack (read the story about the app for the iPad here).  Credit card transactions will now be easier than ever and you can even send money electronically to people and establishments (and receive receipts through e-mail or SMS) -- who needs cash?

Do you remember the days when you had to physically take your bills to the bank to get them paid?

Can you hear me now?

Among the many changes which seem to be coming our way at what seems to be an ever-increasing speed is likely going to be the demise of the good old fashioned telephone.

Most people I know have a land line and a cell phone - some more than one.
"Why keep the land line?" is a question more and more people (especially the younger folks) are asking with increased frequency - and they are deciding they don't need it (and its associated expense) after all.

A cell phone allows you to call anyone in the US and most companies don't even charge calls against your monthly minute allotment if you call people who use the same cell phone provider.

You say you call overseas?
I remember a few years back, calling friends and relatives overseas - the phone company charges were high and the conversations were typically brief - it was expensive after all.
More recently, third-party providers began offering overseas calling plans at a fraction of what the phone companies used to charge - and the calls got longer.

Then came VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and companies like Vonage and Skype.  Now you can make calls to anyone (in the case of Skype, they can even be video calls) and there is no need for a land line.

Even the phone in my office is now a VOIP variant.  Calling colleagues in other parts of the world who are similarly equipped is a snap and the monthly bill is much lower.

The tagline from the Verizon (local land line, cell phone and internet provider) commercial echoes in my ears "...can you hear me now?"
(and if you can hear me, I wonder what kind of device you are using)

News and new Media

One of the sights from Athens which seems to be etched in my mind is of many kiosks, festooned with newspapers and magazines.  There is typically a dizzying array of printed matter pinned to the outside of one of these kiosks, fluttering in the breeze - such a common scene there.

In the US, one would find a similar (though in my humble opinion more sterile) setup in the typical newsstand.  Once again, a multitude of newspapers and magazines can be found here, all printed on paper - what some might consider a waste of natural resources (e.g. trees).

I would like to ask each of you however, when was the last time you got your news from a newspaper or magazine, sitting in your favorite chair?  What about TV?  What about online?  The experts seem to indicate that social media is going to supersede the more traditional media and the antiquated news delivery mechanisms they use.

Young people today do not subscribe to newspapers and magazines - they see no value in this, as printed news is "old news".  e-Readers seem to be popping-up everywhere.  From Amazon's Kindle to the i Pad and of course there's the old standby of taking your laptop to the WiFi-equipped coffee shop to catch-up on the news while you sip your favorite beverage.  I heard one expert proclaim that, in the US at least, the newsstand will disappear within ten years.  It may take a bit longer in Greece, however I think a similar shift will take place over there.

It appears traditional media is facing a critical point in its history.  The economic recession has forced various newspapers and magazines around the world to close, or be sold.  Many others are barely hanging-on.  The staff at these publications are facing a very real possibility of seeing their profession sliding towards extinction.  As is always the case when facing massive change, many resist, refusing to accept the dynamics behind the shift observed in the last few years.  Others however, are beginning to see the writing on the wall and are already positioning themselves to evolve.  The latter are the more intelligent ones in my opinion. 
The choice is not very complicated really - evolve and survive, or resist and perish.

Marathon

May 1 - May Day in most parts of the world, but here it is not a holiday, just another Saturday.
In the US, Labor Day is a holiday reserved for the end of summer - celebrated on the first Monday of September (this year on September 6) and May Day is just not celebrated.

The weatherman spoke of showers and thunderstorms arriving later in the day and the grass needed to be mowed, so I got out and took care of it in the morning, while the sun was shining.

Meanwhile this was also "Move Out Day" at Pitt (University of Pittsburgh), however our son was giving his last final this morning (yes, they have finals on the weekends now), so we decided to wait until noon to drive to the dormitory and help him move out.  Road maintenance/construction (always taking place when the weather is nice) ensured there were delays as we navigated the congested roads. 

Once we arrived at Pitt, there were cars, vans and SUVs parked everywhere.  A crazy ballet of students, siblings and parents, all carrying stuff, was taking place and we joined-in.  Viewed from above, it may have looked like an ant colony busily moving about.  A couple of hours later, we had packed everything into our vehicles - literally every inch of space was used - and we were reassuring ourselves we would not allow our son to bring so much stuff with him when he returns in August (famous last words).

We are happy we managed to complete the move today, since tomorrow, May 2, is the Pittsburgh Marathon and there will be many road closures, making transit to Oakland much more difficult.  Adding to that, the weather forecast for tomorrow is for severe thunderstorms and that will just add to the unpleasantness. 
As for me, I feel like I ran a mini-marathon today - I'll let the runners do their part tomorrow.