Thursday, March 31, 2011

Goodbye Stamps?


Ten years ago I would have thought this crazy -- no more stamps?

A few years back we were introduced to self-adhesive stamps as a logical, evolutionary, development to the "lick-it-and-stick-it" variety ...

Now we are talking about sending an SMS to the Post Office, getting charged for a stamp and receiving a code in return -- you write the code on the envelope and drop the letter in the mailbox.

You Had a Good Run, OId Stamps: SMS Codes for Postage Coming to Europe
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/you_had_a_good_run_oid_stamps_sms_codes_for_postag.php

The rate of change (or "evolution" as I like to call it) seems to be ever-accelerating.

I remember collecting stamps when I was younger -- it was a fascinating way to let the imagination roam based on a the tiny images that were printed on those little paper rectangles. Today of course there are so many other ways to expand a person's horizons (think of image search results in thumbnail form as a comparison), that collecting stamps seems very "passe".  It will also be pretty hard to do, if no more stamps are being printed... 

And yet the romantics among us will undoubtedly pause, reflect and feel some sadness at this latest evolution.

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