Boy Do I Feel Old

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions have been available since the 1930s, and in their 80 year run have delivered historical images and recordings of events to millions of homes around the world. However, these days, it is a challenge to find a CRT television for sale, as they are being replaced by many modern variations of the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TV.

And just look at them. It's not difficult to tell why. CRTs are huge. Getting a large picture meant having a large, deep tube or some kind of rear projection setup. They're ungangly, take up way too much space, and are for the most part, ugly.

But what I find most interesting is how quickly they seem to be devalued. There was a time when a Sony 27" Trinitron carried decent value. Pictured below is one such unit, and a smaller Toshiba cousin, waiting by the trash bin for pickup tomorrow.

It freaks me out a bit when I think about how quickly technology can change, and how people's perceptions of it can change even faster.



"So little is our loss,
So little is thy gain."
Indeed, Milton, indeed.

© Jeremy Buehler and Bug Noir (www.bugnoir.com), 2010.