Author: Jena Bailey

Most Ubiquitous Letter in the English Language

Most Ubiquitous Letter in the English Language

This paragraph is abnormal. It contains an oddity, a linguistic quirk that you will find in no popular book or journal or script in any library. A crucial bit of vocabulary is missing (reading it aloud might help, but probably not). Can you spot our anomaly? And if you do, can you say what it is without spoiling it?

The answer is as plain as the nose on your face, or the cream in your coffee, or the vowels in your alphabet. The above paragraph is missing the most common letter in the English language: the letter E.

Readers Digest tells us that E is everywhere. In an analysis of all 240,000 entries in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, OED editors found that the letter E appears in approximately 11% of all words in the common English vocabulary, about 6,000 more words than the runner-up letter, A. What’s more: E is the most commonly struck letter on your keyboard, and the second most popular key after the space bar. It’s one third of the single most-used word in English – ‘the’ – and appears in the most common English noun (‘time’), the most common verb (‘be’), in ubiquitous pronouns like he, she, me and we, not to mention tens of thousands of words ending in -ed and -es.

There’s a reason that scribes see composing prose without the letter E as one of the ultimate challenges in constrained writing. This hasn’t stopped masochistic wordsmiths from trying. Author Ernest Vincent Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby, for example, contains some 50,000 words – none of them containing an E – while the 1969 French novel La Disparition has been translated into a dozen different languages, each edition omitting the most common letter in that language. The French and English versions successfully last 300 pages without the letter E; in Spanish, the letter A gets omitted, and in Russian, it’s O.

On the whole, most of the 5 full-time vowels (sometimes Y is a sixth) appear more frequently in English than most consonants, with a few exceptions. The most common consonants, Oxford’s analysis confirms, are R, T, N, S and L. The top ten most common letters in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, and the percentage of words they appear in, are:

1. E – 11.1607%
2. A – 8.4966%
3. R – 7.5809%
4. I – 7.5448%
5. O – 7.1635%
6. T – 6.9509%
7. N – 6.6544%
8. S – 5.7351%
9. L – 5.4893%
10. C – 4.5388%

Haunted Places

Halloween is upon us, so it’s a perfect time to consider a few famous haunted places.

VilliscaIn Iowa, the Villisca ax murder house, is the best known. If you don’t know anything about this house, it looks like a normal old place on a residential street during the day. At night, however, when no lights or sounds can be seen or heard, you get a very different feeling. This is the “Murder House.” The walls still protect the identity of the murderer or murderers who bludgeoned to death the entire family of Josiah Moore and two overnight guests on June 10, 1912.

NebraskaCapitolIn Nebraska, the State Capitol building in Lincoln is said to be haunted by several ghosts as several tragic accidents have occurred there. Some have reported seeing a figure of a man falling. He is also heard screaming and crying. He is thought to have gotten sick and lost his balance while putting Christmas lights up. Other strange noises and mysterious voices have also been heard.

FortGarryHotelIn Manitoba, the Fort Garry Hotel, particularly Room 202, has long been considered haunted. The old luxury hotel has been named one of Canada’s “most haunted” destinations by FlightNetwork.com, a travel website.
A woman apparently committed suicide Room 202 many years ago after hearing of the death of her husband in a car accident. Overcome with grief, she hung herself in the closet. Staff have reported seeing blood dripping down the walls upon entering the room, and guests have witnessed the apparition of a woman in a cloak hovering at the foot of their bed. The woman also is said to haunt the hotel lounge, where staff and guests have seen her, often crying in the corner.

Just Some Good News

True Love
A 93-year-old Georgia man proves that true love never dies. Four years ago, Clarence Purvis lost his wife of 64 years, Carolyn. But his affection for her remains on display for everyone in town to see at a daily lunch date he never misses.
Purvis takes a picture of his late wife and sets it up at the table with him during meals at Smith’s Restaurant in Reidsville, where he often ate with Carolyn. “Ain’t nobody loved one another more than me and my wife loved one another,” Purvis told local news station WTOC. “I wanted what she wanted and she wanted what I wanted.”

Hiker Carries Rooster 42 Miles to Safety
Heather Bolint was not expecting to rescue a rooster while fulfilling her lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. The rooster, named Mason, also couldn’t have expected he’d find himself the absolute perfect rescuer. Mason was found about a half-mile north of the Mason Dixon line.
Bolint is an animal advocate. A few months ago, the 31-year-old left a job with The Humane League, working on farm animal protection measures, in order to hike the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia. Still devoted, Bolint has been using this hike as a fundraiser for the animals. She’d completed 1,124 miles of her hike altogether, and was in Pennsylvania, when this very “fancy rooster,” as Bolint describes him, appeared out of nowhere.
The rooster in question was hanging around on the trail, about 30 feet from a rural road, with no houses nearby. Bolint sat on a log, while eating some snacks and waiting to see if the rooster would depart on his own or if he’d be collected by another person. Finally, holding the rooster close to her body, she proceeded along the trail and over then next 24 hours carried the rooster for 42 miles to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. There Bolint’s boyfriend, who works for another farm animal advocacy group, met them there with his car. He suggested reaching out to a farm animal sanctuary called Poplar Spring, located on 400 acres in western Maryland. There Mason has settled in well.

Anonymous Man Honors Victims
An anonymous man is just one of the hundreds of regulars who visit Maple’s, a Maine coffee shop known for its handmade baked goods and a staff who knows many of its customers by name. On a recent Saturday morning, a samaritan quietly asked to foot the bill for 59 people buying breakfast after he ordered his — one for each of the lives lost in the Las Vegas mass shooting on Oct. 1.
“This is a long-time customer of mine, who I know very well. He’s just a person that does good things for other people,” said Robin Ray, the owner and head baker of Maple’s, “He’s not a wealthy person but just someone who feels led to help others.”

ICU Grandpa Subs for Parents
When Mary Beth Brulotte’s son, Logan, was born 3½ months early and weighed a mere 1 pound, 15 ounces, she knew he would have to spend time in the intensive care unit. What the 33-year-old from LaGrange, Georgia, didn’t fully realize was how guilty she would feel leaving him alone in the hospital.
“Every mom pictures their baby in their crib all alone crying,” Brulotte said, noting that the drive from her home to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is two hours, her husband works a night shift and she has an 8-year-old daughter to care for, too. Those feelings disappeared in late September when she stumbled on David Deutchman cradling her sleeping baby at the hospital.
“I was heading in and was filled with anxiety. It was just wiped away when I saw him there holding Logan fast asleep,” she said. “He introduced himself as the ‘ICU grandpa’ and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this can’t be real. This man is like an angel.’ He said he heard Logan crying and asked the nurse if he could hold him and sing him to sleep.”
Deutchman, 82, has been volunteering at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s ICUs for more than 12 years. On Tuesdays, he spends time with older children at the pediatric ICU, and on Thursdays he makes rounds at the neonatal ICU, where he holds babies whose parents can’t be with them that day.

Very Special Haircuts
Six-year-old Wyatt needed a haircut, but for children with autism, that can be harder than it looks. Fortunately, Franz Jakob and his vintage barber shop were there to help. Pictures of Jakob lying on the ground of his Canadian barbershop while cutting Wyatt’s hair have quickly spread, but the boy’s mother, Fauve Lafrenière, has been bringing him there since the store opened two years ago.
Now, Jakob often cuts hair for other children with autism. It may have something to do with his and the store’s old-school look. “My shop is completely vintage,” Jakob said of Authentischen Barbier, located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. “All the walls are jammed with photos and stuff from around here. I think that has a positive effect on the kids. Each time I’m doing it there are no tears, no screams. We enjoy it together. I think the atmosphere of the barbershop helps a lot. I really take my time doing it. I can take up to 90 minutes cutting hair for kids with special needs.”
There’s a certain order to things with Wyatt, according to Jakob. The young boy will wander around the store and occasionally lay down as Jakob follows, cutting his hair along the way.
Jakob, 45, has been cutting hair since he was 12. He used to charge $5 for a trim during lunch in high school; now he sees himself as a community leader. “I have a line each morning out my door,” said Jakob. “People drive three or four hours. I’m taking great pride in what I’m doing in my community.”

Robots Coming, Disruption Ahead

The march of the robots – Artificial Intelligence – into all aspects of society is under way. Robots are nondescript, intelligent machines programmed to mimic, and even surpass, the human capacity to recognize patterns and perform tasks. They do so by rapidly processing massive amounts of data as well as reading instant feedback from sensors, such as those that guide self-driving cars.

The WorldPost, a partnership of the Berggruen Institute and The Washington Post, has provided a look into the impact of AI, an impact already being felt in nearly every realm, from how we manufacture things and make a living, to the quality of our lives as we age. Advances in artificial intelligence are redefining warfare and reconfiguring the geopolitical balance.

The challenge is making smart policy choices that realize the promises of AI while containing the perils. Eliminating the drudgery of routine labor and enhancing energy efficiency in a warming climate are surely triumphs for humankind. The dissolution of privacy as individuals lose control over their personal information not so much.

The founding president of Google China, Kai-Fu Lee, dispels the idea that universal basic income, or UBI, is an optimal solution to the massive job displacement that the AI revolution is expected to unleash.

Kai-Fu heads the AI institute at the venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures. He says “Roughly half of all jobs will disappear in the next decade.” When robots and AI inevitably take over, he says, we cannot naively assume a government stipend alone “will be a catalyst for people to reinvent themselves professionally.” In order to truly turn this technological revolution into “a creative renaissance,” he writes from Beijing, we will instead need to capitalize on the human touch and focus on people-to-people interaction, because ultimately “only humans can create and come up with new innovations. AI…cannot think outside the box, and it can only optimize problems defined by humans.” Societies will have to bend to the new realities not only with a basic guarantee of subsistence, he says, but also with a new definition of the work ethic and a new valuation of social labor, such as elder care.

John Markoff  worries that there won’t be enough humans to handle elder care and sees the elderly as the next frontier for AI. “Globally, the number of people over 80 will double by the middle of the century – almost half a billion people will fall into the neediest care category – and that percentage will increase by sevenfold by the end of this century,” he writes. “The dependency ratio – that proportion of humans who require care compared to those who can give care – is also increasing inexorably.”

Japan is leading the way in robots for elder care, Markoff says. Other aging nations, including China – a byproduct of decades of a now-abandoned one-child policy – as well as Europe and the U.S., lag behind and will inevitably have to follow suit, he says. For now, he says, as roboticist Rodney Brooks has suggested, “self-driving cars will be the first elder-care robots,” enabling old people to maintain their mobility when acute awareness of their surroundings and reaction time diminishes. Sensors that can track when an elderly person needs medical assistance are not far behind, followed by what Markoff calls “machines of loving grace” that will offer companionship for the old and isolated.

As with all great transformations, there is a geopolitical dimension as well. Whoever dominates AI, especially its military and security applications, will put their stamp on the world order. America has long held the delusion that it has a permanent advantage in leading technological innovation. But Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, says he expects China will surpass Silicon Valley in artificial intelligence advances in about a year.

Edward Tse explains why. “While so much of the world today lacks clear direction,” Tse writes from Shanghai, “China has an edge in its ability to combine strong, top-down government directive with vibrant grass-roots-level innovation. Beyond this, China has an abundance of data to train AI-learning algorithms because of its huge population of Internet users – more than 700 million. China’s thriving mobile Internet ecosystem also provides a test bed for AI researchers to collect and analyze valuable demographics and transactional and behavioral big data and to conduct large-scale experiments at a much higher level than foreign counterparts.”

Beware to the winner. Big data analysis through the prowess of intelligent machines introduces a host of threats – not least of which is the unsettling reality that where there is connectivity, there is also surveillance. The more we know or learn though connected networks, the more that is known and learned about us. The communication technologies we use today are invasive by design, collecting our photos, comments and friends in giant searchable databases. In the West, private companies intrude on privacy to monetize personal data. In China, the security state is well on its way to becoming an all-seeing Big Brother.

Technological change would not gain momentum if it was not in some way responsive to the demands of society. In the end, who defines those needs and desires will determine whether fulfilling them is good or bad for society as a whole. For now, unless or until they acquire “general intelligence,” robots and AI remain bound to the humans who design them.

World’s 100 Most Valuable Brands

Apple, Honda, GE – these are just three of the brands familiar to consumers around the world. Brand names, though intangible assets, can be worth billions of dollars.

Generally, brand valuations are based on three factors: how well a brand is known, how well it is regarded and how much it contributes to the parent company’s financial success. Most of the brands on the list compled by 24/7 Wall St. exhibit strength across all of these categories.

The majority of the 100 brands are household names in Canada and the United States. Tens of millions of consumers in these nations either use or own products of all of the brands at the very top of the list. These brands also generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue for their parent companies each year.

Some companies are synonymous with their brands. McDonald’s, with a brand valuation of $41.5 billion is an example of this. The fast food company does not have any other major brands. Brands and companies are not interchangeable terms. Companies often own more than one brand on this list. For example, the Volkswagen Group flagship brand, Volkswagen, is worth $11.5 billion. Its Audi luxury brand is worth $12.0 billion. Its Porsche ultra-luxury brand is worth $10.1 billion. Coca-Cola, the fourth most valuable brand on the list at $69.7 billion is owned by The Coca-Cola Company, which also owns more than a dozen other brands, including Sprite and Fresca.

Here’s the list:

1. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Brand value: $184.2 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Apple Inc.
Parent company revenue: $215.6 billion
Industry: Technology

2. Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL)
Brand value: $141.7 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Alphabet Inc.
Parent company revenue: $90.3 billion
Industry: Technology

3. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Brand value: $80.0 billion
YoY change in value: 10%
Parent company: Microsoft Corporation
Parent company revenue: $85.3 billion
Industry: Technology

4. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO)
Brand value: $69.7 billion
YoY change in value: -5%
Parent company: The Coca-Cola Company
Parent company revenue: $41.9 billion
Industry: Beverages

5. Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)
Brand value: $64.8 billion
YoY change in value: 29%
Parent company: Amazon.com, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $136.0 billion
Industry: Retail

6. Samsung
Brand value: $56.2 billion
YoY change in value: 9%
Parent company: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Parent company revenue: $176.2 billion
Industry: Technology

7. Toyota (NYSE: TM)
Brand value: $50.3 billion
YoY change in value: -6%
Parent company: Toyota Motor Corporation
Parent company revenue: $244.5 billion
Industry: Automotive

8. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)
Brand value: $48.2 billion
YoY change in value: 48%
Parent company: Facebook, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $27.6 billion
Industry: Technology

9. Mercedes-Benz
Brand value: $47.8 billion
YoY change in value: 10%
Parent company: Daimler
Parent company revenue: $180.1 billion
Industry: Automotive

10. IBM (NYSE: IBM)
Brand value: $46.8 billion
YoY change in value: -11%
Parent company: International Business Machines Corporation
Parent company revenue: $79.9 billion
Industry: Business Services

11. GE (NYSE: GE)
Brand value: $44.2 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: General Electric Company
Parent company revenue: $123.7 billion
Industry: Diversified

12. McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD)
Brand value: $41.5 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: McDonald’s Corporation
Parent company revenue: $24.6 billion
Industry: Restaurants

13. BMW
Brand value: $41.5 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: BMW Group
Parent company revenue: $110.6 billion
Industry: Automotive

14. Disney (NYSE: DIS)
Brand value: $40.8 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: The Walt Disney Company
Parent company revenue: $55.6 billion
Industry: Media

15. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC)
Brand value: $39.5 billion
YoY change in value: 7%
Parent company: Intel Corporation
Parent company revenue: $59.4 billion
Industry: Technology

16. Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO)
Brand value: $31.9 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Cisco Systems, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $49.2 billion
Industry: Technology

17. Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)
Brand value: $27.5 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Oracle Corporation
Parent company revenue: $37.7 billion
Industry: Technology

18. Nike (NYSE: NKE)
Brand value: $27.0 billion
YoY change in value: 8%
Parent company: Nike, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $34.4 billion
Industry: Sporting Goods

19. Louis Vuitton
Brand value: $22.9 billion
YoY change in value: -4%
Parent company: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.E.
Parent company revenue: $44.2 billion
Industry: Luxury

20. Honda (NYSE: HMC)
Brand value: $22.7 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Honda Motor Company, Ltd.
Parent company revenue: $124.3 billion
Industry: Automotive

21. SAP (NYSE: SAP)
Brand value: $22.6 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: SAP SE
Parent company revenue: $25.9 billion
Industry: Technology

22. Pepsi (NYSE: PEP)
Brand value: $20.5 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Pepsico, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $62.8 billion
Industry: Beverages

23. H&M
Brand value: $20.5 billion
YoY change in value: -10%
Parent company: H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB
Parent company revenue: $23.6 billion
Industry: Apparel

24. Zara
Brand value: $18.6 billion
YoY change in value: 11%
Parent company: Inditex
Parent company revenue: $27.4 billion
Industry: Apparel

25. IKEA
Brand value: $18.5 billion
YoY change in value: 4%
Parent company: IKEA Group
Parent company revenue: $41.2 billion
Industry: Retail

26. Gillette (NYSE: PG)
Brand value: $18.2 billion
YoY change in value: -9%
Parent company: The Procter & Gamble Company
Parent company revenue: $65.1 billion
Industry: FMCG

27. American Express (NYSE: AXP)
Brand value: $17.8 billion
YoY change in value: -3%
Parent company: American Express Company
Parent company revenue: $33.8 billion
Industry: Financial Services

28. Pampers (NYSE: PG)
Brand value: $16.4 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: The Procter & Gamble Company
Parent company revenue: $65.1 billion
Industry: FMCG

29. UPS (NYSE: UPS)
Brand value: $16.4 billion
YoY change in value: 7%
Parent company: United Parcel Service, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $60.9 billion
Industry: Logistics

30. J.P. Morgan (NYSE: JPM)
Brand value: $15.7 billion
YoY change in value: 11%
Parent company: J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Parent company revenue: $95.7 billion
Industry: Financial Services

31. Budweiser (NYSE: BUD)
Brand value: $15.4 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A.
Parent company revenue: $45.5 billion
Industry: Alcohol

32. Hermès
Brand value: $14.2 billion
YoY change in value: 11%
Parent company: Hermès International S.A.
Parent company revenue: $6.1 billion
Industry: Luxury

33. Ford (NYSE: F)
Brand value: $13.6 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: Ford Motor Company
Parent company revenue: $151.8 billion
Industry: Automotive

34. eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY)
Brand value: $13.2 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: eBay Inc.
Parent company revenue: $9.0 billion
Industry: Retail

35. Hyundai
Brand value: $13.2 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: Hyundai Motor Company
Parent company revenue: $81.9 billion
Industry: Automotive

36. NESCAFÉ
Brand value: $12.7 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Nestlé
Parent company revenue: $91.9 billion
Industry: Beverages

37. Accenture (NYSE: ACN)
Brand value: $12.5 billion
YoY change in value: 4%
Parent company: Accenture Plc
Parent company revenue: $32.9 billion
Industry: Business Services

38. Audi
Brand value: $12.0 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Parent company revenue: $255.2 billion
Industry: Automotive

39. Nissan
Brand value: $11.5 billion
YoY change in value: 4%
Parent company: Nissan Motor Co., LTD.
Parent company revenue: $103.9 billion
Industry: Automotive

40. Volkswagen
Brand value: $11.5 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Parent company revenue: $255.2 billion
Industry: Automotive

41. Philips (NYSE: PHG)
Brand value: $11.5 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Parent company revenue: $28.8 billion
Industry: Electronics

42. AXA
Brand value: $11.1 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: AXA
Parent company revenue: $177.7 billion
Industry: Financial Services

43. Kellogg’s (NYSE: K)
Brand value: $11.0 billion
YoY change in value: -6%
Parent company: Kellogg Company
Parent company revenue: $13.0 billion
Industry: FMCG

44. Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS)
Brand value: $10.9 billion
YoY change in value: 16%
Parent company: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $30.6 billion
Industry: Financial Services

45. L’Oréal
Brand value: $10.7 billion
YoY change in value: -2%
Parent company: L’Oréal
Parent company revenue: $29.2 billion
Industry: FMCG

46. Citi (NYSE: C)
Brand value: $10.6 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Citigroup Inc.
Parent company revenue: $62.6 billion
Industry: Financial Services

47. HSBC (NYSE: HSBC)
Brand value: $10.5 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: HSBC Holdings plc
Parent company revenue: $44.6 billion
Industry: Financial Services

48. Porsche
Brand value: $10.1 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Parent company revenue: $255.2 billion
Industry: Automotive

49. Allianz
Brand value: $10.1 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Allianz SE
Parent company revenue: $143.8 billion
Industry: Financial Services

50. Siemens
Brand value: $10.0 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Siemens AG
Parent company revenue: $93.6 billion
Industry: Diversified

51. Gucci
Brand value: $10.0 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Kering Group
Parent company revenue: $14.6 billion
Industry: Luxury

52. Canon (NYSE: CAJ)
Brand value: $9.8 billion
YoY change in value: -12%
Parent company: Canon Inc.
Parent company revenue: $30.2 billion
Industry: Electronics

53. HP (NYSE: HPE)
Brand value: $9.5 billion
YoY change in value: -8%
Parent company: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
Parent company revenue: $50.1 billion
Industry: Technology

54. Danone
Brand value: $9.3 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Danone
Parent company revenue: $25.8 billion
Industry: FMCG

55. Adidas
Brand value: $9.2 billion
YoY change in value: 17%
Parent company: Adidas AG
Parent company revenue: $22.7 billion
Industry: Sporting Goods

56. Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE)
Brand value: $9.1 billion
YoY change in value: 19%
Parent company: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Parent company revenue: $5.9 billion
Industry: Technology

57. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE)
Brand value: $9.0 billion
YoY change in value: -19%
Parent company: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
Parent company revenue: $50.1 billion
Industry: Technology

58. 3M (NYSE: MMM)
Brand value: $8.9 billion
YoY change in value: 9%
Parent company: 3M Company
Parent company revenue: $30.1 billion
Industry: Diversified

59. Nestlé
Brand value: $8.7 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Nestlé
Parent company revenue: $92.0 billion
Industry: FMCG

60. Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX)
Brand value: $8.7 billion
YoY change in value: 16%
Parent company: Starbucks Corporation
Parent company revenue: $21.3 billion
Industry: Restaurants

61. Sony (NYSE: SNE)
Brand value: $8.5 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: Sony Corporation
Parent company revenue: $57.1 billion
Industry: Electronics

62. Colgate (NYSE: CL)
Brand value: $8.3 billion
YoY change in value: -1%
Parent company: Colgate-Palmolive Company
Parent company revenue: $15.2 billion
Industry: FMCG

63. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS)
Brand value: $8.2 billion
YoY change in value: 14%
Parent company: Morgan Stanley
Parent company revenue: $34.6 billion
Industry: Financial Services

64. Visa (NYSE: V)
Brand value: $7.8 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Visa Inc.
Parent company revenue: $15.1 billion
Industry: Financial Services

65. Cartier
Brand value: $7.5 billion
YoY change in value: -2%
Parent company: Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A.
Parent company revenue: $12.5 billion
Industry: Luxury

66. Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI)
Brand value: $7.1 billion
YoY change in value: 4%
Parent company: Thomson Reuters Corp
Parent company revenue: $11.2 billion
Industry: Media

67. LEGO
Brand value: $7.0 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: The Lego Group
Parent company revenue: $6.0 billion
Industry: FMCG

68. Santander
Brand value: $6.7 billion
YoY change in value: 8%
Parent company: Santander Bank
Parent company revenue: $51.6 billion
Industry: Financial Services

69. Kia
Brand value: $6.7 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Hyundai Motor Company
Parent company revenue: $81.9 billion
Industry: Automotive

70. Huawei
Brand value: $6.7 billion
YoY change in value: 14%
Parent company: Huawei Culture Co., Ltd.
Parent company revenue: $78.5 billion
Industry: Technology

71. Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Brand value: $6.4 billion
YoY change in value: 11%
Parent company: Mastercard Incorporated
Parent company revenue: $10.8 billion
Industry: Financial Services

72. FedEx (NYSE: FDX)
Brand value: $6.3 billion
YoY change in value: 12%
Parent company: FedEx Corporation
Parent company revenue: $60.3 billion
Industry: Logistics

73. Land Rover (NYSE: TTM)
Brand value: $6.1 billion
YoY change in value: 7%
Parent company: Tata Motors Ltd.
Parent company revenue: $32.2 billion
Industry: Automotive

74. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)
Brand value: $6.0 billion
YoY change in value: 4%
Parent company: Johnson & Johnson
Parent company revenue: $71.9 billion
Industry: FMCG

75. Panasonic
Brand value: $6.0 billion
YoY change in value: -6%
Parent company: Panasonic Corporation
Parent company revenue: $65.1 billion
Industry: Electronics

76. DHL
Brand value: $5.7 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Deutsche Post DHL Group
Parent company revenue: $67.4 billion
Industry: Logistics

77. Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG)
Brand value: $5.7 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $6.0 billion
Industry: Automotive

78. Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX)
Brand value: $5.6 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Netflix, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $8.8 billion
Industry: Media

79. Discovery (NASDAQ: DISCB)
Brand value: $5.4 billion
YoY change in value: -9%
Parent company: Discovery Communications, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $6.5 billion
Industry: Media

80. PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL)
Brand value: $5.4 billion
YoY change in value: 12%
Parent company: PayPal Holdings, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $10.8 billion
Industry: Financial Services

81. Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF)
Brand value: $5.4 billion
YoY change in value: -6%
Parent company: Tiffany & Co.
Parent company revenue: $4.0 billion
Industry: Luxury

82. Jack Daniel’s (NYSE: BF-B)
Brand value: $5.3 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: Brown-Forman Corporation
Parent company revenue: $3.9 billion
Industry: Alcohol

83. KFC (NYSE: YUM)
Brand value: $5.3 billion
YoY change in value: -7%
Parent company: Yum! Brands, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $6.4 billion
Industry: Restaurants

84. Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM)
Brand value: $5.2 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Salesforce.com Inc
Parent company revenue: $8.4 billion
Industry: Technology

85. Heineken
Brand value: $5.2 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Heineken International
Parent company revenue: $24.5 billion
Industry: Alcohol

86. Burberry
Brand value: $5.1 billion
YoY change in value: -4%
Parent company: Burberry Group Plc
Parent company revenue: $3.7 billion
Industry: Luxury

87. MINI
Brand value: $5.1 billion
YoY change in value: 3%
Parent company: BMW Group
Parent company revenue: $110.6 billion
Industry: Automotive

88. Ferrari (NYSE: RACE)
Brand value: $4.9 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Ferrari N.V.
Parent company revenue: $3.7 billion
Industry: Automotive

89. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT)
Brand value: $4.9 billion
YoY change in value: -10%
Parent company: Caterpillar, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $38.5 billion
Industry: Diversified

90. Sprite (NYSE: KO)
Brand value: $4.8 billion
YoY change in value: -6%
Parent company: The Coca-Cola Company
Parent company revenue: $41.9 billion
Industry: Beverages

91. Shell (NYSE: RDS-B)
Brand value: $4.8 billion
YoY change in value: 5%
Parent company: Royal Dutch Shell Plc
Parent company revenue: $233.6 billion
Industry: Energy

92. John Deere (NYSE: DE)
Brand value: $4.8 billion
YoY change in value: -1%
Parent company: Deere & Company
Parent company revenue: $26.6 billion
Industry: Diversified

93. Corona (NYSE: BUD)
Brand value: $4.8 billion
YoY change in value: 6%
Parent company: Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A.
Parent company revenue: $45.5 billion
Industry: Alcohol

94. Prada
Brand value: $4.7 billion
YoY change in value: -14%
Parent company: Prada Holding B.V.
Parent company revenue: $3.7 billion
Industry: Luxury

95. Dior
Brand value: $4.6 billion
YoY change in value: -7%
Parent company: Christian Dior S.E.
Parent company revenue: $44.6 billion
Industry: Luxury

96. Johnnie Walker (NYSE: DEO)
Brand value: $4.4 billion
YoY change in value: 2%
Parent company: Diageo Plc
Parent company revenue: $16.0 billion
Industry: Alcohol

97. Smirnoff (NYSE: DEO)
Brand value: $4.3 billion
YoY change in value: 1%
Parent company: Diageo Plc
Parent company revenue: $16.0 billion
Industry: Alcohol

98. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA)
Brand value: $4.0 billion
YoY change in value: 0%
Parent company: Tesla, Inc.
Parent company revenue: $7.0 billion
Industry: Automotive

99. Moët & Chandon
Brand value: $4.0 billion
YoY change in value: -3%
Parent company: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.E.
Parent company revenue: $44.2 billion
Industry: Alcohol

100. Lenovo
Brand value: $4.0 billion
YoY change in value: -1%
Parent company: Legend Holdings
Parent company revenue: $43.0 billion
Industry: Technology

Death Trap Faces Casual-Dining Industry

Brands across the sit-down, casual-dining industry are trying to claw their way out of a death trap. Their mistake – failing to attract millennials, the generation born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.

Chains like Ruby Tuesday, Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and Chili’s are trying to claw their way out of the casual-dining death trap. All are facing sales slumps and dozens of restaurant closures.

Ruby Tuesday has announced that it will be bought by private-equity firm NRD Capital after four straight years of declining sales.

Fast-casual chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack are on the rise. People are gravitating towards independent restaurants. And, there are simply too many restaurants open in the U.S., with some worrying that the nation is “over-retailed” and “over-restauranted.” Yet casual dining’s biggest failure has been its inability to win over younger millennial customers.

“In terms of casual dining, a lot of it kind of comes down to the brands that are just kind of dated,” Wedbush analyst Colin Radke told Business Insider earlier this year. “Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants,” Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith wrote in a letter to shareholders earlier in May.

Smith is stepping down as CEO at the end of the year, after a months-long battle with activist investors over the chain’s declining sales and business strategy.

Applebee’s has announced plans to close between 105 and 135 locations this year. John Cywinski, Applebee’s brand president, said in a call with investors that the closures follow the chain’s failed attempts to win over millennials.

“In my perspective, this pursuit led to decisions that created confusion among core guests, as Applebee’s intentionally drifted from what I’ll call its ‘Middle America’ roots and its abundant value position,” Cywinski said. “While we certainly hope to extend our reach, we can’t alienate Boomers or Gen-Xers in the process.”

Much of the casual-dining industry is in crisis mode, pulling out all the stops to win over millennials, budget shoppers or some combination of the two. TGI Fridays is testing booze delivery. Chili’s cut 40% of its menu items and Applebee’s is going all-out on a $1 margarita promotion.

Winning over millennials isn’t optional – it’s a life-or-death proposition for casual-dining chains.

Age Has Its Privileges and Discounts

Age has its privileges and a goodly variety of discounts. Starting at age 50, the minimum age for AARP membership, seniors may cash in on numerous deals just for being born on or before the date required for the bargain. Simply flash an ID to collect on most discounts. Some discounts apply only to AARP members and some are offered only by select chain franchisees.

AMC – Senior tickets for moviegoers 60 and up cost less than regular admission at AMC movie theaters.

AMTRAK – Hop aboard. Amtrak tickets go for 15 percent less off the lowest fare to travelers who are at least 62 years old.

ANCESTRY WORLD EXPLORER – AARP members eager to dig deep into their roots get a 30 percent price cut on an annual subscription (regularly $299) to Ancestry World Explorer.

BEST WESTERN – Room rates drop at least 10 percent at Best Western for AARP members and guests 55 and up when reserving online or with a company representative.

BONEFISH GRILL – Fans of fresh fish and wood-grilled meats who also belong to AARP get to enjoy their meal, minus alcoholic beverages, at a 15 percent savings at Bonefish Grill.

BUDGET – AARP members can rent a truck from Budget on Sunday through Thursday and save 20 percent, or opt for Friday or Saturday and save 10 percent.

CARRABBA’S – At Carrabba’s Italian Grill, AARP members can save 10% off their entire dining bill everyday (excluding alcohol, applicable taxes, and gratuity).

CHOICE HOTELS – Choice Hotels, which includes Quality Inn, Sleep Inn and Comfort Inn, shaves room fees up to 10 percent for AARP members or travelers age 60 and older. Advance reservations required.

CONSUMER CELLULAR – Consumer Cellular’s deal for AARP members includes rates as low as $10 a month with a 5 percent monthly discount and a 30 percent reduction on accessories.

DENNY’S – Denny’s offers a special menu with lower prices for guests 55 and older.

DRESSBARN – Dressbarn’s senior discount of 10 percent goes to shoppers age 62 and up for in-store purchases on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, depending on the store.

DUNKIN’ DONUTS – AARP members score at Dunkin’ Donuts when purchasing a large or extra-large beverage. The winnings: a free donut.

GOODWILL – Wednesdays are Senior Day at Goodwill, when customers age 55 and up enjoy 20 percent savings.

GRAND CANYON RAILWAY AND HOTEL – AARP members enjoy a 15 percent discount on travel and lodging at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, including the RV park and a two-night “Canyon Explorer” package.

HILTON – Hilton Worldwide offers up to 10 percent off stays at Hilton Hotels Resorts, DoubleTree, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Waldorf Astoria, Embassy Suites, Conrad Hotels Resorts, and other properties owned by the hospitality chain.

HYATT – Hyatt offers senior guests with advance reservations a discount worth up to 50 percent at the brand’s hotels in the Lower 48 and Canada.

IHOP – No need for a coupon at IHOP. A special menu of pancakes, eggs, and French toast is already discounted for senior diners, starting at age 55.

KOHL’S – Starting at age 55, Kohl’s shoppers can show an ID to claim a 15 percent discount on Wednesdays at this department store chain.

LA QUINTA INNS AND SUITES – La Quinta Inns Suites offers AARP members up to 10 percent off room rates, as well as discounts for guests 65 and older.

LENSCRAFTERS – LensCrafters marks down a lenses and frame combo, including prescription sunglasses, by 30 percent for AARP members. Order a pair of Transitions lenses with a frame and save 40 percent.

MARRIOTT – Guests at Marriott hotels save at least 15 percent on room rates worldwide once they’ve reached the age of 62.

MCCORMICK AND SCHMICK’S – Seafood restaurant McCormick Schmick’s gives AARP members 10 percent off food, non-alcoholic beverages, and retail merchandise for up to five guests.

MICHAELS – Hobbyists age 55 and older qualify for a 10 percent price reduction every day at Michaels, the arts and crafts retailer.

MOTEL 6 – Motel 6 gives AARP members a 10 percent price cut in addition to free Wi-Fi and a late checkout at 2 p.m.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE – At Outback Steakhouse, seniors with an AARP membership get a 15 percent discount off the tab for lunch or dinner, minus alcoholic beverages, as long as the order isn’t placed online. Some locations may not participate.

PEARLE VISION – Present an AARP membership card at Pearle Vision and pay 30 percent less for a complete pair of glasses (lenses and frames) and up to 20 percent on contact lenses.

RAMADA – Ramada hotel customers age 60 and older are entitled to 10 percent off the best available rate at participating locations.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES – Travelers age 65 and older are eligible for fare savings and fully refundable tickets on Southwest Airlines.

STARWOOD HOTELS AND RESORTS – The Starwood family of hotels and resorts, including Sheraton and Westin, grant AARP members reductions of 5 to 15 percent off the best available rate.

SUPER 8 – Participating Super 8 hotels discount rooms by 10 percent off the best available rate for guests 60 and older.

UNITED AIRLINES – United Airlines offers reduced fares to select destinations for passengers 65 and older. Ask for details when booking a flight or select the “seniors” category when booking on the company site.

VERIZON WIRELESS – The Nationwide 65 Plus program at Verizon Wireless entitles existing customers 65 and older to 200 minutes for $29.99 a month.

Outdated, Outmoded, Irrelevant

Advancements in technology come in leaps and bounds, so it doesn’t take long for new gadgets to become obsolete shortly after they reach their target market. Some modern technologies, such as mobile phones and computers, offer the ability to do many of the same things that older gadgets were capable of, but in smaller and more portable forms.

Take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane for a look at some of the biggest, best and most memorable gadgets that have been outdated, outmoded or just forced into irrelevance by better, modern technologies.

While you might remember many of these, there are plenty of the younger generation that don’t.

Fax Machines – The humble fax machine was essentially a modern version of the telegram. For many years, it allowed people and businesses to transmit scanned documents from one phone number to another. The recipient would have the joy of a printed copy of the document bursting forth from their machine. This was all done by a transmission of audio frequency tones that were deciphered at the other end. Like many of the technologies on our list, fax machines have largely been rendered obsolete by the invention of email, the internet and advancements in computing technologies.

Floppy Disks – Floppy disks were a type of data storage medium that originally appeared in the 1970s. The first was the 8-inch floppy disc, capable of storing just 80 kilobytes of data. As the floppy disks got smaller, their storage capacity grew and by the mid-1980s the 3.5-inch floppy disk was able to store a respectable 1.44 MB. Unfortunately, floppy disks were vulnerable to magnets and heat and were easily corrupted.
By the 1990s software size meant many disks were required for most applications so CD-ROMs began to take over. The floppy disk now only lives on as a save icon in many software applications.

Cassette Tapes – Audio brothers to VHS and Betamax cassette tapes, the cassette tape used the same magnetic tape technology to deliver affordable audio to the masses. They were introduced in 1968. They were used as either blank tapes that could be recorded onto (via dictaphone or boombox for example) or as pre-recorded cassettes of music albums. Cassettes could also be used to store other data and were therefore used as a storage medium for early home computers. While cassette tapes gained popularity in the 80s, by the 90s they were outsold by compact discs which soon became the standard format. It wasn’t until 2001 that cassette tapes began to die, at least in pre-recorded formats. Blank tapes were still being sold right up until 2012.

Video Home System (VHS) – In the late 80s, VHS cassette tapes became the popular standard for home video. Whether used for recording family videos or rented for the local video store to watch the latest blockbuster, these small reels of magnetic tape wrapped in plastic housing brought joy across the lands. Unless of course, someone forgot to rewind the tape you rented or a sibling recorded over your copy of Terminator 2. The rise of DVD saw to the slow but steady demise of VHS and, by 2008, DVD replaced VHS as the favored video technology both for recording and film distribution.

Betamax – Betamax was the earliest version of consumer-level video cassette tape format, originally released in 1975. Developed by Sony, Betamax was the standard for magnetic videotape until it became obsolete as the VHS format appeared and dominated in the 1980s.Surprisingly, Betamax recorders continued production until 2002 and the cassettes themselves were still available right up until 2016.

Phonebooks – The simple phonebook is not really a technology, but it is certainly something made obsolete by technological advancements. These chunky paper directories included residential and business listings for all the phone numbers you could possibly need. Now rendered obsolete by the internet, these phonebooks are certainly a relic of a bygone era. Yet we still occasionally see them land in our mailbox or at our front door.

Nintendo N64 – There were many consoles both before and after the Nintendo N64, but it certainly was a great gaming machine and the last of the stubborn cartridge-based consoles to be released by Nintendo. Launching in 1996, the N64 came to market competing with the likes of the original Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn. Strong competition aside, Nintendo still managed to sell 32.93 million N64 consoles worldwide. The N64 is remembered fondly by many, especially for its big gaming titles that included Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – Nearly a decade after the Atari 2600 made its way into people’s homes, Nintendo released the first of its successful gaming consoles to the world market. Backed by a number of gaming titles that included names that would become part of gaming history, the NES quickly became the best-selling games console of its time. With the likes of Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros and more being first released on this system, the NES shot Nintendo to the forefront of the gaming industry and turned them into a household name. Production ended in 1995, but Nintendo filled the world with nostalgic joy in 2016 when it announced the release of the NES Classic Mini, the tiny reimagined version of the console with 30 games pre-installed and the ability to work on modern HD TVs.

Overhead Projectors – A classroom classic, the overhead projector was a simple yet wonderful system for projecting images, text and drawings onto an appropriate screen. Transparent sheets of acetate were used in place of paper to enable presenters to transpose their presentation onto the screen in front of the class. Although still in use in some classrooms, these projectors have likely been rendered obsolete by modern projection technology and computers.

Portable DVD Players – With the rise of DVD and the ever falling cost of the technology behind it, as the well as the shrinking sizes of processors and advancements in screen technology, it was no surprise that portable DVD players made their way to market. However, the size of the discs and the quality of battery life meant that DVD players failed to gain widespread popularity and initially their cost was prohibitive. Now, with easy access to streaming video via mobile phones and tablets, the need for portable DVD players is almost entirely negated.

LaserDisc – LaserDisc was one of those niche formats of technology that was mainly popular among videophiles and film enthusiasts. Although it was the first format of optical video storage, available from 1978, LaserDisc failed to gain mainstream popularity due to the expense of the players. LaserDisc offered higher-quality video than VHS and Betamax and the technology behind it was the foundation for compact disc, DVD and Blu-ray in later years. Despite never going mainstream, it wasn’t until 2001 that the last video titles were released in this format and a total of 16.8 million LaserDisc players were sold worldwide.

Typewriters – The humble typewriter, the dumb precursor to the modern computer, was in its day a marvel of technology. A step up from paper and pen, the typewriter opened up a world of possibilities for those looking to craft novels, document history or scribe propaganda. The foundations for the typewriter were laid down as far back as 1575, but it’s rarely used in a modern world of computers, laptops and tablets.

Slide Projectors – A form of projector appeared in the 1950s and became a popular form of home entertainment. These projectors were used to put on slide shows of individual frames of images, one frame at a time. Generally, they were used to show snaps of family holidays or special occasions. Slide projectors were rendered irrelevant when video projectors became more affordable and accessible.

MiniDisc Players – Perhaps one of the least popular formats of optical based digital storage was the MiniDisc. With a high storage capacity of as much as 1GB, these discs could hold up to 45 hours of audio in a compact format. The MiniDisc appeared at a time when CDs were still dominating and struggled to gain popularity in the marketplace. MiniDisc sales began to dwindle when MP3 players started to gain popularity and were finally killed off as a format in 2011 when Sony (the main manufacturer) ceased production.

Vinyl Records – Vinyl records are one of the oldest and most long-lasting formats for storing audio recordings. Available in varying formats since the late 1800s, the vinyl record is still in production today and is another format that’s sworn to be the best by audiophiles and sound enthusiasts alike. The format has even had a sales resurgence of late. Vinyl reaches our list, not because it’s obsolete, but because it refuses to die.

Walkman, Discman and MP3 Players – Several formats of portable music player spawned over time to accommodate the preferred musical medium, these included portable cassette players (most notably Sony’s “Walkman”), portable CD players (the also popular Sony’s “Discman”), Minidisc players and MP3 players. Each of these formats of portable music player eventually fell into obsolescence as other more technologically advanced players appeared.

Analog and Dial-up Modems – In the days before modern broadband and 4G networks, at the initial birth of the internet, we connected to the World Wide Web via analog and dial-up modems. These marvels of technology required an open phone line and a lot of patience to get working. If anyone called while you were connected to the ‘net then you’d immediately lose connection. Browsing the web was slow and painful, but it was a thing of beauty and showed promise for the future that we now live in.

Atari 2600 – One of the ancestors of the modern games console, the Atari 2600 was originally released in 1977 and was a cartridge-based home video game system loved and nostalgically remembered by many. Atari is also well-known for the creation of games such as Pong, Missile Command and Asteroids, true classics that were playable on the console. Although the Atari 2600 was not the first cartridge-based games console (it was the second – the first being the Magnavox Odyssey) it is perhaps the most well-known and most memorable thanks to the games line-up and history behind it. And the fake teak panelling on the front, of course. This early technology quickly became obsolete as game console technology progressed swiftly forward.

Cathode Ray Tube Televisions – The scientific technology behind cathode ray tube televisions dates back to 1869, but it wasn’t until the mid-1920s that the technology was first put into an actual television set. These chunky televisions became the mainstay of TVs for decades until technology advances and the release of LCD and plasma flat screen televisions pushed CRT sets, also known as VDTs – Video Display Terminals, into obsolescence around 2007.

Daisy Wheel and Dot-Matrix Printers – Before the times of laserjet and inkjet printers, we had a number of different black and white printers that were essentially a short step up from typewriters. These printers were slow and cumbersome, but they did the job, even if they did make a lot of noise in the process.

Digital Audi Tapes (DAT) – The digital audio tape was the brainchild of Sony and offered a digital recording capability but with a similar design style to the compact cassette tape in a smaller format. DAT was capable of recording at a higher quality than CD and also boasted the ability to number tracks and skip right to them much like a CD. However, due to the cost of this format it never really caught on at consumer level but was used in various professional markets and as a computer data storage medium. With lacklustre sales of around 660,000 sales since 1987, Sony announced it would stop production of DAT machines in 2005. The format was essentially superseded by hard disk drives and memory cards but is still in use in some areas.

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) – DVD was the evolution of the digital video format developed by tech giants Panasonic, Philips, Sony and Toshiba. With a high storage capacity, it became a medium for computer files, software and high-quality video. DVD had many benefits over that of previous magnetic storage formats, including larger storage space, but also durability that meant that in theory, the discs could have a lifespan of up to 100 years. With faster internet speeds, video streaming technology and other superior formats such as Blu-ray – even 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray – on the market, DVD is likely nearing the end of its lifespan. Meanwhile, other formats of DVD such as the 1080p-capable, Blu-ray rival HD-DVD never really even took off in the first place, much like the fabled LaserDisc.

Game Boy and Game Gear – In 1989, Nintendo released another gaming console that would help it dominate the gaming market. The Game Boy was a classic handheld gaming system, with a monochrome green and black screen and a simple design. Big gaming titles like Tetris helped the Game Boy to sell over a million units in the first year alone. A short while later, Sega released the Game Gear, its color competitor to the Game Boy. Backed by a strong catalog of games from the Sega Master System, the Game Gear should, in theory, have dominated the market, but struggled to compete with the Game Boy, mainly thanks to poor battery life. Both have long since become obsolete with the invention of newer devices, but Nintendo still leads the market with its various DS systems.

Smartphones Changed the World

Advancements in technology come in leaps and bounds, so it didn’t take long for smartphones to render a wide variety of everyday things obsolete. Smartphones offer the ability to do many of the same things that older gadgets were capable of, but in smaller and more portable forms.

Take a stroll down memory lane for a look at some of the things rendered obsolete by the rise of the smartphone.

Not-So-Smart Phones – In a world of smartphones, these old fashioned mobile phones basically did nothing but call, send text messages and perhaps, if you were lucky, allow you to play a cheeky game of Snake. They are now thoroughly antiquated and more or less obsolete. The precursor to the modern mobile phone, they were extremely useful in their time and happily ran for days without needing a charge.

Film Cameras – The traditional film camera has basically long since been pushed from the mass market by the modern age of the digital camera. No longer do we need to rely on reels of film or trips to the local shop to get them processed. Digital cameras, SD cards, smartphones and modern computing systems mean we can snap away happily and see the results of our photos instantly with far less hassle and expense. Pro photographers and retro snappers still use film cameras for certain artistic purposes. But few others do.

Pagers and Beepers – Pagers were originally designed and built in the 1950’s but they didn’t really take hold in terms of popularity until the 1980’s. These one-way communication devices were often used by emergency services, doctors and safety personnel who needed to be reachable at all times, even when away from a landline telephone. The rise of smartphones in the early 2000s saw the decline in the use of pagers and beepers but due to the durability, resilience and better coverage they continued to see use for several more years and, as an example, Canada was still paying as much as $18.5 million for its pager service in 2013.

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) – The forefather of the modern mobile phone, the personal digital assistant offered limited access to a lot of modern capabilities we’ve come to expect, including internet access, word processing, touchscreen functionality and more. They quickly became obsolete when smartphones started to gain favor, but before that time they were a firm favorite with businessmen across the world.

Polaroid Instant Cameras – Polaroid cameras originally came to market in the mid-1960s and at the time presented a marvel of technology that allowed people to see the photos they were taking seconds after they were snapped without having to wait for someone else to develop them. For years, Polaroid instant cameras were a wonderfully expensive marvel of photographic convenience.In recent years, the rise of the digital camera and smartphone photography has meant that Polaroid’s technology essentially became an unnecessary nicety and declining sales forced the company to file for bankruptcy twice. You can still find Polaroid cameras and films on sale, but it’s niche at best.

Public Telephone Booths – The iconic phone booth is essentially a monument to telephone history and now just a tourist attraction or somewhere to shelter from the cold. The public phone booth has been rendered obsolete by the rise of the mobile phone. There’s rarely any need for a coin-operated telephone when you have a phone in your pocket.

Rotary Telephones and Wired Landlines – The wired telephone is another piece of technology that nears obsolescence after being replaced by a computer that we carry around in our pocket. The wired telephone dates back as far as 1844 and it has seen many iterations over the years. One variation was the rotary dial telephone which featured a dial arranged in a circular layout so the user had to turn the dial for each digit off the phone number they were trying to call. Except perhaps as a novelty, rotary phones are long since a thing of the past. Wired landlines are following close behind as modern smartphones have become ubiquitous.

Portable Dictation Devices – Dictation devices, often referred to as “Dictaphones” after the company name that became synonymous with them, came in various formats and used several different data mediums that included both cassette tapes, mini and micro-cassettes. These gadgets were mostly used to record interviews, conversations and lectures for later note taking or write ups. Each became obsolete as time passed by and the storage medium fell out of popularity. Digital dictation devices still exist, but even they are verging on extinction as most mobile phones are capable of offering the same functionality without the need for another standalone device.

GPS Navigation Systems – Many car manufacturers still choose to install them in new vehicles, but as a standalone unit, GPS navigation technology is nearing the end of its lifespan. Current smartphones are more than capable of getting the modern human from point A to point B with the use of navigation apps like Google, Bing and Apple Maps. Once again, advancements in mobile technology have forced other older technology into obsolescence.

Calculators – Although no doubt still used in some schools and offices, the humble calculator is a simple technology that’s surely reaching the end of its lifespan. With calculator apps available on smartphones and tablets, as well as easily accessible calculators on computers and laptops, there’s barely any need left for these independent devices.

Unmarried Folks Are Changing Everything

It wasn’t long ago that being single after a certain age was considered a recipe for lifelong misery. Up until 1970, the average woman married before she was legally old enough to have a drink at her wedding, and the average man married at 23. A woman still single at the ripe old age of 26 was what the Japanese call Christmas Cake – past her pull date and destined to spoil. A man not married by the end of his 20s was considered irresponsible, if not “deviant.”

As late as 1976, 93% of women aged 25 to 29, and 90% of men that age, had already married. By 2014, that was true of only 46% of women and 32% of men in that age group.

The rising age of marriage since the 1980s has worried many. In 1986, Newsweek darkly warned that a woman unmarried at age 35 had only a 5% chance of ever finding “Prince Charming,” while a single woman aged 40 was more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to find a husband. According to a chorus of marriage promoters in the 1980s and 1990s, singles were lonely, unhappy unproductive members of society. Only marriage could turn them into useful citizens, reliable employees and happy, healthy individuals. Many believe this today.

So it was a radical idea in the 1980s when the Buckeye Singles Council of Ohio called for a National Singles Week to celebrate the lives and achievements of single Americans. It’s called Unmarried and Single Americans Week now, and takes place in the third week in September.

But as researcher Bella DePaulo notes, things have changed – slowly but radically – for unmarried and single people. New research shows that most never-married individuals, whatever their age, lead happy, healthy and helpful lives. On average, unmarried individuals have a wider network of friends than married couples and visit more frequently with neighbors. They also provide more practical help to parents, other relatives and coworkers than do their married counterparts.

And it is no longer true that marriage delayed is marriage foregone. Marriage has not become obsolete. It just takes up less space in our lives and in society as a whole than it used to. Today unmarried people comprise more than 45% of the adult population in the United States. They head more than 47% of our households and make up fully half of our workforce.

These figures are sometimes taken to mean that Americans are turning their backs on marriage. In 2014, the Pew Research Center predicted that one in four adults might never marry at all. But most Americans still marry, although at older ages. As of 2014, 80% of Americans had married by age 45, the same percentage of that age group as in 1976.

Many marry even later. Sociologist Philip Cohen estimates that 85% of white women and 78% of black women will marry. This is a smaller racial difference than is usually reported, because, although black women have significantly lower marriage rates than white women until their early thirties, they actually marry at slightly higher rates after about age 33.

Cohen calculates that a white woman who reaches age 45 without marrying has a 26% chance of marrying at some later point, while a never-married black woman aged 45 has a 49% chance of doing so.
The fact is, marriage is alive and well, but it has become only one of a series of living arrangements and interpersonal entanglements that most Americans will experience in the course of their lives. Cohen notes that back in the 1950s, Americans could, on average, expect to be married for three-quarters of the prime years of their adult work and family lives, from age 18 to 55. By 2015, marriage occupied “only about half of those 37 years.”

Alternatives to marriage have multiplied in the later years of life as well as the earlier ones. For people in the middle years of life, marriages have actually become more stable over the past three decades. Marriages begun in the 1990s are lasting longer than those that began in the 1970s and 1980s, and those begun in the 2000s seem on track to last even longer.

But the divorce rate of people over age 50 has doubled since 1990, and the rate for people 65 and older has tripled.

Marriage is no longer the only, or even the chief, place where people make most of their major personal, occupational, residential and financial decisions, or where they incur obligations to others. More than a third of women who give birth in any given year are now unmarried. And at the other end of the age spectrum, older adults are the fastest growing group of cohabitors in the country.

This is a game-changer, both for our emotional lives and our social policies. As a society, we can no longer act as though married couples are the only people who need support for their caregiving obligations, from employer-provided healthcare for dependents to legal recognition of their interdependencies.

We need to stop treating every unmarried person as an incomplete half of a married-couple-in-waiting. Certainly there are lonely and depressed singles out there. But often these are divorced or widowed people who depended too much on marriage as their support system and failed to maintain the friendships and reciprocities that singles tend to cultivate more carefully than their married counterparts.