I’m always interested in how things in our society that once seemed so vital can become superfluous in a short length of time.

When was the last time you saw, much less used a pay phone? The other day I left the Reminder Publications Headquarters for World Domination to go let Lucky the Wonder Bichon out at lunch.

I realized with absolute horror I had left my cell phone on my desk at work. What if something happens in the three-mile trip? I ran through a number of scenarios that involved walking a fair distance, seeking a phone and then realizing I don’t know my wife’s cell number.

Thankfully nothing did happen that would have provided embarrassment for me and grim hilarity for others and now I pat myself down when I leave the office to make sure the phone is on my person.  

My fear came through an acknowledgment that what used to be ubiquitous – pay phones – now border on some sort of novelty.

Here’s another: typewriters. How many millions of typewriters were in this world even just 25 years ago? They are like the bison on the American plains in the 19th century – once plentiful and now almost endangered.

There are still typewriters being made, believe it or not, but they certainly are about as common as pay phones. Sometimes, I do miss pounding on a metal manual typewriter. There was something comforting in the physicality of the process.

The decline can come quickly for something relatively new. I just read a story about how the Redbox video rental machines are on the downhill slide of their business model. They lasted just a few years and were once considered the next stage in the distribution of movies and video games – apparently no longer.  

Movies on demand through cable and streaming are affecting its business.

Remember QR codes? Those graphic squares that could transport you instantly to a website when scanned? Apparently they are no longer in vogue.

I think cable television may be next.

My wife and I did something an increasing number of Americans have been doing: cutting our cable television subscription and we don’t miss it at all.

We get along quite nicely with digital antennas – which pull in a surprising number of regional stations – and two Roku units that allow us to access Netflix and Hulu through our home’s WiFi.

I’m not passing judgment on those who have cable. If you can afford it and enjoy it, that’s great.

It simply became something we realized we didn’t need very much. Do you play this game: endless punching the remote intent on finding something to watch on your 100-plus channels? And all you find are reruns of cheap and stupid reality shows?

I don’t have enough time left for that. I can go straight to programs I actually want to see without having a Duck Dynasty cast members or a Kardashian traipse across my eyeball.

Now some things can come back from the dead or near death. For instance, phonographs and vinyl records are hip again.

Have you noticed the growing number of titles available on vinyl? At a time when the music industry is fretting about the sales of CD and the piracy of digital music is affecting the industry young hipsters are rediscovering the glory of a 12-inch circle of petrochemicals.

Of course, what helps is there are still plenty of records left in this world and they may be intriguing enough to spur a Millennial to obtain a machine to play them.

I’m not sure if VCRs and VHS will make a comeback as well as audiocassettes or eight-tracks, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Just in case, I’ve kept a bunch of tapes.

Agree? Disagree? Drop me a line at news@thereminder.com or at 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. As always, this column represents the opinion of its author and not the publishers or advertisers of this newspaper.