Moore's Law

Years ago I had an idea. The underlying truth of that statement is sad. 

I had exited a meeting in Santa Monica and walked the three blocks back to my car parked on the street, because like George Costanza, I refuse to pay exorbitant rates to park in private lots or municipal buildings. The laugh was on me, particularly after I got a ticket for $55.

As I drove home, stewing, I thought why not develop a smartphone app. that could wirelessly reload a parking meter via the magic of the interwebs. Particularly since parking meters had evolved and were now taking credit cards. 

It was stunningly simple. And in my pathetic naive mind was a doable thing that could make millions and allow me to move from Culver City where I am surrounded by barking dogs and inconsiderate neighbors who like to burn Duraflame logs in the fireplace while emitting a cloud of toxic gasses and nasty fumes that negate my expensive scented candles.

Upon further minimal research I had discovered somebody had already beaten me to the punch. Good thing I didn't invest my Stay-Out-Of-Dirty-Nursing-Homes Money into that venture. I would have been snaked.

This all occurred to me while I was playing around with different backgrounds for my now daily mix of Microsoft Team Meetings. For this who don't know, Team Meetings is MS's version of Skype. Just as Hangouts is Google's meeting of Skype. And Zoom is Zoom's version of Skype.

Begging the question, whatever happened to Skype?

Not long ago, the word had been synonymous with video conferencing. So much so that it had, sadly like so many words, been VERBED. A practice hated by every writer I have ever known.

"I'll Skype you later."

"I Skyped her yesterday."

"Let's Skype and get Jaden, Brillo and Quicy on the call."

Now? No one Skypes. And don't be fooled by the colloquial nature of those Skyping Snippets. Because it was never easy or in many cases possible to just jump on a Skype call. There were codes and passwords and hydroponic flick flacks that needed to be reconfibulated every time one attempted to make the Skype connection. Often ending with...

"Ah screw it, I'll just call you on the phone."

RIP Skype. And let their demise as well as the demise of my Magic Parking Meter Re-Upper be a lesson. 

Before you invest any money remember new technology will always be killing off old technology. It will do so by making improvements and constantly designing a better easier interface. 

Except in the case of printers. If this fucking Canon MX 490 doesn't stop eating paper from the fucking feeder I'm gonna smash it to a thousand pieces and leave on the lawn of my Duraflame log burning neighbors!!!