#743 Intransigent

Our culture is littered with intransigent artifacts.
We still say we dial the phone, even though phones haven’t had dials for decades. We “type” out messages when in fact we “tap” out messages on a keyboard. We talk about when a new record comes out when in fact it’s a CD.
I was reading an old book the other day and it mentioned a couple of early profitable stocks. One of them was GM and the other was AT&T. Most people can probably figure out GM is General Motors, an artifact from the time when cars were called motor coaches.
But how about AT&T. Any ideas? American Telephone and what? American Telephone and Telegraph.
The telegraph was an early device for tapping out messages using a code based on the English alphabet. WTF you say?
Yep. Early texting. Imagine teenagers using telegraphs and tapping Morse code to each other when they had a difficult question on a test in class.
Send out that SOS, ace the test, and when we think about the teacher’s face we’ll LOL.
So anyhow, what got me to thinking about this artifact thing, dude, was I was in Costco the other day and I chanced to look over at the eating area. Most specifically at the eating area tables.
The Tumwater Costco once had their eating area outdoors. It was very, very, cold. And, you know, there was weather and stuff. It took brave souls and stomachs to endure the discomfort long enough to bolt down a kosher dog.
So they remodeled and opened it back up indoors. But they didn’t buy new furniture. So the furniture they have now looks a little odd. Picnic tables indoors.
Which I suppose I could deal with except for one thing, they have umbrellas.
Seems like an artifact they could get rid of.
Unless patrons have complained of flying food bits from the enthusiastically eating picnickers at the next table. Churro dust perhaps, or mustard glops propelled from exploding frankfurters.
Still, I suppose it’s nice to have an umbrella, if only to protect from the unforgiving rays of that harsh fluorescent light.
America, ya gotta love it.