2045 iFossil

Technologically, I continue to fall behind at an ever increasing rate. Though I have the satisfaction of watching those around me invest lots of money and fall behind too, I'm still surprised at how behinder I've got. It's like other folks are walking on a powered walkway at the airport and I'm walking alongside on the floor. Though our pace is the same, they're leaving me in the dust.

So it was weird when I encountered this ATM-like contraption at the Mall recently. I had no idea there was such a thing as an ATM where you could turn in your technology for cash. Like an automatic pawn shop, except for your old cellphone. As I have only ever owned one cellphone and still do, this concept hit me like a brick. Drop your phone in a slot, forever? And get money for it?

What if it cheats you? How will you call for help?

An even bigger surprise was coming. I started interacting with the machine to see how it worked. Eventually I got to the point in the question menu where it asked what type of phone I had.

Wow. I had no idea there were so many types of phones. Page after electronic page of models flashed before my eyes as I scrolled through, looking for my particular brand.

It was like the archeology of technology.

As I kept going through pages, and the shapes of the phones started looking more and more like the Star Trek communicator which is my own, I began to panic. Was my phone so old it was forgotten? True, it's so ancient and free of hidden spyware even the NSA can't tap it, but a living phone fossil?

I finally found it on page 19. Out of 20.

Page 20's phones were bricks.

America, ya gotta love it.