Old and Blockbusted
There Is Now Just One Blockbuster Left in the US
I worked part-time in a family-owned video rental store during the mid-90s while I was attending college. The owner was terrified when we got the news that a Blockbuster was moving in down the street. I remember him telling me that Blockbuster was the fastest growing company in the United States at that time. A mere two decades later it has all but ceased to exist.
The tale demonstrates how quickly technology can go from leading edge to totally obsolete, and also how dramatically the internet has revolutionized business and society. I occasionally wonder if the scientists who exchanged the first email on ARPAnet (the precursor to the internet) some five decades ago had any inkling how completely their invention would change the world. Somehow I doubt it.
I worked part-time in a family-owned video rental store during the mid-90s while I was attending college. The owner was terrified when we got the news that a Blockbuster was moving in down the street. I remember him telling me that Blockbuster was the fastest growing company in the United States at that time. A mere two decades later it has all but ceased to exist.
The tale demonstrates how quickly technology can go from leading edge to totally obsolete, and also how dramatically the internet has revolutionized business and society. I occasionally wonder if the scientists who exchanged the first email on ARPAnet (the precursor to the internet) some five decades ago had any inkling how completely their invention would change the world. Somehow I doubt it.
posted by Jar(egg)head at 15:00
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