Seen in Print

[MurphOnMillerAve]

And, in my limited observation, "downtowns," as we used to know them back in the 50's and 60's, are absolutely gone = anathema = dangerous places to be victimized by an "ilk" that has settled in to await the prey.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And, in my limited observation, "downtowns," as we used to know them back in the 50's and 60's, are absolutely gone = anathema = dangerous places to be victimized by an "ilk" that has settled in to await the prey.

Actually, they are re-inventing them in little snippets in multi-use communities - Reston town center is an older variant, but just a few miles from where I live -- https://mosaicdistrict.com/

where condos and townhouses started at over $600k in what used to be years ago, the huge parking lot for a movie theater complex. They tore it down to the dirt and created a miniature town.........that sold out.

[rogruth]

Murph and Rufus,
I think you guys have got it figured out.
My wife and I still visit actual stores probably because we are not really competent in the electronic medium.
I feel lucky to be able to post on forums. My wife has me check what she has in her bank account because
"Every time I touch the computer I mess something up" she says and she is right.

Murph,
Married 26 years. I hope your future years of marriage are as enjoyable as your short marriage has been so far.
We are one month into our 63rd year. They have not all been perfect years and it may seem strange but the
last five have actually been a little more difficult in some ways. I will not explain that here but if anyone really
wants to know send me a private message and I will try to explain. Most importantly I have always and still
love my wife.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph ...Married 26 years. I hope your future years of marriage are as enjoyable as your short marriage has been so far.
We are one month into our 63rd year....I have always and still love my wife.

You two have been together twice as long as we two, since we dated for ten years before deciding to get married = 36yrs. We each bring different skill-sets to the relationship, so we each lead in different ways, at different times. Ingredients of the glue have been sharing the same religion, a similar economic working-class background, the same profession, heartfelt patriotism, some ethnic coincidences, and we each think the other is funny. I don't think a day goes by that we don't have several good laughs (often at my expense ), but it is the implicit trust that secures everything.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

[rogruth]

Must have been a real nice bike.

[up148]

But don't children and adults want to see firsthand and touch the toys anymore?

Parents and grandparents do, but kids have moved on......

Parents and grandparents buy toys based on nostalgia.

I think you have hit on something substantial there. Here is a photo of a cousin's reaction to the toys we gave him for Christmas. He loves trains, but his slightly-older brother has retained only a passing interest, preferring remotely controlled and interactive dinosaurs and drones (which they both got from us , too, and loved.)

That young man with the passenger cars certainly looks happy!! That was a hit.

My grandson is 6 (mom waited a long time) and he's into remote control anything and learning pad games and anything electronic. Still has way too many transformers, toy cars, toy planes and other toys (yeah mom spoils him), but he's definitely an electronics kid.

He was absorbed by dinosaurs for a couple of years, but moved on. Bought him a Lionel dino train a few christmases ago and he loved it, but mom and dad are not interested in trains and never played with him so that went by the wayside. If they lived closer grandpa would keep trains alive for him.

But, Rufus hit the nail on the head about toys and malls. What we grew up with will soon be very much a thing of the past. We thought Walmart was a competition killer, it's nothing compared to Amazon. Mr. Bezos is going to control what feeds our heads as well as what feeds our bodies and how we live.

What will the populace do when they have no jobs?

BH

[Rufus T. Firefly]

What will the populace do when they have no jobs?

Oh, they'll have jobs - they will be maintaining the automated inventory systems in the warehouses after they get done building them - a few drops of oil here and there and then they have to feed that dog that's on duty to keep them from actually touching or damaging anything important. Someone will have to maintain the automatic loading and unloading systems; the delivery systems, and so on......but actually doing anything, well, maybe if you're Amish.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...and don't forget the self-employed "ilk" that is out there on duty at nightfall, ever-at-the-ready to rob innocent bikes from helpless trees.

[rogruth]

Many will contiue to live as they always have. Why worry especially about a job?

[Roy]

My first ten speed was stolen from out front of a bowling alley. They used freon and a hammer on the locking chain.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

...and don't forget the self-employed "ilk" that is out there on duty at nightfall, ever-at-the-ready to rob innocent bikes from helpless trees.

I wonder if they really just wanted the tree?

[up148]

My first ten speed was stolen from out front of a bowling alley. They used freon and a hammer on the locking chain.

Never heard that one, but certainly see how it would work.

BH

[Rufus T. Firefly]

My first ten speed was stolen from out front of a bowling alley. They used freon and a hammer on the locking chain.

Never heard that one, but certainly see how it would work.

That would seem rather deliberate and planned.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...and don't forget the self-employed "ilk" that is out there on duty at nightfall, ever-at-the-ready to rob innocent bikes from helpless trees.

I wonder if they really just wanted the tree?

Then they'd have left the bike behind... Or maybe they used it for their get-away.