Do we need dictionaries?

 I don't remember when I last used a physical dictionary, so I think a book dictionary may be obsolete, but not the dictionary itself. So dump the physical incarnation but keep the online version.

Paper dictionaries are, by definition, huge, and expensive to print and the only way to update them is to issue another edition.

Meanwhile, online dictionaries don’t take up any physical space and can grow fluidly to accommodate the changing lexicon of the times.

While you may have inherited a physical dictionary from a relative, chances are (first of all, that that copy is out of date), and that you usually bypass the tome and just Google whatever word you need to know.

There are still benefits to having a physical copy, as noted by children’s book publisher Scholastic.

First, flipping through a book to look up a word teaches you alphabetical order, which is both useful for children and for people learning a new language. You also learn more words than just the one you wanted to look up that way.

It also encourages focus and slows the student down, which can help them digest information.

Regardless of the advantages of a print dictionary, chances are you’re seeing less and less of them.

Writing letters

One of the skills I used to teach was how to write a letter. I taught how the opening should look, the strong middle and the great close. I showed students the differences between different types of letters, personal business, marketing, thank you letters, etc. Today Group chats with your best friends, emails with your mom, and sending a quick text has become so commonplace that sitting down to write a letter, sealing it in an envelope, finding a stamp, and then going for a short walk to drop it in a mailbox can seem like too much work.

So much work, in fact, that a 2021 CBS News survey reported that 37% of Americans say they haven’t sent a personal letter through the mail in over five years, and 15% have never sent one at all.

This is not something that can be blamed on millennials, as letter writing is a hobby that’s falling out of favour in every age group, but there might be a reason to resuscitate it.

Beyond the fact it simply feels nice to get anything beyond coupons and bills in the mail, there are certainly psychological benefits to sending one.

According to research published by Science Direct, expressive writing has been proven to increase resilience to negative emotions and situations, foster a sense of accomplishment, and deepen the connection between sender and recipient.

Do you iron anymore?

A lot of people have figured out that their irons do not spark joy and have tossed them to the curb.

Not only are consumers eschewing owning the former household staple, but there are more and more kids who are growing up having never seen an iron at home.

With today’s fashion trends and the ease of laundry services for some, its slow dive into irrelevance makes sense, though.

A lot of clothing is now made with wrinkle-resistant fabric, so that if you fold or hang it once it comes out of the dryer, you should be footloose and fancy-free, at least in that area.

And if somehow, they still are a little less smooth than you’d like when it comes time to wear them, most dryers these days come with a wrinkle-free setting: After a couple minutes of that, you should be good to go.

Some of use anti-wrinkle sprays, the less clunky steamer, and other convenient options, there is really no good reason for bringing ironing back, unless you really like the screech of an ironing board unfolding

Sewing a skill to keep or to lose?

 As computerization continues formerly essential skills like sewing or cursive writing have perished. I can sew, but very badly and I do rely on my wife to sew if I need something repaired by a sewing machine. My daughter when she was learning to sew in school poked the needle threw her finger, and I suspect she swore. My biggest problem with sewing is getting the thread to push through its eye. The sewing machine can be even more intimidating and that is why I don’t use it.

That’s partly why a 2017 study published by The British Heart Foundation found that 57% of British people said that sewing is becoming a lost art. Half of the participants admitted they need their parents to help them mend something.

Many schools no longer offer home economics classes (renamed Family and Consumer Services in 1994, according to Business Insider), as boards have generally been following trends to concentrate more on standardized testing rather than hands-on skills.

Still, I believe it is incredibly useful to know how to sew, and since the pandemic, many American millennials have started learning this skill.

In the past few years, as the destructive qualities of fast fashion have become more public, and more young people are teaching themselves how to sew in order to maintain the style they want in a more sustainable way.