Not many people will lament at the passing of the modem. And, while it is true, that the modem has all but disappeared from use, it lingers on in closets, drawers and junk bins. Too odd to die, but too useless to live. Caught forever in a meaningless purgatory that affects so many electronic devices. Should we confine them to the landfill to contaminate the water and soil for future generations and possibly our own? No, but we usually do it anyway. So we have that going for us, which is nice. No, there is not much to be done with a leftover modem anymore. Occasionally, some of the relays on the circuit board can be removed, but if you have no electronics knowledge it is yet another pointless waste of time like blogging or Myspace. The best that can be hoped for with this piece of recent antiquity is recycling. Of course, most states and countries do not have the facilities to collect and recycle electronic parts, but it is a nice thought. Many times the circuit boards get shipped off to poorer countries where a pittance is made stripping out the components for their metal content. So, the next time you see an old modem around you should wistfully look at the small piece of the planet it has destroyed so that you could look at pictures of naked people.

Report This