I recently saw a report with the headline “Time runs out for the alarm clock,” announcing another long-important device now replaced by our phones. 

This once-alarming invention is now a relic that only shows the time and buzzes you awake. But it can’t measure your light sleep, deep sleep, REM or how often you toss, turn, snore or murmur, like a phone app can.

The alarm clock’s demise has me recalling other long-important things that are quickly becoming nostalgic history. Among them:

Maps in our laps: When travelling, we motorists used to unfold a five-foot square map, like wagon train pioneers, then drape it over the steering wheel at red lights. 

It was safer to have a passenger hold it, barking instructions like: 

“Umm, turn left at 1-95 … er, no … I-96 … or maybe it’s …

“Omigod! This map is only for southwestern Vermont. It doesn’t include Montpelier. We need the one for northeastern Vermont that’s in the driver’s door … or glove compartment … or … 

“Uh-oh. We just passed the exit.”

Blockbuster nights: It’s hard to believe those evenings when we trudged three blocks in a blizzard to pick up a tape or CD to jam into a “video machine.”

Today, those stores are well … Gone With the Wind.

My local Blockbuster was a crowded place, with everyone rifling through a zillion titles, comparing tips with strangers. A........

© Montreal Gazette