Keeping Up to Date

The Beloit College Mindset List is out this weekend, and though several elements are disputed, it has its uses.

John McIntyre mentioned the inanity of a story reference to carbon copies. How long has it been since people used carbon paper on a regular basis?

While I try not to mention the wonderful head-spinning smell of freshly mimeographed paper for fear of creating a huge generation gap, I don't know that all cultural references die immediately when a newer generation grows up. And there's no deeper meaning to the Beloit list other than a reminder to keep references fresh.

Some of us can enjoy the list for things that have come and gone with zero impact on us. Others might use the list as a simple tool to avoid sounding too dated. The light impact of some of the mentioned items does make me wonder about the significance of Twitter or other technology, especially given the recent survey that found that younger people aren't using it much at all.