the Simple List 2000 vs. 2015
5 F LY I N G THEN: The Transportation Security Administration didn’t exist. (It was formed in 2002.) Airlines and private companies handled security. You could pack that 64-ounce bulk bottle of shampoo in your carryon. You didn’t take off your shoes—or pay for a checked bag. (That started in 2008.) Continental even served free meals on domestic flights until 2010. NOW: Yes, your 3.4-ounce toiletries should still be in a onequart zip-top bag. And that weird snack box will be $7, please.
IS LIFE SIMPLER OR MORE COMPLIC ATED SINCE RE AL SIMPLE’S L AUNCH, 15 YE AR S AG O? YE S.
2 WATC H I N G T V THEN: Push up or down
arrow on remote at scheduled date and time. Watch. NOW: Must-see TV 2.0. According to the broadcasting nonprofit group TVB, the percentage of TV households with wired cable has dropped from 70 to 57 in the past 15 years. The International Data Corporation, a market-research company, says that 48 million U.S. households now subscribe to at least one streaming video service, like Hulu or Netflix.
1 DAT I N G THEN: Match.com was only five years old; eHarmony launched in 2000. Most likely, you met offline. In person. Imagine that. NOW: You’re spending hours perfecting your profiles and swiping through Tinder (est. 2012), but guess what? According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, only 5 percent of people in a marriage or a long-term relationship say they met their partners online.
3 REMEMBERING A B I RT H DAY THEN: You had to actu-
ally, you know, remember it. Or at least have written it in your Filofax. NOW: Facebook tells you, iCal reminds you, or an app like Cozi (cozi.com, also owned by Time Inc.) sends you birthday alerts right along with your grocery list.
4 TA K I N G P H OTO S THEN: DIGITAL
CAMERAS WERE STILL RELATIVELY NEW IN 2000. A NIKON COOLPIX WITH 3 MEGAPIXELS SOLD FOR $1,000. WONDERING IF YOUR EYES WERE CLOSED IN THE PHOTO? YOUR PRINTS WILL BE READY NEXT WEEK. NOW: A 16-MEGAPIXEL NIKON COOLPIX IS $130. BUT WHO NEEDS IT WHEN YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE? INSTEAD OF PRINTING SHOTS, YOU FILTER AND POST THEM. MORE THAN 70 MILLION ARE UPLOADED TO INSTAGRAM DAILY.
6
“ TA L K I N G ” O N T H E P H O N E THEN: About 97 percent of households
had landlines, according to the Pew Research Center. The iPhone was still seven years away. (Remember Nokias? Those were best sellers). To text “hello,” you probably had to press 4-4-3-3-5-5-55-5-5-6-6-6. NOW: With a pig-snout emoji, anything is possible.
7 MAKING COFFEE THEN: The hardest part
Written by
N. Jamiyla Chisholm Illustrations by Peter Oumanski
APRIL 2015
8
REALSIMPLE.COM
was finding a filter for your drip coffeemaker. (One left—hallelujah!) NOW: It’s so much easier! Just pop in a pod! Wait—you like a pour-over method? Oh. You have a Chemex? There’s a Filter Folding 101 tutorial on the website? Did you say the coffee grounds need to “bloom”? And this is all happening at 7 A.M.?
