Growing up in Upstate NY in the early 70’s had that feeling that something great had happened, but had since passed. Icons like Kodak and IBM were technology giants that afforded the region prosperity. These businesses grew through the events that shaped the last century and provided many advances to the nation and the world at large. However, the same events that brought wealth also led to the decline of the region.

This site has covered the topic of the discontinued and defunct before, be it Photosynth, Contour, Kinetics, Kogeto, Reveal, or 123D. Many of these that I had used in the past have since been replaced by core engines that are leveraged with higher level programming languages, for instances FFMpeg and Python. The recent trend of vibe coding has softened the blow of earlier tools being removed from the public. However, if the experience with earlier technology is lost, so is the resource that a vibe coder may have had to engage an AI prompt with.

The days of a local hobby shop in the community that offered a place where the seasoned and novice could find something new are gone. It has been replaced by online shopping where the interaction and exchange of experience is lost in the transaction. The hobby of RC Flight had a sub 250 gm recreational myth that was its last breath of life to attract a new generation. It has been replaced by policy, formality, and conformity. I’ve personally have been asked to leave a field after operating a sub 250 gm craft a few years ago, so I left the hobby. I’m not a pilot, nor do I have any interest to be one. I was only using it as a platform for my electronics. I can find a different platform and I have. I only say this because the young have lost the most from this.

There is still potential with what can be done, but the old guard are the only group that can fully appreciate that loss.

Although this may have a disparaging impression, the work and skills from these whimsical musings can afford the persistent, insistent, and consistent a fruitful career. Having specialized skills and experience with Light field imaging, Motion amplification, or Depth mapping can be key qualities of high demand.

Not all are gone. Corning is another NY icon that continues to be vibrant. This video from their Museum of Glass takes a peak at how lens making was done in the 1600s.