Recently its come to my attention that I rarely ever use a phone book at home. If I need to look up a business address or telephone number it's much easier to fire up my web browser of choice and do a quick query online. Almost every time I've ever had to look up a government number in the front of the book it's always been a royal pain that takes up more of my time then searching online.

Now that I've addressed the inconvenience of phone books, has anyone noticed how much paper is being used to produce these things? Not to mention the energy use involved. I presume gasoline is used to help deliver these hefty books to my front door. What a waste. Every time I see a phone book on my doorstep I lift the heavy monstrosity from my doorstep and I heave it into a recycle bin.

One more thing before I go. If you want to try and opt out of receiving a phone book delivered to your door you have to call a number depending on which phone book company it is be it Yellow Pages, Dex, AT&T etc. the number can be different.

Phone books are spam for your doorstep you see it and you want it gone.

Phone books certainly have a more limited application today than 20 years ago.  I would hesitate to say we don't need them any more, however.  There are still people with no or imperfect internet access.  Of course, the Boy Scouts will always advise that it's best to be prepared.

What I find intriguing about phone books is that the supply of phone books seems to be inversely proportional to the need for them.  Back when you really NEEDED the things - there was one.  If something happened to it; it may not be so easy to get another.  Often the family phone book was older than most of the children.  Today the need for these things is not 10% of what it was - but there's a new phone book on my step, seemingly, every time I turn around.

---

An ascendant man, living in a degenerate age, MUST, by definition, live in contradistinction to his times.