This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

I left the love affair I had with paper checks over a decade ago. Now, it's plastic -- but no, I don't mean credit cards. We're talking debit cards here, which have almost completely replaced paper checks in almost all consumer transactions I witness in checkout lines.

Except for those fancy cashier's checks we use to pay for larger purchases, the personal check is completely out of style these days. I'm estimating that in the last 10 times I've witnessed purchases at the grocery store or local restaurant, nine of them have involved a debit card (or, yikes, a credit card) or cash. No checks.

In many ways, the check has run its course: there are printing costs, theft, bad check fraud, illegible penmanship and the need to carry around a checkbook to just name a few. Isn't it easier just to swipe that debit card, punch in that PIN, and be on your way? And now sometimes you don't even need the PIN or to sign, for purchases under $20. Online bill payment doesn't just save time, it saves money, eliminating the need for a stamp.

Sure, all this is easier -- but I'm betting that many of us still use a check register or log to keep track of our checking account at any time. Most of us still have checking accounts, after all. I still have a checkbook that I carry around with my wallet, like the two are married or something. Perhaps it's just decades of habit more than a physical need, since I actually write maybe one check per month. But, getting rid of checks altogether just doesn't seem right to this old dog. Where are your checks?

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This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the green movement and all-things-sustainable-energy crowd, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. Should we merely brush aside the standard light bulb after such am impressive longevity in U.S. homes and businesses? I say yes, although there are a few caveats, one being that the standard lightbulb is a universal icon for industrial ingenuity worldwide and can evoke emotions as such. Not that my opinion matters much, now that the government has mandated a phasing out of the common incandescent bulb in the recently passed energy bill.

The cost for a CFL is still high compared to its century-old counterpart, but with the energy savings you can receive, the cost will pay for itself shortly. Besides, it's not all about cost, right? Aren't you doing the planet a favor by purchasing those costly CFLs in order to waste much less electricity in terms of wattage output? Yes, you are.

But one of the nuisances of new CFL units is that they can't be easily dimmed. For those with elaborate lighting control systems and those who prefer to set the mood with none other than lighting, the shedding of incandescent bulbs may be much harder to do. I'm convinced that if it wasn't for energy consumption, most consumers would still choose the incandescent light bulb over the longer-lasting CFL just for the flexibility factor alone. And, don't dispose of those newer CFLs in the trash -- the mercury contained in them is poisonous. They need to be recycled in special collection facilities.

Just like computers, cars and refrigerators, there will always be newer technology to come along and replace the old. In the case of lighting, getting the same amount of light output in one-seventh the energy consumption is a tasty treat indeed. But incandescent bulb won't just fade away nicely, though. I suspect it will be with us for at least the next ten years at least.

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Companies and individuals are always looking to save money. Gas, food and other costs have skyrocketed recently (and will stay that way), so like it or not, we're all about to become extremely budget minded in just about every financial area of our lives. Well, unless you're a cash-heavy CEO, that is.

If you happen to live in Brooklyn, you may have heard of some condo and/or apartment owners receiving email or automated phone call alerts when FedEx, UPS or the USPS leaves a package for delivery with the building owner or superintendent.

These rather cold and impersonal reminders really haven't replaced the "human touch" sticky note on the door or mailbox that preceded them, but I would expect them to soon.

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

Ever remember the daily pilgrimage to the video rental store for the latest release on VHS? It wasn't that long ago that we made that weekly or even daily trip to the video tape rental chain to get our fix for the latest new release on video tape (on VHS, of course). Or, if you remember the 80s, the Betamax. Although the Betamax reportedly had better quality in most ways, the VHS format won the day and became the de-facto video tape standard for business and even commercial use from the first time I can remember (in the late 1970s) until about 2002 or so, give or take.

Now we rent everything on DVD, from your Netflix queue that's managed online to the $1 Redbox rentals at your local McDonalds. Many of us may use video-on-demand from our cable or satellite provider to get those new movies on the flat-panel living room television. The VCR was not a video or audio champion like the DVD. In fact, in retrospect, the picture sucked and the audio couldn't even be encoded in 5.1 surround sound. Argh!

But, for the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). The DVD supplied the playback with awesome video and audio quality, and the DVR is the recorder that grabs all your favorite shows and movies for you to watch at any time. No tapes, huge data storage amounts and very little effort to record and watch to your heart's content.

The only reason I still have that $30 eBay-purchased VCR I bought a few years ago was to take older movies from camcorders and other VHS sources to DVD so they could be preserved forever. In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age I can find at a local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack is blank tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are nowhere to be found. Unless you want to buy one of those dual-deck VCR/DVD players meant mostly for dubbing old tapes onto DVD, your luck finding a new VCR is pretty much toast. It was good while it lasted, ole' videotape. May I never hear the abbreviations SP and EP again. Peace.

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By now, you may have purchased one of those sharp new flat-panel TV sets. After all, we all like new, shiny and skinny consumer electronics, don't we? What isn't told to you by that electronics sales clerk in most cases is how much that new 47" plasma TV will cost, electricity-wise.

It's hard to imagine that a flat-panel TV would suck up so much electricity -- but yes, they sure do. Plasma TVs for example, require every bit as much electricity as a standard CRT-based television set. Watch a lot of fast-paced movies and play a bunch of wiper-bright video games? That plasma TV may be sucking up to 40% more power during those times.

Finally, LCD TVs are starting to take over for the heavier and more energy-hungry plasma sets, which is not only good for the environment but better for the back. Instead of that 130-pound weight you now need to mount to the wall, an LCD TV may only be about 50 pounds. That's quite a difference, right? Although larger LCD TVs are now becoming the preferred technology for replacing outdated projection and CRT TVs, you still need to be careful about power consumption. As in, not having the TV on when not using it.

If you're running some older analog-only television sets in that extra bedroom or summer home, you may already know that come February 2009, those older televisions that get their signals using an over-the-air antenna will go blank as the FCC shuts off the analog television airwaves to make room for more wireless services here in the U.S.

Now, this won't affect most of us -- cable and satellite customers won't notice any difference -- but for those televisions that need to receive signals from some sort of antenna, you'll need a new converter box. Basically, these $60 (roughly) boxes will allow older, analog-only television sets to receive the newer digital (HDTV) signals broadcast by just about every network television station and turn that signal into an older analog signal that those older televisions can then display.

For those of us with boats, cabins and other places that use analog-only television, what to do! Well, the U.S. Government will supply two $40 coupons for each U.S. household to help defray most of the cost of up to two of these converter boxes just by supplying a name and mailing address.

These coupons won't be mailed until sometime in late February (or later), when national consumer electronics retailers are expected to have the analog converter boxes available. You can apply for your two free $40 coupons by visiting www.dtv2009.gov today and get your name on the list. If you need a few of these boxes, the two coupons will save your wallet $80 come a year from this February.

If you want to make money with your own money, be wary of those who want to take over the effort. After all, personal money managers and financial advisers receive their compensation based on how much you have invested with them -- not on the performance of those investments.

Which, if you think about it, is real-time crazy. Do normal working stiffs get promotions every year for doing below-average work? Of course not -- and neither should your financial adviser.

There are many areas to consider when investing that hard-earned money: how diversified your money is, how long you have until retirement (your "horizon"), how much money you actually have invested and your penchant for taking -- or not taking -- risks.

Ready to buy a new car or truck? If so, you're pretty smart to be shopping at this time of the year, as dealers anxious to push out older 2007 models are ready to give much better incentives to prospective buyers. That doesn't mean you shouldn't perform adequate research on the vehicles on your short shopping list, though.

The web is a wonderful thing -- and it makes for armchair research that just wasn't possible a decade ago. Web-savvy shoppers can be armed with more information than some car dealers themselves -- but you have to know where to look. There are so many website offering vehicle-buying tips, tricks, invoice cost estimates, reviews, etc. that it can be overwhelming.

But, if you're prepared to spend a little to save a lot, there are resources that will make your car research journey much easier for the brain. First off, spend just under $6 for a subscription to ConsumerReports.org and research any car to your heart's content down the the nth degree. Next, check out a favorite of mine, Edmunds.com (which is free to access). There are customer reviews, editor reviews, information you can use to negotiate pricing and much more. Also, KBB.com (Kelley Blue Book) charges $6 for complete vehicle reliability ratings.

There you have it -- for under $13 you have access to three website offering a plethora of vehicle information that could save you thousands in the long run as well as save you from buying a lemon (new or used). Happy hunting!

Starting in February 2009, analog television signals will cease transmission in the U.S., as the transition to digital television should be complete. Actually, progress is heavily underway right now. Go into any store that sells televisions and good luck finding any without the digital tuners already included.

Stores like Best Buy and Wal-Mart will begin selling digital television converter boxes starting after the new year (February, to be exact) to allow American television watchers ample time to prepare for their destiny as digital consumers.

Here's an idea: instead of upgrading to new televisions for your home or office, why not save some dosh and bring home converter boxes? They will give your older, antenna-only boob tubes a longer lease on life. As an added bonus, the government will credit you up to $80 for your effort. Where's the downside?

Keep in mind, these credits are really only for the Luddites still using rabbit ears and roof antennas. Cable and satellite customers will be unaffected. Still, there's an estimated 13-21 million households that will need one (or more) of these boxes. If you have a large investment in a big-screen TV or a bunch or perfectly working older TVs, you'll need some of these boxes. They'll be widely-available wherever home electronics are sold.