Technology has moved so quickly, it's hard to remember what it was like yesterday and how much technology has enhanced our lives.
Here's an example..
Back in the dark ages, Boxing Day 2002 we had people coming round for a little party but no music system which would have left things a bit flat.
So we get in the car and drive over to the retail park where we go into the Comet superstore (remember them?) After walking up and down the shelves looking at all the choice - must have been 30 different stereo systems - a chap wanders over and offers help.
Bit of a chat and he points out a modest Panasonic cd/radio/cassette player that we agree on and 5 minutes later we're driving home. It took a whole hour of our time.
Fast forward 18 years.
The Panasonic has been playing up for some time and now it's almost impossible to get it to read and play a CD. Time for a new one.
Onto Amazon where there are hundreds of stereo systems with prices from the dirt cheap to cost of a small house in the village. Great, I can drill down to the sort of features and price range I want. Then I can look at those in detail, compare them with each other, read customer reviews, check via Google for specialist site reviews etc.
One I like the look of but will it play MP3s I've recorded onto CD? Nearest I can find in the 188 answered questions is Yes, No and I don't know.
Another I quite fancy has some very bad reviews but the specialist sites speak highly of it, considering it's very cheap.
Anyway, having looked at systems up to nearly a thousand quid - which resulted in threats of awful retribution from SWMBO not to mention a diet of stale bread and water for 5 years - I have decided to buy a Panasonic system quite similar to the dying one and modestly priced. Thanks to modern technology, I have made an extremely informed choice that may well even be right when it arrives.
It's only taken 4 days of my life.