Like many of you, I was surprised to see American sprinter Noah Lyles competing in the Olympic Games after testing positive for COVID-19. Just four years ago, any athlete testing positive was not allowed to compete and was immediately placed into isolation. My, how times have changed, and not just with COVID policies at the Olympics. Here are a few more examples that define how most all our lives have transformed — and quickly.

Although we may still say “Twitter,” the social media giant has been “X” for more than a year now. And although Instagram seems like it has been around forever, we forget that it was only created in 2010 and didn’t start becoming mainstream until 2012.

The Ring Video Doorbell was introduced just 10 years ago and became popular quickly, along with other similar products, providing homeowners and some police departments with video proof of the people who step up to our doors — and insects that crawl over the cameras, too.

Ride-sharing service Uber started in 2009 but did not launch in Iowa until 2015 — just nine years ago. When was the last time you called for a taxi?

Remember when we listened to music on CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks and albums? Pandora started in 2005 and Spotify in 2011. My choice was Slacker, which launched in 2006 and was acquired by LiveXLive in 2017, just seven years ago. As much as I enjoy streaming music, I still like to put the needle on the record.

If you would have told me 15 years ago that I would no longer be subscribing to cable TV, I would have said you were crazy. Today, streaming of movies and binge watching of TV shows are standard entertainment. Some of you may remember when Netflix was just a DVD rental-by-mail company. In 2007 — just 17 years ago — that all started to change.

Do you recall when employees used to actually go to offices and work there for 40 hours a week? “Working from home” had quotation marks around it for a reason, as it was more than an oxymoron to many people. Although some employers are demanding workers return to the office, the transition back has been slow.

I may be one of the few who do not transfer money via Venmo or similar services. For whatever reason, I still like good, old-fashioned cash. Meanwhile, Venmo was founded in 2009 and owned by PayPal since 2013. And when I need to pay in that fashion, I lean on my daughters.

Clearly the biggest gamechanger — for good and for bad — has been Amazon deliveries. Not too long ago, we actually shopped inside stores and didn’t dodge thousands of Amazon delivery vans on the roads. The service has been convenient at times, but we all need to remember to support our local brick-and-mortar stores whenever possible, too.

With all this change in such a short period of time, one can’t help but wonder what the next decade will bring. Have some predictions? Send them my way.

Have a magnificent Monday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

JOE'S NEIGHBORHOOD
A pedestal for a good cop

By Joe Weeg

“I’m not gonna do that,” the Des Moines police officer says from the middle of the classroom. I fix him with a cold smile.

“Listen, that’s the law for a police stop of a car.”

I say this more defensively than I’d like because, of course, in this room full of cops I’m just considered another know-it-all lawyer who sits safely in his office every day.

A roll call not to be missed
Group of bakers show appreciation to emergency response personel.

By Rich Wicks

Mark Morgan spent many years serving as a police officer, and he recalls that each shift started with “roll call,” which was a rundown of the information the officers needed to know for the shift. Although the information was helpful, it wasn’t necessarily something the officers enjoyed. But nowadays, Morgan has put the term “roll call” to a new use at Grace Baptist Church in Winterset.

When Morgan asked the congregation if anyone would be willing to help make homemade baked goodies to give to local emergency response personnel, Renee Simmons spoke up.

“At the end of the meeting, I went up to him and said, ‘Mark, I’ve been doing that for years,’” Simmons says. “I go three or four times a year.”

[...]

Happy Birthday Michael Wunn!

These celebrities were born on this date: Bruce Greenwood, Cara Delevingne, Casey Affleck, George Hamilton, Imani Hakim, Khris Middleton, LaKeith Stanfield, Leah Pipes, Maggie Lawson, Mark Knopfler, Michael Ian Black, Pat Metheny, Pete Sampras, Peter Krause, Rebecca Gayheart, Roy Hay, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Yvette Nicole Brown

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

What do you call a snake in a hard hat? A BOA CONSTRUCTOR! - Carolyn Rogers, Rex Post, Nick Ruiz, William Snyder, Gail Tomlinson, Mike Chiston.

Today's riddle

How do you turn a boat into a hat?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

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Mary Fowler
Account Executive
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