Just the Fax, Ma’am — Why Won’t This Archaic Technology Die Already?

I don’t get it. Cassettes have come and gone, pagers are totally archaic, the Post Office is sinking like theTitanic, and yet fax machines are somehow still wheezing along in these digital times. While email and other messaging services kill snail mail and phone calls, it’s kind of unbelievable that those old paper-driven machines have survived.

I blame the banking industry. A few weeks ago, I needed a copy of a cashed check dating back a few years. (I won’t bore you with the details, but I got into a snit with a company that claimed I never paid them for services. A copy of the deposited check would settle our silly ”Yes, I did!” / “No, you didn’t!” kerfluffle.) Problem was, my online account couldn’t provide downloadable copies dating back that far. So I contacted the bank, and the rep was willing to send it to me — via snail mail or fax