I really deplore the trend toward using canned music as accompaniment to live singing. I didn't realize it was as rampant in the gospel world as Jerry says; the worst offender here in New Orleans is the (normally) great Aaron Neville, when performing solo rather than with his brothers' band. Aaron has been straddling the line between the secular and gospel worlds in recent years, so maybe he has picked up on a trend he's been seeing on the gospel side (?).

On the other hand, I *like* the self-service grocery checkout. Despite my advanced age (56), I seem to be sufficiently tech-savvy to handle its modest demands. It's easier, quicker, and the bags are packed much better when I can do it myself. I don't feel that I'm missing much "human interaction" by avoiding the dull, slow personnel stationed at the cash registers. They're usually pretty impersonal, anyway.