When the calendar changes, it’s a natural time to look back and look forward, to gauge trends, scratch one’s head, and make predictions that will appear laughable in a few years. According to various prognosticators, because of new technology, rising costs, changing cultural attitudes and spending habits, and the ever-present desire to increase efficiency, there will be disappearing acts for many staples of everyday life down the line. And who knows, some of these predictions might actually come true.