March/April 1997
Utne Reader
1964
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Bob Dylan turns the Beatles on to pot, an early sign of the soon-to-be-widespread marijuana craze. For the first time in a century a social trend seems to turn its back on speed in favor of "mellowing out."
1971
Madison Avenue realizes that faster-paced TV ads can make the same pitch in half the time. Almost overnight the standard one-minute commercial shrinks to 30 seconds and, according to time expert Ralph Keyes, the tempo of American life will never be the same again. By the 1980s, many commericals will be 15-second furies of fast-talking salesmanship.
1973
Federal Express service begins, further quickening the pace at which white-collar America works.
1970s
The drug culture gets in step with the rest of society as the buzz of cocaine replaces the low-key mood of marijuana as the high of choice.
1982
The bottom drops of out of the cake mix market, as overextended homemakers can no longer spare a half-hour to bake premixed cakes.
1980s
The nanosecond, a measure of time lasting one-billionth of a second, debuts. "This marks a radical turning point in the way human beings relate to time," says Jeremy Rifkin, author of Time Wars. A snap of your fingers takes 500 million nanoseconds.
Mid-1980s
Fax machines become commonplace. Suddenly Fed Ex seems tortoiselike.
Late 1980s
The cellular phone hits the market. At first, everyone makes fun of self-important yuppies making calls from their BMWs, but before long these phones become indispensable.
1990s
Widespread use of e-mail makes sending a fax seem like a waste of time.
1990s
The duration of the average business lunch--no longer the three-martini variety--has been downsized to 36 minutes, according to Fast Company magazine.
Sources:
Much of the timeline information came from Timelock: How Life Got So Hectic and What You Can Do About It by Ralph Keyes (1991, HarperCollins) and The Culture of Time and Space 1880-1918 by Stephen Kern (1983, Harvard University Press).
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