I seldom ask, but when readers tell me, “Arlo and Janis are just like us! We are Arlo and Janis,” I always assume they identify with strips like this classic from 2005. When I was a young rascal, if one wanted to keep one’s photography private—for whatever reason—one had a choice between setting up a darkroom and learning to use it or buying a Polaroid camera. That is another area where digital technology has revolutionized the landscape.

Speaking of landscape, it snowed a couple of inches here yesterday. That’s not so unusual, really. The unusual thing this time around is the cold. It was 16 degrees overnight and will dip to 11 tonight after not rising above the freezing point all day. Many sidewalks and roads are more treacherous than they were yesterday. We’re more used to grabbing a cardboard box and rushing outdoors before the hillside snow can melt.