One wonders what will become of autographs in the future. Computers have practically automated the act of writing out of existence. Fifty years ago, in certain circumstances, anything other than a written letter was considered a social affront. Today the situation is exactly the reverse. Good penmanship, which was once emphasized in school, is now all but irrelevant.
Voice mail is fast replacing the hastily scribbled telephone message.
Ever smaller and more portable computers are superseding the penciled grocery list. Post-it Notes seem to be surviving, and in fact thriving. Even the signature itself is falling by the wayside. Signature comes from the Latin signatura , meaning sign or seal. There was a time when a signature served to distinguish one person from all others, and thus also operated as both a kind of identification card and a stamp of approval.