What is better?

Easily accessible music, with apps like spotify and so on. No more bulky LPs to store.

Indoor plumbing and constant hot water on tap;
Mobile phones;
Power steering;
T'internet!
Advances in medical technology;
Summer vegetables and salads all the year round (yes I know, air miles and all that, but eating in winter used to be so dull!)
Supermarkets!

There seems to be a natural inclination as we get older to look back with rose tinted spectacles. Realising and resisting this, will I think, keep us young and forward thinking. When exactly were these olden/golden times? The 20's in the aftermath of the Great War? The 30's with the rise of fascism? The 40's with the second WW. The grim, narrow minded 50's when women didn't even have a semblance of equality? I could go on. There is much to fear in the world now but it has always been thus but there has also been so much progress that we should applaud.

Cancer treatment
Skype
Generation gap smaller

Washing machine - the best invention of all time!
Tumble drier - though I still use mine only in emergencies or to finish off, due to cost of electricity.
Instant information through t'internet as long as you still use your brain.
Central heating and double glazing - no icy windows and shivering to light the fire in the morning.
I have a simple mobile phone which is great for emergencies but I would happily stamp on my DC's and DGC's smart phones so that they could actually hear me and speak to me sometimes!!!

The opportunities now open to women. The intro of maternity leave and pay.

Most modern surgery
On line banking
Food shopping on line
Amazon
Washing machines and dishwashers
Central heating and double glazing
Telephones especially mobiles and Smart phones now.
Lunch with a friend, not having to be a lady who lunches.

Having your hair done is far nicer - less eye-watering chemicals. I have streaks and you used to have to wear a tight-fitting cap like a swimming cap (glad those have gone, too!) and locks of your hair were pulled out by a crochet hook. A very painful procedure! Nowadays she just dabs the colour on with a brush. The result is far more natural, the colourant is far more gentle and if they get any on your face it doesn't have to be rubbed off with more chemicals and vigorous scrubbing.

Medicine
MRI Scans
CAT scans
Ultrasound scans
Allowing parents to stay with their children whilst they are in hospital
Children's car seats.
Recognising dyslexia, autism etc and that children are not just dunces, thick or plain lazy.

Oh and on a purely selfish level
Coffee machine

Generally, the health of everyone's teeth is so much better now. Dentists can concentrate on preventative treatment.
I can also go on the top deck of a bus, or in a pub, without being choked by tobacco fumes.
Children are no longer just " seen and not heard."

Google - to answer all my questions

Titanium wheelchairs - so light I'm told

Wet rooms - can't get in a bath these days

Gel nail varnish - dry in an instant

En-suite bathrooms in hotels.

Central heating
Google
washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers
cheap flights
anti discrimination laws
safe, warm, fuel efficient cars
clean air act

These are in no particular order of importance, and with acknowledgement of environmental impact of some.

Low floor buses and trains

GPS ( No need for arguments in cars, though I still keep a road map)
Fuel saving boilers
Air bags

'Unmarried mothers' not having their babies taken away.
Lots of medical advances, too many to list.
Not having signs in boarding house windows telling certain groups they were not welcome.

Good one Eglantine ( also known as Mrs John Smith!).
Those were very narrow minded days.
Best things for me in present times - all labour saving equipment, my tablet, modern medicine and the fact that 70 year olds aren't little old ladies any more.

Tumble dryers
Efficient double glazing
Comfortable, efficient cars with decent heaters - no more having travel rugs to wrap around for winter journeys
The internet
24 hour broadcasting - if I can't sleep, there's radio to listen to in the small hours
Constant hot water 24/7

I can book into a hotel with my man friend and not have to pretend we are married, like I had to in the sixties!

I hate tights but I remember having no choice - it was stockings and suspenders as a teenager. Not terribly comfortable so tights were better (although I rarely wear tights. )

Jeans and trousers. I suspect most of us are wearing trousers/jeans/joggers/leggings today, and not skirts? My mother never wore trousers nor did we as young girls. Much more practical.

Central heating. I remember ice on the insides of windows and one open fire to heat the whole house!

Double glazing - to keep noise out and heat in.

Supermarkets selling everything, much as the demise of the High Street and independent shops is a shame. I have tried to support them and still use our local butcher, but goods cost more and going from shop to shop with heavy bags becomes harder the older I get.

The internet and wi-fi. How many of us had sets of encyclopaedias? Just think how quickly that information became outdated. I love surfing and researching on line, checking goods, buying things, booking holidays and keeping in touch via email, Skype etc. Being able to contact people from almost anywhere. (A double edged sword, that one!) It's incredible.

Modern cars with comfortable seats and power assisted steering.

Planes and airports expanding. Flights to everywhere. The world is our oyster.

I know a lot of the above aren't good for our green credentials. With progress there are often downsides. However, life has become so different in the last 60 years. The rate of change has been incredible.

Pens and biros write better these days. (pity my handwriting has deteriorated)

Computers rather than typewriters.

Even bicycles are less clumsy and awkward - and they've invented unpuncturable tyres. (Not that they work very well, but it's a start).

Prams and pushchairs are much more manoeuvrable nowadays, but they're starting to get bigger again, so that's a step backwards.

No panty girdles or roll ons

Ladies ...sanitary belts - remember those?! That's one department that has improved big time!

dishwashers - i hate washing dishes!
hoovers - wouldn't like to take up my fitted carpet, hang it on my whirly line and beat it.
washing machines and tumble driers - makes washing so much easier.
skype and all the other communication apps you can get.
computers - when they work!
knee replacements - got one and need another one soon.
smartphones - you don't need to carry a separate camera, radio/cd player or a computer.
motability scooters - so handy when you can't walk far and, if you get a small one, you can keep it in the boot of the car.
must be more things that make life a lot easier but i can't think of one right now - my brain needs a reboot.