If it seems hard to imagine the electronic payments business today without Western Union, just remember the fate of Eastman Kodak, which made those easy-to-use, point and shoot cameras that many of us used for our first forays into photography, or Blockbuster, which briefly reigned over home entertainment as the place to pick up a video or DVD for the weekend.
The introduction of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) means visitors from 27 VWP countries -- including most of Western Europe, New Zealand, Japan and Australia -- must now register their details online at least three days before departure.