It's wrong to assume that because these agents won't accept emailed submissions and don't have websites they're "refus[ing] to take advantage of mainstream technology".
They do use email in their day-to-day business. They just don't accept submissions that way, for various reasons already discussed in this thread: one of which is that it keeps down the number of submissions received.
As for a website: why would they need one if they already have all the clients they feel they can reasonably represent, and if they're already so well-known and well-regarded in publishing that they don't need to advertise what they do?
What you seem to be forgetting, Al, is that making it easy for aspiring writers to send in their submissions is not the main focus for literary agents and agencies. They earn their money by representing their existing clients properly.
They do use email in their day-to-day business. They just don't accept submissions that way, for various reasons already discussed in this thread: one of which is that it keeps down the number of submissions received.
As for a website: why would they need one if they already have all the clients they feel they can reasonably represent, and if they're already so well-known and well-regarded in publishing that they don't need to advertise what they do?
What you seem to be forgetting, Al, is that making it easy for aspiring writers to send in their submissions is not the main focus for literary agents and agencies. They earn their money by representing their existing clients properly.