Yes, I am going to post an excerpt from The Price is Right, but I couldn’t resist. The compilation of Taylor’s success on daytime television’s long-running staple almost makes we want to watch game shows… almost.
I’ve been playing around with the slick Silverlight-powered Olympic video feeds found on NBC’s official Olympic webpage. The technology is great, and the video quality is really amazing, but what has struck me is how spoiled I’ve become. Anyone who embraces technology is now accustomed to being able to watch, listen to or access just about anything at anytime.
This new Olympic video service is nice because you can play director and watch several different feeds simultaneously. Also, you are watching the raw material before Bob Costas has made it emotionally meaningful with his heartfelt narration. Blow the image up to full-size and its just as good as what you’d see on a standard definition TV (maybe better). Once I started playing with this service, I realized that this is just one of a growing number of technology-provided enhancements that puts me, the user, in control.
Thanks to my DVR, I really couldn’t care less what time any television show is scheduled to air. As long as my DVR knows that I want to record all the new episodes of some series, I don’t think twice. I know when I’m ready to watch it, it will be waiting for me.
Netflix has been a great way to catch up on old movies, TV series and other obscure entertainment options. Between my Netflix queue, my DVR and what I can rent or purchase from my AppleTV, I can’t imagine being frustrated with my entertainment options. If it was produced in the last 70 years, chances are I can get it with a few clicks.
On the audio side, I remember having to listen to hours of crap on the radio in the hope that they might play something I like. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I listened to music broadcast over commercial radio. Radio stations are still great for news, weather, traffic, but my iPod meets all my other audio needs. Not just music mind you, but podcasts and audiobooks provide me with hours of listening pleasure. Speaking of audiobooks, say you want to go for a walk, work in the yard, go to the gym, run errands, etc., in the past you couldn’t very well read during your busy work, but stick in your earbuds and, if you can find it at Audible.com, you can listen to just about any book anytime.
I guess I’m now so spoiled that I don’t think I can go back to an analog-only world. If I did, I would have to quit cold turkey and live in a cabin in the woods. Come to think of it, that actually sounds kind of nice.
I used to scoff at people who watched mind-numbing television. I thought it was, like sweatpants, something enjoyed by people who had given up on life. I pitied folks who watched the same inane sitcoms over and over again, spent hours entertained by the Weather Channel or shied away from anything resembling true drama with hints of significance. I figured they didn’t have the sophistication to appreciate meaningful dialog or symbolism. I was wrong.
I consider myself a fairly well read, reasonably intelligent person, educated in the liberal arts. That being said, I now find myself just wanting to watch the most simplistic things I can find on television. I’m not interested in figuring out hidden motivations or untangle dangerous thrillers; I just want to watch something that entertains me and ends happily.
Many cable TV channels, such as HGTV and the like, suit me just fine right now. You watch some family take on a remodel or new home purchase, they carefully explain each step and thought process, and in half an hour they are sitting in their lovely new living room enjoying their new lives. What could be happier. There is just a hint of drama–will the husband and wife agree with on the paint colors or the flower boxes–but otherwise you know you’re in for a tranquil experience. The funny thing is, I justify watching these shows for their educational benefit–perhaps I’ll learn something we can utilize in our own home–but now I’m not fooled.
I know that with the many things going on in my life, I’m just not in the mood to watch talented actors play their craft and take me on some meaningful journey through heart and mind. My heart and mind are beat and they just want to be left alone.
Yes, I realize this is simply the latest step in my downward spiral into yuppiedom. I’m promising myself that once my infant daughter is in high school I’ll re-engage in the world of ideas.