Two Things I Can Live Without
One Paragraph Wonder #2
I recently traveled to Tampa, Florida with Susan, my wife, for a nephew's wedding. As ususal, when I get out of my technologically sheltered world, I explore any "so called" new technology. On the trip down to Tampa, from Baltimore, I listened to XM satellite radio on Air Tran Airlines. I was not impressed. As ususal, I had a myriad selection of stuff I was not interested in or if I was interested in it, was not imaginatively programmed. The "public radio" channel was not NPR, it was NPR like. Bob Edwards was hosting a morning show, but it was not Morning Edition. I then listened to the "folk" channel. Again, unimaginative selection of old warmed over folk hits of thirty years past. Mary Cliff of WETA has a Saturday evening radio show Traditions, which offers creative, new, and imaginative programming. I have listened to her Saturday evening folk show for over twenty five years and I find its musical offerings fresh and imaginative. The only other technology more fruitless than XM satellite radio is Direct TV. We now have access to hundreds of channels of useless, hollow, shallow, empty programming. This is on par with XM satellite radio, only it is more of a time waster than radio. Call me old, but TV is a next to useless medium that disappoints more than it enlightens. When we move, our little fourteen inch TV goes on the yard sale table. I can live with broadband internet, access to good reading, and old fashioned conversation just fine. At least with these venues I can gain some enlightenment rather than waste my time having to suffer through the drivel, banality, and shallowness, our modern mass culture calls entertainment.
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Comments: 19
I'm wondering if you'v ever listened to New DImensions--a broad range of sybjects to be sure, but often worthwhile. Funny that you >eat< almost anything (which I don't ! No bottom dwellers consumed here & scavengers need not apply!)
And as for tv, when my kids were growing up (& they did), we kept the tv in the closet & brought it out for specials & for PBS.
Consequently my offspring have a bit of discrimination about them, as you may imagine!
Lovely windows, btw!
RKL
At that point, there will be a secondary internet born. suscriber only. no ads, research only. Like the original net.
Yes, I am dreaming.
We don't have Direct TV or XM satellite radio either and we're doing just fine without them. It sounds like you will still have internet access when you move, is that right? I hope so. I'm enjoying getting to know you at Gather.
The next time you're in Tampa you should check-out a terrific community radio station: WMNF. It is perhaps one of the most eclectic and entertaining stations this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Their community affairs programming offers diverse and thoughtful dialogue. Music programs are also diverse ranging from Polka, to straight-up jazz, to alternative, to folk, etc. 88.5.
Nice to meet you!
Oh, and did I ever thank you for posting to the Live Informed group?
Things like satellite radio and direct TV offer many choices but no control over an individual show or piece of music. The internet and the use of Ipods allow us to pick and choose what music we want to hear and when we want to hear it. Television is the next frontier in this demand for OUR control of what we want to see and when we want to see it.
RKL