Sunday, May 05, 2002

8:33:42 PM   Is it just coincidence that I don't pay to use the credit card either ?  Is this the same pattern ?  Is providing programming to me just one of the costs of business of putting ads in front of the eyeballs of those who haven't figured out how to get or been exposed to "the button".   Hmmmm.........

8:31:49 PM   Note, the PVR is recording Six Feet Under at the moment.  Here, I don't need the button (here is another rant for later, "the button").   Here, I am just substituting hard drive rather than tape.  When taping (disking actually) advertising supported programming, I guarantee you I didn't intend to pick up "the button" habit but it just sneaks up on you in the most wonderful way.   Commercials are toast once you meet "the button".   Does this mean the networks as we know them are toast ?  This could be a wonderful thing.  It also could leave many who won't pay for the subscription without TV.   Hmmmm......

8:27:27 PM   Since the day I got pay per view video I have rented only a handful of movies.   Since I got my PVR, I watch considerably less commercials and dream of the day that I watch only a handful.  Commercials post getting PVRed (I call it Tivoed) are really twice as irritating as they used to be.  Actually, we wouldn't (haven't too) buy the Tivo system despite the Dish Player defects (which believe me are rampant) for one and only one reason.  It didn't have the 30 second skip button.  Once you have one of these, you will NEVER ever ever ever go back.   Sometimes you want to pause just for a bit just to get the ability to skip commercials.  I'm sitting here documenting why they don't want me to have these.  It seems a new business model is needed here ? Is there room for more than one ?   HBO ?  Hmmmmm.........

8:20:39 PM   CableWorld interviewed Jamie Kellner, CEO of Turner Broadcasting. They asked "What if you have to go to the bathroom or get up to get a Coke?" Kellner gave them a straight answer. Their system does depend on people watching the commercials.  [Scripting News]  //  Hmmmm....this little interview has my mind buzzing on this topic.  If I could only get only what I want to watch, I'd happily pay for it but will most people ? I would have to plan much more than I do.  As plannin' a guy as I am, I don't plan my TV much.  Used to do this and ended up with a pile of tapes which I haven't the time to watch.

8:13:58 PM   "Needless to say, blogs are addictive. " "Print journalists often adopt a tone of peeved professionalism when talking about blogs; constrained, at least nominally, by stricter standards of relevance, they seem to resent the blogger's high ratio of self-expression to information." "a compulsive honesty that has bloggers linking to articles in which they found their ideas." At Large in the Blogosphere. Blogs — online news commentaries written, usually, by ordinary citizens — are the antidote to the blow-dried anchor and the unsigned editorial. By Judith Shulevitz. [New York Times: Technology]

8:04:36 PM   Lighter Loads for Traveling Readers. Once mostly a curiosity, the electronic book is getting easier to use. By Bob Tedeschi. [New York Times: Technology]  //  If you're not reading ebooks, you're missing out.  I never dreamed it would work but it does, I have at least 2 books on my pilot at any time so when I have a moment I read a few more pages.   Need a rant in ebooks one of these days as there are too many positives to cover quickly.