Editor's Notes

Note from the Editor | Jan. 26, 2012

Nick Meyer |

We don’t have TV at our house. But before you groan and roll your eyes like I’m pretending I’m better than you for not watching television or something, let me explain. We don’t have a TV – the actual traditional box that shows you the pictures – at our house. But that doesn’t mean we don’t watch television shows. What we DO have is a laptop and an iPad – both of which are capable of showing TV shows, movies, TED talks, and whatever you like on demand. I’ve grown quite accustomed to watching shows on my laptop where I can start and stop the stream whenever I like. But this Christmas, we suddenly found ourselves the owners of a traditional 36” television as a gift from family. Once our Christmas tree was down, I set it up in a corner of the living room – on what my wife was clear was a temporary basis until our reupholstered chairs returned from the shop. With a simple antennae, I had three stations to choose from and a slew of commercial breaks to deal with. It had been so long that it all felt kind of weird – I had to watch whatever those three stations thought I should watch at any given time. And if I didn’t want to miss anything, I had to get up for a drink or restroom visit during specified commercial breaks. It felt so… old-fashioned. Well, the chairs are finished, so the TV has been relegated to the “man cave” in the basement for now. So anytime I need a bit of media nostalgia, I can still get my fix. The times, they are a-changin’. Don’t worry, I’ll get that thing internet-enabled in no time. Or something.