Musing on the change in electronics and internet and how that's affected my nomadic life

Looking back on recent history (my lifetime);

Advertising killed OTA tv for a while.  The move to cable tv was  "it's worth paying to not have so many commercials. "

Then cable fell out of favor for streaming plans because of limited or commercial free broadcasts on streaming. 

The other day while going through my files,  i ran across my membership cards to  blockbuster and family video.  I fondly remember when going to the video store (yes vhs video tapes)  was a highlight of the week.  The cost of 4 vhs tape rentals was about the same as 2 tickets to a movie theater.  And yes,  it was a big deal to make popcorn,  snacks,  and sandwiches for video nights.  And yes, it was sometimes a get together with friends to watch movies. 

I was a happy subscriber to Netflix early days of dialup.  I would not so patiently wait for the DVD s to arrive in the mail.  I worked going through the catalog to have a good waiting list so that my movies were uninterrupted by waiting for the ones i sent back to be logged in and my new ones sent.   There were subscription tiers of 2, 4, 8 DVDs that you could have at one time.  Somehow,  even though i promised myself only one a night,  i became a binge watcher decades ago.

I have subscriptions to 2 video streaming platforms.  And both allow limited or no commercials and downloading of videos to watch later.  I skipped right past the redbox DVD rentals. 

Currently i have approximately 20 videos of 5 most favored shows on my phone.  I enjoy being able to watch series from season 1 episode 1 to current. 

There is a plethora of streaming services including many "cable channels." Most offer what hulu did in their early days.  A selection of free content that anyone can watch.  Even current shows are available.  Some,  the day after they air,  some for a week only after airing,  some the previous seasons only.   Many offer login with your cable tv provider.  Services vary,  tiers of service vary.

I have a older flat screen LED non smart TV and a blu-ray DVD player in my van.  I've yet to hook them up and use them for two reasons -- power consumption and i am content with watching things on my small screen. 

My 4 laptops and netbooks sit up in over the front seats storage area unused for the most part.  My Samsung phone can often do almost anything required.  I no longer even own a tablet.  I may pick up one that's offline mode only to watch things on a bigger screen.

I no longer own a hotspot wifi device. Again,  my phone can share internet access through bluetooth or wifi connection.  I can mirror (cast)  onto a bigger screen if needed. 

The beauty of my system is that even though I've just added a set of batteries and a 100 watt solar panel,  my starter or house battery alone has kept up for years on charging up my electronics.

Have a happy weekend.

Good coffee to you,

Lou

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Technology Has It's Moments

Today was an Attack or Revenge Of The Computers kind of day.

It all started out so innocently. No one could forecast how fast it would snowball. I almost wonder if the amount of technology had enough critical mass today to awake and become self aware.

All I wanted to do was transfer my completed first drafts of children's books I am writing from my netbook to my laptop. It's a simple process that we all do routinely.

Usually the process goes very smoothly. Today was quite an exception.

The first was barely a blip on my personal radar. Google+ implemented changes that threw many users into one of two categories. People either experienced severe what-the-heck-did-they-do-wheres-my trauma reactions or OH COOL PUSH ALL THE BUTTONS giddiness. No problem here, I have writing to do, I'll see what G+ did later when it settles down.

Next, my broadband informed me I needed to download an update. Still no real reason to worry, it's a routine matter, or so I thought.

Now comes the notice "Don't Unplug or Shutdown Your Computer. Doing so could cause permanent damage to your firmware." Arggggghhh! I make sure my cord is secure from puppy who chews any cord available.

I get the update installed. It's now time for coffee. I click shutdown the computer. My normally polite well behaved toshiba has decided to download and install eight critical updates for Windows. It is time to install the Linux I've been using from a jump drive. Just not today.

All that being said, instead of pushing on in a day where every piece of technology I have decided to revolt all at one time, I pushed the power button off. I hooked them all up to charge.

There is something to be said for a low tech day. I enjoyed cuddling my dogs, a cold Pepsi, and a good paperback.

In the back of my mind, I wonder, how many electrons do they need to become self aware? Are they haunted by old Commadore64 and TRS80 hard drives? I do keep interfacing lots of devices. Could they strike on me?

Not really, but it was in the cards to turn them all off for a day.

Thanks for reading.