Sneaky Bastard

I am now cable free. With my antique standard definition digital boxes placed on the customer service counter, I paid my last bill. It felt so good. I’ll miss having programs waiting for me on my TiVo and using its excellent user interface. I’m a little annoyed that I have to call them (read: listen to a cancellation-prevention script) to close my account. Since my TiVo box is more than 7 years old and I’ve paid them $1108.65 for programming service to date, I think it’s pretty reasonable. Since owning a DVR, watching live television has become torture. The only exception I make is for watching football; for whatever reason, I don’t get excited about seeing a time-delayed game.

I get all the media I have time for online through video sites, podcasts, and downloads. I’ve even let my NetFlix account lapse. I’ve considered getting a game console like Nintendo Wii or PlayStation (a Microsoft Xbox is out of the question, for obvious reasons). I love auto racing games, but I wouldn’t be satisfied a good force-feedback wheel and peddles. I don’t want to sink a whole bunch of time into playing games either. It’s funny how little time I spend in the living room now that the television set (a nearly 10 year old, 115 pound JVC AV-32D200) has been dormant. I haven’t looked on eBay or Craig’s List to see how much I could get for it, but I suspect the most interested buyers would use it for target practice. Is there any use for CRTs anymore? I can’t think of one.