A Torment of Thoughts

Many thoughts are swirling around in my head at the moment.  They are disparate relating to the barrage of news stories we receive each day from our amateurish television networks.  News reporting is an egotistical recalcitrant child of the industry once she was.  It is not worth watching anymore, but we do it out of sheer boredom.  I do not watch current news because I want to be intelligently informed of the days activity.  I watch current news because it is a habit.  Watching the news once was a national habit. It bonded the nation together with honesty and integrity, when once we were able to be bonded.  Today we are disparate.  One only has to turn on the tube to see a smattering of hope from minorities.  Whether it be little people, African-Americans, trailer trash, or the like television desperately is trying to cater to some demographic.  Television has lost touch with America's mainstream, which is understandable.  Do we even have a mainstream anymore?  I think not.  Judging from what we see on television, every conceivable minority is seeking recognition.  What is television, and I don't mean the actual mechanical device?  It is changing from a clunky, RGB tube-oriented, analog communications device to a sleek tablet computer.  Is it prudent that television networks are seeking to reinvent their product on this new medium?  Does it matter?  Does it matter which wireless protocol television uses to broadcast it mediocre product?  Think about it.  Radio waves are radio waves, whether they are G4, WiFi, or normal television.  What do I mean by "normal television?"  Normal television was an analog signal broadcast over what we call radio waves.  Radio waves are a portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum the FCC considers safe for consumer use.  It was not long ago before past president Bill Clinton opted to auction off newer microwave frequencies, that television was a harmless wireless radio signal.  You bought a box from the store and an antenna from Radio Shack, and you were in business.  With a little tin foil and tweaking of your antenna you could receive four to five local television stations, enough to keep you relatively well informed about local and national events.  Today all of that has changed.  Providers instead are chasing the holy grail of the internet trying to eliminate "Mr. In Between."  I didn't get it until how.  The iPad must have a modem with great bandwidth thus requiring increased bandwidth from internet providers.  I remember when the new devices were being marketed.  A representative said they would gobble bandwidth happily supplying new content more akin to cable programming.  Netflicks and other streaming movie sites must be a part of this.  I never have watched television on my computer.  I do watch YouTube, and mostly I do not enjoy it.  I do not enjoy sitting at my computer desk staring at a screen several feet away listening to sound through tiny speakers.  It is not relaxing or entertaining.  It is informative the way I have come to recognize the function of a personal computer.  While I have opted to use iTunes to catalog my original music, I do not find it entertaining.  I find it informative.  The computer to me is informative.  It aids the pursuit of knowledge.  I am not sure America is ready for this change.  It would be interesting to hear if polls were taken what are the viewing habits of modern America.  Who watches what?  How do they watch?  I watch TV.  I sit down at night and channel surf with my antiquated analog remote control.  I have no cable box.  It is too complicated.  There are too many buttons and options.  It takes too long for the channels to change.  Often I flip through my entire selection of 60+ odd channels and find nothing but commercials, commercials all playing at the same time with little or no programming.  It is infuriating.  Then I remember that others must be streaming their own choices through the internet.  That is way too much trouble.  Isn't that why we pay network executives?  Isn't it their job to develop the weekly prime time schedule?  That is defunct.  I have realized that, as I watch advertisements for new shows.  They are desperate attempts at trying to represent and reach a contingency.  It seems to me the main contingency I recognize in America today is homosexual.  Rarely do I see anyone that bares a resemblance to characters in television shows I watched as a kid.  Truly we have changed as a country, and I do not relate.  I see confusion, weakness, and childishness.  Rarely do I see talent, vision, or artistry.  I have been spoiled, and I am getting old.