Saturday, October 22, 2005

Digital Divide and Betinna Throws A Party

I had a date last night and took the night off from blogging. The plan was to do a long thing today. I did. Once, twice, three times, four. Everyone gets lost.

I'm sick of Blogger. I'm trying one more time and this will be a short post. I'll note two things I really enjoyed this week. One made me think, the other made me laugh. That's all I intend to do blog wise today because I'm getting pretty frustrated at losing stuff each time I try to post.

First this from The Common Ills:

Eli suggests that Eddie check out Stephen Labaton's "A Bill Advancing Digital TV Is Approved by Senate Panel." Here's the most important sentence in the article:

More than half of homes now have no digital signal and no intention to get one, according to Stewart Wolpin, an analyst at Points North Group, a research and consulting firm.

Why do I say it's the most important? Because no one wants to comment on it, let alone mention it. That includes a "brave" watchdog that's pissed Eddie off -- we don't link to it -- because they did a rah-rah, "New World Coming" report that forgot to mention that for a significant portion of Americans, the new world isn't coming.
The article is a typical Times' article meaning it sucks up to big business (and doesn't discuss the Times' own interest in the legislation -- maybe Labaton is unaware of the Times' TV division?). But buried deep in the article is a fact that "brave" watchdog took a pass on.
This is going to be a big issue to people in some areas, to the poor and the working poor in all areas. Right now you want to watch Desperate Housewives (I wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own), you turn on the TV. You don't need cable, you don't need satellite. You turn on the TV and watch for free.
As the industry abandons analog and moves to digital, it will be a huge issue for a significant portion of Americans. But no one wants to talk about that. No one wants to acknowledge that even if we had a good economy (we don't, we have a Bully Boy economy) a lot of people would be left out of "the revolution."

Eddie's right to be upset about this. I'm upset about this.

Eddie's right to be upset about this. I'm upset about this.

I'm thinking about women I know who have kids and are struggling to make it. Now they want to take cartoons away from them?

Your cable bill may only be thirty bucks a month but there are a lot of people who are already stretched to the limit. Now you're going to take away TV? You want to be there in the home when some parent has to explain to their kid why they can't watch Aruthur or whatever?

Now if you can afford digital cable, maybe you can also afford to go to the movies? But for a lot of people, the TV takes that place because there's no money in the budget for entertaining. This is a very serious issue.

I also want to note that Betty has Betinna throwing her first dinner party. I think it's hysterical. Here's a quote:

I put on some Sade and the guests made small talk while Thomas Friedman kept following me around insisting that if I had to do take out, Mickey Dees has a perfectly suitable dinner menu.
Needing a break from his whining, I lied and said I didn't think Rebecca was wearing a bra tonight.
I didn't see him for a half hour which gave me just enough time to warm everything up and set it out. As I did, Gail Collins saddled up beside me and whispered that she thought Ron had "a Newland Archer quality." Having heard that he was single, I tried to suggest she go talk to him.
"Oh dare I?" she asked giddy with excitement. "Dare I, Betinna, dare I? Can you imagine the passion that could exist between us? The type of passion one only comes across in the novels of Edith Wharton."
"Uh-huh," I said counting the water glasses.
"He would be mad for me, mad, mad, mad. And I for him. And then we would steal away for a private moment."
Private moment?
Who knew Gail Collins had it in her?
I was all ears waiting for the naughty bits to begin.
"He would press his cheek to mine and I would press mine to his. Oh Betinna, the moment could be so magical. And then I would look at him with longing and regret as I declared that for us to stay together would kill what I loved in him most. Just like the Countess tells Archer."
"Damn it, Gail," I said frustrated since she long ago exceeded the sell-date on her own Age of Innocence, "you're not the lead in a period novel. You're a grown woman. You have urges."
Gail giggled nervously as a blush crossed her cheeks and she bowed her head.
Ignoring her, I announced dinner was ready and everyone took their assigned seats.

I'll note that Betty has me as a guest at Betinna's dinner party. It's a funny entry.
















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