Saturday, August 21, 2010
Untuning from cable
Since switching from cable TV back to antenna, I've noticed an interesting change of attitude. Shouldn't have been a surprise, since Polistra has been preaching the idea repeatedly ... but in human thought it's always the Delta that matters, the change from one mode to another, and I hadn't experienced the change in this direction before.
Here's the diff:
When you have about 50 choices available, each choice has low value, low 'sticking power'. You always assume that something better must be just around the next corner on the clicker, so you keep clicking. Most of the time, nothing better is available, but you don't really stop to notice this fact. Hope overcomes experience and you just keep clicking, seeking Nirvana.
When you have about 5 choices available, each choice has more weight. You can hold 5 options in memory, so you know what's around the corner. Most of the time, nothing better is available, so you shut off the TV. But if the current channel is fairly good, you'll stick with it and allow a bit more room for appreciation; your attention is focused here instead of trying to be everywhere. ¶ 2:23 PM
Since switching from cable TV back to antenna, I've noticed an interesting change of attitude. Shouldn't have been a surprise, since Polistra has been preaching the idea repeatedly ... but in human thought it's always the Delta that matters, the change from one mode to another, and I hadn't experienced the change in this direction before.
Here's the diff:
When you have about 50 choices available, each choice has low value, low 'sticking power'. You always assume that something better must be just around the next corner on the clicker, so you keep clicking. Most of the time, nothing better is available, but you don't really stop to notice this fact. Hope overcomes experience and you just keep clicking, seeking Nirvana.
When you have about 5 choices available, each choice has more weight. You can hold 5 options in memory, so you know what's around the corner. Most of the time, nothing better is available, so you shut off the TV. But if the current channel is fairly good, you'll stick with it and allow a bit more room for appreciation; your attention is focused here instead of trying to be everywhere. ¶ 2:23 PM
