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Permalink to this day Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Dear Internet,

Two weekends ago we left the city limits. And we didn't just leave for a trip to Ikea. We actually left to get outside and get outdoors. And it was great!

This is remarkable because for the last four months we have led this incredibly yuppy life of religiously going out every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Needless to say Saturday and Sunday mornings are inevitably writeoffs and if we do have any energy it is spent shopping in the afternoon for outfits to wear in the evenings. Sure we'd like to delude ourselves into thinking that regular outings to the yuppy bars are somehow emotionally fulfilling, but truth be told, they are not!

Recently, officemate Ben, declared a back to friends lifestyle change. This was a change we not only embraced on our hiking weekend but also last weekend. Friday night we snacked with friends before we all got together and headed down to see the 10:30 showing of Farenheit 9/11 (10:30 and we weren't installed at some bar!). A smaller group of us then headed to Dan's for a late night game of poker. Then Saturday a group of us went on the booze cruise to just hang out. We eschewed all our regular haunts.

Don't interpret this as I'm now going to led the life of a shut in. But it does mean I will drive for more balance. To aid in this pursuit I recently bought Best Loop Hikes Washington. Hopefully it will provide us with the guidance to get out just a wee bit more.

If you have any suggestions for outdoors activities we'd more than welcome them.

Matt.
10:24:42 PM  Permalink to this item []


Some photos:
10:12:15 PM  Permalink to this item []

Wired, Cable a la Carte Still Half-Baked:
It's one of the most perplexing questions ever to face humankind: Why can't you buy just the cable channels you actually watch?

This perplexes me. What also perplexes me is why I can't buy advertising free television. What is even more perplexing is that everyone in a recent carpool conversation did not understand why you'd want to get advertising free television.

Television was initially a broadcast medium making it impossible for content providers to regulate who accessed their content. In order to make money from broadcasts content providers introduced both sponsorship and advertisements. This is because they could not regulate who accessed their content so they could not charge on a per set basis.

Fast forward to today where with the advent of federally mandated digital set top boxes. Content providers can now regulate what channels you can watch. What was impossible 75 years ago is now possible; content providers can charge you based on what you consume. And yet, they don't. What is even odder is that they are still tied to a revenue model ivented 75 years ago. They have not yet woken up to the fact that they no longer need advertising. They can, and should, charge you based on what and how much you watch. If no one watches the lawn bowling channel then cancel it! Let channels succeed based on merit. While I understand my company runs many unprofitable businesses, they do so, because they believe they will eventually turn a profit. If content providers do not believe that the lawn bowling channel will ever turn a profit, then by all means cancel it!

More and more I'm beginning to realize that I am the odd ball out there who wants to subscribe to only 5 channels. And not just regular channels, but ad free channels. I'm so bloody sick of advertising and would more than welcome the opportunity to pay for TV without them. But I think if more people were exposed to this crazy new way of thinking then they too would demand it. Or perhaps everyone is just way too hooked on advertising and endless meaningless channel surfing to give it up.
10:00:18 PM  Permalink to this item []


© Copyright 2005 Matt Goyer.

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Updated: 4/11/2005; 8:45:56 PM.