The World of Wireless

I'm sitting in my apartment with two TVs playing simultaneously. One is running non-stop sports, the other is showing ABC's Good Morning America.

Is any if this information necessary or useful? Or is it simply entertainment? While I ponder this question, I think back about what I was doing before the TV screens turned on -- I was reading the New York Times.

There was a special section on University life, and it got me back to thinking about the experience in college. I'm still in college now, but it's a much different experience because I have a full-time job. Anyway, I realize now that while I was in college I was able to expand my horizons for thought and pursue my interests.

After graduation I looked for and found a job, but I find a lot of the jobs out there not intellectually stimulating enough for me. I know I'm not alone, but when you get paid a lot for what you do -- no matter what it is -- it's hard to leave it for something you enjoy if it pays less.

What reading the paper, or a book, allows us to do is to think. I don't do much thinking while I watch TV, so that's why TV as regular habit doesn't allow us to grow. We can be intrigued by a news program or compelling drama, but at the end of the day, we really don't have to think very much to use a TV. A computer, on the other hand, requires us to think if we are *producing* -- that is if we are making or creating something.

I've been spending a lot of money lately -- probably as a means of coping from my girfriend moving to LA. We're going to try to keep our relationship growing, but i've had to find things to do since she's not around during the weekends.

I'm picking up skateboarding again. I must have spent hours trying to figure out what I needed to do to fix my skateboard -- which is a bit wobbly. At first I thought it was the wheels, so I ordered a new set of bearings. Then I needed to order a skateboard tool so that I could easily tune up my board. Then, I bought a bottle of bearing lubricant fluid (which got good reviews on Amazon), and the finally a book on fixing a skateboard.

Is this a midlife crisis? I don't think so. I think it's just a attempt to reconnect with the simple things in life that provide me enjoyment. Also, as I explore ways in which to make education more engaging, I believe (believe-it-or not) skateboard (meachanical and chemical) engineering are things that can engage a greater interest in the sciences.

So, back to my original thoughts on extra TV screens. Despite the ability to watch several screens "at-once", I belive that having multiple forms of video input are analagous to having several gauges as a pilot. You don't stare at one instrument exclusively -- rather, you scan each one at a time. Therefore, you pay attention to one thing you need to do (fly), but are able to update yourself on the overall situation by checking your feedback displays.

I believe this is a similar way of keeping up-to-date with current events and happenings. Video becomes used more as a feedback mechanism rather than purely a passive entertainment device.