I never thought I would say this, but it's quite possible that I'm a media junkie who has reached his media saturation point.
LED Flexible Strip Ribbon Series Ribbon 5050When I was a boy developing the tastes and opinions that would shape the person I am today, seeking out new music and old movies, quirky television and interesting books was a hunt. I would scour magazines for information on acts I might like to listen to and movies I had not caught. I'd stay up late watching PBS and off- kilter cable in the hopes that some old episode of The Prisoner might show up. I would spend hours in bookstores searching shelves for the book I felt comfortable judging by its cover. Being addicted to input was as much about hunting and gathering as it was eventually devouring any album, event or story I discovered.
But the days of the hunt are over, aren't they?
As little as a decade ago, 100 cable channels seemed a bottomless well of potential pleasures. Today, I don't even know how many channels I get, and if I miss a show, I can always hit the computer and check out the video equivalent of back issues.
It isn't just television. Netflix will happily deliver any obscure object of cinema to my doorstep. It actually takes less effort than going to a nearby video store. Music can be downloaded off a variety of Web sites, or, if I'm feeling particularly old school, ordered on primitive CD from an Amazonesque online business - the very same business that has systematically destroyed much of the allure of a dusty old bookstore.
It's not just media that have become omnipresent, but the ways of enjoying it. Movies are no longer restricted to the theater or living room. Though watching Braveheart on a cell phone seems intensely unsatisfying, it is possible.
I understand this makes me sound like a bitter old man, and perhaps I'm overstating my case. In truth, I do have an MP3 player I've become so close to that I've given it a name - Zeke - and I've been known to while away hours online watching old Adult Swim episodes. Admitting that I'm part of the instant-gratification culture, though, doesn't make me miss any less the days when the search was as satisfying as the reward, and it probably never will.
In the interest Brass Earrings of full disclosure, this column was written while listening to streaming new releases online. I feel dirty.
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626
or .