After bitching and moaning the past several weeks about the computers and the television, I feel compelled to come clean about the pleasures I've derived from the changes.For one thing I've been transfixed, on more than one occasion, by the amazing clarity of some of the television images we've gotten with the digital signals, even on our old analog TV. Although I have no real interest in American football, the game where a foot rarely touches a ball, I watched a good part of a game on Sunday (I can't even remember who was playing–no, wait, was it Tennessee and Baltimore?) just because the picture was so incredibly clear and detailed.
But the real treat I'm getting with DTV is a new channel from our PBS station. It's almost ironic but last week I watched a couple of delightful Jacque Pépin programs that made me painfully nostalgic for the time when people valued simplicity.
As for the new computer, I found a little perk that's made the whole business a lot less frustrating. When I installed the new version of Firefox I took some time to look at the add-ons and discovered "Foxmarks" which I immediately downloaded. I was then able to do the same thing on the iMac and presto! all my bookmarks (I'm not admitting how many) are synchronized between the two computers and even with my account on The Mister's PowerBook.
The real benefit of all this however, has been the distraction it has provided me as I've been trying to avoid the news these past weeks. Between the destruction of Gaza and Obama filling his administration with Clinton right-of-center retreads, I might otherwise have thrown myself in front of a bus by now.
