ANALOG TO DIGITAL

Analog to digital. Have you heard? If not you've probably been on Mars for the past year and a half. Today was the big day when TV finally went from analog to digital. We have cable, so the transition was unnoticeable to us. However, if a hurricane comes through this year we'll certainly notice. Our little battery operated TV will now be useless. I wonder if anyone even gave that a thought?

I still yearn for the old days when there were only a few channels and most of the day the test pattern appeared on the TV screen. This picture is from 1951 and that's our first TV in the background.

My sister and I used to enjoy watching Winky Dink. They say that's the first real "video game," but would be considered very primitive by today's standards. I still remember the green clear plastic that stuck to the TV screen. We would help Winky Dink by drawing on the TV with crayons. My sister was two years older than me, so she got to do most of the drawing. Anyone with an older sister can probably relate.

We have five TV's in this 2,000 square foot home. We all watch TV in separate rooms. I remember in the 1970's when my husband and I used to get the kids to bed by prime time and watch TV in the evening together. Those days are gone forever.

When we lived overseas with the Navy we only used our little black and white TV once. That was on July 20, 1969. We dragged the TV out, turned down the volume, and listened on Armed Forces radio while man walked on the moon.

Personally, I miss the old days. When we didn't have TV overseas we spent more time with neighbors and friends. We used to visit and play games. When we didn't have all these darn channels in the 1970's my husband and I used to enjoy the same shows. We spent more time together. Now we're always interrupting each other's TV show to have a simple conversation. And I'm afraid the Internet is making everyone even more isolated. Yes, we have Internet friends, but nothing can replace face to face friendships.

This is all progress...right?