We Are TiVo - July 2005

"I don't want to go to school now," whines Sara. I take her anyway, kicking and screaming (her, not me, although I was tempted).

At 7 p.m. that evening, she declares, "I want to go to school NOW !"

I had to explain to her that school was not open at night, and she’d have to wait until the next morning to go to school.

I spend a lot of time trying to make her understand that her classes are on certain days and times; the public pools and other recreational facilities are open only at certain times. So where did she get this idea that she can do anything she wants whenever she wants?

For one thing, she's 2 1/2. But I also blame technology -- TiVo, OnDemand, cell phones, the Internet and DVDs let us adjust our media to our schedules, not the other way around. And while I love the convenience, it has warped our sense of time and urgency.

There was a time when you had to watch TV shows when the networks (and there were only THREE of them!) chose to air them. Movies could only be seen at movie theaters at listed show times. It took years for movies to get on TV and by then, they were so watered down by censorship and commercials, you didn’t want to see them anyway. And the news was obtained either via the newspaper or the network news, which only aired a few times a day. Imagine getting updates on the Michael Jackson trial only 3 times a day!

I realize I’m starting to sound like an old coot. But keep in mind I'm not a technophobe who yearns for the days of chisels and stone tablets. I used to be what marketers called an 'early adopter'. I was one of the first of my colleagues to get a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant, not Public Display of Affection) and carry a cell phone. In 1995, my cell phone weighed about 400 lbs. I got it for emergencies -- like when I was really bored sitting in traffic on the Sunol Grade and had to discuss last week's episode of "Friends".

So my sister was shocked that I didn’t have TiVo. While there are times I wish I had it, when I miss something, I really don’t miss it that much. And if I miss something I really want to see, it will probably air again. And again.

As for Sara, not all of her favorite shows are on OnDemand. She’s learning that if she misses her favorite TV show because she decides to put stickers on the cat, too bad. She will just have to wait another two hours until it airs again.

I don’t have TiVo for my TV or my life. If I did, I’d probably still watch the same junk over and over. The cat would fast forward through the stickers and go straight to nap. But I don’t think Sara’s teacher will be considering night preschool any time soon.