The Cabinet Never Opens

One of the profound changes in my travel is the emergence of high-speed internet. Over the past couple of years, the TV in the room is used less and less. The computers, that's a different story. Last night here in Knoxville before the UT game was a perfect example. The doors on the chest were never opened, but the laptops for Kyle Kellams, our play by play announcer, and myself were on the whole night. I'm working on projects and reading news; he's working on iTunes and gathering sound bites for his day gig with KUAF.

Not once did we consider turning on the local news. I'd already read the local forecast for today, checked out a place that we plan to visit to kill time this afternoon. This has become the standard for our trips. Through the whole five days in New Hampshire, the Patriots game and a couple of bowl games were the only thing that caused the TV to be turned on. Even then, it was background to the clatter of keyboards.

At home, I find myself watching more and more TV with the computer in my lap. I can google things that happen in the show (hey, wasn't that guy in some other movie), I can fill time during the commercials when the event is live and not TiVo'd, I can find something interesting when the show gets boring.

When IPTV emerges as the legitimate competitor to terrestrial and satellite programing, the argument becomes who gets to use the big screen on the wall and the surround sound, and who has to watch with the small screen and the earbuds.