Cutting the Cord
& Song Sung Blue
Something about Music, Books or TV, Let’s call it Pop Culture
In one of my early newsletters, I reflected on how technology has reshaped the act of writing itself—from the quill pen to the ballpoint pen to the steady clack of a manual typewriter to personal computers, and now to stories tapped out on our phones using AI.
Lately, our family took a smaller—but still meaningful—step along that same technological path by cutting the cord. We did it figuratively, canceling our cable, and literally, when my husband snipped the hardwired phone line in my office.
This felt like a big step as both TV and home phones have played such a large role in our lives—and both have evolved dramatically within our lifetime. Remember all this?
The black-and-white console TV with tubes instead of circuits. The never-ending battle to get the horizontal hold just right.
Or the rabbit-ear antenna. Too many times, I had to hold one of the aerials so my body could act as an extension and improve the signal. Not exactly an enjoyable way to watch a show, but someone had to do it.
Then came the rooftop antenna—a huge upgrade. Suddenly, the reception for the three channels we watched was dramatically better. Three channels. Can you imagine? Now there are thousands, and still nothing to watch.
And then—along came cable TV. Truly revolutionary. Endless channels, no fuzzy, snowy screens, and later, flat-screen TVs growing ever larger and DVRs that let us record anything we wanted. It’s a wonder we ever leave the house.
Now cable and in-home DVRs are old news, and streaming with WI-FI is the thing. The show/channel choices are mind-numbingly wide. With all the various platforms with their original content, nobody watches the same shows anymore. Do you remember how almost everyone could participate in the water cooler conversations when it was just network TV? What’s next? One can only guess, but it seems like Ray Bradbury’s vision in Fahrenheit 451, of walls with TVs full of mind-numbing visual content probably isn’t far off.
The humble home phone followed a similar path.
First, the rotary phone. Dialing a number took forever—especially if it included an 8, 9, or 0. My husband’s father even petitioned the local phone company for a low-digit number, and for years his family enjoyed the small luxury of quickly dialing 643-1232.
Then came the push-button phone, which—looking back—eliminated what felt like the monumental task of dialing all those high numbers. Add an actual answering machine, and suddenly, communication felt downright modern.
But wait, there was more. Next came the cordless phone. Now we could wander the house while gossiping about the latest news. No more need for that charming hallway table that held the phone, a lamp, a writing pad, and an impressive collection of phone books.
All wonderful improvements, but ultimately leading to a dying and now essentially obsolete technology, as the landline has been supplanted by the ubiquitous cell phone.
So goodbye to our landline —something none of our four kids have ever had— and goodbye to cable TV with all the house cluttering wires that each needed.
I recently watched a hilarious video of 17 year olds trying to figure out how to dial a rotary phone. That led me down a rabbit hole to a classic Ellen sketch featuring a map, a phone book, and—yes—a rotary phone. Enjoy!
We are now fiber optic users and streamers. Sounds really cool and cutting-edge, right? The service provides a faster home Wi-Fi network (with no dead zones in the upstairs bedrooms) so that we can stay connected wirelessly for all our devices. And the icing on the cake is that we are paying 40% less than our old cable bundle!
Now, if only I could figure out how to navigate our new apps of Hulu, HBOMax, Netflix, and Prime, I could finally watch all those shows people are talking about.
Leave a comment on where you are on your cord-cutting journey—wondering if we are early or late adopters. Our kids say we are way late.
Movie Recommendation
I know this is a long enough newsletter, but I have to add my latest recommendation, and it is a strong one. Song Sung Blue is a wonderful movie. Great singing, acting, and the story is both uplifting and heartbreaking. I went with my 93-year-old mother and sister, and we all loved it. Then I looked up the documentary the movie is based on, by the same name, and watched that. Here is a link. I’m not sure it matters which one you watch first.
Eddie Vetter is my new favorite person. You’ll have to watch it to figure out how Pearl Jam figures in a movie about a Neil Diamond impersonator.
Have you seen the movie yet? Did you love it as much as I did?
The early TVs I remember took a few minutes to warm up and a few minutes to shut down. It wasn't bedtime until the last dot of light disappeared. If the set was acting up, it could usually be set right by a whap on the console with Dad's leather slipper.
I loved the movie. Oscars for everyone!