What’s my password again?

I Stream, Therefore I Must Pay

Remember when watching TV was free?

When using the word stream, one used to think of water. As in fishing or kayaking lazily down a babbling brook. Today, streaming has absolutely nothing to do with water, unless one has a glass at their side while they click on one box after another.

This new meaning of streaming evolved logically as it refers to a continuous transmission of files, much as a body of water streams along continuously.

But going to a stream is free. Unless of course, one needs a fishing license. But there is no charge to just sit and listen or float along observing and enjoying nature.

In this new world of streaming, billions of dollars are transported out of bank accounts and into the corporations of the multitude of streaming services.

Netflix. Amazon Prime. Hulu. Apple TV +. Paramount. Peacock. Acorn. Disney. Philo. Fubo. YouTube TV.

I have so many, I can’t keep track of which service airs which show. Which password I used to set up the service. Or on which credit card I entered my information. And every time I go to cancel a service, I see an ad for a “must-see” series. And well, how can I cancel when the next big trend could be discussed on Facebook, leaving me clueless.

I remember the days when watching TV was free. We had three channels and a wobbly antenna. All three stations stopped broadcasting at midnight, at which time we were treated to a beautifully boring test pattern until morning.

As the years progressed, a few more stations were added. But they could still be counted on two hands.

One day around 1980, I heard talk about pay TV and something called cable.

How could paying to watch TV even be possible? Here is this big box drawing all the attention in the room. You turn it on and there is a western or a sitcom or a game show. It didn’t make any sense to me. Who would we even be paying? The TV is not like a slot machine.

I had no idea how the shows were actually transmitted. Or even what Cable meant.

Only that it would be coming to your neighborhood, and you could not choose which one would arrive.

On top of basic cable, there were special movie channels such as HBO and Showtime, news channels like CNN, and the ever-popular MTV. Some of these channels cost additional fees on top of basic cable. Eventually, the cable bill was added as another expense to the family budget.

In today’s world with all the streaming available, it’s possible watching TV can cost as much as a knock-off pair of designer shoes.

The other day, I landed on a nature channel showing a frog sunning on a rock as a school of fish swam past.

I thought of finding that location and actually going to sit by that stream. Until I realized how much a full tank of gas cost.

So, I poured a tall glass of water, stretched out on my bed and let the streaming begin.

Thanks for reading!

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