Wave for catfish!!

I’ve mentioned before how Jen and I rely on Internets for our TV. These circumstance grew mostly out of financial considerations. Though, their is something liberating about “cutting the cable.” Regardless, TV has found its way back into our iives. Well, sort of. Earlier this week, I received an invite to hulu. hulu is a new video streaming site. It’s produced through a partnership between NBC/Universal and Fox, and it’s 100% legal. The site is operating under a private beta, and its performance is sketchy at times. But when it’s working, it’s very cool. Especially in full-screen mode. (Expect an in-depth review soon.) hulu’s technical aspects aside, what’s great about it is it’s allowed us to simply have “normal” TV for the first time since moving to California. For example, earlier tonight, we watched “The Simpsons” most recent “Treehouse Of Horrors” episode, the pilot episode of “Arrested Development,” an episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” and a special celebrity edition of “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” (featuring Tony Hawk). Jen even sprawled out across the couch under a blanket while we watched the shows. It’s the first time she’s done that since we moved here. Now, I have plenty of criticisms to levy against the state of modern television, and I don’t want to return to our pre-move status of watching several hours of television a day. But television does provide a great way to just unplug for a little while, and disconnection is definitely something I’ve needed lately. Speaking of old habits, here’s a photo I took at the condo where we lived in Illinois:

I had four VCR’s, and recorded many (too many, probably) TV shows. (Photo also available through Flickr.)

Short video where I talk about “media burnout,” podcasting, streaming video-to-TV and work.

Media Burnout from Shawno on Vimeo.