On being a Luddite

It's not that I'm opposed to new technology. After all, I learned to build the Senior Toronto website in Drupal, a monument to technogeekery. I just don't want all the hassle and expense of adopting new technology unless I really need it. My needs are pretty simple. I don't watch a lot of TV, so my old analog Sony served me just fine. Steve Paikin and Lord Grantham showed up on it when they were supposed to. It wasn't broken, so I didn't fix it.

When Rogers announced that they were phasing out the analog versions of some channels and that I'd need a digital adapter, I dutifully ordered one. I looked over the installation guide, then placed the package down beside the TV and left it there because, well, I'm prone to migraines. Then one day Lord Grantham disappeared. A few days later, Steve Paikin did too, along with all my other channels.

I took a couple of acetaminophen and reopened the box. Kissed my DVD player goodbye. Things like digital adapters are not state-of-the-art, nor are they meant to be. They're bandaid solutions for technology laggards. You don't get a startup menu or a settings menu or closed captioning, and if you try to attach it to your old VCR, all bets are off. You hook up cables, press buttons, watch for blinking lights, enter special codes, cross your fingers, and wait for your TV to spring to life. The system operates on the principle of gratitude for small mercies. You might end up with a partial victory, like I did: I can get all my channels now, but can't use the new remote to turn the TV on and off or adjust the volume. But I'm old enough to remember when the only way to turn on your TV was to walk over to it and press a button. Not a big deal, I can do that. All I have to do is carefully adjust the angle of my flashlight so I can spot that button, and I'm good to go.