Hulu: A Good Source for Online Entertainment

Oh, the Internet - so many ways to waste time! Since leaving behind the irritatingly-slow dial-up world and upgrading to DSL, a new fantasy land of online procrastination has opened up before my very eyes. I can now stream video with reasonable clarity and flow! Television network sites and YouTube provide are good standby sites, opportunities to catch up on missed episodes or watch people exploit their pets and children for a laugh. But it is Hulu that gives us a chance to delve a little deeper and revisit television and movies from bygone eras, such as the early '90's.

You can bask in a nostalgic moment and revisit shows such as Party of Five, Beverly Hills 90210, Doogie Howser, M.D., Alf, and MacGyver. Or take in a movie, such as Fatal Attraction, Super Size Me, Basic Instinct, or little known "classics" such as Attack of the People, which verify that you are absolutely desperate not to be doing something more productive with your time. Additionally, you can watch current shows that you may have missed on a hectic weeknight. All this, and it's free. Simply sign up for your account and receive access to an impressive inventory of entertainment. That being said, the selection can be spotty at times. Do not count on watching a television show from pilot to series finale, as you may find only select seasons and episodes. You'll have to fill in the gaps with your imagination or dust off those deductive reasoning skills. And on a cautionary note, beware, those of you with sensitive ears, as volume equalizing is not in place. The commercials will jolt your eardrums unless you lower the volume or shed your headphones in time.

The viewer comments below the video screen often can be more amusing than the video itself. During the inevitable moments of slow plot development or trite dialogue, I find myself scrolling through the feed to get a good laugh and pass the time. You have the option of watching your show on a smaller screen with a crisper screen, or enlarging for that full screen, if slightly blurrier effect.

Hulu holds its own as a good online entertainment resource, and its library of film changes and enlarges with each passing day. Take a break from writing that term paper to watch your favorite episode of Miami Vice, or catch up on the latest Kitchen Nightmare. Just be sure to place a limit on that diversion, or else you'll become a casualty of modern technology - dependent on it, unfocused, and sedentary. So watch your movie, but then finish that paper and go for a brisk walk.