My Electronic Technology Addiction

As a young kid in the early 1950s, my family watched television on a black and white TV that was smaller than today's PC monitors. The Baby Boomers were the first TV generation, albeit raised on very limited programming.

When my Dad was stationed in Norfolk, VA, our antenna captured only three stations! We moved to New York City when he retired and my younger brother and I were in TV pig heaven. The number of stations tripled, albeit still in black and white, and cartoons were abundantly satisfying our cravings.

My parents got their first color TV in the mid-1960s and it was glorious! And larger! Could it get any better? To quote a Tina Fey look-alike, "you betcha!"

Technology in the 1980s rocked, with the advent of VHS players, DVDs, cable television, and personal computers. One wondered how much further progress could be made.

Flash forward to today, and I'm hooked on electronic gadgets and technology. Personally, though, I don't immediately buy a new, bleeding-edge item until about a year or so after it's been on the market and the price has been cut in half.

Okay. I admit it. I can't live without television, but more specifically, my 46" large screen HDTV. Because it's so much more than the quaint term, "TV". That little black and white TV of the 1950s has morphed into an entertainment center, offering so much more than standard programs. There's certainly a lot of crapola programs out there, but I'm addicted to the History Channel, Discovery, Nature, etc.

At age 63, I enjoy playing video games on my Playstation 3. And I've hooked up a "power line" network in the house, using ordinary electrical outlets and Ethernet cables to allow connection between the internet and the PS3. I can then hook into internet music stations and enjoy a tremendous variety of musical selections.

And my wife and I enjoy watching DVD BluRay movies on the HDTV using the PS3. My only frustration is the number of remotes and grabbing the wrong one all the time!

My desktop PC is another critical item, allowing fast access to the stocks I'm trading, research on anything imaginable, and email with friends and family. It's in use everyday.

I even replaced the radio in my 1978 Corvette with a modern replica that has an MP3 input. I now have a huge musical selection without commercials while cruising.

Suffice it to say that I'm an adequately wired Baby Boomer who can't wait to see what's over the electronic horizon.