Top Entertainment Invention of All Time: Tivo

Is it possible for any other technological invention to surpass the Tivo for the label of top entertainment invention of all time? If you have ever had Tivo you already know what I am talking about, when you go to the home of someone without the gadget you cringe. You sit and ask yourself quietly, how did I live before Tivo? How was I able to watch my favorite shows with all of these mundane commercials blended in? Your friends don't even realize what they are missing, which is better for them I guess, it would help them sleep better at night. Sleep better realizing they are missing out on the top entertainment invention of all time.

As a longtime Tivo subscriber and #1 fan I have grown to appreciate my Tivo almost more than the television itself. When commercials are coming I can almost anticipate those three quick beeps that coming when I blaze through the latest, lamest, erectile dysfunction ads. When I return home from a long night of dinner and a movie with friends I am comforted to know that John Locke and the crew from Lost is waiting for me at the click of a button. Then again, I guess that all makes sense, because in a very real way my Tivo has helped find my way to entertainment bliss after I was lost. Oh, Tivo, you do find your way to my heart so delicately.

Let's put ourselves in a deeply hypothetical, yet very real scenario in which you are obligated to go to a family function and miss your favorite programming. Hypothetically, we will say that Nickelodeon is running a Full House marathon and you still haven't seen the really "sentimental" episode where Uncle Jesse's hair gets messed up. I'm sure Joey will make an insensitive, yet highly comical, statement about it that makes us all question our own presence on earth. You missed it because you were at Grandma's 80th birthday, unbelievable! Not if you have Tivo, because with Tivo you could also watch the other 79 episodes of the marathon, including the one where Danny likes to clean!

Tivo can now access your computer, meaning the possibilities have become endless for what Tivo can accomplish. You can access your pictures, read an important document, or surf the web right from the same spot where you watch reruns of Chips! Recently Tivo started piloting a program in parts of the country where subscribers can purchase and download movies from Amazon.com. This presents an interesting dilemma for people like me; now what reason do I have for getting up off of the couch? If Tivo figures out a way to make me dinner and allow me to use the restroom from my perch in the living room, I'll never move another muscle!

In all seriousness, Tivo can be claimed as the greatest entertainment invention ever simply because its ease of use. We all remember scrambling around the house to find a VHS tape to record the newest episode of Alf on our VCR, but Tivo makes it all very simple. As it continues to grow so will our fascination with the entertainment industry, but perhaps so will our ability to relax and enjoy the simple things as they happen. After all, it is a lot easier to enjoy little Billy's baseball game when you know that Dancing with the Stars is being recorded by the ever-reliable Tivo, right?