subway ride

I was reading an essay about the work of Neil Postman(1)

basically there is a lot about the fact that as a culture the written word is not as valued or necessary in a culture with television/media . . . He essentially defines media ecology . . . but that's another point. Anyhow, then later I was reading Broadcasting & Cable (2) and of course I'm reading about the buzz word multiplatform, etc. One article even mentions the ability to buy a show (like The Daily Show) and I think about in my research paper how I need to mention why I did not pay the $9.99 which I had hoped to include in my budget . . .

Then I look up, and honestly for the first time ever I think, I saw a woman on the subway watching a television show on her iPod. Then I look across the aisle and there's another man who too appears to be watching an iPod. And my first thought is, "Wow, I could see myself doing that." And then I think how funny that is because practically the only time I read anymore is on the train. And that's the one good thing about my commute . . . So I think that's interesting. And when I think about Tablet PCs (which, btw I think I should buy soon) and how they have pretty good voice to text capability (and think about the very cool Dr. Who (3) voice/text mail in England). Not to mention the fact that now on YouTube you can "reply" to other video messages -- i.e. chatting without the need for text. What Postman is saying is interesting to think about.