DON'T BECOME OBSOLETE

Black & White TV to VPNs & Streaming

Anybody know what this is — besides dusty? Ha!

If you do, you’re probably older than 50. Ha! Boy, times change… (Answer is at the bottom of this page.)

Back in 1954 like many American families, we were hypnotized by our new black and white TV. It was the golden age of television, and the wooden box with the big square glass screen sat on a table in the corner of our living room.

My sister and I went to an elementary school a block away from our house so most days we could rush home for lunch and catch our favorite TV show. Our mom would set up two metal TV trays — they were black decorated with huge yellow and pink flowers in the middle. Then she’d dart off to make our  lunch. Since my sister was older, she always got to turn the two big knobs on the TV to find “The Guiding Light,”  a popular soap opera. I can still feel how excited I was when I saw the lighthouse’s rotating beam first appear on the screen.

Each episode lasted 15 minutes so by the time Mom put our grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup on our trays, the dark clouds that introduced “Search for Tomorrow” were already floating across the TV.  Since we only had 30 minutes for lunch, we had to run  back to school as the Spic & Span commercial started.

When my sister was in high school, I waited impatiently for her to get home each day so we could watch “American Bandstand” together.  We sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the same black and white TV swooning over Arlene and Kenny, teenage idols from Philadelphia dancing the Jitterbug, the Cha-Cha and the Stroll. We always pretended we were part of the special segment where two dancers were chosen to Rate- A- Record.   My sister and I would often tell them how wrong they were.  Ha!

Now-a-days, I find myself rushing down to my computer on Sunday mornings to watch the newest episode of “Heartland,”  a multi-generational saga set  on a ranch in Alberta, Canada.  The newest episodes are only broadcasted  in Canada so I have to use a VPN to see them. 

Did you know VPN stands for “virtual private network”?  Well, I didn’t either until recently. It’s a service  like NordVPN that protects your privacy online, hiding your IP address, allowing you to use public Wi-Fi hotspots safely.  It is legal in countries  like the United States and Canada, but  is banned by  China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, countries  where their governments do extensive surveillance of their  citizens.

Well, who knew you could actually teach an old dog like me a new trick?!?

I guess some things don’t change though: I’m still having fun rating TV shows -- but now I get to chat about each episode with my awesome Instagram friend from across the country.    We’re having a blast deciding if Amy should move on since Ty died,  bemoaning the fact that Lou really gets on our nerves and wondering who Finn really is.

Well, I guess an old dog CAN learn new ways of doing things — if they’re bribed with the right treat. Ha!

It’ll Be OK.

Answer: Betamax video cassette recorder introduced in 1975 — now obsolete

Black & White in Ohio View, Pa. during the 1950’s with my sister

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“Wi-Fi went down for 5 minutes today so I had to talk to my family.  They seem like nice people.”     ~ Teach Your Kids To Code

COMMENT:  How do you watch your favorite shows now? By the way, what ARE your favorite shows? I’d love to know…