After my video card blew up I was limited to one monitor for months. I Really missed my twin 17" monitors; they make most of what I do is so much easier.

In '96 I bought a 27" Proscan TV to connect to my computer. I was told by video salesmen that I could not hook it up to a computer. Computer salesmen told me the same thing. But I was soon playing Descent II on my TV. I later got a tv tuner for my computer. So I would watch television in a sizeable window on my TV, while doing other things on the rest of the screen (I could readjust the size of the window to see more or less of the television program). It was really cool!

Fourteen years later I still have the Proscan. My friend, a cable tv field supervisor, remarks about the color and clarity I still get from the TV. I paid $900 for it back in '96. I can't sell it (in SF, via craigslist, if you want a free tv you just need to decide what size you want). And I can't get my head around getting rid of something so expensive and still working perfectly. So I am waiting for my Proscan to break (which could happen anytime in the next decade).

When I finally get to purchase a new tv I'll probably struggle with the decision for months. I'll probably go with LED (they should be cheaper by then, or else LCD). Should I get a tv or a monitor? I plan to put a digital/QAM tuner in my computer, to use as a DVR. Should I get a large screen, to watch tv in a window, or should I go a bit smaller and keep a second monitor? There is rarely a time when I watch tv without also using my computer.

At least I won't again be faced with the same problem; I doubt that any of the newer tvs will last 14 years. [When I sold tvs I learned that if a picture tube lasts five years you can count on it to last at least another five years.]

We are the first generation to dispose of things that still work perfectly. There is nothing wrong with my old cellphones and computers other than their age. We've achieved a whole new level of wastefulness. Still, I'm glad I didn't bother to take that course in TV and VCR Repair.