I don’t believe in subscription services like cable TV or home Internet. Like debt they are one of the greatest evil in our society. Eventually I plan to move to a house that does not have electric utility services or subscription heat like oil or gas service. Solar panels, generators, wood and coal fireplaces don’t have monthly bills. Coal can be bought with cash and loaded in your pickup  from most farm and hardware stores. 

For the first time in almost a year, I watched commercial television. I saw Columbo was on one of the channels that I get over the antenna hooked up to the digital converter box hooked to my HDMI computer monitor. I don’t like commercial television but Columbo is a gateway drug. 

Then I saw one of those ads for Cablevision or Time Warner  whatever the local cable monopoly is. Only $90 for Internet plus another certain $50-70 in fees a month. I’m not poor, but I know my budget could never afford such a rate for a service. 

The digital converter box gets me PBS and most libraries and parks have free Internet. For casual web browsing, I have my $40 month basic 3G smartphone that meets most of my needs. I don’t understand the need for all these fancy services and technologies that people have. 

I know I shouldn’t have watched Colombo but I muted the ads. And worked on my laptop at the same time.