Modern technology and the problems of ditching the old equipment. Travel benefits.

I was telling my daughter Elle about having re-watched “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”, an excellent film starring Frances McDormand. She said she hadn’t heard of it, let alone seen it. I offered to lend her our DVD. But what would I play it on? she asked. What indeed? The modern thing seems to be to stream whatever you want to watch. Nobody watches DVDs. But what about all the old classic films? We perhaps need a special channel for them.  

Now I need to ask my daughter if she has the equipment to play music CDs. I know she has various “playlists” connected to her phone. But as for me, I prefer to listen to whole albums. After all, the artists concerned have put some thought into the contents. Ah, but, say the cynics, most albums contain at least a few songs that are just dross, put in as filler. I tend to disagree.

Here’s a relevant cartoon about data storage.

On the DVD question, Granddaughter Number Two commented on how good it was that her grandparents had bought that DVD and were prepared to loan it to friends and relations (at least to those with the equipment needed) and could do so without problems. More imortantly with no extra charge. Netflix on the other hand, she complained, will no longer permit her to piggyback on her mother’s subscription so that she can watch films on her computer while away at university.  She will need ro get a subscription of her own. That strikes her as unfair! Probably! Mind you, some of our DVDs come with the warning that they are for private use only and cannot be shown in public venues or on buses or planes. That doesn't stop us from lending them to friends and family though.

I’ve commented recently on how sad it is that young people - well, UK young people, not necessarily young people from the rest of Europe - no longer have so many opportunities for travelling and studying abroad. Here’s an anonymous quote about the benefits of travel:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

The French have an expression for it: “Les voyages forment la jeunesse”. Someone said that to me long years ago when I had the chance as a student to spend a year in France.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!