i think i was curious because ... there are many ways to be in the know. i can't say i stay up-to-date every single day, but most of the time i do. access to information is everywhere and in some ways unavoidable. for example: the free papers on the ttc or the fact that cp24 is on all day at work in the boardroom.
radio - talk radio. mainly cbc, but on occasion am640 or cfrb1010. radio is great because news and information is current and then mixed in with human interest [and other] pieces. i will also lump in online radio and podcasts. the range we are able to listen to is incredible. radio is nice to have on in the background when doing anything that doesn't involve reading. otherwise my brain will explode.
newspaper - i have a romanticized idea of the newspaper. there is something old fashioned about it that i love. i think because it's tangible. the ritual of going through each section, page by page, article by article. sharing it with someone you care about, exchanging sections and so on... it's dreamy.
tv - though i don't have cable tv i am able to watch a few channels with the use of rabbit ears. sometimes at night (especially in the winter) i keep the tv on for companionship. the background noise accompanied by the glow puts me at ease. often i find myself watching the 6 o'clock or 11 o'clock news. the people who report the news on tv appear to be a different breed of humans (plastic smile super-humans?). sometimes they can be annoying but that makes for controversy and entertainment. seeing the news hammers home the reality of the stories home both audio and visually.
online - instantaneous. with a newspaper the news becomes old as soon as it's printed. with the world wide web it is being updated by the second. now that i am on twitter (don't be a hater until you've tried it yourself).. i get continuous updates specific to all the things i'm interested in. i have [so far] been enjoying the ritual of going through the latest tweets and reading a variety of links and sharing them. part of me feels like this could grow old but for now it's great.
there was a time where i was oblivious to current goings-on. part of me was not technologically prepared (for a while i didn't have tv, radio or a computer) and part of me [thought i] didn't care. but then i realized something was missing. i've recently realized that current events, political or otherwise, are important to me, so i have to balance it with my other interests. for example... when i'm commuting i have to choose between: reading the free paper, doing the crossword, listening to a podcast or reading a book. and some days i just want to stare blankly, and some days i want to eavesdrop (or people watch). that is the positive thing about commuting. if i didn't commute i doubt i would set aside [as much] time for these activities that truly enrich my quality of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment