"Watching TV is not as easy as it used to be..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Kimo's world)

 

James "Kimo" Rosen is a retired professional photographer  

amongst other things is a humorist writer.

Rosen currently resides on the tropical island of Kaua'i

                                         with his best friend and spiritual adviser,                                  

                                   Ivanka "Costco" Obama, The bipartisan Dog!

                            Sunrise/Weather Photos, July- 2022

              These photos appeared on Hawaii News Now

                    Blog #2089~Kimo's world #335

Watching TV is not as easy as it used to be 

 

I  thought a stream

was a body of running water, now when you say stream it means to transmit or receive over the internet as a steady, continuous flow. 

The first time I was invited to stream a Buffalo Bills football game with a Facebook group I belong to I had no idea what they meant? I thought the group

went fishing and watched the game together, that was back in 2017.  I now stream every game with this group that is not nationally televised.  We watch as a group and comment, talk story, and say words you never heard in the bible. I have also recently learned how to mirror the Facebook stream from my smartphone direct to my TV without any cords.

Watching TV is not as easy as it used to be.  When I was growing up there were three primary

networks, most TVs were black and white, and no remotes to change channels.  For a good picture, you would wiggle the rabbit ear antennas with makeshift tinfoil for even better reception. 

Then came cable, no more free TV. It seems like every month there’s some increase that sneaks into the cable bill. 

Now streaming has

become mainstream. You’ll need a smart TV which most people already have or a conversion device like a Roku or Firestick to convert your TV to a smart TV.

 You’ll need Wi-Fi supplied by a router which you most likely have if you have internet service in your home. 

Streaming basically put Blockbuster and all the Ma and Pa video stores out of business

since now nearly everyone has an unlimited video library stored right in their smart devices.  I recently spoke with a Spectrum technician and he told me, he no longer has cable in his home and only streams, of course, the stream is Spectrum. My point is before long cable will be outdated and a dinosaur as are those rabbit ear antennas. 

You can cut the cord and

not deal with the cable company and save a few bucks and not pay all those federal taxes.  Hulu, Fubo, and YouTube offer live TV streaming including local news and sports along with hundreds of other stations. 

 Hulu also has a cheaper streaming version, no live TV but lets you see your favorite TV shows a day or two later with 1,000’s of movies, classic TV shows, and more. 

If you're a member of amazon prime and get all your merchandise delivered for free, you are automatically enrolled in their streaming service which this coming Fall will feature exclusively  NFL Thursday night football!  Netflix is probably the most popular streaming service for less than $10.00 a month.

There are many free streaming services too! My favorite free TV streaming service

is 'Pluto,' it lets me stream two of my all-time favorite TV shows for free, ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘ Touched by an Angel!’ There is also Headline News and various versions of Fox, CBS, and NBC News all for free. They can do this for free because there are commercials. 

There are so many

choices it’s overwhelming.  By the time I watch the trailers and read the reviews about what I may want to watch the night is almost over and I have already dozed off on my easy chair. 

 

Technology is

awesome but sometimes I relish the good old days with three basic TV stations, no remote, and those rabbit ear antennas with tinfoil! 

To stream, or not to stream: that is the question. Whether tis nobler to cut the cord or continue on the road of cable and take arms against a sea of troubles and wonder where TV will be in 50 years.

The joke goes, 'a dumb person bought a smart TV, but it didn't help.'

  

This blog appeared as an Op-ed/Column in the Sunday

07-24-22 edition of the Garden Island news!

https://www.thegardenisland.com/2022/07/24/opinion/letters-for-sunday-july-24-2022/

Hana Hou (Encore) 

"The Winter of the two-minute warning..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Kimo's world #334)

 My father Bernie Rosen and yours truly. 
This photo was taken in 1984 in Orlando Florida.
 I was visiting from Alaska. When I was a kid we called each other Pal. RIP Pal

James "Kimo" Rosen is a retired professional photographer  

amongst other things is a Humorist writer.

Rosen currently resides on the tropical island of Kaua'i

                                         with his best friend and spiritual adviser,                                  

                                   Ivanka "Costco" Obama, The Bipartisan Dog!

                            Sunrise/Weather Photos, July- 2022

                                 These photos appeared on Hawaii News Now

      

                    Blog #2088~Kimo's world #334

The Winter of the two-minute warning 

 

 

My father always told me it was a good day if he got up, read the paper, and didn't see his name in the obituary column! 

I'm getting on in years, and on a pretty frequent basis, I recognize a friend or family member

My Dear friend from Alaska
Jerry Green on the right
visiting from Alaska in 2010
passed away in June.
RIP and love Jerry.

in the obits column. As of late so many of my colleagues are dropping like flies. This makes me question my own mortality which reminds me life is short and we never know when we will kick the bucket and take our final breath. 

I’ve reached the 'two-minute warning' of my life as a friend says, my senior years, also known as the Winter of our lives. Spring is our youth, Summer is our young adulthood, Fall is middle-aged, and Winter is the final chapter however, being an avid football fan I prefer to call it, 'life's two-minute warning.'

I have found myself scrolling Facebook and Google and using their internal search engines

This is what I looked like
back in 1976 in my college 
days in Santa Barbara
with my Sheepdog,
Kamala!

trying to think of names from my past to see what elementary, junior high, high school and college acquaintances may look like and what they’ve done with their lives. I have found many have already croaked, while others have had quite lucrative lives.

I do this with bygone neighbors, past roommates, ex-girlfriends, old bosses, former clients from my self-employed years, and even long-ago teachers.

Ivanka Obama
the bipartisan dog
enjoys a recent sunrise!

I've even done it with those of you reading this, that's how I've reconnected with many people from my past. The only dilemma is recollecting the names to plug into the search engines.

The problem with being a kupuna/senior and living your two-minute warning of life is remembering what the heck you did with your life?

I think I had a good life?

Rich Little and yours truly
James "Kimo" Rosen
Publisher of Alaska People
magazine back in 1998.

I think I starred in a few Hollywood movies and donated millions of dollars to multiple charities... I was also a Super Bowl-winning Quarterback...I also had three beautiful and caring wives, 18 children, and 36 grandchildren... 
The beauty of it all, I can’t remember... All I can remember now is starting Facebook with my partner Zuck... Nothing wrong with dreaming!

Did I say I was in 'The Winter of the two-minute warning of my life?' It’s more like I'm in the red zone,

better than being in the Twilight zone, on the opponent's 5-yard line with only 13 seconds left in the game hoping to score that game-winning Super Bowl touchdown!

James "Kimo" Rosen and Buffalo Bills Quarterback
Doug Flutie on the sidelines at Aloha stadium
for the 1998 Pro-Bowl

The moral of the story is, "if you live each day as if it’s your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." Steve Jobs

This blog appeared as an op-ed column in the 

07-07-22 edition of the Garden Island news!

https://www.thegardenisland.com/2022/07/07/opinion/voices-the-winter-of-the-two-minute-warning/

Hana Hou (Encore)