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					The Professor
	1.4.05
		Technology & Revolution (or Why Granger is Wrong and I am Right) He said it himself: John Granger is a sucker. Unfortunately, he doesn?t yet know how. In this brief piece, I?ve taken it upon myself to enlighten him. John Granger is wrong, wrong, wrong. With regard to the TiVO (or TIvO, or tIVO, whatever) issue, he could not be more wrongheaded in his glowing assessment of the latest addition to the Granger Entertainment Superstructure. Not only is he wrong on the merits of his argument; he is wrong by process of elimination, which leaves only one greatest electronic contraption in the United States today: Satellite Radio. Granger?s love affair with TiVO is borne of a slow, steady progression towards on-demand programming: The VCR is on the skids in his life, because TiVO is able not only to record/save/copy what he wants to watch (and commercial-free), when he wants to watch it, but it?s also able to anticipate what he might like to watch without being asked. Among other things, this extension creates a much more efficient TV-watching experience and saves him the hassle of having to call in sick when he stays up late watching Welcome Back, Kotter. Now, this extension to the home-video system is obviously impressive, but it leaves open a few questions in my mind. First, what kind of a VCR does Granger have that doesn?t allow him to schedule a recording of those shows that he can?t watch due to time or work constraints? If he really wants to balance Welcome Back, Kotter and his job, can?t he just set the timer? Second, what is so unbearable about having to fast-forward through commercials that have been recorded through the traditional VCR method? Is that really such an onerous task? Finally, and most importantly, what is the real benefit to having a gussied-up video recorder that tapes a show ?just in case I want to check it out?? This may be the first time I?ve heard of a product whose ultimate success depends on the promise of a guess ? and not a very good one, at that. Given the number of programming commercials on television today, never mind the plethora of TV guides that are available in newspapers and on newsstands, how likely is it that I will miss a television program that I had a categorical need to watch? No, no, no. That?s not a selling-point; that?s a plastic Easter egg: the promise of a possibility inside. Failing to buy into that doesn?t make me a moron; it makes me a discerning consumer ? one who knows a truly great innovation when he sees it: Satellite Radio is one such innovation. Like TiVO, it improves on an antiquated technology, but it does so in a much more substantial and thoroughgoing way. It doesn?t just let me fast-forward through commercials; it gets rid of them altogether. It doesn?t just give me what I want; it expands on what I want by offering more genres, more bands, and more songs than I could ever have hoped to be aware of before. And it doesn?t just augment my entertainment offerings in a single context; it enriches my life at home, in my car, and at work. It is the complete upgrade. TiVO may seem like a great gadget, but it?s nothing compared to satellite radio, both in terms of TiVO?s limitations as an innovation it itself and in terms of its shortcomings to satellite radio. It?s difficult for me to challenge Granger in such a brazen manner, but sometimes the truth is most detectable when it is unalloyed.
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