I don’t know about you but network TV just seems to be getting worse and worse, especially during these summer months. Everyone says network TV demise is imminent now so maybe this is the first signs. Yeah, there are still some quality shows around but for the most part it is getting junkier by the month. And those that are of a decent quality are in their six-month summer hiatus.

It seems that almost all the commercials are now lawyers wanting to get you to join in on their class action lawsuits on just about everything. The car show channel that I watch with some regularity seems to think that everyone needs an extra boost of testosterone. Most of the rest are mostly for things that I have no interest in, even if I somehow grew a tolerance to commercials.

Maybe I am just tired of fast-forwarding my DVR through the commercials when I can pay less for the streaming versions that have none. I would have cut the cord months ago if it were not for my wife and her obsession with cop shows like Chicago PD, SVU, and Law and Order. She lives on these programs several hours a day. I am losing my tolerance for all the violence of that genre of shows have, so I seldom watch any of that with her. I am nudging her ever so stealthily into streaming. Now that I figured out a way to get at least a minimum speed Internet signal, that has become a possibility.

My AT&T DSL connection that I pay $50 per month for runs at about 1Mpbs and goes out multiple times every hour is just too slow for streaming. So, now I am using two cell phones with Consumer Cellular to be able to connect with my iPhones hotspots. That is expensive but at least it gives me enough bandwidth for my current needs. But at last, I am very optimistic that before this year is over I will get an Internet connection about a hundred times faster and more reliable than AT&T. SpaceX’s Starlink is coming to us in the northern States as soon as this fall. I have been waiting for an alternative to my current snail pace for six years now. Everyone promises that they are coming to us in the rural areas but only Elon Musk seems to be keeping that promise. They, like Amazon, promise extraordinary service at reasonable prices.

I love the à la carte mode of streaming. I can choose what I want instead of having a “bundle” forced on me. I know that a significant portion of my DirecTV payments go to televising sporting event of which I watch none.