Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

So you have managed to not pay attention to any of the notices that today is the day that the digital transition is in full effect and old analog televisions cannot receive over-the-air signals without a converter box.  What can you do if you’ve been affected?  Well if you didn’t pay attention to all the news, then clearly you don’t care about television.  So how about some suggestions what to do with all your free time? 

Forget about new programming.

Just because your television doesn’t get video over-the-air doesn’t mean it can’t receive a signal any more.  Attach a video game system, a DVD player, or maybe a Netflix player or something and you’ve still got content.  Your television may not be able to get new content, but it doesn’t mean that your television is dead.

Read something.

Maybe you don’t even want to touch that television.  Why not read something?  If you want to feel high tech while reading, you could pick up an Amazon Kindle (check out our review here).  High tech or low tech, you could revive that imagination of yours that has laid dormant since the days that you played with Legos. 

Go outside.

A lot of these digital signals will have high definition video.  The consumer electronics industry says that the next big thing is 3D.  The video game manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft say that you can really enjoy the game if you can interact with them more naturally. 

Here’s a crazy idea: Go outside and play a sport.  The resolution is better than high definition.  It’s already in 3D and you don’t need any special glasses unless you choose to wear them.  Instead of calibrating a fancy camera based motion controller, calibrate your legs to kick a ball.  No need for some fancy “motion plus whatever” to shoot a basket.  Get a basketball. 

Embrace change.

Sure these things may be scary and different, but change can be good.  If you need that television fix, there’s always online video sites out there.