text

I remember back in the 90s when using Windows 3.1 and “multimedia” meant sound and graphics. Now, with substantial upgrades, that definition has changed. Just about everything today that categorizes a “multimedia experience” is video and audio — but not those 200kb WAVs you used to play (and complained that they were taking up too much space on your 1GB hard drive). Our online world has changed in the last decade to something much greater: online television and radio — and then some.

I am the kind of girl who likes novelty: AOL was a favorite of mine when Tom Clancy chatted in the Lobby among normal people (the service cost $5.95/hour back then). I had my father buy a 2GB hard drive for nearly $400 back in the day to store more .wav files. I caught onto MP3s before the Napster era. I enjoyed online video — about two years ago.

Suffice to say, except for MP3s on an occasional basis, I’m really not using the computer anymore for these intensive multimedia experiences. When I was into video, I’d only watch a small percentage on-demand; the others, I’d save on my computer with the intention to “watch later.” Later still hasn’t come.