I was thinking about something earlier today, in preparation for seeing the new Willy Wonka picture tomorrow. Where are all the great authors I remember as a child? I've read almost every Roald Dahl book, and they were all incredible. The same with authors like Asimov, Stephen King, and Philip K. Dick. I read so many books when I was younger - I devoured them.

I would find an author I liked, and get every book I could. The same with music. I liked one Barenaked Ladies album, so I bought the rest. I liked one Ben Harper album, so I bought the rest, and so on. It was great to find myself suddenly immersed in so much new stuff - be it books, or music, or even movies. But it was too much too fast. What was I to do when I read all the books by a particular author, or had heard all the albums from a particular artist?

I found myself in a strange realization - There was a finite amount of new material, and eventually I could find myself having exhausted all of a given source. Like overfarming a parcel of land, I wasn't spreading myself out enough. I started reading the various Star Wars novels set before and after the movies. There were dozens of books. And, in the span of several years, I read them all. I got used to reading so many of them one after the other; that, I felt let down when I picked up the newest book, read it in just a few days, and then had to wait months for the next book. It was a strange feeling.

I am going through the same now, with tv shows like 24 and Lost. It is great to be able to watch so much of these shows, especially in a row. I know that I am experiencing them differently than a first time watcher. I don't have to wait a week for the next episode. But, as I ravenously watch my way through the 4 seasons of this show, I can't help but know that the end of the latest season is coming up soon. This 'on-demand' media craze of late, has me leaning in two directions.

Being able to access and entire season's worth of tv at my leisure seems to fly in the face of the current tv programming paradigm. Why wait each week for a new episode, and have to schedule myself around a tv schedule at all? With Tivo, DVD collections, and the internet, I make my own tv programming. I know I'm not the only person who skips live tv in favor of watching shows on my time. It would seem that the current 'on-demand' culture would almost spell the death of innovation in media and the arts. The movie industry is definitely hurting, with reports of sales drops at theatres all over fro months on end now. Big-name blockbuster movies can't even seem to prop the industry up. And, the new fad of having almost 10 minutes of commercials followed by a similar amount of previews doesn't make it any better.

For myself, I see it as a slap in the face. I already paid for a ticket (which has gotten pretty expensive as it is), but even so I have to sit through ads so the studios can make even more money. No wonder, people don't go to the movies anymore. The fact that the studios are releasing movies onto DVD only months after theatre release doesn't help either. Every change the studios enact to better the situation, only seems to be another nail in the coffin, as it were. But, even with all this, I don't think it's the end of creation in media. I just think the middleman is about to be cut out.

I think the pilot of the new show Global Frequency is an excellent example, The show has never aired on tv, and yet still has a large following. Why do we need tv studios airing content 24/7, when we can get it ourselves. Instead of shooting individual episodes for weekly airing, maybe studios will instead shoot several at a time for immediate release onto DVD or digital release straight to the consumer. The home experience for movies is oftentimes more compelling than the theater too. With people owning flat-panel plasma displays in excess of 50 inches for less than 5 grand, why even bother with the movies? Throw in a theater-style popcorn maker, and a distinct lack of forced ads, and your own home could beat a movie theater any day.

Our IPODs let us choose our own music, and the order (or lack thereof) in which we listen to it. The internet changes the way we get our news and information. And DVD has changed the way we watch tv shows and movies. I love it. I love being in control of my media, and can only imagine what great things are coming next.

Sorry to all of you - I didn't really have a point when I started this post, and I'm not sure I found one by the end either. Oh well, I guess there's always tomorrow's post . . .