You no longer purchase physical music. You download it.
You can now download movies in hi-def.
TV is on HULU.
You can download and play games on computers, X Box, PS3, and Wii.
Solid state computers cost 1/3 of the price by asking; who needs a hard drive?
google word, email, flickr, last.fm, pandora, etc.
Live in a city- Carshare, Zip Car, etc.
Want the latest luxury purse? Rent it.
We should be a post ownership society. We are in many regards.
According to Richard Florida in the latest Atlantic, the cities of the now and near future are no longer those that have the resource infrastructure, but those that appeal to lifestyle.
So, SF, Miami, LA, and NYC make the cut, but so do Portland, Austin, Minneapolis and Vancouver.
But while the 'creative class' is shifting and jumbling together in these regions, trading in the last vestiges of the 50's american dream- the dream of ownership- for the creative hive and sheer aesthetic value of the landscape around them- most of america is less transitory than it has been in decades.
this is over reported and under stood.
what it really comes down to is a nation of complacency. A nation that can be at war with two countries and feel no pangs, a nation that has every conceivable food option mere minutes away. really, a great nation, but one that has not needed to strive for more for too long. its lonely at the top, but its also unmotivating. and it has been this way for nearly two generations now.
all of it just makes me itch to see more of the world. to trade in physical roots for digital ones. its knee jerk certainly, but its also a throw back- nomadic- hunter gatherer and all that jazz- and its about time. about time we went back to taking care to imbibe experiences and share them with others, to see things from different angles and preconceived notions. to bump into other peoples ideas. to make a mess.
