Uncabled is back...on Teradome
In May of 2006, I threw away standard television and launched uncabled.info. Today, the writings of Uncabled return as part of teradome.com, thanks to the helpful folks in #drupal, who found a solution for importing the site into my regular blog here. (You might find that some post that point back into earlier Uncabled posts will break due to the move. I’ll do my best to update them as I find them.)
In case you missed the launch of Uncabled, I’ve republished the About/manifesto page that the site kicked off with after the break. The internet TV-focused site will return someday, in a newer, non-redundant, more useful form. But you’ll find my reviews and musings right here, on Teradome, where they belong.
Uncabled is a project to remove traditional television from my life.
Uncabled is an upgrade
One day, I woke up and realized I was watching more podcasts than broadcast TV. Not that I wasn’t surprised — The programs online were more intriguing. More impassioned. More dedicated. And much more real.
When the fake news feels more sincere than the real news, you know there’s a problem. The sensationalism and unreality of modern television was getting to me. And while I felt the urge to unplug, just as people often do, it wasn’t about losing the signal, it was about increasing the signal that mattered.
And that meant tapping into internet — watching these programs from other people who were as passionate about their interests as I was about mine.
Uncabled is a downgrade
It’s obvious this is a serious early-adopter path I’m setting on. The tools for getting internet-sourced video on the TV are awkward and rudimentary at best. At the worst, they are so mind-numbingly tedious to configure that you would rather just defenestrate the box entirely.
And let’s not forget — this is as far from HDTV as you can get. The prospect of regularly watching up-scaled video isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Uncabled is about freedom
Simply put: there is as much to watch as we all wish to contribute to the internet. This is unparalleled in the history of media. While there are still bandwidth bills to pay, the reality is that this will only improve. Even as people try to restrict the web, there are just as many businesses who know that keeping an open network will drive business to them.
If you forgive me the Star Wars quote, “the more you tighten your grip…the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” These systems will then go on to create news and entertainment shows that throw their middle fingers up in the face of the Empire and say “don’t forget that you need us more than we need you.”
Uncabled is about constraints
Simply put: there is as much to watch as we all wish to contribute to the internet. Right now, most of that are skate videos, teens singing into a webcam, and guys jumping off garage roofs into garbage cans.
There’s a lot of noise out there, but it’s a different kind. It’s not the kind that shouts “buy a hamburger” or “drink beer and get someone to screw you”, that’s for sure.
But there are strong signals, from those who understand what the next wave of broadcasting is about. All of this will be documented.
Uncabled is just a shift in focus
Consuming video is cheap when it is always on and available. When it is only accessible, you have a different story. More attention is needed. More decisions need to be made. It’s about actively choosing what you want to hear, and how focused or general that dialogue is.
Polish and style certainly helps, but love and dedication is what counts.
What is uncabled?
Uncabled is me, Noah Mittman, taking the hits of being an early-adopter, documenting the bumps, stumbles, and successes of this crazy new media so you don’t have to.
There’ll be much, much more. But this is only the beginning.
