When I was a kid in the 70's in Newcastle nobody had cable or satellite TV and wouldn't really start getting hooked up until the late 80's. But on the council estate where my grandmother lived, they had something called Rediffusion. What this meant was that you had a dial on your wall, like this: 
 

 
And that was your "remote." This was back in the days before everyone had a remote, so it seemed quite luxurious to be able to reach over to the wall to change channels instead of having to walk over to the TV. Of course if your sofa wasn't anywhere near the wall, it was six and two threes. I don't think all the positions on the dial were TV - some of them were radio stations. I certainly don't remember my gran having any more than the 3 terrestrial TV stations available by antenna at the time. It was basically the same crap everyone else got but through a wire and hence better signal quality. I guess back then, not having to adjust an aerial was considered luxury. 
 
But yeah, visits to granny's house were like stepping into the future because of that TV dial on the wall, how sad 
 

I have a company where they offer very low rates for new subscribers too.  I did what a friend suggested...and which he did also.  You just call them up and tell them you're canceling because the rates are too high.  They cut ours in half immediately for the next year. Down under $100/month for basic cable, land line phone and internet.

sharke

jimusic
I wish Google hadn't purchased Youtube, because their ads and pop-ups are equally annoying.
At least with the small ones on the actual video display, they can be clicked off with the 'x' in the corner once the clip starts.
 

 
Just install AdBlocker to your browser, video ads will become a thing of the past. 
 

Thanks for the reminder there Sharke.
 
I think I did that once before, but IIRC it didn't work for YouTube videos.
But I'm not really sure, so I'll have to try it again.
 

I'm currently trying out this one: Adblock for Youtube. It's a Chrome extension.
 
It seems to be working, although I'm still wondering how it can tell an ad from normal content. I mean, most of the videos related to music software are in fact ads. Even the ones I might intentionally seek out and recommend.
 
 

mixmkr
I have a company where they offer very low rates for new subscribers too.  I did what a friend suggested...and which he did also.  You just call them up and tell them you're canceling because the rates are too high.  They cut ours in half immediately for the next year. Down under $100/month for basic cable, land line phone and internet.

Hi mixmkr-


I think I'll try that, since I rent and can't install an antenna.
 
Thanks-
 
-Susan

Susan, if you live in an urban area you can get plenty of channels with a small antenna that requires no permanent installation or holes through the wall.
 
Mine is a little square piece of plastic that I simply set on the windowsill. It cost $39. There are both passive and active (amplified) versions, but in the city the passive ones actually do better. I get 18 channels with it, including all four of the local network affiliates so I can watch the news on Fox and then switch over to NBC to find out what really happened. 

My antennae sits on my balcony and I can point it in different directions to get different channels. I get all the national broadcasters and PBS for my daily info and Netflix for the movies and shows. The signal from the airwaves is much better than any cable signal I've had and allows for some fun. I don't know if it's a built in time delay or just the nature of cable but I get my signal faster than my buddy on cable. We both watch hockey and I see the events about 5-10 seconds before he does. If only I could monetize that slight advantage. 

bitflipper
Susan, if you live in an urban area you can get plenty of channels with a small antenna that requires no permanent installation or holes through the wall.
 
Mine is a little square piece of plastic that I simply set on the windowsill. It cost $39. There are both passive and active (amplified) versions, but in the city the passive ones actually do better. I get 18 channels with it, including all four of the local network affiliates so I can watch the news on Fox and then switch over to NBC to find out what really happened. 

Hi Dave-
 
That's good to know. This is a distinctly non-urban area ;), but maybe I'll try an amplified version. My only experience with antennas since the old rabbit ears type is the little wire attached to clock radios which basically do nothing. 

I can watch the news on Fox and then switch over to NBC to find out what really happened.

 
Thanks-
 
-Susan

bitflipper
...so I can watch the news on Fox and then switch over to NBC to find out what really happened... 

Hahaha!  I love it! 

For my fellow Canadians, [and of course, others], I found a site with lot's of info about all these things and much more.
It primarily caters to the entire Canadian TV, Phone and Internet industry, and where it's heading, including over the air, free from the air, satellites, internet TV, ISPs, etc. but there is some info that pertains to the US as well.
 
There's much to learn and I've been reading there for about a week now on this and other related subjects.
 
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/