I really enjoy watching NOVA on Amazon Video, but I've noticed changes in recent months. What was suddenly free suddenly cost $1.99 per episode. My guess is PBS wanted more membership money and is encouraging people to stream its shows on its website after obtaining a login from a donation and began to tighten its distribution to other outlets.

Every now and then I see a comment in the news or on a blog post expressing surprise that people actually buy DVDs. The thing is, I still prefer owning a physical item. Part of it is me being old and set in my ways, but there's something about having it. It's mine. And it's not subject to the whims of corporate deals. I can't watch certain episodes of NOVA anymore and there's nothing I can do about it... unless I went out and bought a DVD.

This feeling extends a bit to digital ownership as well. I have a book lying on the table next to the keyboard I'm currently typing on. If I want, I can head down to Strand or Book Off and sell it. Or put it up on eBay, Abebooks, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble and sell it there. Or if I find it interesting, I can lend it to a friend to read. Nothing is stopping me. But if I bought it digitally, it'd be impossible. I'm no longer in control of something I own. A company has just as much sovereignty over my belonging as I do.

There are benefits to digital items, don't get me wrong. Even with my huge room, I am running out of space for games and manga. It's so much easier to carry one tablet than lug a bag full of books around. But being able to do whatever I want with my stuff is what appeals to me the most. I don't know if Steam or Amazon will be around forty years from now, but at least I can say this game or book will still be in my shelf.

Yeah, yeah, I know for digital books you can extract the .epub file. But some apps won't read it without the proper licensing.

I also recognize many of the discs will probably stop functioning in twenty years, but I still feel that doesn't negate my point that the company I share ownership with may go bankrupt.