Why I don't have cable

When I moved to Fullerton four years ago my roommate and I decided not to get cable because #1 we didn't have excess money to spend at the time, and #2 we didn't have time because of college. I am not one of those that is against TV, on the contrary, my degree is in TV & Film. There are some good shows, but most stuff out there is crap, so I am quite discerning. During that time I found alternative methods of getting media content that is either cheap or free.

1. Podcasts (free) - There are so many audio & video podcasts to cover nearly every nitch market you are bound to find something you like. I find these more entertaining than many cable shows. Use either the Zune software or iTunes to get audio & video podcasts. These sync with my Zune and I now have mobile entertainment.
   
2. Netflix (<$10 a month) - One DVD movie out at a time is more than enough for me and the ability to watch movies online is very convenient. Renting movies makes even more sense now that Blu-ray has won and I don't want to purchase my DVD collection all over again, not to mention it takes up so much space. I may never buy a DVD again.
   
3. Over the air HDTV (~$100 initial investment, free after that) - Most people are unaware that you can get all major networks in HDTV quality even better than digital cable or satellite over the air for free. Often cable or satellite charge you a monthly premium for local channels or HDTV, and you have to buy/rent their HDTV box as well. For over the air HDTV, you just need a over the air HDTV tuner, which you can get as a set top box or tuner card for your PC. Throw out your past experiences with over the air TV, digital over the air TV looks and sounds great! Analog TV will be gone in a year so start investing in digital HDTV. Also, if you have Windows Media Center (built into Vista Home Premium or Ultimate) with a HDTV tuner card, you use your computer as a digital video recorder that arguably works just a good as TiVo with no monthly fees. If you have a Windows Media Extender such as a Xbox 360, you can view all content recorded on your PC and live HDTV from your living room. Even the few hundred dollars invested in over the air HDTV will save you thousands over cable in the long run
4. Other methods (free) - Most major network give you the ability to watch their full shows online on-demand, and often with little or no commercials. Then there is Joost.com and the upcoming Hulu.com. Online on-demand is the future of television.

The biggest reason I don't have cable is I just don't have time for it. It is a huge time waster and I would rather put that time towards family, friends and self-improvement. But I do like to be informed and entertained now and then, and it just does not make sense to pay up to $100 a month for cable or satellite. Have you ditched cable or are thinking about it? How do you get your content?

When reporting the news becomes biased

Since when do newspapers such as The LA Times and The San Francisco Chronicle officially endorse candidates such as McCain and Obama? I thought newspapers were responsible to report the news and be unbiased eyes and ears for the nation, or I am just living in fantasyland? This just furthers my case that everything, yes everything, is biased. When newspapers officially endorse candidates, this just makes it officially biased. So much for democracy.