Taping TV shows has become a habit for me; I never watch anything live anymore. I use the word “taping,” but of course I use a DVR, and I should say I “record” TV shows. Compared to the bad old days (10 years ago), when I had to program my VCR to the time and the day I wanted to record a show, the DVR makes it so simple. Click on the program you want to record and, presto chango, you’re set. No mess, no fuss. And with the simple press of a button, the DVR jumps ahead 30 seconds so I no longer have to sit through commercials for medicines that will cure diseases I don’t have. Yet.

By skipping commercials, I can watch the evening news in 22 minutes – usually less because I also skip through the heartwarming stories at the end of each broadcast. I’m not against heartwarming stories, but that’s not why I’m watching the news. If I wanted to watch heartwarming, uplifting, human-interest stories, I would watch a show called “Heartwarming, Uplifting, Human-Interest Stories,” not one called “The Evening News.”

I used to think I would spend the time I saved watching commercials to clean the house or write the great American novel, but it turns out I really use it to watch more TV. I can zip through “So You Think You Can Dance” and “The Voice” in half the time it would take to watch them live.