One of the good news/bad news realities of adopting a new technology is that you lose tolerance for the old way of life.

When VCRs came out in the 1980s, I grew accustomed to fast-forwarding through commercials, and found myself more frustrated than ever when watching live TV. In addition, the ease with which we could videotape our own events made it essential to capture every significant moment of our children's lives for instant replay. My husband's memories of significant concerts, performances and athletic events are black and white and very small.

Now that I'm addicted to my digital video recorder, however, I'm finding there's an even more insidious effect on me, as a frequent user of the rewind function. I love the fact that if I miss anything, whether recorded or live, I can simply push a button and see it again.

The problem is, as I listen to the radio, to a public speaker and even, I must confess, to personal conversations, I keep reaching for a non-existent rewind button. (Of course, this never EVER happens in interviews because I am always hanging on every word.)

And there's the rub--DVR use is training me to be less attentive, long before the world comes with a built-in record function.

I shutter to think what a generation of DVR use will do.

Excuse me, could you repeat that?

E-mail me at CWilson3@prismb2b.com.