Blast Off!

Well now we've done it.

What's that? What is it we've done?

We launched a TV network.

What are you doing right now?

Texting in to TXT-TV? Good to hear.

It makes me wonder what people were doing when they launched the first TV network. Like ever. That first black and white screen, with some sweaty guy reading the newspaper, occasionally looking up and wondering if anyone was watching, if the idea would take flight.
He probably thought it was going to fail. After all, they had radio, vaudeville and the 'talking picture' - who'd want a television?

Alexander Graham Bell had it easy. He called his assistant in the next room and asked him to come over. The assistant came over and they popped the cork - the telephone would change everything.

Guglielmo Marconi had it easy. All he had to do was send a quick message across the Atlantic by wireless - the old wireless, wireless radio - and he had the whole town of St-John's Newfoundland to help him out. Radio would change everything, and he knew that.

The Wright Brothers? For sure they had it easy. After spending several years building and repairing bicycles they figured they'd see if they could build an airplane. Sure people thought they were crazy, but the Wright Brothers knew - if it worked, they'd change everything - if it didn't work, only they would be changed, permanently.

And on that fateful day, Orville and Wilbur’s parents gave them this terrible advice:

“My sons, don’t sell the bike shop. When you’re done playing with your airplane toy, Mr. Nicholson’s Penny Farthing needs a tune up."

For those of you who’ve had your dreams crushed by old fashioned people, don’t give up.  For those of you not born in the 19th century, a penny farthing:

So here it is, we've gone live. Years of work and several months of really intense work have all led up to this day, and I wonder what the future holds.

True to form, some of the best answers come from the past. The first ever, experimental text message was sent in 1992, but it wasn't until 2000 that text message services were integrated into the cell-phone package. 10 long years ago, and a world of difference in those ten years. 

Now, texting is an entirely new mode of communication, with a new language, new expressions etc. New social issues we never had to consider before, like texting while driving (don't do it!) or sexting (do it!), or the fact that doctors now diagnose 'Blackberry Thumb,' have now surfaced. We all saw the pictures and read the text messages of Iranian youth, protesting in the streets of Tehran last year, and high-society has caught on to; we've got texting etiquette (textiquette?) now.

On that note, a couple of rules from Emily Post:

• CAPSLOCK means you're shouting, please use your indoor texting voice.
• Keep it brief, i.e., if its longer than 140 characters, call the person instead.

I guess there's still plenty to worry about, but it seems like we all took a collective sigh of relief today. Everything's going smoothly. Problems and hiccups are being dealt with, not freaked out upon. The big TV in the middle of the office is like the window into the newborn ward at the hospital, a collection of new parents wander by to see how their kid is doing. Each time they pass and see everything's alright, they let the sleep deprivation get to their heads.

Everyone gets a little giddy.

When I was a kid I used to get giddy watching the Space Shuttle take off. I still do.

I feel the same way now.

I wonder if this means I can play astronaut after work?