11:19 AM
This story reveals exactly the leading item in the "Cons" category when I consider getting a TiVo.

"It's a fine line between where consumers might get frightened 'Are they getting watched?' versus TiVo and others wanting to make our viewing experiences better and more tailored to our interests," said Greg Ireland, an industry analyst with the Gartner Group market research firm.

I'm sure there are a lot of paranoids out there, but as far as I'm personally concerned, the above quote has it precisely backwards. I don't care if they're watching; somebody's always watching, and I don't do anything in my life that would cause me more than minor temporary embarassment were it to be broadcast on the Jumbotron in Times Square. My problem is with what marketing companies seem to take for granted: that I would want a viewing experience more tailored to my interests.

I enjoy finding what interests me myself, thank you. When it comes to media streams, it's only the serendipity of turning channels, wandering the library, reading collections of strange links like Memepool, and doing random Google searches that allow me to find new interests, to broaden myself rather than crawling into a nice, narrow, easily-advertised-to niche.

Besides, I think that Nielsen families at least get paid for their information...