A lot of people now believe that physical media (such as CDs and DVDs/BDs) have gone the way of the dinosaur.  This fiction is being promoted by some huge corporate media megaliths that want you to get rid of anything you have in the way of physical media and just sign up for subscription services that you'll pay for for the rest of your life.

Anything that is not available via some kind of streaming or online access could just as well not exist for a lot of people. 

The article on the Collinsport Historical Society about some selected DS DVD sets being streamed by public libraries via a protocol called HOOPLA was interesting.  Part of the problem with this is that a lot of the people who think physical media went out the window circa 2005 also think that public libraries are on the way into the dustbin of history. Most don't even know where their local library is or how to go about getting a library card (I imagine you can do it online now but I don't know--I'm sure it varies in different states and systems).

As a librarian who works in technical services, which involves acquiring and cataloguing resources, the attitudes and trends that the top leaders in the profession are focusing on are extremely frustrating.  In all fairness, those of us involved in "information management" or "metadata management" (just plain old librarianship no longer exists) are constantly bombarded with requests to learn about the hot new platform/protocol/service/space what have you... everything to do with information and media is now relentlessly driven by non-stop innovation because it's all about making people upgrade to the latest, shiniest new product.  The top people have to manage all this and try to plan for a future where we're constantly being given new information about what libraries will look like and what kind of services we will be expected to provide.

Sorry for the digression.  As I said, I thank God Herself I own the DS DVDs!

G.

There was a story posted on a couple of DS book of face groups a few days ago, I think originating from the Collinsport History Museum site, stating that all or nearly all of the DS episodes on Hulu were going to be pulled.

Feeling so grateful for my DVDs whenever I read such things.  Nice to know that a lot of the shows are on Daily Motion, too.

G.

Oh yes MB you're right about PBS in the 70s.  Point taken!  The first time I ever saw two men kiss was on a UK production of Marlowe's play Edward II, starring Ian McKellen, which was shown on PBS sometime around 1974 or 1975, I believe.  There was no reaction in the press at all because nobody in Washington bothered to watch PBS--and the church groups paid no attention, either.  Times have certainly changed.

I think when you wrote Caligula, you meant I, Claudius.  It's certainly amusing to contemplate what public reaction, if any, there might have been had the Malcolm McDowell Caligula aired on PBS, circa 1978...  I remember being surprised at how nonchalantly the actress playing Messalina sat up in bed bare-breasted in one scene.

G.

Golly, MB--knowing how tight your schedule usually is, I'm impressed!

I started "Mr. Nightingale" earlier this evening but despite a very strong beginning (featuring Jeremy Brett in fabulously fantastical old age makeup), had to give it up.  I'm now watching "Night of the Marionettes" with Gordon Jackson (from UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS) and Vladek Sheybal (from UFO) and it's a much stronger, more effective story.

Glad you enjoyed the shows!  There is no arc so I do not think one should bother to watch in order...

G.

MB there is a distinctive facet to Parker's work in this that I can't reveal without it being a major spoiler.

I think you will like it a lot if you do watch. 

G.

That's a really good episode.  Nina Foch is in it as well.

G.

Hi folks, Last weekend, I had to telephone a friend who recently retired, and he surprised me by telling me he started watching DS on Youtube. He got up to around episode 70 and I think either the episodes switched to for-pay or there was one episode that he couldn't access--I couldn't really understand what he was telling me about it.

This made me wonder whether DS is on HuluPlus, Netflicks or other web content services currently.  Does anyone have current info?

It's hard to google this kind of thing because there are so many sites around with outdated information--and just so many DS websites, period.

Best, G.