With a goodly number of television stations choosing to switch to digital this week, even with the official extension of mandatory switch until June, I wonder how many of the 5.8 million American households with analog-only TVs and no converter boxes will start occupying their evenings with things like reading and conversation....

Obviously, there are coupons for converter boxes (even if the waiting list is four million long), and there are Netflix and Blockbuster and the internet, but in today's economy, it might actually be possible that some people would rather go to the library or play boardgames with their family than spend more money to sit in front of the tube.

What a concept.