As someone who’s life has been utterly devoid of cable, I probably appreciate Netflix on a grander scale than others. However, I do believe that it is a truly fantastic opportunity that all households should embrace. For those of you who don’t know, Netflix is a company that provides on-demand access to movies and television shows. Thousands of titles are available, all for the surprisingly low price of $7.99 a month.

The internet streaming business, with Netflix leading the way, has single-handedly made video rental stores obsolete. Block buster, who used to be king, is shutting down hundreds of their stores. Many believe that soon even cable will begin to go into decline. All the while Netflix is growing every day. In fact they just made a deal with Time Warner and now have many of the best Cartoon Network shows available. If other companies aren’t willing to adapt to the changing times like Time Warner has, they may find themselves in deep trouble before the end of the year.

In a way, I think that my situation foreshadows how the world will be in the near future.  Many are shocked that I have Netflix instead of cable, which exists in almost every American home. In ten years, I believe that the rise of internet streaming will finally be complete, and cable will be placed in the same category as Atari, VHS tapes, and portable CD players.