All Day Wednesday

Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction March 1963. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
Practically everybody would agree that this is Utopia....
rnie turned the dial on his television. The station he had selected brightened and the face of the set turned from dark to blue. Ernie sipped his can of beer. He was alone in the room, and it was night.
The picture steadied and Jory looked out of the set at him. Jory's face was tired. He looked bad.
Hello, Ernie, Jory said.
Ernie turned the dial to the next station.
Hello, Ernie, the face of Jory said.
At the next spot on the dial: Hello, Ernie. The next: Hello, Ernie.
There were five stations that Ernie's set was able to receive. When the fifth station said Hello, Ernie, and Jory's tired face looked out at him, Ernie shrugged, took another sip from his can of beer and sat down to watch the set.
That happened Wednesday night. Wednesday morning began like this:
Ernie woke feeling bored. It seemed he was always bored these days. An empty can of beer and a crumpled pack of cigarettes rested on top of the dead television. All he did nights was watch TV.