Between continuous and discontinuous lies a spectrum of demands for change. TV dinners, unlike microwave dinners, did not require the purchase of a new oven, but they did require the purchase of more freezer space. Color-TV programming did not, like VCRs, require investing in and mastering a new technology, but they did require buying a new TV and learning more about tuning and antennas than many of us wanted to learn. The special washing instructions for certain fabrics, the special street lanes reserved for bicycle riders, the special dialing instructions for calling overseas—all represent
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