For some time now, it has been possible to imagine a moment when you will be able to watch whatever you want whenever you want in the setting of your choice. The handful of websites that now offer streaming or downloadable feature films offer a glimpse of what is to come.

One of the intriguing promises these websites hold is a kind of virtual cinematheque. The retrieval and preservation of film history has been a project of many decades, accelerated and democratized by the rise of the DVD, which has put hundreds of old films in easy reach of the multitudes. Now, with the Internet that extends the promise of comprehensiveness and universal accessibility, it is possible to expect that before too long the entire surviving history of movies will be open for browsing and sampling at the click of a mouse for a few dollars.

 Besides making the established home viewing habits a bit easier to indulge, the on-line viewing experience also makes possible the rise of on-line video as a form of first-run distribution. That is, as more and more movies that find their public not at the multiplex or the art house, but at your house, the tyranny of feature films will erode. It is nearly impossible for a film that runs less than 70 minutes to be booked into a theater by itself, or for, say, a 17-minute movie to be given a block of television time. But on-line screen time is more flexible and may thus reward filmmakers for brevity or at least economy of expression

   Katsushika Hokusai is a Japanese artist of the Edo period (1603-1868). Born in Edo, modern Tokyo, in 1760, he is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The series, made in the 1830s, depicted Mount Fuji from different locations and in different seasons. He created the series as a response to a domestic travel boom and as a part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. Under the Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic work of the series. Portraying water is not easy, but Hokusai captured its decisive moments. What enabled him to work in this way was his experience of residing in the Sumida area, with all its rivers and canals, and observing the flow of the Sumida River day by day.

   Hokusai was born in the Sumida district and lived there for almost 90 years. But he was never in one place for long. He found cleaning distasteful and allowed dirt and grime to build up in his studio. When the place became unbearable, he simply moved out. All told, the artist changed residences 93 times throughout his life.

   Constantly seeking to produce better works, Hokusai once commented: "All that I have done before 70 is not worth taking into account. At 75, I will have truly learned the pattern of nature, of animals, of trees and birds. At 80, I shall progress further. At 90, I shall penetrate the mystery of life itself. At 100 I shall be a marvelous artist. When I am 110, each dot and line will possess a life of its own." Hokusai, however, never got to see whether his prediction held true. He died at the age of 88. Prior to his death, he was said to have remarked: "If the son of heaven gives me just another five years, I will become a true artisan."

   During Hokusai's life, the Japanese government enforced isolationist policies to prevent foreigners from entering and citizens from leaving. When Japan opened its boarders in the 1850s, Hokusai's works crossed the ocean and influenced many Western artists such as Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gough, and Claude Monet. Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji are particularly famous overseas. The composer Debussy was influenced by Under the Wave off Kanagawa when he composed the symphonic works La Mer in 1905. The painter Henri Riviere was also inspired and created a series of lithographs called the Thirty-six Views of the Eiffle Tower. In 1999 Hokusai was the only Japanese person given a place in Life Magazine's "The 100 Most Important Events and People of the Past 100 Years."