Saturday, October 4, 2008

Changing Channels

TV is bad…I am now sitting here watching Columbo (give me some credit, the Hallmark channel just called it a “classic” one of two pilots that ‘cemented the shows status for 30 years’). Actually, I’m trying to find any show like CSI … Law & Order, Cold Case, even Diagnosis Murder (i.e. Dick van Dyke, 1993).

What is hilarious about these “older” episodes (1990s) is how unsophisticated the criminals were, and the police investigations! Or maybe it’s just that CSI is so advanced? I mean, in some of these, the criminals are not wearing gloves, they leave clues behind, etc. And the cops never seem to find it. But, in CSI, they can solve a murder from a miniscule trace of a jacket’s fabric.

Anyway, I figured this was a great time to post this link about “People Who Live Without TV”. (And, if you have kids, I really suggest reading the article.)

This was me for 6 years; and, in retrospect, it was nice. I’m sitting here wondering what I’d be doing without a TV right now. Granted, having a cold and having my whole body ache (wait, that’s the flu), I’d probably be watching a DVD on my laptop; but otherwise, I’d be reading, going for a walk, going through the piles of papers around my flat, emailing, and being otherwise productive.

I’m not sure what I’ll do in Paris – part of me says only basic TV, so then I’m forced to listen to the language but part of me says getting a full cable package would be good for days when I just want to listen to English.

Anyway – do you think you watch too much TV? If you didn’t have TV, what would you be doing this weekend instead?

(oh, p.s., in the article, I was not the “guy” interviewed in Boston! Although I wish I had met him!)

2 comments:

Howard said...

I obviously watch too much TV. I'd probably be reading otherwise. I count watching DVDs as watching TV.

Unknown said...

I was really proud that I haven't paid for cable in years, and have mainly just watched stuff on PBS with rabbit ears, but I'm more concerned with how much video is available on the internet now (and more is made available everyday). For example, I can watch full episodes of the Daily Show and Colbert Report now, but there's no way to fast forward through the ads that they play between segments, which is part a major reason why I don't have cable.

Simon works from home, so he is on the computer, but even when he takes a break, he reads news, or sports updates or watches some you tube video...all online. So, work and breaks all happen in front of the same screen... you get my point.

I guess I just really remember when no one had computers at home, nor would they want them there, since they were what you did work on. I wonder how we went from that to the point now where living without high-speed internet would be unthinkable, and are we better off for it?