NationStates Jolt Archive

this may sound like a silly question to some, and perhapse retarded to others, but i am a wee bit puzzled:

why would anyone who has unlimited access to the internet in the comfort and privacy of their own room and home, ever want to watch the kind of braindead propigandizing that passess for entertainment on television?

maybe i've stated that in to biased a mannor.

or sub media websites for that matter?

of course i don't have cable
but then i don't have broadband either

oh here's another one, maybe i ought to make it a poll:
if you could only have cable OR broadband
which would you choose
and if you feel like expanding on that:
why?

=^^=
.../\...

Don't look at me, the only time I watch TV is when I use it to watch a DVD.

Even in the US I rarely watched it once I got out of high school.

Broadband because all of my lectures go online. I wouldn't be able to be as hungover so often if it wasn't for that.

Television doesn't require a good connection to the intertubes or a decent media player.

Movies. History Channel, etc.

I'm not going to spend hours downloading that stuff only to watch it on this old jalopy of a laptop. But I do get all my news online, which spares me the agony of Infotainment(!).

I do only have broadband ;p

I have watched maybe an hour of TV in the last two weeks.
On the other hand, I'm not really using Broadband.
NSG would work fine on a 4800 baud modem.
It would be called a bulletin board.
It wouldn't have stinking animated smilies.
It would have private tells.

I honestly don't know. I love my broadband, but I don't really seem to use it.
(Got a bandwidth meter in the menu bar, it's almost always blank.)

NEITHER!

Free telephony for every citizen.
Free 52k internet for every citizen.

OF EARTH.

Oh, and yay the One Laptop Per Child. Where do I pay?
I want to buy some random child a wireless laptop which never needs mains power. Hell, I'll buy ten of them, if it ever happens.

_)^(_
~/\~
..|x|..

I rarely watch the tele, and i always use 90% or so of available bandwidth so i would choose broadband. Being a student it is handy to get lecture notes off teh interweb aswell :D

My brain has revolted against TV a long time ago. The withdrawal period is a lot easier than you could think. (easier than cigs :p)

Yay Max.
The little eye.
Data fossicker.
Private spy.

Broadband.
I don't even own a T.V at uni. When I'm back home we gots sky and I probably watch about an hour a week and usually its just music channels when I'm doing something. I watch programmes I like on teh internet!

It's incredibly boring to just sit there and stare at something. Computer games are way more fun.

And even if sitting there and stare is enough challenge for you you're better off getting the videos from the net so you can watch anything you want any time you like and without commercial breaks... but with poor image quality on a small screen. If only there was legal full quality downloads/streams, enough bandwidth for that and better TV-out cables.

Battlestar Galactica


...when it's on...

:headbang:

With the amount of television programing out there it seems more of a failure of the audience rather than the medium if someone can't find anything to engage with. It rather seems like an admission that you lack the ability to be an active viewer.

But whatever. Pat yourselves on the back for your limitations.

It's incredibly boring to just sit there and stare at something. Computer games are way more fun.

And even if sitting there and stare is enough challenge for you you're better off getting the videos from the net so you can watch anything you want any time you like and without commercial breaks... but with poor image quality on a small screen. If only there was legal full quality downloads/streams, enough bandwidth for that and better TV-out cables.

You missed my earlier post.
It's about the information. Take the free stuff, fuck the copyright, fuck the quality. You get the message, and the quality is eye-candy.

You missed my earlier post.
It's about the information. Take the free stuff, fuck the copyright, fuck the quality. You get the message, and the quality is eye-candy.

But my eyes like candy.

With the amount of television programing out there it seems more of a failure of the audience rather than the medium if someone can't find anything to engage with. It rather seems like an admission that you lack the ability to be an active viewer.

But whatever. Pat yourselves on the back for your limitations.

OOh, hello. Want some, do you?

Let's start with: "What is an active viewer?"

"You have had too much to drink. Go to bed." is an acceptable answer. ;)

I only really watch the basic channels anyway (excluding channel 5 and ITV which are terrible)

wouldn't they get all sticky :confused:

That's what eye washers are for.

But my eyes like candy.

wouldn't they get all sticky :confused:

OOh, hello. Want some, do you?

Let's start with: "What is an active viewer?"

"You have had too much to drink. Go to bed." is an acceptable answer. ;)
An active viewer is someone who engages with what they watch rather than simply having it happen in front of you.

And "want some, do you?" What are you, a cartoon?

Theres more than just the stupid entertainment channels you know? My tv rarely strays from the Discovery/History channels. (And when it does it's because I reeeeally want to watch Stargate on Sky One :P)

Having said that I'd pick broadband. Because then I can just download the shows I want to watch ;)

Cut my eyes like candy.

How can you be sure what your eyes like? There's a bit of hostile territory between them and the visual cortex ...

Yes, this is a rather dumbass delaying tactic to try to engage CTOAN instead ... : )

An active viewer is someone who engages with what they watch rather than simply having it happen in front of you.

And "want some, do you?" What are you, a cartoon?

I despise cars. Call me a toon.

So an active viewer is the inanimate object NEXT TO the houseplant?

*...*
Having said that I'd pick broadband. Because then I can just download the shows I want to watch ;)

At the moment, it's 24 for broadband, and 1 (ONE!) for cable.
Most one-sided poll of all time? We shall see ...

I despise cars. Call me a toon.

So an active viewer is the inanimate object NEXT TO the houseplant?

AAaaaaannd we're done.

AAaaaaannd we're done.

Not quite.

I had this "EEeeeeeend of this conversation" finesse pulled on me yesterday.
By Il Ruffino.

Why are we done?

Do you mean you are done?

I can get my news and entertainment in a for more customized manner in my comp. So much so that I don't even own a TV.

... but I have cable internet..

Not quite.

I had this "EEeeeeeend of this conversation" finesse pulled on me yesterday.
By Il Ruffino.

Why are we done?

Do you mean you are done?

I mean that I'm not going to bother with someone whose best effort is what you provided. You essentially proved my analysis of you as a viewer with your limited response that not only demonstrated an inability to understand what was said but a lack of actual commentary of any substance on your own.

You can masturbate all you want, I don't have to watch it.

Theres more than just the stupid entertainment channels you know? My tv rarely strays from the Discovery/History channels.

ooh fun I can watch WWII again and again :p

seriously why does the history channel bother having war months, its not like they can cram any more in

*snip bitter stuff ctoan will regret*

You can masturbate all you want, I don't have to watch it.

You don't like me. You aren't the only one.

But in fact you will ...
Watch me masturbate.
Or ignore me. And be ignorant.

Or leave for greener pastures.

Or debate me now, barbs and all. Bring it!
What was your point?

"THERE ARE ACTIVE VIEWERS, THEREFOR ..."

You don't like me. You aren't the only one.

But in fact you will ...
Watch me masturbate.
Or ignore me. And be ignorant.

Or leave for greener pastures.

Or debate me now, barbs and all. Bring it!
What was your point?

"THERE ARE ACTIVE VIEWERS, THEREFOR ..."
When your debate starts, let me know.

ooh fun I can watch WWII again and again :p

seriously why does the history channel bother having war months, its not like they can cram any more in
Well it's better than whatever crap E4 has decided is cool this month :p

When your debate starts, let me know.

I think that has cleared the decks.
I will not joke with you now. I will not make barbs, but rather speak my word as my bond.
But this limitation I will put on our "debate"(for it is not yet that): I wish to retire before dawn, and have other business in this coming weekend. This matter must be concluded within five hours.*

I propose the topic: "An active viewer can change the world." I would take the negative.

Do you decline to debate the topic, request a postponment, concede now, or accept my offer of a debate now, on my single condition noted (*) above?
Or otherwise?

EDIT: ... or leave me sitting for five hours when I should be sleeping? I concede to you what you would not waste five minutes winning honourably. You win: An active viewer can change the world.

With the amount of television programing out there it seems more of a failure of the audience rather than the medium if someone can't find anything to engage with. It rather seems like an admission that you lack the ability to be an active viewer.

But whatever. Pat yourselves on the back for your limitations.

So we are limited because we refuse to sift through a mountain of detritus to get to the things that might be worthwhile, should they exist?

For me, it mostly fails as entertainment; I enjoy gaming more than almost everything on TV; the internet is an important resource for gaming. I'm not really into films, either. So meh.

The internet, through IM and sites such as this, provides most of my social contact, because I live a long way from almost all of my friends; TV is entirely useless for socialising.

As an educational tool, it also doesn't help me; if I wish to know something, I can find it on the internet now. If I wish to find it out from TV what can I do? Wait. And hope somebody makes a documentary on the subject that is both deep enough to educate me, and not so deep that I drown out of my depth. And hope that I notice which channel it's on, and when. Not very useful.

I require an internet connection for my job; I work from home, and I'm a programmer. Good luck finding the Win32 API's documentation on the telly.

Finally, boringly, are financial reasons; if TV were free, I'd have it. It's not.
Firstly I'd need a TV + freeview box, or a tuner card for my PC. One off payments, not too bad. But is one episode of Dr. Who a week (and the hope I might find something interesting elsewhere) worth a TV licence at £135.50 per year? If I wanted satellite (I think I'd need that for things like The History Channel and Discovery) that'd be more (£15 per month, I think - there's no Cable in my area). £315.50 per year for something I don't want, plus the cost of equipment I don't have the room for in my flat (or in my PC; no free PCI slots) anyway.

Compared to my DSL at £25 per month. £300 per year for something I mostly want and partly need. And that's not the cheapest DSL service.

So, um, why would I want a telly, then?

I have neither broadband nor cable, and, while I would certainly like to have both, I grumble about my lack of a decent internet connection far more often than I grumble about my inability to watch "The Daily Show."

I have neither broadband nor cable, and, while I would certainly like to have both, I grumble about my lack of a decent internet connection far more often than I grumble about my inability to watch "The Daily Show."

If you live somewhere with a population density you can probably scrump your neighbours' wireless :)

this may sound like a silly question to some, and perhapse retarded to others, but i am a wee bit puzzled:

why would anyone who has unlimited access to the internet in the comfort and privacy of their own room and home, ever want to watch the kind of braindead propigandizing that passess for entertainment on television?

maybe i've stated that in to biased a mannor.

or sub media websites for that matter?

of course i don't have cable
but then i don't have broadband either

oh here's another one, maybe i ought to make it a poll:
if you could only have cable OR broadband
which would you choose
and if you feel like expanding on that:
why?

=^^=
.../\...

A hell of a lot of the popular videos that appear on the internet, appear on tv first. Tv is also much better quality.

If you live somewhere with a population density you can probably scrump your neighbours' wireless :)
Only probably?

Only probably?

Well, there's a slim chance that either all your neighbours use only wired internet access, don't have internet access, or (least likely) understand the basics of securing a wireless LAN.

One of my neighbours not only failed to secure the network, but also failed to change the router admin password from the default. :rolleyes:

I think that has cleared the decks.
I will not joke with you now. I will not make barbs, but rather speak my word as my bond. But this limitation I will put on our "debate"(for it is not yet that): I wish to retire before dawn, and have other business in this coming weekend. This matter must be concluded within five hours.*

I propose the topic: "An active viewer can change the world." I would take the negative.

Do you decline to debate the topic, request a postponment, concede now, or accept my offer of a debate now, on my single condition noted (*) above?
Or otherwise?

EDIT: ... or leave me sitting for five hours when I should be sleeping? I concede to you what you would not waste five minutes winning honourably. You win: An active viewer can change the world.
You have got to be fucking kidding me. You think you're the only person who has other shit to do? I went to work you self important little twirp.

As for your 'premise,' no thanks. You don't have the tools for this discussion.

So we are limited because we refuse to sift through a mountain of detritus to get to the things that might be worthwhile, should they exist?
A Friend in Need and Velvet Elvis do not invalidate painting as an art form any more than shitty television shows invalidate the medium as a whole.

For me, it mostly fails as entertainment; I enjoy gaming more than almost everything on TV; the internet is an important resource for gaming. I'm not really into films, either. So meh.
Issues of preference are a separate issue. It's not an issue of what one should like over another. Because someone likes hiking more than biking doesn't invalidate either activity. I don't have a problem with personal preference, I do with blanket condemnations in an attempt to pat ones self on the back for being so 'above' such pedestrian things. Smacks of a five year old trying to impress his parents with how grown up they are.

The internet, through IM and sites such as this, provides most of my social contact, because I live a long way from almost all of my friends; TV is entirely useless for socialising.
This isn't actually true as television provides a shared narrative in the same way a dance around the fire might have years ago. Television is a big ass fire. And yes, it is not as participatory as the fire dance might be and in a way the internet can, but the internet is not an event in the same way so while they serve similar functions they aren't quite the same.

As an educational tool, it also doesn't help me; if I wish to know something, I can find it on the internet now. If I wish to find it out from TV what can I do? Wait. And hope somebody makes a documentary on the subject that is both deep enough to educate me, and not so deep that I drown out of my depth. And hope that I notice which channel it's on, and when. Not very useful.
Your conflating a research tool with an educational tool and putting too fine a restriction on what education is. You didn't get to request subjects in school and yet you still learned. Again, I'm not saying that's a perfect example. Obviously there are signifigant differences between school and television, I'm just pointing out that there are different methods and ways of education than simply requesting information.

I require an internet connection for my job; I work from home, and I'm a programmer. Good luck finding the Win32 API's documentation on the telly.
Television won't suture my colon, either. Because I can't hammer with a screwdriver doesn't make screwdrivers useless.

Finally, boringly, are financial reasons; if TV were free, I'd have it. It's not.
Firstly I'd need a TV + freeview box, or a tuner card for my PC. One off payments, not too bad. But is one episode of Dr. Who a week (and the hope I might find something interesting elsewhere) worth a TV licence at £135.50 per year? If I wanted satellite (I think I'd need that for things like The History Channel and Discovery) that'd be more (£15 per month, I think - there's no Cable in my area). £315.50 per year for something I don't want, plus the cost of equipment I don't have the room for in my flat (or in my PC; no free PCI slots) anyway.

Compared to my DSL at £25 per month. £300 per year for something I mostly want and partly need. And that's not the cheapest DSL service.

So, um, why would I want a telly, then?
We don't have TV licenses here and I've never actually understood how that works for you guys.

Again, however, issues of preferences are fine. It's the blanket "Oh, I'm so clever for not watching TV" nonsense that is irksome.

Theres always that show that you can't see or really looking foward to seeing. Then you watch it or wish you could have. Have you ever trie dto watch something on the internet that was on TV other than youtube? Its freakin impossible!! I tried to watch the Democratic debates on MSNBC.com, IT WOULDN'T LOAD!!!!!!

=^^=
.../\...

Is that a rat? :D

this may sound like a silly question to some, and perhapse retarded to others, but i am a wee bit puzzled:

why would anyone who has unlimited access to the internet in the comfort and privacy of their own room and home, ever want to watch the kind of braindead propigandizing that passess for entertainment on television?

maybe i've stated that in to biased a mannor.

or sub media websites for that matter?

of course i don't have cable
but then i don't have broadband either

oh here's another one, maybe i ought to make it a poll:
if you could only have cable OR broadband
which would you choose
and if you feel like expanding on that:
why?

=^^=
.../\...

Ain't that the truth.

I often forget that television exists, and then I find out that everyone in my family is watching survivor, or top model, or something equally gag-worthy.

No thanks, I'll stick to the internet, and watch movies occasionally.

You have got to be fucking kidding me. You think you're the only person who has other shit to do? I went to work you self important little twirp.

As for your 'premise,' no thanks. You don't have the tools for this discussion.


Ooh! Ooh! After perhaps 1600 posts, my first ever proper, no-joking, red-blooded flame. Thankyou!

Oh, and it's "twerp." That's no typo.

Later, Canto. When I feel like it. I think you'll find me hard to brush aside.

TV:
TV is an idiot box, no question, I can't stand 90% of what's on, and I loathe commercials. But to say you don't get a choice? Did your TV not come with a remote control to change channels with? or did you only get 1 channel? Granted, you can't choose the schedule, but any TV watcher knows when the shows they like are on.

Internet:
Yes, you can surf the internet for any given topic to your hearts content 24/7. Yes, there's interaction to it, but I don't really consider mouse clicks, typing and reading faceless text to be very "interactive" or "social". Nor do I consider racking my brain to come up with thoughtful (long winded) points of discussion as entertaining.

Much of the stuff you want to download (ie. TV shows) from the internet came from the TV. Someone recorded it and uploaded for you. How can you watch downloaded TV online and retain a negative view towards (the concept of) TV itself? Ingrates.

There's more socializing because of TV than the internet. Look at any real social situation and take a listen at what's discussed. Did you see such and such a show/news story/funny commercial/movie preview... Even in the forums people discuss TV more than the internet. But where is the talk about the internet? The odd link to the flavour of the month youtube video and the fleeting discussion that follows...? oooooo, riveting!

I like both, but TV is the relaxing of the two. It lets me just drift off without feeling bored. Sit me infront of a computer when I don't have any ideas and I get very bored. TV actively gives me options. Yes or no, change the channel, yes or no. It's also very good at giving me ideas of stuff I want to look up on the internet.

I've been deprived of one, or the other, sometimes both, and none of those situations are any fun. Crippling really.

I have two main reasons for enjoying TV:
1) I find the plots of some shows, such as Lost and Desperate Housewives, exciting, and it's a way to watch those stories and relax for a couple hours.
2) I'm an actor, and I live far from any big name theatres, so Television is one of my best bets for observing and thinking about acting technique: which ones work, which don't, etc.
I don't really care what everyone else thinks of TV; I'm still going to watch it.