Comments on: Signal To Noise http://tleaves.com/2004/12/27/signal-to-noise/ Creativity x Technology Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: moose http://tleaves.com/2004/12/27/signal-to-noise/comment-page-1/#comment-811 moose Tue, 28 Dec 2004 02:07:59 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=269#comment-811 The only time I ever watch tv is when I'm in a hotel or in the hospital. [In the hospital I watch the Cartoon Network 24x7, much to the amusement of the staff.] The tuner in my tv broke about 3? years ago now. I never had had cable, so I had NBC, PBS, and FOX if it wasn't raining too hard. And the funky Christian station, which was occasionally good for fun. [The time I caught some guy trying to interview Mr. T, who wouldn't let the interviewer get a word in edgewise, still makes me giggle]. So now my TV acts as a 27" display medium for the dvd player. I could try to use the VCR as a tuner, but the only one set of input jacks on the tv work these days. I could get another tv... nah. The only time I ever watch tv is when I’m in a hotel or in the hospital. [In the hospital I watch the Cartoon Network 24x7, much to the amusement of the staff.]

The tuner in my tv broke about 3? years ago now. I never had had cable, so I had NBC, PBS, and FOX if it wasn’t raining too hard. And the funky Christian station, which was occasionally good for fun. [The time I caught some guy trying to interview Mr. T, who wouldn't let the interviewer get a word in edgewise, still makes me giggle].

So now my TV acts as a 27″ display medium for the dvd player. I could try to use the VCR as a tuner, but the only one set of input jacks on the tv work these days. I could get another tv…

nah.

]]> By: Jon http://tleaves.com/2004/12/27/signal-to-noise/comment-page-1/#comment-810 Jon Mon, 27 Dec 2004 19:05:10 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=269#comment-810 I found it very easy to give up TV after two years with a Tivo. Every time I watched a show or movie, I would make a point of adjusting its rating before deleting it. Eventually, the recommendations got so tuned that I didn't bother with season passes, because the recommendations were picking everything up anyway. At this point, I realized that my primary interaction with the TV/Tivo was to: sit down; look at the list of shows the Tivo had saved for me; realize that I didn't want to watch any of them; also realize that if this is the BEST that TV has to offer right now, there is NO point in surfing channels; turn it off and go do something else. I spent the last several months of this cycle fully cognizant (and bizarrely proud) that I was spending $60/month to have a machine tell me to not watch TV. When I moved, I didn't bother resubscribing. Now if I could only find a machine to remind me that Alpha Centauri was not that much fun two years ago, so I shouldn't blow an entire weekend on it this time either... I found it very easy to give up TV after two years with a Tivo. Every time I watched a show or movie, I would make a point of adjusting its rating before deleting it. Eventually, the recommendations got so tuned that I didn’t bother with season passes, because the recommendations were picking everything up anyway. At this point, I realized that my primary interaction with the TV/Tivo was to: sit down; look at the list of shows the Tivo had saved for me; realize that I didn’t want to watch any of them; also realize that if this is the BEST that TV has to offer right now, there is NO point in surfing channels; turn it off and go do something else.

I spent the last several months of this cycle fully cognizant (and bizarrely proud) that I was spending $60/month to have a machine tell me to not watch TV. When I moved, I didn’t bother resubscribing. Now if I could only find a machine to remind me that Alpha Centauri was not that much fun two years ago, so I shouldn’t blow an entire weekend on it this time either…

]]> By: rmitz http://tleaves.com/2004/12/27/signal-to-noise/comment-page-1/#comment-809 rmitz Mon, 27 Dec 2004 18:14:26 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=269#comment-809 I watch a couple shows. West Wing, Enterprise (yeah, well). I would watch Poker shows if it were more convienient. I don't actually pay anything, as even if I did, it would be really hard to get a schedule for any useful TiVO like service where I am. I don't consider any satellite service to be worthwhile, as I came to the same conclusion as you did. What I want is legal bittorrent, but more convienient and automatic, with a fuller selection. I am willing to pay for the priviledge. I doubt I will ever get what I want in a useful format, though. Hell, if it'll make it cheaper, leave the commercials in the downloads. I watch a couple shows. West Wing, Enterprise (yeah, well). I would watch Poker shows if it were more convienient. I don’t actually pay anything, as even if I did, it would be really hard to get a schedule for any useful TiVO like service where I am. I don’t consider any satellite service to be worthwhile, as I came to the same conclusion as you did.

What I want is legal bittorrent, but more convienient and automatic, with a fuller selection. I am willing to pay for the priviledge. I doubt I will ever get what I want in a useful format, though.

Hell, if it’ll make it cheaper, leave the commercials in the downloads.

]]> By: Shelby http://tleaves.com/2004/12/27/signal-to-noise/comment-page-1/#comment-808 Shelby Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:21:45 +0000 http://tleaves.com/?p=269#comment-808 I'm just using what channels they don't bother to turn off with cable internet. That's the local nbc abc cbs upn pbs and wb, plus food network, nickelodeon, and turner classic movies. Of those we mainly watch Food Network and whichever channel happens to be showing Will and Grace, Law and Order, or CSI. (Or Ellen, because she's funny) I’m just using what channels they don’t bother to turn off with cable internet. That’s the local nbc abc cbs upn pbs and wb, plus food network, nickelodeon, and turner classic movies. Of those we mainly watch Food Network and whichever channel happens to be showing Will and Grace, Law and Order, or CSI. (Or Ellen, because she’s funny)

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