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A year without TV

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Re: A year without TV

#3

Post by ilamont »

I was TV-less for several years-long periods (starting when I lived overseas in a non-English-speaking country). It's actually easier to do now, thanks to the loads of other time-wasting alternatives, such as Web video, Web surfing, and mobile apps.

Re: A year without TV

#4

Post by jsz0 »

When I stopped watching TV on a regular basis about a decade ago the biggest thing I noticed was how peaceful and relaxing a quiet room can be. Getting rid of this constant fast paced grind that is linear TV can really be a load off your mind. It's OK to just sit down in a comfy chair and do absolutely nothing other than enjoy your own thoughts. When I visit a friend's house who is a believer in TV as "background noise" it actually makes me uncomfortable. I feel like my brain is being pulled in a dozen different directions at once and it's hard to focus with the distractions. I think most people would benefit from taking breaks from TV so they don't get totally de-sensitized to the effect it's having on them.

Re: A year without TV

#5

Post by eslifka »

This reminds me distinctly of this onion article: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28694

It's great that he doesn't watch television (except that he does, he just gets it through an alternate channel and is more selective of what he watches) but he puts forth no interesting discussion about the merits thereof. He does mention copyright issues, but only to say that he doesn't violate copyright because it's too much work. He again doesn't make any discussion points on the matter.

Re: A year without TV

#6

Post by plinkplonk »

15 years and counting (without a TV).

I get to see some TV when I visit my parents (two weeks a year) but that's it. I've come to think of TV watching as something you do on Holiday when you are just lazing around anyway. The only time I miss it is World Cup Football time.

All that said, I suspect the web can waste more time than the TV, if you are not aware of it. Timing web usage (or alternatively doing without the web for a month or so) can be very educational.

From the article,

"It was only by being away from TV for so long that I saw it like that."

Replace TV with internet ...

Re: A year without TV

#7

Post by pavs »

A little over a year for me. Don't miss it at all. A lot of free time in my hands - spending the time reading copious amount of books.

Re: A year without TV

#8

Post by jgrahamc »

eslifka wrote: post #5

This reminds me distinctly of this onion article: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28694 It's great that he doesn't watch television (except that he does, he just gets it through an alternate channel and is more selective of what he watches) but he puts forth no interesting discussion about the merits thereof. He does mention copyright issues, but only to say that he doesn't violate copyright because it's too muc…

It's odd that it reminds you of that. Is me mentioning this once on my blog your measure of 'constantly'?

Re: A year without TV

#9

Post by dkersten »

I haven't owned a TV in a few years. I used to watch TV stuff online, but rarely do so now. Every now and again, I'd watch an entire show over a weekend, but then nothing for the next month or two. The only TV-like activity I do still engage in is gaming, though thats irregular too (ie obsessively for a month and then not at all for three or so).
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