timalkin

..

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Trinity: "What do you need?"

Neo: "Guns. Lots of guns."

-The Matrix

blahblah454

I don't have cable and have not had it for a long time. Growing up as a child I did not have cable until I was about 10 years old, mind you we did have "peasant-vision".

I have no idea who any of those people you mentioned are, and I don't know what those shows are either. If I like a show I either download it, or I will buy them on DVD and watch it that way. I don't listen to the radio either. So I don't get exposed to any commercials and find it kind of strange when I go back to the city when people are talking about things that I have never even heard of.

I don't feel superior at all, but I am happy that I do not waste my life in front of the TV.

Infinite_Loser

Outside of sports and a few reality shows (I watch John and Kate Plus 8), I don't really watch TV.

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I believe in equality; Everyone is equally inferior to me.

rlbond86

I hear a lot of the stuff is on Hulu now anyway. But cable is cheap with my internet, so I pay. I split it with the roommates anyway.

Charlatan

I watch a lot of television. But then I am paid to do so. Thankfully, I love/loathe television.

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

squeeeb

i don't own a television. the only tv i watch is what is on at the bar.

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onward to mayhem!

Redjake

Breaking: Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television

Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

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Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

squeeeb

holy shit. i'm area man!

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onward to mayhem!

lktknow

We have cable at the house mainly because my son watches a lot of TV. Plus my Internet provider is Road Runner.. He has his own TV in his room with digital, so he records a lot of the sports shows, The Laker playoffs and such, as he works nights.
I have a TV in the living room, with cable but it never gets turned on. Once in a while, my son will come out and say he is watching something interesting, and ask if I want it turned on out here, but I usually say no. I would much rather read than watch TV.
I am exposed to a lot of things through the Internet, such as American Idol and Britain's Got Talent, so I knew who Susan Boyle was, but as far as the TV reality shows and all, I do not have a clue, and honestly don't want to.
I have never been a big fan of TV.

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Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about. ~

Jetée

I think there are two boats on non-term television watchers: 1) those who abhor the thought of the mindlessly-consuming tube so much that they avoid it at the risk of being out of the loop, and 2) those who can disconnect from the grasp it holds on them for a reasonable period of time and not go insane.

I am in the latter portion of the pie, and, although on a lazy day I can watch upwards of 15 hours of television, there are days where I don't turn the thing on at all and pursue other interests. I'm not too invested in television anymore, since in this day and age, it is easy enough to schedule to watch one of your favorite series, documentaries, ongoing news updates through other venues, whether it be streaming, podcasting, or netflix.

In all, I'm more interested nowadays in archiving classic albums, following one link after another on Wikipedia, admiring yet another cool photography site, learning musical annotation, or listening to talk radio along the lines of Tom Leykis, Adam Corolla, and BO&D. That pretty much fills my day up, and if I really want to watch something that day, I maybe get 30 min. to an hour of devoted TV consumption within my allotment.


An aside:
I, however, in addition to attending a BBQ today, also participated in a Band of Brothers marathon that aired on the History Channel.

Sometimes its worth my while to submit; don't you think so?

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

SabrinaFair

I actually just had my cable disconnected, for a variety of reasons: living on a budget, not using it, studying for the bar, etc. I'm not anti-television--there are a couple of series I watch, although my favorite shows are now defunct. There are a lot of things I'd rather do than watch TV, but sometimes it's nice to just come home at the end of the day and indulge in some brain junk food.

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"With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
-Desiderata

roachboy

i didn't watch any tv from 13 september 2001 until last january. now i watch some, but i don't see tv as being about anything but itself, so i watch squalid reality shows when i watch at all. when i try to justify it, i think of it as a form of ideology critique. but mostly it's just crap i look at when i'm too tired to do anything else but not so tired as to be able to sleep.

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

fresnelly

Does it count if I just have the TV on in the background, occasionally looking up when something subconciously catches my interest?

Since the regular seasons of Lost and Fringe and Masterpiece Theatre ended, I don't have any shows that I seek out and follow. Doctor Who is MIA here in Canada.

So I don't really "watch" television anymore. It's more like sitting around a fire.

Right now Mythbusters in on behind me but I'm not really invested in their stunts this episode: something about spicy food and fishing with explosives. Food or Real Estate Porn are good fuel for the fire too.

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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life

Craven Morehead

sports and news for me, that's about it

percy

At the end of the month I am cancelling my cable. It costs me $60 a month for about 54 channels. I watch about 2 channels, maybe 3 and unfortunately I have to pay for 54 channels just to see those few.(I don't watch channels 2-36)

So I am fed up. I despise what I think is absolute garbage on tv. Jon and Kate Plus 8,,....and the rest of those shows with 12,18,24,2002,19854,356987 kids,...basically reality shows in general. But the ones that drive me the most are shows with babies. Why do people want to see and hear screaming babies? Why do people want to watch other peoples lives period? Just don't get it.

Cell phone plan that costs me $46 a month getting cancelled as well. Going with monthly $10 dollar pay as you talk cards. I have already told people that if they need to call my cell to please leave a message.

Cancelled my newspaper subscription in February. Again, news is news, but the plethora of ed-op, opinion writers is beyond annoying. Like reality tv but longer because you have to put the effort into reading what, for me is nothing more than uneducated subjective pap. Like I mentioned in another thread,..when did everyone know everything about everything?

So what am I going to do. I already keep busy working in various roles for a couple of charities and have decided to join another. My job keeps me busy. After I take holidays end of August, I am making my way to the pound, or shelter, or rescue place to pick up a dog. Plan to give a dog and me some great outdoor fun. I have the space, acres of greenspace out my back door and the desire to have a dog live a great life.

And when the internet goes from an unlimited monthly fee to a minute by minute fee like cellphones, I won't mind that a bit. I have abandoned the few social networks I subscribed to and in time TFP will go that way also. My internet use is almost exclusively research , general interest or for communication reasons. Total maybe an hour a day.

So as the thread asked,...anyone else not watching tv?,....no, not anymore,..along with the rest.

n0nsensical

I like the shows that make fun of everything else on TV--there is actually a lot of good stuff on the E! network like this, for example The Soup. A lot of "bad" reality TV is really just there to be laughed at. Sometimes there are good quality shows on but it is rare, though we love Adult Swim and watch it religiously.

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"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." --Abraham Lincoln

denton

I can relate. Not familiar with the names you mentioned. I spend way more time on the net or general computing. (is that any more noble?)
I must keep Directv to keep my wife occupied, so I do pay for it (haha).
We dropped all the movie channels for Netflix.
I have a weakness for the NFL, but you can get enough of that on free TV.
I maybe watch a rerun or two with my wife after work of "Frasier" or "Will & Grace"-- that's what I personally get from all the satellite money. (other than a wife who seems to be content)
I know everything we watch could be Hulu-ed or DLed for cheaper but I am not quite to that point yet. I am moving in that direction but not there yet.

It is sort of disgusting that I have to pay $5 a month just to rent each receiver (we have 4).
I know I am getting bent over and f*cked but Directv is not anywhere near the front of the line right now.

Xerxys

I don't own a TV but I'm planning to get one. I want a big ass TV for my movies. I get them in hordes and I also watch TV shows, just not on TV. So yeah, I like the corny flicks like Burn Notice, CSI and Heroes but I'd rather download them for free and watch them, on my huge brand spanking new HDTV I'm gonna get the end of September.

wooÐs

That's exactly what I do. I haven't had cable for years. I'm content with the main channels - even happier with the digital switch as my reception's waaaay better now. But I leave both tv's on constantly unless it's bedtime. I have one here in the office and one in the living room. Often it's just white noise. But I must have it. I went tv-less a while ago but I went nuts. I didn't realize it until I sat in front of a tv again. It just makes me feel human.

little_tippler

I watch TV and I like the news, movies and a few series. There are a few that hold my interest, just like a novel with an interesting plot might. I don't see why you'd feel superior for not watching it. I don't feel superior for reading books when many people don't. I don't think watching TV makes me less intelligent or decreases my worth as a person. I feel fortunate for having a good degree of intelligence and understanding of others. I think people who feel superior are deceiving themselves and shutting out other people. Variety is far more interesting than everyone being the same. Discussing favourite TV shows, which is not something I usually do, is only as lame as discussing men, women, friends, a book you've read, what you ate or will eat, somewhere interesting you've been...it's light small talk and people do it all the time. We can't always be talking about current affairs and quantum physics.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

CinnamonGirl

Every now and then, I'll veg out in front of VH1 Classic. Other than that, though, I don't watch much TV... I have my favorite TV shows on DVD, but nothing on right now really holds my interest.

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"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Wrexify

Same here. I like to have something on when I'm at home by myself, just for some background noise. It just feels too quiet when I'm sitting at my computer if I'm not playing music.

This is actually the only reason I know anything about pop culture anymore. I catch The Soup or Best Week Ever and that's enough to eliminate any desire to watch reality TV series for me.

As a side note, I just found out that Survivor is still going on. I remember watching Season 1 what seems like ages ago... how many gimmicks could they have introduced by now?

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"Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!"

xuvio38

~~~~~

Jozrael

I'm an internet/gaming addict. TV holds no vice for ma poisons.

Martian

I find this discussion a bit peculiar.

Television is a medium. The quality of the content is not inherent to the medium itself.

I don't watch sitcoms or most dramas. I don't watch reality television. Honestly, I wouldn't pay for cable if Magpie hadn't insisted that we have it. But since we do have it anyway, I do occasionally turn it on and while much of the time I find that there isn't much that interests me, I can also sometimes find a show that is intriguing or even teaches me something.

I don't watch a lot of television, but I don't think I'm a better person for not watching. Just one with different preferences and priorities.

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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Glory's Sun

sports, docu's, and I love.. I mean.. LOVE OnDemand.

Esoteric

That about sums it up for me. Though I do watch some shows like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Man vs Food, Adult Swim, and some Comedy Central. Everything else is watched on the PC (Dexter, Fringe, Firefly, House etc.)

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From a head full of pressure rests the senses that I clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me fuck
I got touched by a hazy shaded, God help me change
Caught a rush on the floor from the life in my veins

snowy

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do watch TV. I like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, the Science Channel, Food Network, the Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, and public broadcasting. I like to watch Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs, anything where I can admire Michio Kaku, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, assorted strange British sitcoms, and the DIY shows they show on weekends on OPB, like New Yankee Workshop. I also watch a LOT of cartoons--Star Wars: Clone Wars, Ben 10: Alien Force, Chowder, Flapjack, assorted Adult Swim cartoons, King of the Hill, the Simpsons, American Dad!, and Family Guy, of course.

I do watch some network television--I really enjoy NBC's Thursday night lineup, especially 30 Rock. Lately I've gotten hooked on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! I find it fascinating. I think it will be less interesting now that Spoiler: Janice is gone!

I also like game shows--Cash Cab and Jeopardy! are my favorites.

Listing all this it sounds like I watch a lot of television, but I don't. Weird.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

wugglywoo

For a while (from when I first got internet until a few years ago, that is) I only ever watched the news after dinner with my family, but these days I've gotten into the habit of watching TV when having my late night snack. Eating at the computer causes way too much messiness. Finding something decent to watch can be difficult, especially with Big Brother being back on now, but I mostly always find something that isn't made for the brain dead.

I can't be bothered keeping up with any shows by watching TV, however. I'd rather not arrange my life around it. I use surfthechannel for that.

Xerxys

It's incredible how many adults actually watch cartoon network and Noggin channel. I love that about people. When my neice started watching Noggin, I recently found out I really like Handy Man!!

Halanna

I don't necessarily watch TV just to sit and flip through channels. But I love love love my DVR and record anything I may want to watch like Dexter and True Blood. I use OnDemand a lot too.

I don't watch reality TV, I don't care for it at all. Wait, is Top Chef reality TV? I do watch that, probably because Son does.

I'd be lost without a TV during football season and we just got the YES Network for Yankees baseball. I'm not big on watching programs on the internet. I want to stretch out on the couch, not sit in a chair. But I don't have a lap top, so maybe that is why.

I watch TV as I choose to, not to just sit and stare.

dlish

i own a huge tv but its only for show. she-lish used to watch dvd's but mainly it sits there. i havent touched the tv since she left for oz a while back now

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biznatch

I love TV for MythBusters, public TV, documentaries, and occasionally 5 minutes of mindless action flicks. Sometime's I'll use it as a nightlight, with the volume off, while I'm on the PC.
I can go days without it, and I technically don't need a TV in the room. It's nice to have when a sports game is on and I wanna watch it while having a beer.

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telekinetic

I don't own a TV so much as a 50" monitor for streaming internet content (through Boxee on Apple TV). I also, er, 'acquire' a lot of in-theater movies we would otherwise be unable to see (having a 10 month old), as well as the odd season of this TV show or the other that catches my interest (weeds, dexter, lie to me).

The way I see it, I pay $45 for pretty fast internet (8mbps), and even though basic cable would only be another $30, for $75 I could also have HELLA fast internet (20mbps)

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twisted no more

Xerxys

twistedmosaic, I must find out where you are this minute ... I need to lick the side of your face ... yes twisted, big sloppy lick on side of your face, be afraid, be very afraid ...

CinnamonGirl

Can I watch?

__________________
"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

genuinegirly

Haven't had cable for 6 months. I'm happy without it. I enjoy listening to the radio.

We've discussed getting cable when college football season starts. It would mean my husband watching football at home rather than at a bar. We figure the monthly bill ($9.99 more/month with our current internet hookup) will be less than the drinks he would purchase in the bar.

We don't have a television. Hubby has a video capture card (I think that's the name?) for his computer that has a cable hook-in-doo-dad. We watched cable TV on his monitor when we lived in CA.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Tully Mars

I have two TV. One's mine and one came with the house. I often have them on for make ground noise. I rarely sit down and watch a show or movie on them. I get something like 600-700 channels, ABC, NBC etc... HBO a bunch of stuff in languages I don't understand. It's basically 57 channels and nothing on, IMHO. Luckily I also get music over the sats.

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