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victor kruger · 03-15-2012, 06:09 AM

After doing without a TV for a good number of years other than foreign TV which even though i got to understand was to me incredibly shallow and boring I returned to the UK about 10 years back. Only to notice it was exactly the same here too. I couldn't figure it out at the time why it had changed or what had happened ? It all seemed now to be total braindead rubbish and adverts. Anyway at the time I made what i thought was a monumental decision and dumped the TV. Missed it for about 3 weeks and havn't since.

Anything I need or want i can view online and most of all its what I choose to watch, when I want on my timetable. I also ad block to avoid them where i can but ive gotten to the point where i just don't register ads now. I even find I automatically avoid highly publicised branding or labels now without even trying. It's a bit strange but kinda funny when someone asks me about some bimbo or reality TV star and I go "who" ? they usually look at me like im an alien and I become amused.

I honestly believe TV is one of the biggest threats to free thinking and is one of the most addictive drugs around.

Iv'e never really been into the thing, sure ill watch a good movie and eat up documentaries and information programmes but entertainment and all the other garbage never had me hooked. I think I must have at some point while away become totally deprogrammed and disconnected with it or maybe when I was young it wasnt about control so much like it seems to be now.

Then i remembered, when i was growing up we had do stuff programmes. Maybe it broke the conditioning or maybe its because I'm just different lol.... anyways below is a show intro typical of the 70s encouraging kids to get out there and leave the TV off, it ran for about 22 years between 73 and 95, unlike the mindnumbing crud they produce now.

Anyone else dared to dump their TV or bothered by it ?

Mojofabulous · 03-15-2012, 06:12 AM

I dont wach tv anymore. Havent for 8 or so years. I do have netflix which i use to watch documentaries and the occasional movie but mostly i just read articles, try to educate myself and if i want entertainment, i play a video game.

victor kruger · 03-15-2012, 06:21 AM

Another example of a do things programme back then.

victor kruger · 03-15-2012, 06:22 AM

(03-15-2012 06:12 AM)Mojofabulous Wrote: I dont wach tv anymore. Havent for 8 or so years. I do have netflix which i use to watch documentaries and the occasional movie but mostly i just read articles, try to educate myself and if i want entertainment, i play a video game.

Well done, i'm gonna say theres a lot here like this Wink

03-15-2012, 07:17 AM

NO!!!! i love my TV. I would not be able to do my job without a tv. The bigger the flat screen the better. What i would consider doing and may do the next time they raise my bill is dump cable service. I hardly watch any cable tv anyway, and if i do it would be something like gold rush Alaska, or something on the history channel or such. I watch mostly Inet tv anyway.

I have a dedicated computer that is used for inet tv that connects with HDMI to every flat screen (4). I control it from my laptop via wireless, set up a play list and let'er run. Smile

Dudesome · 03-15-2012, 02:59 PM

Keep you friends close and yo nmies even closer -Sun Tzu.

I ve given.my tv away like 8 years ago or so. Personally I dont even have a computer. I am using my very cheap smartphone to get on forums. I have done all the research I needed and got rid of my computer. Today my main education comes from books of which I have loads. From Adam Smith and Karl Marx to Bhagavad gita dhamapada an upanishads. Im loaded with all kinds of spiritual and educational knowledge so I dont think I even need an internet whereits the same information anyways but only in someone elses intrpritation.
Around a year spent on research for good litrature. More than 2k euro spent for litrature itself. I only use my moms.macbook when I look for good timing to make another pm order usin TA. I watch BFJ and other regular vids on smsrtphone.

***brotherjohnf*** · (This post was last modified: 03-15-2012 05:15 PM by brotherjohnf.)

We rarely watch TV even though we have it free for a thousand channels and a 100 HD. Every 2 months or so we go watch out of curiosity and are shocked by the moral depravity. Pure rubbish.

***kshymkiw*** · 03-15-2012, 05:19 PM

(03-15-2012 05:15 PM)brotherjohnf Wrote: We rarely watch TV even though we have it free for a thousand channels and a 100 HD. Every 2 months or so we go watch out of curiosity and are shocked by the moral depravity. Pure rubbish.

Because the Internet is full of proper moral values Rolleyes

What is morally acceptable to some, is not morally acceptable to others. We should never try to force morals on someone either (as long as what they are doing is within the law). It is their choice if they want to agree or disagree with your morals.

Just like on the Internet though, you can find 'morally acceptable' programming if you look enough.

Mark777 · 03-15-2012, 05:52 PM

Well Victor, I agree with you on this for sure. I have cable and lots of times I can't find anything to watch. I'm amazed in fact because more than once I shut the darn thing off out of disgust only to turn it back on and find I'm almost exactly at the same point in the same movie or program that I had shut off hours earlier....unbelieveable....someone is trying to program me!

I'm looking into a different service. Currently, I have Charter.

I love sci-fi, but a lot of the time they have scary horror movies on there....I don't like getting scared or having bad dreams so I don't like scary movies. LOL

To me, cable is no better variety wise today than the 3 or 4 channels I had to choose from as a kid watching on a black and white tv. Most of the channels are crap. And commercials kill me! My favorite button on the remote is the mute button for that reason.

***kshymkiw*** · 03-15-2012, 05:54 PM

(03-15-2012 05:52 PM)Mark777 Wrote: Well Victor, I agree with you on this for sure. I have cable and lots of times I can't find anything to watch. I'm amazed in fact because more than once I shut the darn thing off out of disgust only to turn it back on and find I'm almost exactly at the same point in the same movie or program that I had shut off hours earlier....unbelieveable....someone is trying to program me!

I'm looking into a different service. Currently, I have Charter.

I love sci-fi, but a lot of the time they have scary horror movies on there....I don't like getting scared or having bad dreams so I don't like scary movies. LOL

To me, cable is no better variety wise today than the 3 or 4 channels I had to choose from as a kid watching on a black and white tv. Most of the channels are crap. And commercials kill me! My favorite button on the remote is the mute button for that reason.

Have you thought of cord cutting, and using services like Hulu Plus, with a MAC Tv unit?

***Honey*** · 03-15-2012, 06:07 PM

Remember this one? We used to watch him all the time (yeah.. PBS...). another learning show. He always loved the "happy little squirrels"..

Mark777 · 03-15-2012, 06:26 PM

(03-15-2012 05:54 PM)kshymkiw Wrote:
(03-15-2012 05:52 PM)Mark777 Wrote: Well Victor, I agree with you on this for sure. I have cable and lots of times I can't find anything to watch. I'm amazed in fact because more than once I shut the darn thing off out of disgust only to turn it back on and find I'm almost exactly at the same point in the same movie or program that I had shut off hours earlier....unbelieveable....someone is trying to program me!

I'm looking into a different service. Currently, I have Charter.

I love sci-fi, but a lot of the time they have scary horror movies on there....I don't like getting scared or having bad dreams so I don't like scary movies. LOL

To me, cable is no better variety wise today than the 3 or 4 channels I had to choose from as a kid watching on a black and white tv. Most of the channels are crap. And commercials kill me! My favorite button on the remote is the mute button for that reason.

Have you thought of cord cutting, and using services like Hulu Plus, with a MAC Tv unit?

I don't know what a MAC tv unit is? The year before last year I found out about hulu and some other sites to watch free tv online mainly to watch my favorite football team which is the Packers. I tried some of the sites again last year and I got a notice popped up on my screen saying the FBI shut the site down.....LOL

***kshymkiw*** · 03-15-2012, 06:32 PM

(03-15-2012 06:26 PM)Mark777 Wrote:
(03-15-2012 05:54 PM)kshymkiw Wrote:
(03-15-2012 05:52 PM)Mark777 Wrote: Well Victor, I agree with you on this for sure. I have cable and lots of times I can't find anything to watch. I'm amazed in fact because more than once I shut the darn thing off out of disgust only to turn it back on and find I'm almost exactly at the same point in the same movie or program that I had shut off hours earlier....unbelieveable....someone is trying to program me!

I'm looking into a different service. Currently, I have Charter.

I love sci-fi, but a lot of the time they have scary horror movies on there....I don't like getting scared or having bad dreams so I don't like scary movies. LOL

To me, cable is no better variety wise today than the 3 or 4 channels I had to choose from as a kid watching on a black and white tv. Most of the channels are crap. And commercials kill me! My favorite button on the remote is the mute button for that reason.

Have you thought of cord cutting, and using services like Hulu Plus, with a MAC Tv unit?

I don't know what a MAC tv unit is? The year before last year I found out about hulu and some other sites to watch free tv online mainly to watch my favorite football team which is the Packers. I tried some of the sites again last year and I got a notice popped up on my screen saying the FBI shut the site down.....LOL

Apple TV http://www.apple.com/appletv/

Sports is the hardest thing to cut with, because most of the streaming sports sites, are poor quality.

Mark777 · 03-15-2012, 07:34 PM

It would be perfect if they had NFL games and FOX news and some other channels....I need to watch the news once in a while....

pops · (This post was last modified: 03-15-2012 09:24 PM by pops.)

I have a TV but almost never turn it on. The switch to digital signals was a godsend in that, after fiddling with converter boxes and antenna jiggling, I just said to hell with it.
I now have it hooked up strictly to a VCR/DVD player and use it only to watch the very occasional movie....haven't even done that much in over a year.
I get almost all my news and entertainment on my computer and, like you, have developed an immunity to the ads and offers.
I also get the puzzled looks from folks when they mention a current star and I say "who?"
But then, I already have a reputation amongst my friends and co-workers as being slightly weird because I don't have, never had, and never will have a cell phone.

pops

Actually, I have two television sets. One hasn't been turned on since 1968 and is almost identical to the one pictured below.

Mark777 · 03-15-2012, 09:46 PM

That's a pretty cool tv set there pops! Seriously!

I wonder if I wanted one like that how much it would set me back....of course, I would want a working model. Very cool....

pops · 03-15-2012, 10:10 PM

(03-15-2012 09:46 PM)Mark777 Wrote: That's a pretty cool tv set there pops! Seriously!

I wonder if I wanted one like that how much it would set me back....of course, I would want a working model. Very cool....

Last time I turned it on, it had a beautiful picture but wanted to "roll" vertically unless the knob was adjusted just right. Get it just right, sit down and it would begin to roll again. Up and down, up and down...too much exercise just to watch a little TV. I kept it because the cabinet is beautiful mahogany and the channel indicators are real glass prisms.

Have no idea what a restored one would set you back, but the more you watch it, the sooner the big CRT will die and I wouldn't bet on their availability. So, it's an interesting piece but not practical for daily watching.

pops