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Lack of Internet is Hazerdous to my Sanity
14 years ago
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ENERGY █████ Recovering Slowly
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Current R.A.I.S. Donation Total: $432.38
Next Page: Sep 22nd
█ Last month my Internet connection was spotty at best, and while I found I could get by fine without being online, I found that I spent my idle time watching *shudder* "reality television" instead of keeping up with world events and visiting tech and science websites.
All I can say is that American programming is low brow, and even then that might be giving it too much credit. Now maybe there are some of you who would defend the US programming, but after watching Masterchef (USA edition), America's Got Talent, and the final run down of Hell's Kitchen; my brain is having a hard time wrapping itself around what qualifies for entertainment: It's all emotional drivel... no... emotional dreck.
I didn't find myself angry, or emotionally connected to what was happening, as opposed to intellectually damaged. First off, I couldn't really comprehend the point of Masterchef. From the last few episodes I watched, it seems that the chefs are expected to make a bazillion different kinds of dishes for the amusement of the judge of the day. I say judge of the day because the judges kept changing each episode! Now I have more respect for Kitchen Nightmares because there's the constant theme of a small manageable menu catering to the strengths of the chef in trouble as well as using cheap readily available local ingredients. Yet flip this around for Masterchef and you have chefs scrambling to make a meal out of randomly picked foodstuffs. It felt to me more like a game show than 'reality' TV about trying to find a great chef. I sometimes wonder if this is all the American attention span has tolerance for. When I watched the last episode, I was completely baffled at why the chef who won... won. I recall the contestant who won had a dish given to the judges that was dirty, as in it had dirt in it. (improperly cleaned), while the one who lost it suffered from presenting a weak dessert dish. Now if I was weighing something on production, taste, and presentation; eating bits of dirt would probably make me throw out the dish completely regardless of how it looked or tasted. Might be the best dirt I ever ate, but it's still dirt! As I said... it hurt my brain.
So let's move to America's got Talent. First off, I've watched it in the past, and I could never quite understand why singers are in the show. They have a show for that: It's called American Idol! Yes, I saw that a singer won the competition (again it seems) Though this is what happens when the voting system is basically the American public. It's turned not into a talent competition, but a story competition. Who had the most enticing story that the public can buy into? I just feel that it turns the whole thing into a cheesy sap story than something more about talent; and it at times begs me the question of "If they can win at America's Got Talent, why could they not rise to the top on American Idol?" That said, of the other finalists I thought one was a bit blatantly patriotic with it's Americanisms, but least they knew their audience; but both dance teams were unique and I enjoyed both their acts. Personally I feel that the singers and bands aren't creative simply because (as many have pointed out) that they work from existing materials, and it's a bit cheap; but people vote for that anyways.
The last thing on TV that has injured my brain recently is Hell's Kitchen. Why... just... why. I can't help but see it as... Survivor: Cooking Edition; in where every immunity challenge is cooking. Now I watched the original Survivor before every subsequent one was ruined by it really being Survivor: Politics in (insert name of godforsaken rock), and it was interesting to see people being pushed to various physical limits and how people coped and managed with it. All reality TV shows are these days is about ratings, and that's done by getting people not to like and emphasis with the people they see on the screen, but to find personalities for people to get angry at. I've watched some of Hell's Kitchen before in the past, and I thought it was an okay show; but watching it recently I've become baffled. If the intent is to find someone who run and lead an expensive high quality restaurant, why are two of the finalists people any sane person would never work for? One is a slacker, the other is a bitch; and the only reason why I can think of why they remain on the show for so long is because the executives have given Gordon a short list of people they want to see remain in the show for as long as possible as they believe it will increase ratings.
I tend to respect people on shows that are supposed to be about talent when they show genuine talent, and some certainly do; but it certainly feels that people with talent are being essentially screwed because they aren't a ratings goldmine. This kind of stuff passes for 'entertainment'? It's all low brow garbage designed to get people emotionally worked up, and for a person like me who puts forth thinking before feeling all I can come up with is "I think I'm going to feel sick." My internet has been working okay for the past few days, but odds are I'll see the finale of Hell's Kitchen because I'm a stupid moron who hopes there's some kind of reasonableness in the world and that somehow the last two finalists will be at least the two who deserve to be there. I suppose it's one of those things in where something horrible is happening, but you can't look away due to the disbelief of what is transpiring before your eyes. In the end I find I don't miss TV much, there's not much to miss with the awful programming they have these days.
Semi Relevant Link
ENERGY █████ Recovering Slowly
ENDURING TECHNOLOGIES INFO
Current R.A.I.S. Donation Total: $432.38
Next Page: Sep 22nd
█ Last month my Internet connection was spotty at best, and while I found I could get by fine without being online, I found that I spent my idle time watching *shudder* "reality television" instead of keeping up with world events and visiting tech and science websites.
All I can say is that American programming is low brow, and even then that might be giving it too much credit. Now maybe there are some of you who would defend the US programming, but after watching Masterchef (USA edition), America's Got Talent, and the final run down of Hell's Kitchen; my brain is having a hard time wrapping itself around what qualifies for entertainment: It's all emotional drivel... no... emotional dreck.
I didn't find myself angry, or emotionally connected to what was happening, as opposed to intellectually damaged. First off, I couldn't really comprehend the point of Masterchef. From the last few episodes I watched, it seems that the chefs are expected to make a bazillion different kinds of dishes for the amusement of the judge of the day. I say judge of the day because the judges kept changing each episode! Now I have more respect for Kitchen Nightmares because there's the constant theme of a small manageable menu catering to the strengths of the chef in trouble as well as using cheap readily available local ingredients. Yet flip this around for Masterchef and you have chefs scrambling to make a meal out of randomly picked foodstuffs. It felt to me more like a game show than 'reality' TV about trying to find a great chef. I sometimes wonder if this is all the American attention span has tolerance for. When I watched the last episode, I was completely baffled at why the chef who won... won. I recall the contestant who won had a dish given to the judges that was dirty, as in it had dirt in it. (improperly cleaned), while the one who lost it suffered from presenting a weak dessert dish. Now if I was weighing something on production, taste, and presentation; eating bits of dirt would probably make me throw out the dish completely regardless of how it looked or tasted. Might be the best dirt I ever ate, but it's still dirt! As I said... it hurt my brain.
So let's move to America's got Talent. First off, I've watched it in the past, and I could never quite understand why singers are in the show. They have a show for that: It's called American Idol! Yes, I saw that a singer won the competition (again it seems) Though this is what happens when the voting system is basically the American public. It's turned not into a talent competition, but a story competition. Who had the most enticing story that the public can buy into? I just feel that it turns the whole thing into a cheesy sap story than something more about talent; and it at times begs me the question of "If they can win at America's Got Talent, why could they not rise to the top on American Idol?" That said, of the other finalists I thought one was a bit blatantly patriotic with it's Americanisms, but least they knew their audience; but both dance teams were unique and I enjoyed both their acts. Personally I feel that the singers and bands aren't creative simply because (as many have pointed out) that they work from existing materials, and it's a bit cheap; but people vote for that anyways.
The last thing on TV that has injured my brain recently is Hell's Kitchen. Why... just... why. I can't help but see it as... Survivor: Cooking Edition; in where every immunity challenge is cooking. Now I watched the original Survivor before every subsequent one was ruined by it really being Survivor: Politics in (insert name of godforsaken rock), and it was interesting to see people being pushed to various physical limits and how people coped and managed with it. All reality TV shows are these days is about ratings, and that's done by getting people not to like and emphasis with the people they see on the screen, but to find personalities for people to get angry at. I've watched some of Hell's Kitchen before in the past, and I thought it was an okay show; but watching it recently I've become baffled. If the intent is to find someone who run and lead an expensive high quality restaurant, why are two of the finalists people any sane person would never work for? One is a slacker, the other is a bitch; and the only reason why I can think of why they remain on the show for so long is because the executives have given Gordon a short list of people they want to see remain in the show for as long as possible as they believe it will increase ratings.
I tend to respect people on shows that are supposed to be about talent when they show genuine talent, and some certainly do; but it certainly feels that people with talent are being essentially screwed because they aren't a ratings goldmine. This kind of stuff passes for 'entertainment'? It's all low brow garbage designed to get people emotionally worked up, and for a person like me who puts forth thinking before feeling all I can come up with is "I think I'm going to feel sick." My internet has been working okay for the past few days, but odds are I'll see the finale of Hell's Kitchen because I'm a stupid moron who hopes there's some kind of reasonableness in the world and that somehow the last two finalists will be at least the two who deserve to be there. I suppose it's one of those things in where something horrible is happening, but you can't look away due to the disbelief of what is transpiring before your eyes. In the end I find I don't miss TV much, there's not much to miss with the awful programming they have these days.
Semi Relevant Link
On the rare occasion I watch TV it's usually Top Gear, some version of Law And Order, Criminal Minds, and Ninja Warrior. Also, it's worth noting that TV sucks world wide, not just in America. XD
And don't even get me STARTED on Jersey Shore. That show makes me lose all hope in humanity in general. How people are entertained by that crap and how it's considered "reality-TV" is beyond me.
Though I can usually watch anything on the SyFy Discovery or History channel. Very fun shows there...except American Chopper...
But yes, no internet sucks. the internet here especially. It never works right.
Television at its finest.
It's odd that reality TV was predicted by a tv film called Year of the Sex Olimpics. Read about it on wikipedia.
Yes, nowadays it's all about the ratings, all about who can be the most controversial, who can pull off the biggest, dramatic, OMG moment, etc, etc. *sighs* Give me back quality TV and not this crap that pollutes the airwaves and makes me honestly wish I could get rid of the TV cable portion of the package deal my family has. ><
If I didn't have satellite, I'd probably just watch 'THIS' network all day long, maybe the occassional Fox for a couple of shows like Human Target and Burn Notice. Reality TV and talk shows are beneath my notice.
Besides, with Obsidian and his 'daughter' around, one would think you wouldn't need to resort to that anytime you want brain-hurting entertainment. Though their version with sensory overload sounds more fun.
Oh...And if I could ever find it again, I LOVE M*A*S*H.
I recommend Mythbusters, most stuff on the Science Channel, Ninja Warrior on G4, and most especially Phineas & Ferb on the Disney channel.
I don't watch TV either.
If you want good TV? Alt.binaries.documentories, and just get anything with BBC in the name. The PBS stuff tends to be good too.
Notice that *good* TV rarely comes from a commercial producer. That's because making crap is just more profitable. Wider market, higher ratings, more advertising money.
yes, TV is crap nowadays. but there are some exceptions. also: Reality TV is a misnomer, it's so far away from reality it's insanity, and most if it is usually total crap... which goes for the lowest common denominator. look at survivor. eww.
I've stopped to watch television since there is nothing interesting anymore. When i was kid i was costantly in front of the TV because there were many nice things to watch, nowday is all about reality shows, politicians, and emo animes, i wish i could be back to the 90's or even better, to the 80's, those were great times for the Television.
I sometimes ask people whether it would be worth getting one. No, they agree unisono, it's all crap and bullshit. But they still watch it. All of them. Just... as something in the background, it seems.
There are some things which apparently are quite good. There is a very good (in terms of: correct, understandable, not hyped) popular science show in German TV, and I sometimes watch Top Gear online. When in the gym there's usually a "news channel" on, showing repeated repetitions of reruns of documentaries ("Biggest Machines in the world", "Super-Tanks", etc), which is as low as you can get while staying in the technical realms.
I firmly think I'm happier NOT knowing what's out there, even though I can't participate in chats making references to all of those.
Oh, and I also came to the conclusion to not believe ANYTHING they say in TV outside the news segment (that one's only heavily spinned), including the documentaries. I've seen enough covering my specific hobbies to conclude that everything else is just as wrong. And all the competition shows do not have the idea of "finding talent". That might be a coincidence along the way. The basic idea is throwaway-persons to put in the spotlight for a bit. I don't expect anything else here, and I know it's scripted (I once took a tour on one of those shows), so why bother watching?
Though, the Internet can rot your brain as well :)
Kitchen Nightmares, Pawn Stars, the Pickers series are worth the casual watch in my book but after that you're sunk. "Reality TV" is drek.