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Television, the drug of the nation.
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation.

I totally agree. Television is killing the time people should be using to do better things, and just about anything is better except maybe crime. I have a TV but I never turn it on, there is always something better to do.

Have you seen http://www.whitedot.org/ ?

Reading the linked PDF, it strikes me that this law makes M and AO rated video games more of a controlled substance rather than outright banning them. That makes the case for a first amendment violation a tricky one.

That being said, I'm really not in favor of the government getting involved in these things. The rise in Ultra-Violent video games are a sign that the market is on the decline. Regulating such activities can have the opposite of the intended effect, as the government is basically okaying such products.

It's the same in the television industry. In the paper this morning they had a story about how 3/4 of TV shows today have strong sexual content in them. (Up from 56% in 2003.) The government is considering intervening. Again, I think the government should stay out. The ratings speak for themselves. The general populace won't buy their shock value crap for very long. Ratings will continue to decline until the shows are either fixed or television as we know it disappears. If the government involves themselves in it, they will only create controversy that will help the TV studios.

http://www.juicebox.com/images/interstitial/800x60 0JuiceBuzzAd_02.jpg
Reminds me of this one.
http://www.whitedot.org/images/mast_bak17.jpg

There's an organisation dedicated to turning off tv called White Dot. Unfortunately the web site is a bit naff, but the reason I mention them is they managed to broadcast a very powerfull half hour show on the bbc promoting their cause.

Living in Britain, I benefit from regular and well-placed ads. In a half-hour slot there will be a break half-way through for a couple of minutes and then the program resumes. Slots are book-ended with ads. The shock came when I moved to the states and the ads were just rammed into the program with little consideration for placing them at the end of a scene or other convenient pause in the action and no warning. It was super-aggressive.

It's no wonder that the US public are first to fight back. I expect demand in the UK to be less initially.

But then when I do watch TV, it's mostly BBC which I've already paid for and has no ads. Ethically dubious because it's compulsory, but it has a positive effect. Maybe this will result in a move towards more paid-for channels in the US.

For privacy issues with your TV, try this

Fortunately, MS has a reputation for crashing. and it was somewaht tongue in cheek. maybe I should have added a smiley

On the other hand, it is not totally out of the question. For example, there is this old press release:

http://industry.java.sun.com/javanews/stories/stor y2/0,1072,10079,00.html

In which it is noted, "The next generation of products capable of utilizing an array of content from the network for information and communication will include: TVs, phones, PDAs and traditional appliances, such as air conditioners. "

You are also invited to look at the Universal Plug and Play Site: http://www.upnp.org

There is also this article where it is noted:

UPnP technology applies to proximity networks in homes, small businesses, or commercial buildings. For example, the network in Figure 1 could be in a hospital lab, connecting a cell counter, chromatograph, and blood analyzer; in an office, connecting a print server, fax machine, DSL router, and HVAC controller; in a factory, connecting a PLC, machine-tool controller, and conveyor-belt controller; or in a process plant, connecting setpoint controllers, smart sensors, and a PLC [...]

UPnP-enabled devices or control points have six layers of functions (Figure 3 ). Layers 0, 1, and 2 are fundamental; they exist in all devices and control points. Layers 3, 4, and 5 are optional. Control points can initiate an action on a device (layer 3). Many devices offer only event messaging (layer 4); the device creates an event, and a control point listens for the event. Devices can send data or the results of an action they have taken without initiating a control point. Some devices might provide a control point with only a presentation user interface (layer 5). The control point's browser displays the device's Web user interface. This user interface may either display events or status or control the device.

That being said, and given MS's reputation for sterling and unblemished integrity, well, anything is possible.

Have a good evening. The original comment was somewhat tongue in cheek, but this does not mean it was devoid of facts. Unless you really do trust MS.

...not for you. The business of a TV station is not to entertain viewers for free, but to sell viewers' time and attention to advertisers.

If you don't want to be a product, turn off the TV, get off your geek ass, and go do something--ANYTHING. Take a look at whitedot.org sometime.

The best solution for everyone concerned: quit watching television altogether. Get all your news and entertainment from the Internet, public radio, and pre-recorded media.

I stopped watching almost a year ago and find myself happier and smarter as a result. I read about one book a month, talk to actual humans more often, and spend more time on my own creative endeavors. I also find myself less immersed in commercial messages and less aware of those vaporous trends which mean nothing but about which TV nonetheless makes people care.

Learn more about the negative effects of TV and the positive effects of quitting at the White Dot web site: http://www.whitedot.org/ .

Wait, wait! Not the guys with a 0.5W TX. The guys with 1000000W TX. I mean television.
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have a look at whitedot