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1936 Perspective on Television
An Anonymous Coward writes "The New Yorker is running an article from their archives from 1936. In it, E.B.White (author of Charlotte's Web) discusses a demonstration he attended of the current state of television, which didn't impress him at all."
Times don't change, 63 years later and still nothing is worth watching on tv.
E.B. White was also a co author of Elements of Style. A book so many of us in these forums should spend more time with.
From the article:
"First there had to be a moving picture. Then there had to be the business of iconoscoping it, or whatever the hell it's called. Then it had to be sent by direct wire to the Empire State Building, and back by megacycle to R.C.A., where it appeared in a television set which IN TURN had to be itself iconoscoped, or scooped, and the image sent to the Empire State, and then back again by megacycle to R.C.A., where it hit us squarely between the eyes."
"iconoscoping", "direct wire", "megacycle", when the hell are we gonna get stuff that sounds this cool.
I really hate Dan Patrick.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT.
You knew it was coming.
Thank God they shit-canned that idea.
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
Porn already far surpassed that expectation for most of us slashdotters when we first got nntp access and were downloading HOT LESBIAN ACTION PATRY C00L C00L.zip. May I kindly suggest that you hook yourself up to a porn expierence worthy of the 21st century. Single's clubs have meta searched live video convergences that rival the size of small cities. You can find 30 women that will take their clothes off for you for 2-3 minutes if you'll do the same. It is sort of the ultimate safe sex routine borne out of the lingering fears of such things as aids and babies. I'm certain when sex suits become more popular we will all have them, and we will see all the poor 40 year old trolls dissapear forever into masturbatory bliss and a new generation will arise to take their place with new pictures of new sexual animals that they have created in their vicariously-lived psuedo life where they have become sexual predators.
How the hell can you promote DUMBER shows? It's like trying to make something colder than absolute zero. We hit rock bottom with Springer. Everything else is trying to cash in on that kind of idiocy. Survivor, Who want's to admit they're a gold-digger, fear factor, ANY dating show, Regis. X-files is GONE, there were rumors of killing of Dateline or somesuch, 'news' shows are blately promoting products (when did a new cola flavor become news?) You want TV DUMBER? Explain to me how it is possible...
If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
You're talking about the X Window System, right? :)
we will see all the poor 40 year old trolls dissapear forever into masturbatory bliss
damn your perspicacity!
something in me is protesting that the true spirit of trolling though is independent of sexual satiety, and there may be a few of us who would remain true to the trolling spirit even into old age, even with more efficient masturbatory technology.