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Would you go without TV for a week?

velocityg4 said:
The biggest problem with TV is all of the commercials I hardly turn the thing on because of constant adds. So going a week is no problem. However, I don't think I could give up TV for years like some of you. I couldn't live without Star Trek :D except Voyager that one stunk. I could care less about any other show
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The joy of ordering TV seasons from Netflix.
 
I find that i watch on average 6hrs a week now. I say now as i recently got the net and im on final year of study. But i must say im not missing it one bit.
 
I very rarely watch tv shows (maybe 1 per month). Most of my viewing involves watching movies or tv shows on dvd. As a college student, I rarely have any time to sit down and watch tv (unless it's ncaa basketball baby!)
 
I only watch dvds since we don't get out the movies as much any more and the history channel (sometimes SciFi channel).....so its not a regular event. Don't know if I'd be able to give it up next week, but I have gone months without watching it.

Its nice not seeing enough commercials to actually not remember them....:D

D
 
Haven't had a TV for 6 years or so... I hate TV, I'm not old eneough to admintrate a TV in my home - much too often I end up watching tv shop, or stupid talkshows all nite long... I'd much rather waist my time on the net then.
And my experience tells me that I WILL do other things to waist time, for a long period I did a lot of crosswords... now it's internet. I think people need a certain dose of "entertainment" that doesn't activate the brain to much!

A
 
clarity

I guess my problem with giving up cable is clarity. I enjoy the simpsons, Red Sox, and Patriots, but with buying a house, I find I have been watching lots of remodling, landscaping or other home improvement shows.
However, when we move we are going to cancel cable TV (not internet).

We lived without cable for a year 2 years ago and it was amazing how quickly you realized how much free time opened up.


Forgot to answer the question - I am giving up TV this week.
 
iGary said:
The joy of ordering TV seasons from Netflix.
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I second that - just got done running through the first three seasons of Seinfeld even though I had already seen most. I'm currently working on Penn & Teller's Showtime series Bull$h!t.

I watch TV, but not very much. I have about five or six channels I flip through - if I don't find anything that catches my interest I turn it off. History Channel, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, Science Channel, HBO... that's about it. Every once in a while there is a good prime time show on the networks, but it is rare. I wish I could just pay for these channels. Why must I pay for 200+ channels when most of them are rubbish? Bah!

I won't be participating in turning my TV off for a week. I could easily do it. I often do it without thinking about it. I just think these organized things are silly. What purpose does it serve?
 
i've gone without TV -- or really any tech other then my camera

i backpack in the woods < -- don't carry a tv with me

i watch a lot of movies and i subscribe to a lot of movie channels ... i could do without most network TV -- since they got rid of CNN HEADLINE NEWS on my cable provider i've been forced to watch BBC or CBC <-- just terrible broadcasting <-- i watch just regular CNN ... but i miss my headlines < -- started reading the paper more
 
The only times I've watched TV since leaving my parents' home in the 1980s are when I've gone back to visit them, maybe once a month. I'd rather they turned it off and talked to me when I make the 3-hour trip there, but they are completely accustomed to the noise and seem uncomfortable without it.

Ooh -- I take that back. The day I switched back to cable Internet service last year, I plugged an old VCR into the TV cable and the output from that into my computer's LCD screen, just to see if it worked. It did. I found there was a whole Star Trek series (called "Enterprise", I think) that I never knew existed. That was the last time I turned it on.

I don't have enough time for all the things I want to do in my real life. I certainly don't want to spend any plugged into someone else's artificial one.

Heh -- maybe I should actually watch TV this week, to add some balance to the universe if everyone else is giving it up.

. . . Nah.


Crikey
 
Blue Velvet said:
I've been without a TV for months. Best thing I've done for ages -- frees up more time for more rewarding pursuits.
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ABSOLUTELY! My partner and I moved in to an apartment with no cable and poor reception and just stopped watching TV in June 2004. Going on almost a year, I've absolutely loved it: no capitalist commercialism in my face, more free time, feeling more relaxed. Here's a short list of things I've accomplished instead of TV:

* Read more than 2 dozen books
* Improved my sewing skills
* Had more time to draw out art/pottery projects
* Gotten in to music DJ-ing and remixing
* Gone out with friends twice as often as I used to
* Gone to some wonderful local cultural stuff
* Went to bed earlier

Basically, the only "show" I'm watching is taped episodes of Battlestar Galactica that a co-worker brings in for me. Other than that, I use Netflix with my partner and watch a combination of Hollywood releases, indy films and documentaries - usually at a rate of 1-2 per week.

Having no TV is awesome. Though now when I do watch it, I barely comprehend it.
 
Not a problem. It's already been a few weeks. I watched BSG this season and don't see anything interesting enough to turn on the TV until it comes back on in July.

In the time others spend on TV I helped write 3 books, started a successful business, spend more time with my friends (mostly through online games since we are spread out geographically now), and get to spend a ton of time with my kids.

I actually don't understand how folks can just sit and watch hours of TV every day. It's boring and seems like such a waste.
 
although I do watch some tv (maby 12-15 hours a week) me and my roommate made the decision that we'd rather pay for highspeed internet than cable TV. Thus we get farmer vision on the bunnny ears. Eh I still get the simpsons 2-3 times day.
 
Blue Velvet said:
I've been without a TV for months. Best thing I've done for ages -- frees up more time for more rewarding pursuits.

I even posted a thread about it....
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I agree 100% with this. Not only is there more time for more rewarding pursuits, but you don't have to get drawn into the idiotic discussions about what happend on a show or whatever - I still don't see how any of it is really relevant to 'life'. ;)
 
I will stop watching TV at the beginning of June. It will last for 3 months, then I'll be back to my old habits. How could anyone possibly give up on the second season of Lost? Unimaginable. I'll be taking up trail hiking in the summertime.
 
I haven't watched the tube in months. I don't even realize that I don't watch it. Movies get played on the imac and I don't do video games.

TV is one of the best ways to scare people into buying into something.
 
Tivo

I have cable, Tivo, and Netflix. So I guess I'm a tv junkie. :D

But yeah, I could do without tv for a week because Tivo would record all my favorite shows for me. I love Tivo, I can watch what I want, when I want and I NEVER have to base my life around a tv schedule.
 
There was an article in our morning paper about this week-long challenge, but it advertised it as a week without video input of any kind (TV, DVD, VHS, video games, computers, internet, handheld games, etc.). A slightly different proposition, I think.article
 
powermac666 said:
a week without video input of any kind (TV, DVD, VHS, video games, computers, internet, handheld games, etc. A slightly different proposition, I think.article
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Actually, not that I am doing this (hence my post) but I think that would be pretty cool. I'm such an email addict, and always just have one little look to see if I have one. :rolleyes:

A week without anything like that would be great. I used to read loads, and don't so much anymore, and a week of reading and music sounds damn good. And I want to learn to knit (again).
 
I'm a big fan of what the adbusters campaign is about, but I no longer give up TV during that particular week.

1) I really don't watch that much TV anyway, and when I do, I do other stuff during the commericals.
2) I literally watch no TV ALL SUMMER. From the final "Simpsons" or "24" in May (whichever ends last), to whenever something comes on in September or October, no TV. (Not counting Netflix, of course).
 
I'm definitely watching a lot less TV now than I use too. Spending more time on my Mac in another room than the TV. My wife has a lot of her favorite shows that she watches. We do have an iBook in our MBR, but can't see the TV. Not sure if that counts or not, because I can listen. That usually happens after 10pm.
 
i watch tv once a week to watch stargate/enterprise/smallville whatevers in season, thats it

the internet is just so much better.
 
TV? What's TV? Seriously though, I never watch it to begin with. Yeah, I miss a *couple* of good shows, but so what? I'd rather waste my time on the internet. :cool:
 
Give up TV for a week? Hahah been there and honestly I didn't miss it. There is very little to watch on TV now, so it wouldn't be missed..
 
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