TV, advertising, and stuff....

I don't watch TV. Ever. There are a couple of reasons behind this and it may not be what you think.

But first let me ask you...Are your views on TV in general good or bad and why do you feel that way?

I do think that there are great programs on TV. Prime time mainstream and specialty channels (ie history, animal planet, nickelodeon, etc.).

So why don't I watch it?

When I was in the Navy (A long time ago) I was in submarines and I went on one deployment. We were gone a little over four months. During that time we watched movies, but nothing else. No TV. We got news from a printed roll of paper every so often. Nothing else. When I got back I was overwhelmed with....ADVERTISING. Bombarded. It was crushing to see ads EVERYWHERE. We get desensitized to it, but trust me, we live in advertising OVERLOAD. It's on most of our clothing, every visible surface everywhere. Every few seconds of TV. OMG...enough already. So for that reason I don't watch TV. I just cannot take it. I buy seasons of stuff on DVD, or buy it and download it (usually through itunes). It is easy. No fast forwarding through commercials, etc. Just play. Just relax. Just be entertained.

Another reason that I don't watch TV is SCHEDULING. I don't plan my life around TV shows. OK, some people would say I don't PLAN my life at all. However, I do live my life. My entertainment is just that, mine. I would rather be out with friends doing stuff. I would rather be doing something with my son. And when the day is done, nothing left to do, no one left to call or email, etc, I can lay down and read a book or watch a show or two. If I have other free time, I can decide to watch something. If something comes up, I can stop it and pick it up again later, no problem. No tivo, no DVR, no time limits, no sifting through schedules, etc.

For my job I use the Internet to bring news to me. I have generic news sites like CNN and Google news, but for information security stuff I read some specialty sites and blogs. Sometimes even the advertising there drives me nuts. I also use Google Reader for blogs and other things on a daily basis.

All that being said...the two hardest things you can ask me are where I'm from and anything about pop culture. The first is a long complicate answer in timeline format that gets emotionally conflicted, and the second I am just totally clueless. People will start talking to me about some show or person and I just give them a completely blank stare. Then they say something like "You have seen such and such right?" I answer "No." Then they look at me like I have two heads. Then they ask something like "Do you live in a cave?" To which I respond "No. I live outside of it." Or a friend once told me "Mike, you're in your own cave." Which is probably true.

I don't condemn those that do like their TV shows and do schedule their time around them. I don't see any problem with that at all. It just isn't me. I love to sit down with a friend(s) and watch a show, etc. When I am by myself (which is most of the time) I just come up with other things to do.

As much as I love to play sports...I don't watch them. I just think that why should I watch some one else do something I love to do when I can just go out with my friends and do it? :-)

~Have a great week~