Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

Orange · 10-03-2008, 11:10 PM

I noticed on steves facebook page he said that he doesnt watch T.V becuase he doesnt have time for it.
I really dont see the differnce between TV and books. I find so much of TV very educatonal and it can express things in a differnt maby better way than books can.
Also there is the artistic side of TV aswell. Lots of things you wouldnt be able to experiance otherwise.
I understand there is alot of junk TV that are programs that are exiting to watch but dont offer much value and you could be doing somthing much better.
But yeah, I have learnt so much from TV the arts channle is great also in the uk theres a channle called Edge media that plays TED.com videos and really interesting personal development interviews and documenarys.
the other downside i can think of doesnt effect me either. TV ads.. all the programs i want to watch i just set to record on to a hard drive.
Thanks.

seeker5 · 10-04-2008, 12:58 AM

Reducing TV Watching

Giving Up TV

The David · 10-04-2008, 01:21 AM

Reading is a learnable skill which tends to get better with practice. Therefore, the act of reading is healthier than the act of watching TV.

However, it is also quicker and easier to absorb information from a TV. So, if used responsibly, it is probably up to the individual.

Rachelle · 10-04-2008, 02:06 AM

I personally don't watch TV myself.
I agree there are likely a number of shows with value to them, but there is a lot of crap too... I'd rather download or buy a TV series on DVD if it's something I find valuable. That way you can watch it whenever you want and you aren't bombarded with commercials and advertisements.

Anand Dhillon · 10-04-2008, 02:35 AM

My problem with TV is the opportunity cost.

A while back I logged the amount of satisfaction I got out of different activities in my life for about a week. I found that my favorite shows scored 6-7 out of 10. Meanwhile, other activities like reading, exercising or spending time with friends scored 9-10 out of 10. It simply didn't make sense to keep watching TV when I could being doing things that I found so much more fulfilling.

That being said, if you find immense value in the TV that you do watch, there's no reason to give it up completely.

sheffy4 · 10-04-2008, 03:17 AM

Anand, logging your satisfaction levels sounds like a great idea! I might give that a try so I can figure out what I really enjoy and drop the things that are just unstimulating habits (like a lot of the tv I watch).

coollikeme · 10-04-2008, 04:03 AM

Its hard to be a sports fan, and not watch the game. As for financial news it can be very helpful, as I am a day-trader. TV can be very educational, and helpful if you use it to your advantage.

Trezker · 10-04-2008, 06:36 AM

Why watch TV where you have to wait for the right show to be played, suffer through ads and have no control whatsoever over how you watch it?

You can get the same material on your computer and get full playback freedom. When you want, how you want it. Especially watching TED on TV seems pretty useless...

RRR · 10-04-2008, 07:44 AM

Many, if not all, of the TED videos are available online at TED: Ideas worth spreading

Television is a passive state of reception in which you have little ability to interact with your environment. It trains your brain to be passive and innactive. It is crammed full of advertisements and stereotypes.

Elrond · 10-04-2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trezker

Why watch TV where you have to wait for the right show to be played, suffer through ads and have no control whatsoever over how you watch it?

Not every TV-channel is like most US TV-channels when it comes to commercials. It's really annyoing for me to watch channels where there is a five minute commercial break every ten minutes. And 10% of a program is spent on showing "up next after the break!".

TropicThink · 10-04-2008, 11:25 AM

I've never watched much TV. For long periods of time I've lived without one, and even if I have one (like now) I'll spend less that an hour in front of it per week on average. That lets me actually spend my time on something worthwhile, as opposed to killing it - which is, let's face it, a large part of the motivation behind wasting entire evenings in front of the box. By and large, it's simply an escape.

I recognize that some TV shows are too some degree educational. Most educational TV is extremely shallow, though. Isn't that evident when you watch something about something in your own field? And even the channels that are supposedly dedicated to educational TV are turning into 100% crap now. The Discovery Channel now hosts some of the worst reality tv I've ever had the displeasure of having to endure. It's best described with one word: garbage.

The worst thing about TV, of course, isn't that it's mostly a waste of time, it's that it's dangerous. It turns people in the walking dead, drones that just don't care. Stuff that can leave a society in dust. And some would even argue that we're seeing that happen right now.

Raphael · 10-04-2008, 07:41 PM

Nothing's wrong with TV if you choose to look it ;-)

I prefer books for the following reasons:
- I feel there's more variety. Thus I find it easier to find a book which deals with my current needs.
- I can mark passages, write notes on the margin, ...
- I choose my own speed of learning.
- For me written work can express difficult imaginative circumstances
- I like to use my imagination

I think it also depends on the topic, as I like to watch good movies (on DVD) very much. But thats more for entertainment, and books to learn.

Brutha · 10-04-2008, 08:21 PM

It's much easier to get people to believe a lie when you give them pictures or even moving pictures the way TV presents them.

If you read something you are better at evaluating whether the thing you read is true. And you can train evaluating things you read much better than you can train evaluating emotional charged pictures you see at TV.

If you have on the one hand an article about 9/11 with only text and on the other hand a news clip about it that shows planes crashing into the world trade center your react differently.
Those pictures mess up your ability to rational analyse the situation.

TV advertisements which showed a mushroom clowed in America had a different effect on motivating the American public to go to war against Iraq than printed text.

Moving pictures are effective in distorting peoples grasp on truth. Steves book also has a bit about the topic in the truth section.

10-03-2008, 11:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
Orange Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cornwall, England Posts: 317	Whats wrong with T.V I noticed on steves facebook page he said that he doesnt watch T.V becuase he doesnt have time for it. I really dont see the differnce between TV and books. I find so much of TV very educatonal and it can express things in a differnt maby better way than books can. Also there is the artistic side of TV aswell. Lots of things you wouldnt be able to experiance otherwise. I understand there is alot of junk TV that are programs that are exiting to watch but dont offer much value and you could be doing somthing much better. But yeah, I have learnt so much from TV the arts channle is great also in the uk theres a channle called Edge media that plays TED.com videos and really interesting personal development interviews and documenarys. the other downside i can think of doesnt effect me either. TV ads.. all the programs i want to watch i just set to record on to a hard drive. Thanks.

10-04-2008, 12:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
seeker5 Family Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,606	Might want to check these blog posts from Steve Reducing TV Watching Giving Up TV

10-04-2008, 04:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
coollikeme Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 317	Sports and financial news. Its hard to be a sports fan, and not watch the game. As for financial news it can be very helpful, as I am a day-trader. TV can be very educational, and helpful if you use it to your advantage. Last edited by coollikeme; 10-04-2008 at 04:50 AM.

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10-04-2008, 01:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
The David Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Posts: 1,155	Reading is a learnable skill which tends to get better with practice. Therefore, the act of reading is healthier than the act of watching TV. However, it is also quicker and easier to absorb information from a TV. So, if used responsibly, it is probably up to the individual.

10-04-2008, 02:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rachelle Slave Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 286	I personally don't watch TV myself. I agree there are likely a number of shows with value to them, but there is a lot of crap too... I'd rather download or buy a TV series on DVD if it's something I find valuable. That way you can watch it whenever you want and you aren't bombarded with commercials and advertisements.

10-04-2008, 02:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
Anand Dhillon Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 58	My problem with TV is the opportunity cost. A while back I logged the amount of satisfaction I got out of different activities in my life for about a week. I found that my favorite shows scored 6-7 out of 10. Meanwhile, other activities like reading, exercising or spending time with friends scored 9-10 out of 10. It simply didn't make sense to keep watching TV when I could being doing things that I found so much more fulfilling. That being said, if you find immense value in the TV that you do watch, there's no reason to give it up completely.

10-04-2008, 03:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
sheffy4 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 337	Anand, logging your satisfaction levels sounds like a great idea! I might give that a try so I can figure out what I really enjoy and drop the things that are just unstimulating habits (like a lot of the tv I watch).

10-04-2008, 06:36 AM	#8 (permalink)
Trezker Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 962	Why watch TV where you have to wait for the right show to be played, suffer through ads and have no control whatsoever over how you watch it? You can get the same material on your computer and get full playback freedom. When you want, how you want it. Especially watching TED on TV seems pretty useless...

10-04-2008, 07:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
RRR Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: San Rafael, California Posts: 451	Many, if not all, of the TED videos are available online at TED: Ideas worth spreading Television is a passive state of reception in which you have little ability to interact with your environment. It trains your brain to be passive and innactive. It is crammed full of advertisements and stereotypes.

10-04-2008, 11:25 AM	#11 (permalink)
TropicThink Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 73	I've never watched much TV. For long periods of time I've lived without one, and even if I have one (like now) I'll spend less that an hour in front of it per week on average. That lets me actually spend my time on something worthwhile, as opposed to killing it - which is, let's face it, a large part of the motivation behind wasting entire evenings in front of the box. By and large, it's simply an escape. I recognize that some TV shows are too some degree educational. Most educational TV is extremely shallow, though. Isn't that evident when you watch something about something in your own field? And even the channels that are supposedly dedicated to educational TV are turning into 100% crap now. The Discovery Channel now hosts some of the worst reality tv I've ever had the displeasure of having to endure. It's best described with one word: garbage. The worst thing about TV, of course, isn't that it's mostly a waste of time, it's that it's dangerous. It turns people in the walking dead, drones that just don't care. Stuff that can leave a society in dust. And some would even argue that we're seeing that happen right now.

10-04-2008, 07:41 PM	#12 (permalink)
Raphael Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 22	Nothing's wrong with TV if you choose to look it ;-) I prefer books for the following reasons: - I feel there's more variety. Thus I find it easier to find a book which deals with my current needs. - I can mark passages, write notes on the margin, ... - I choose my own speed of learning. - For me written work can express difficult imaginative circumstances - I like to use my imagination I think it also depends on the topic, as I like to watch good movies (on DVD) very much. But thats more for entertainment, and books to learn.

10-04-2008, 08:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
Brutha Family Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 8,749	It's much easier to get people to believe a lie when you give them pictures or even moving pictures the way TV presents them. If you read something you are better at evaluating whether the thing you read is true. And you can train evaluating things you read much better than you can train evaluating emotional charged pictures you see at TV. If you have on the one hand an article about 9/11 with only text and on the other hand a news clip about it that shows planes crashing into the world trade center your react differently. Those pictures mess up your ability to rational analyse the situation. TV advertisements which showed a mushroom clowed in America had a different effect on motivating the American public to go to war against Iraq than printed text. Moving pictures are effective in distorting peoples grasp on truth. Steves book also has a bit about the topic in the truth section.

Personal Development for Smart PeopleTM Forums

Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums