Slashdot and TV

, Will Kahn-Greene | share this (mastodon)
Note: This is an old post in a blog with a lot of posts over a long span of time. The world has changed, technologies have changed, and I've changed. It's likely this is out of date, the code doesn't work, the ideas haven't aged well, or the ideas were terrible to begin with. Let me know if you think this is something that needs updating.

There were two things I did in the last 6 months that have significantly changed my life for the better:

  1. I stopped watching TV

  2. I stopped reading Slashdot

In regards to TV, almost everyone I know watches too much TV. And it's not as if they're watching good TV--they're watching things like American Idol. What possible value does that show have other than pure unintelligent entertainment? (Sociologists are excluded from this question.) People tell me they feel like they're being bombarded by advertising. If you get rid of your TV and find a browser that allows you to disable pop-up ads--over half of the advertising in the world melts away. Save yourselves!

I'm another anti-Slashdot person. Best of luck to the admin who try their best in building a moderation system that allows me to read comments without having to interact with the ignorant (yet exceptionally vocal) masses. The only value I think Slashdot has at this point is as a venue for political activism and education. Most of us have no clue what's going on in the wiley world of legislation and it's nice to have a couple of one-stop-shops to catch up on the list of things I can't do any more.

Read more books! Get outside! Fight the powers that are crushing you like bugs! Exercise! Brush your teeth! In these ways, you have the habits for a healthier and happier life.

Want to comment? Send an email to willkg at bluesock dot org. Include the url for the blog entry in your comment so I have some context as to what you're talking about.