Friday 5 for April 22: Tee Vee!

Friday 5 questions for April 22.

Let me premise this by saying that my TV broke a few months ago. I have decided not to buy one for the time being. I have also discontinued my cable TV service and don't intend to re-up once I get a new TV.

That said most of my "TV" viewing is now done online with my computer, and much of it is free except for my monthly internet access fee.

1. What are your thoughts on late-night television talk shows?

Never watched any of the late night talk shows with regularity. If I did it was boring old ABC News Nightline or something on Fox News Channel.

2. What television program is so bad you can’t believe anyone watches it?

The following are current TV shows that stink:

ABC TV - The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, True Beauty, Wife Swap, Wipeout

CBS - Big Brother, Amazing Race, Arranged Marriage

NBC - most of their shows stink lately except for most of the Law & Order franchise.

Fox - Glee, Family Guy, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol

CW - Everything on that network stinks.

Syndicated - Oprah, Judge Judy, most daytime talk shows, reality shows.

Cable - All of MTV and VH1 suck - they don't play music videos anymore.

Cable - Lifetime network, all shopping channels, many more.

One of the main reasons why I canceled my cable is because I hate paying for junk I never watch. Why subsidize this crap when I only want to watch a few shows on some channels? I can find several good shows for free online via some of the networks and places like Hulu.com and YouTube. Besides standard TV shows, there are many types of unique videos hosted on YouTube and other services such as Vimeo and UStream.

3. In what way have your television-viewing habits changed over the years?

Since I stopped subscribing to cable I watch way less TV and get most of my content from the internet. Plus I have more time to watch my DVD collection.

As a general thought over the years I have tended to watch more Fox News, C-SPAN, some Discovery and History Channel and occasionally Animal Planet.

I used to subscribe to HBO a long time ago, but after my Betamax died, I discontinued. Back in the 1980s the VCR and HBO (as well as other pay movie services) were a great way to record movies to build a relatively cheap collection.

DVD and DRM changed all of that. I like DVD and maybe will like Blue Ray too. But I absolutely hate DRM. Don’t know what DRM is? Look it up! I'm not a fan of DRM.

When I do get a set again, the computer will be hooked up to it , as well as the DVD player. I have decent over the air digital TV reception, so definitely an antenna set up will also do. Plus I may get either a Roku Box or Apple TV… anything that doesn’t require me to pay additional monthly fees is game for me.


4. If you were in charge of the universe, what changes might you make to television?

Too many that I could think of, but a few that I would implement include:



Allowing viewers to have ala-carte cable. Offer that as an option instead of bundling everything as a package. Let the buyer pick and choose what they want. If no one actively subscribes to a network, then let that network go out of business. TV networks that don’t get viewers should not be allowed to stay in business.

I think they future of TV lies mostly with the internet. We will get ala carte TV as more and more people slowly drift away from the current cable TV and satellite offerings. Hulu, YouTube, NetFlix, and other services are in the wings ready to eventually become mainstream.

5. What is most likely the very next thing you will be watching on television?

Nothing! My TV is broken. I’ll be watching something on my computer -- more than likely a music video on YouTube, a local newscast snippet or a clip from Fox News TV.

Anyone who wants to suggest more online places where we can get interesting content let me know. Leave a comment below.

Friday 5 for April 15 - Unwanted Attention

I try not to draw attention to myself.

1. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to mosquitoes?

Not too many mosquitoes in my area.. so no one in particular. You need a source of standing water nearby to attract mosquitoes.

2. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to illness-causing viruses and bacteria?

Illness attack people I know at random. There is no one person that can be singled out.


3. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to rip-off artists?

A few years ago I would have said my mother. Not anymore. She learned.


4. In what way were you recently the object of unwanted attention?

A few years ago a photo of myself was maliciously used on a website. I hate having my picture taken.


5. When you go out with friends, which of you is most likely to be flirted with?

No one. I rarely "go out".

Friday 5 for March 25: March Madness

My March is not as "mad" as most other peoples' Marches. These are my answers to the latest Friday 5 meme questions.



1. When did you last have occasion to march anywhere?

I marched in several parades while playing trumpet for our high school band... not to mention also marching on the football field during halftime performances... this was many decades ago in a previous life. No photos exist.

2. What kind of hula-hooper are you?

I don't do that, but I would suspect I'd be extremely lousy.

3. What kind of madness is most likely to infect you this weekend?

Nothing very critical unless I get upset about hand coding an html page or something like that.


4. Under what circumstances this past week might you have had reason to shout, “SCORE!”

Hasn't happened this week.

5. When did you last inadvertently dribble, drool, or otherwise let liquid escape your mouth while trying to keep it in?

Probably when I was asleep or brushing my teeth. Luckily none of this occurred in public. I was at the car show last weekend, but none of the vehicles made me drool after looking at the prices.


Drool....

Friday 5 for February 18: Connections

These are my answers to this week's questions on "Connections" for the Friday 5.

1. Nowadays, just about everyone knows a couple who first met online. Among couples you know, who has the best story?

No one I can think of who met online. Hey, I'm old. I'm not "just about everyone".

2. Who among your real-life acquaintances might you never have been friends with if you hadn’t gotten to know each other online first?

A friend that I met on a BBS many years ago.


3. Of people you know online only, who would you most like to meet in real life?

Not naming any names here... sorry.

4. In the past 365 days, what’s the longest you’ve gone without connecting in any way to the Internet, including email?

From November 17 to December 3, 2010 I was mostly offline due to the fact that I spent most of the time at Hilo Hospital watching my Dad slowly wither away and die. Sad times indeed.


5. Who is the least-connected person you know in real life?

My Mom in so far as not being online.

Friday 5 for February 11: Late Nights

Here are my late night answers for this week's Friday 5:

1. What’s the best thing about being awake when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping?

Not very much traffic in the wee hours of the night. Love that. Roads are not crowded and it is easy to find parking at most places.


2. Where can you go when you get a case of the late-night munchies?

Here in Honolulu my favorite places to go are Zippys' Restaurants or Like Like Drive In for a meal.

For fast food, most of the McDonalds' and Jack in the Box places have a 24-7 drive thru.

For take home food, we have grocery stores, a big box and drug stores open 24-7...

WalMart, Foodland, Safeway, Don Quijote, Longs' Drug, Walgreens come to mind.

3. What open-all-night establishment has saved you from catastrophe, and what were the circumstances?

Probably WalMart when I needed something for late that night or early the next morning.

4. What’s the worst thing about being awake when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping?

Missing the sunshine and seeing your daytime friends.

5. When you are up all night at home for whatever reason, what’s most likely to be on the television to keep you company?

Security camera image from our main lounge or Fox News. Mostly late night I rather listen to the radio... Coast to Coast AM with George Noory or iTunes.


Zippys' is one of the good places to get late night munchies.

Too Much Not Enough - F5 for Feb 4

Answers to this week's Friday 5!

1. Who’s not as funny as he or she thinks?

I don't think David Letterman's very funny. But then is he really a comedian? Probably not.

2. What’s not as big a deal as everyone else seems to think?

Global warming, climate change - biggest pile of bullshit since the bull. People on the mainland are freezing their asses off, shoveling snow and skidding on icy roads. Temps way, way down. Global warming my ass.

I'd put President Barrack Obama right behind that or maybe even in the same place. Full of bull again.

3. What’s something people aren’t concerned enough about?

Taxes and the high cost of living in Hawaii. Sadly people are not concerned about this enough to get rid of the local politicians who implement more taxes upon us every year. We need more fiscal conservatives who can cut the budget and wasteful spending. Reduce taxes. No New Taxes!

4. What’s something in the grocery store that’s underrated?

Batteries - you take them for granted, but when you need them, you are happy to find them in a grocery store even if you have to pay more than in a discount or electronics store.

5. What do you pay too much attention to?

Politics

Friday 5 for January 28: Unrelated

It's Saturday and I'm answering The Friday 5!

Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses.


1. What’s your favorite kind of cracker?



What was my favorite kind of cracker... Hilo Macaroni Factory Brand Salon Pilots... long gone since 2003. Cracker factory went out of business. Sad. On another note visit this link to get my recipe for "Cracker Toast".


2. What part of your residence gets the best natural lighting?

The front of my building during the afternoon.

3. What song have you frequently listened to lately?



According to my Last.FM song tracker that would be "Heart of Stone" by the Raveonettes for this week.

4. What could you use a little break from?

Work.

5. What’s going on in your town this weekend?


Chinese New Year. Kung Hee Fat Choy. Year of the Rabbit.