The so-called television reality shows such as “Big Brother” are catering to those in our society who prefer to “dumb-down” their intelligence. And just look at the size of the audience that programs like this command.

This is actually very good news for those of us who detest trash like this. Why? With so many people committing themselves to this farcical nonsense it leaves a relatively small percentage who prefer to do something to improve their knowledge and intelligence.

While all the others are absorbed in the pathetic, crude and oftentimes vulgar behavior served up to us by the television moguls as “entertainment,” those of us who refuse to be duped can be doing so many other worthwhile things, such as:

reading a book,

watching an educational program like a documentary,

writing a letter or an article,

studying for exams,

engaging in meaningful conversation,

visiting a relative or friend,

seeking information on the internet,

attending an evening sports meet,

going out for a meal,

practicing a musical instrument,

playing a board game.

Any of the above are far more worthy pursuits than watching a bunch of talentless miscreants engaging in voyeuristic gutter behavior.

In case, I haven’t made myself clear - yes, I DETEST moronic television chaff like “Big Brother.” There are many other similar asinine television offerings but BB, as it is so affectionately referred to, in my opinion, is the most insidious. It is almost like a template for ratbag behavior - something that the world certainly does not need!

As far as entertainment value goes BB is about as puerile as it can get. One can only assume that the intent of this particular show is to feed the voyeuristic nature of society. What amazes me is the fact that so many people look forward to watching these D-grade wannabe-actors cavorting about naked and semi-naked and engaging in the most lewd behavior. Is that entertainment? I don’t think so.

There is another option that you could add to the list above - sleep. It would be far more beneficial.

Just to let you know - yes, I have watched snippets of this garbage. I suffered through several short segments just to see what so many other people were so enamoured with.

So for all those people who have been mesmerized by this assault on our intelligence, might I suggest this alternative:

Go to your local bookstore and purchase a copy of “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Next time you get the urge to watch such turgid rubbish read a chapter of this wonderful book. It will put you streets ahead of the voyeurs.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

Tags: BB, Big Brother, entertainment, intelligence, motivation, negativity, pornography, self esteem, televisionBB, Big Brother, entertainment, intelligence, motivation, negativity, pornography, self esteem, television

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I love my Tivo. I would rather have Tivo than cable or satellite. Yes, I would give up my zillion programming options, most of my CDs, and quite a few movies in our selection, if I could only have my Tivo.

Most people tell me that Tivo doesn’t seem like a big help. “I’m afraid I’ll watch more TV,” they whine. I must confess, the first month I had Tivo, I watched more TV than ever before. I would sit down and thumb through the movie list, starting with ‘A’, and pick movies to Tivo until the box was full.

I have now been ‘on’ Tivo for over two years. Once the thrill subsided, my TV watching slimmed down to about where it was before. However, I no longer watch ‘crap’ TV. You know, the programs you turn on when the kids are in bed because there is nothing else to watch? Perhaps you thumb back and forth between two or even three shows because neither one of them makes a difference to you. Well, Tivo makes the quality of television change. Yes, the networks put out a lot of crap, but now you don’t have to live with it. You can watch only the shows you want to. You no longer have to worry about videotapes or cutting outings short because you can watch your favorite episodes when you get home. With the Season Pass option, it doesn’t matter if the show gets bumped to a different day and you don’t get the memo. Your beautiful, intelligent Tivo will make the adjustment accordingly. Take that, VCR!

The biggest selling-point-that’s-not-a-selling-point-cuz-Tivo-would-get-sued, however, is the option to fast forward through the commercials. I am one of those channel flippers; I flip just to avoid the mindless drivel that took even less thought than the shows I watch. If it makes the commercial producers happy, I must confess I do the same thing with my radio. I hate commercials because, frankly, I hate wasting time. Tivo, of course, will never market this because all of the advertisers would die if the consumers knew we didn’t have to be subjected to their insanity, but it’s true. Now, in the defense of the companies, the Tivo fast-forwards clearly enough that you can view snippets of various commercials. Occasionally, my husband and I will stop fast forwarding and actually rewind to catch a glimpse of a commercial or a movie preview. But we get to make the decision. Now, if I have a one-hour show that I want to see ASAP (like a season finale or the shooting of JR), I wait fifteen minutes after the program has started and finish at the same time as the rest of America. But I got to do something else (or watch something else) during that quarter hour.

Speaking of efficiency, I am so glad Tivo finally put out a dual-tuner model. Now consumers can record two shows at once, while watching a third show that has already been recorded. I love this!

The buffer is also a great must-have tool. The previous 30 minutes of whatever channel you are watching, even if you are not recording it, are saved in digital memory. Thus if you sit down and turn the television on, and your favorite movie in the whole world started twenty minutes prior, you can watch it from the beginning, or even opt to record it. If it started an hour ago, you can follow the cute little prompts to record it the next time it comes on.

No Tivo discussion would be complete without a mention of wishlists. You can program your Tivo to automatically record anything on the Tivo that has a keyword, a specific title, contains a specific actor or actress, or was written or directed by a particular person. You want to record every Mel Gibson movie you can find? Great! You can also opt NOT to autorecord these programs and instead scan through the wishlist every two weeks or so to see what is coming up. Should you be one of five people in America who actually uses the television for educational purposes, you can set it to record any show about airplanes, tanks, or the Civil War that you want, just by using the keyword. You don’t even have to search the TV guide!

The biggest, most important reason for having Tivo, however, is because I have kids. Small ones. Ones that don’t go to bed when they are supposed to, that want water and stories and hear scary monsters and sneak down to snack on candy when they think we are busy. Before, my frustration with their actions would grow because (I admit this with shame) they were causing me to miss my favorite show. Now, however, I can pause the show and deal with the lot of them before returning to exactly where I left off - even if the show is on ‘right now’. As an added bonus, I always have something from PBS on my Tivo so my kids have a selection of entertaining, educational programming to pick from. I don’t even have to fast-forward through commercials for those.

Like any new toy, Tivo initially begs to be played with. Once you get used to it, however, you can reclaim your time in front of the television as your own. No more settling for late night infomercials. You can watch whatever quality (or lacking in quality) shows your heart desires. Heck, you can record the infomercials if you want! Television programs today have increased in stupidity, but thanks to Tivo, you can watch only the stupidity you want.

When she isn’t Tivoing life, Nola Redd is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing. You can view her fiction and nonfiction writings at http://scottiegaz.Writing.Com/.

Tags: choice, discriminate, dvr, enjoy, entertainment, movie, record, Technology, television, tivo, Tvchoice, discriminate, dvr, enjoy, entertainment, movie, record, Technology, television, tivo, Tv

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Movies are a tremendous source of entertainment for most people. The reason? It’s probably because even people who have little in common can find a movie to enjoy together.

The moviemakers apparently understood the need to create films that appeal to a wide audience. Otherwise, the good guy wouldn’t take time out in his pursuit of the bad guys to kiss the girl. The girl wouldn’t get herself in a wreck that required a heroic rescue before she got her guy. And - perhaps the most obvious example of all - the cartoons wouldn’t have such great humor that appeals to the adults almost as much as the children.

Technology has played an important role in broadening the appeal of most movies to encompass a wider audience. Consider the movies of a half-century ago. There were spacemen on Earth and earthlings in space, but the scenes were usually very plain and the almost everything was left to the imagination of the view. Today, the vistas are bigger than life, futuristic scenes are more incredible than the average imagination could have conjured on its own and the stunts are unbelievable - because they are humanly impossible.

But even when we’re watching a stunt that can’t possibly have happened in real life, we’re awed and amazed and can’t wait to see it again. And again. And that’s the beauty of the movie experience today. Not only are there thousands upon thousands of movies to watch, many are available to buy, rent or download onto your PC. You can watch them as often as you want, shelve them for awhile and watch them again.

While technology is playing an important role in the movie-making process, it’s also important for movie watching. The fact that many movies are now digital files on DVD allows moviemakers to apply a myriad of special features into the movie file itself. Surround sound is one of those special features and if you have a home theater set up with surround sound, you’ll be able to hear the special effects just like you do at a commercial theater. Ever wonder how it is that a door squeaks to your right, while a woman screams to your left? The answer is surround sound technology and a DVD has ample space to store those kinds of programming features.

You and your spouse will probably never agree on every single movie. But with the many movie titles available for you to rent or own either on DVD or to download to your computer, it’s likely that you’ll find something that you both want to watch tonight. And maybe even something that you both want to watch again. And again.

© Copyright 2005 by Rickia Sanders. All rights reserved.

Learn how to find your favorite TV Shows, Movies, MP3s, Software and Videogames. Visit http://www.tv-download.net for more information about tv, movie and clips download services and to sign up for a membership.

Tags: download, entertainment, movies, television, Tvdownload, entertainment, movies, television, Tv

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