There is a growing trend, a push from the media - a trend to supply me with ever-increasing amounts of information. Watching television tonight I've been advised about what the next commercial break is going to contain. Breakfast TV is now "designed" to provide me with news, current affairs *and* advice on how to mop my floors to kill the most number of micro-organisms.
Hear me say this - television is for entertainment. This is why productions such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters" have such a following. People who have a need for excessive amounts of information are unlikely to sit and watch whomever the favoured presenter of the moment.
Television should be entertainment. Television should be diverse in content and not rely on a particular programming genre to fill the schedule. Give me reality, give me drama, give me science fiction, give me news, give me the world. Lead me on a journey through life. Use the opportunities of digital TV to provide a variety of content - make me search the TV guide. The paradox is that I don't want an assumption that I'm of limited intelligence, and I don't want an assumption that I'm intelligent - let me choose what I need.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Images in my head
The Human Body is an amazing "thing," it still lacks however a button to share the image someone has in their head with others. I there was to be such a buton, I think my head would currently produce a painting showing a bowl of apples, lush granny smith numbers. Standing upright, outside the bowl is a pineapple, a fine looking pineapple with a good green spiked top. Circling the whole scene, are the penguins.
Now if only I could draw.
Now if only I could draw.
Monday, March 02, 2009
... and we can stay all day.
I have lived in Melbourne for well over 2 years now, and one of the things on my "list of tourist things to do" was to visit Melbourne Zoo. Now as it happened a friend of mine, Clark Kent*, had a work function to attend and I scored the "plus one" entry.
Melbourne Zoo, to my untrained eye, has very definite evidence of the changing beliefs in how animals are "kept" and "exhibited" I have to applaud them for all the work with the primates, the elephants, giraffes: the big cat enclosures are yet to experience their gentrification.
Those who know me know that I'm not one who can be described as "bubbly," "effusive" or "effervescent." I maintain a state of "aloofness." Mostly that's not an act, occasionally it's a good defense mechanism. It should come as no surprise therefore, to hear that I failed to "ooh" or "ahh" at the animals. I respected the lions and even used the term "magnificent beasts" I pitied the bears who had the expression of being completely fed-up with being an "exhibit." One bear surveyed the crowd that was surveying him and tried to let out a growl. From the distance, it couldn't be heard and I wasn't sure if it was a cry to be left alone, or a cry for rescue. The sound that could be heard from the general public's vantage point was one of the less permanent exhibits of the zoo - the general public. With a finger pointed fair and square at this bear, one woman declared "I want a coat made out of that!"
And to the woman with the pram who insisted on using the stairs despite a warning not to - I'm fairly sure the lions would quite like to poke you with a stick as well - especially if the stick was more of a Taser.
*No, Clark Kent is not his real name.
Melbourne Zoo, to my untrained eye, has very definite evidence of the changing beliefs in how animals are "kept" and "exhibited" I have to applaud them for all the work with the primates, the elephants, giraffes: the big cat enclosures are yet to experience their gentrification.
Those who know me know that I'm not one who can be described as "bubbly," "effusive" or "effervescent." I maintain a state of "aloofness." Mostly that's not an act, occasionally it's a good defense mechanism. It should come as no surprise therefore, to hear that I failed to "ooh" or "ahh" at the animals. I respected the lions and even used the term "magnificent beasts" I pitied the bears who had the expression of being completely fed-up with being an "exhibit." One bear surveyed the crowd that was surveying him and tried to let out a growl. From the distance, it couldn't be heard and I wasn't sure if it was a cry to be left alone, or a cry for rescue. The sound that could be heard from the general public's vantage point was one of the less permanent exhibits of the zoo - the general public. With a finger pointed fair and square at this bear, one woman declared "I want a coat made out of that!"
And to the woman with the pram who insisted on using the stairs despite a warning not to - I'm fairly sure the lions would quite like to poke you with a stick as well - especially if the stick was more of a Taser.
*No, Clark Kent is not his real name.
Monday, February 02, 2009
In the great facebook wars - the challenge has been set to write "25 things" about oneself. Insights into the pysche of self. Now I've given it a go, but I still think the 100 things I did earlier in the blog is much better, but I felt it had earnt a posting here.
1. My response to "what starsign are you?" or "How old are you?" is almost invariably "take a guess before I tell you."
2. For many years people described my sense of humour as "dry." I had no idea what this actually meant until many years after I first heard it. In fact, I only looked it up in 2008 when someone said I had a similar sense of humour to TV's favourite serial killer, Dexter
3. Whereas my main reason for buying property was to be able to keep a dog, the prompt that actually made me step over the line was the transgender prostitute who lived beneath my previous residence who, having decided that I clearly hated her, started to bang on her ceiling (my floor) to defend her territory.
4. I have a love of language and words. This is all founded in my love off and understanding of "systems" I think that the benchmark of having mastered a new language is being able to create and understand humour.
5. Bathtubs serve no purpose in my life other than to provide something to clean on a regular basis. I want to rip my bathtub out and put in a shower that makes me go "ahhh."
6. I have fallen in love with a person the instant I met them twice in my life - one I was fortunate enough to enjoy those feelings with, sadly the other, is not to be.
7. I yell at the TV and radio, mostly at "journalists" who elect to use stupid phrases and evoke emotions without any merit.
8. North America is a continent I have never set foot on, unless you count a few hours at Anchorage airport. (Clearly I don't.) I'd like to fix that at some stage - but I need a good reason to actually make it happen.
9. I consider myself British rather than English. I see a difference between the two, buy me a drink and ask me to explain it.
10. My dreams are always a collection of things that have been happening in my life of late merged into one dream. They have no other meaning than a review of different façets of my life over the last few days.
11. Despite growing up with a mother who was "huggy", my sister and I have both grown up not enjoying physical contact with others. It took me many years to enjoy a massage and I will now only go to that person for one.
12. I can't talk about her or think about her without fighting back tears. I have the collar she arrived with.
13. I never signed the certificate they gave me when I completed my first lot of chemotherapy. Everytime I tried to sign it, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The second lot felt like the battle was over.
14. Bridges have always made me feel uneasy - every time I crossed the Harbour Bridge during my years in Sydney, I prepared for the accident that would see my slow and painful death. Bridges in general will create a similar feeling whether I'm going over them, or under them.
15. I describe myself as "pragmatic." To some this is almost to a fault but.. they're welcome to a mile in my shoes.
16. I will not sign up for anything at the door, on the telephone or on the street. I've mastered the "closure" of their spiel.
17. I do not cry in public.
18. Things that serve multiple purposes and/or multiple environments attract my attention. My watch I chose because it charges by motion and therefore never needs a battery. My home phone benefits but does not rely on electricity.
19. I've come close to "liberating" a guide dog I thought was being forced to work for a grumpy woman.
20. Southern US accents do good things for me, very good things.
21. After over two years in Melbourne, the sight of a tram still gives me a little thrill.
22. My secret S Club 7 obsession was revealed at my most recent work christmas party.
23. When I'm upset I feel the need to judge the world, sites such as hotornot are a valuable tool for that.
24. My friend and I have developed a rating system for attractiveness that involves whether or not money would have to change hands, and in which direction.
25. I have a deep seated love of corn chips - there are times I would sell my soul for them - if I believed I had a soul.
There. go, be free.
1. My response to "what starsign are you?" or "How old are you?" is almost invariably "take a guess before I tell you."
2. For many years people described my sense of humour as "dry." I had no idea what this actually meant until many years after I first heard it. In fact, I only looked it up in 2008 when someone said I had a similar sense of humour to TV's favourite serial killer, Dexter
3. Whereas my main reason for buying property was to be able to keep a dog, the prompt that actually made me step over the line was the transgender prostitute who lived beneath my previous residence who, having decided that I clearly hated her, started to bang on her ceiling (my floor) to defend her territory.
4. I have a love of language and words. This is all founded in my love off and understanding of "systems" I think that the benchmark of having mastered a new language is being able to create and understand humour.
5. Bathtubs serve no purpose in my life other than to provide something to clean on a regular basis. I want to rip my bathtub out and put in a shower that makes me go "ahhh."
6. I have fallen in love with a person the instant I met them twice in my life - one I was fortunate enough to enjoy those feelings with, sadly the other, is not to be.
7. I yell at the TV and radio, mostly at "journalists" who elect to use stupid phrases and evoke emotions without any merit.
8. North America is a continent I have never set foot on, unless you count a few hours at Anchorage airport. (Clearly I don't.) I'd like to fix that at some stage - but I need a good reason to actually make it happen.
9. I consider myself British rather than English. I see a difference between the two, buy me a drink and ask me to explain it.
10. My dreams are always a collection of things that have been happening in my life of late merged into one dream. They have no other meaning than a review of different façets of my life over the last few days.
11. Despite growing up with a mother who was "huggy", my sister and I have both grown up not enjoying physical contact with others. It took me many years to enjoy a massage and I will now only go to that person for one.
12. I can't talk about her or think about her without fighting back tears. I have the collar she arrived with.
13. I never signed the certificate they gave me when I completed my first lot of chemotherapy. Everytime I tried to sign it, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The second lot felt like the battle was over.
14. Bridges have always made me feel uneasy - every time I crossed the Harbour Bridge during my years in Sydney, I prepared for the accident that would see my slow and painful death. Bridges in general will create a similar feeling whether I'm going over them, or under them.
15. I describe myself as "pragmatic." To some this is almost to a fault but.. they're welcome to a mile in my shoes.
16. I will not sign up for anything at the door, on the telephone or on the street. I've mastered the "closure" of their spiel.
17. I do not cry in public.
18. Things that serve multiple purposes and/or multiple environments attract my attention. My watch I chose because it charges by motion and therefore never needs a battery. My home phone benefits but does not rely on electricity.
19. I've come close to "liberating" a guide dog I thought was being forced to work for a grumpy woman.
20. Southern US accents do good things for me, very good things.
21. After over two years in Melbourne, the sight of a tram still gives me a little thrill.
22. My secret S Club 7 obsession was revealed at my most recent work christmas party.
23. When I'm upset I feel the need to judge the world, sites such as hotornot are a valuable tool for that.
24. My friend and I have developed a rating system for attractiveness that involves whether or not money would have to change hands, and in which direction.
25. I have a deep seated love of corn chips - there are times I would sell my soul for them - if I believed I had a soul.
There. go, be free.
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