How Much?

[Don Y]

Of course! Hence the point of the initial disclaimer in my reply! I just (personally) find it depressing to see folks spending THEIR time (as in their SPECIAL time of life) doing pretty boring things. If you can't *do* something, then, go *see* something, etc.

We have one neighbor (couple) who spend their days going out to eat. But, not to "try new foods"; rather, to avoid cooking! (OK, fine. But, maybe look for foods that won't add to their "rotundity"?? Or, would they NOT like to see grandkid's *4th* birthday? 5th? etc.)

Another neighbor is glued to his PC just surfing the web; his wife abandons him for weeks at a time as she's decided she'd prefer to spend time with her grandkids WHILE they are still interested in her AND she is still capable of interacting with them.

Another spends his days riding his bicycle (leisurely) around town. I *guess* that's better than NOT riding. But, doesn't seem to be much more than watching TV in the grand scheme of things...

Obligations take precedence over personal preferences.

Exactly. And, SUFFER when they are denied access to it (class, church, driving, etc.) "Gee, I wonder if anyone has tried to say something, ANYTHING, to me in the past few minutes that I was unable to catch AT THAT VERY INSTANT because I was busy keeping this vehicle on the roadway..."

I am "terrible" at social functions (obligations) because I will inevitably find someone interesting -- and, then, "pick their brain" trying to learn from their experiences. Some folks delight in this sort of attention fixated on themselves. Others cringe as if it was an *assault*.

[gfretwell]

I use the TV as a radio most of the day. I have an RF headset and I will crank up something like Charlie Rose and go on with my other activities. In that regard I really want something like Charlie or perhaps a history channel type of show that is really just a scripted slide show where the slides are secondary to the story. A lot of the time they are just "B roll" that may not actually be from what they are talking about but it looks right. I have seen that destroyer quartering in for an attack in everything from "Victory at Sea" to Mc hale's Navy. It is a rare WWII navy story that doesn't use it.

[Eagle]

It sounds like the internet/TV/phone service has your number/scam and are jacking you off/kissing your booty and scamming/take it or leave it right back...or am I misreading/understanding you?

[Eagle]

I USED to get all those pay extra services [except HBO] but got tired of paying $225.00 a month, so I cut out the no omercial channels and dropped My bill to $200.00. After going without the no commercial channels for a month, the extra $25.00 for no commercials is more better. I'll prolly see about a new contract and get those channels back and pay less for one year then drop that service and go with "DISH". I just got a flyer in My snail mail from "DISH" for $49.00. I sure miss the days of analog TV and antennas to get channel 2,4,5,7,

9,11 and 13 and not pay a dime for TV.

[Eagle]

[e-mail] explained on 12/10/2015 :

So much for tube TV sets and rabbit ears, eh?

[Eagle]

Don Y explained :

Being retired lets you do what you want, when you want and tv is a part of that doing what you want. We enjoy watching TV and playing with our Poms. Besides all the things I've mentioned, I have one passion I take great interest in. I sponsor needy teens on My home reservation, I'm a member of Sicangu Oyate The Rosebud Reservation. I make regular trips back home and bring several teens back to So. Cal. And give them a taste of the world outside and give them the opportunity to see what the rest of the world is like.

[Don Y]

I take that approach late at night while working; play a movie (DVD) while in the next room -- relying on the audio to cue me as to what is happening on the (not visible) screen, at the time. (TV is usually *off* so nothing to see even if I wanted to do so!)

In that sense, it's just "background noise" -- something that's happening to which I don't have to pay close attention.

I'd much rather listen to music but that seems to interfere with SWMBO's sleep -- she can tune out a movie but not music (well, not *my* music! :> )

I rarely want something that will compete for my attention. I'd much rather "watch" a movie I've previously seen so anything that seeps into my conscious doesn't draw it away from the task at hand. Or, if it does, it does so in such a way that I can *predict* what will be coming next and can, thus, choose to push it back out of conscious thought (in much the same way that familiar songs don't compete for attention when you're attention is elsewhere).

Getting me to sit and WATCH a flick raises the bar REALLY HIGH! Doubtful that I would expend (waste?) that much time on something of unknown quality (for the same reason, I won't go out to The Show -- investing that time PLUS MORE in the hope that I'll see something that even remotely warrants my time.).

OTOH, there are many flicks that I will (and do, with some repeat frequency!) sit and watch gleefully. But, I've previously decided they were worth the time to (re)watch.

The most interesting behaviour comes with shows that are airing on TV -- but, that I already own on DVD/LVD/VHS/etc. I.e., I can watch the show AT MY CONVENIENCE... yet, will arrange my schedule to catch it when *broadcast* -- even with commercial interruptions. E.g., this time of year, it's shows like Frosty or Rudolph; reasonably short, nostalgic and just plain "fun".

[Of course, most years I miss them entirely as we don't have a "guide" service to consult; if we don't see an ad for the show prior to its airing, it will pass us by]

[Don Y]

Great! I have a friend who "raises" guide dogs to take some of the cost/space pressure off the organizations that do so. It's a different sort of "pet" interface as they need to be taught to be "responsible" and not just "playful" or "casually obedient" (if a guide dog screws up, a life can be at risk)

Another friend reads stories to young hospitalized children. I don't think I'd have the stomach for that, given some of their maladies.

Another tutors young kids (though without regard for "means" -- so, it's just as likely that he's saving their well-off parents monies that they can then spend on other frivolities).

I'd have loved to learn to ride a unicycle -- but, suspect my body can no longer tolerate the abuse that would come from the "learning".

[Ralph Mowery]

I went with Direct TV about 8 months ago, switching from cable. Use the recorder a lot now and skip over the commercials on lots of shows. Watch an hour show in less than 45 miuets.

The digital TV antenna will give me about 30 channels if I hook it up. Many of them are the same show.

[Wade Garrett]

I'm retired too.

I was a hard-working SOB my entire life-- started working real part-time jobs around age 14, put myself through college and grad school, worked about 10 years for big companies then went out on my own and ran a lucrative consulting practice for 35 years.

Traveled regionally and nationally, some international, with 10-12-14 hour days the norm- and too many consult all day/travel all night weeks- with maybe Sundays "off."

So I gotta tell ya', I'm damn tired and my head still spins when I lay down at night. I love nothing better than a mindless veg-out in front of the TV-- or waste time posting on usenet ;-)

[Paintedcow]

All I know, is that it would cost me about $100 a month more than my basic landline costs me now. And that includes my dialup internet. All I'd really gain from a satellite would be faster internet. That would be nice, but I really dont need it. Newsgrouops and email work fine on dialup, and there really is not that much that interests me on the web anymore. My phone would work the same as it does now. I'd gain some tv stuff, but I'm satisfied with what I get on my antenna, and am not a real tv watcher anyhow. The satellite company dont just provide internet, I'd have to take the whole package. For about $30 a month I get landline and dialup internet and that's as much as I'm willing to pay.

[Paintedcow]

I want a TV in my coffin. Once I am in that box, I wont be able to do anything except watch TV. :)

[My 2 Cents]

49 for cable/internet capped at 250 gig/month if I bought the new modem up to 50Mbs ... with the old one I have up to 20 Mbs Phone a 10 dollar old flip phone from net10 and wallyworld at 17 dollars a month for 200 maybe 250 minutes. Plenty for me no more than I use it. so.... looks like 66 dollars ... my water bill was 49 bucks phone costs have gone down over the years but water/sewage/trash has doubled.

[clare]

I pay about that for high speed cable internet, 2 TVs, PVR, 2 cell phones - data on one, and phone here in Central Ontario.

[gfretwell]

Sounds like you are in the DC Bal'mer area. I was there for 38 years and never had anything but a Betamax and an antenna. If I rotated the antenna and held my mouth right I could get Ch 6 out of Richmond too (blacked out Redskin games).

You can still get those I imagine and there are probably 3 or 4 sub channels under each with a lot of reruns of old TV shows.

MCM.com has a pretty good fringe antennas for about $30-40 that will pull in signals from 70 miles away or so with decent line of sight..

[Ed Pawlowski]

But meaningless information without more detail. I pay $160 and $67. What does that tell you? How can you compare services unless I tell you more?

[Ed Pawlowski]

About 4 1/2 hours a month. We get enough out of it to say yes, worth the time working.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Certainly easy enough to do with earbuds, RF headphones and assorted music sources.

[Don Y]

Earbuds leave me tethered to a spot; I have three "dual" worstations that surround me while working -- so, I am continuously in motion moving between them. Corded headphones (much prefered to the little earbuds) suffer from a similar fate.

I've tried RF headphones but they have "flat spots" where reception "fuzzes out" -- which means I have to remain in a "sweet spot" or be continually bothered by the drop outs.

Ir headphones might work. My BT headphones are too small to give good reproduction -- and not small enough to fit into the ear canal where they can get enhanced base response by coupling directly to the structures in the ear.

During daylight hours, the preferred way of listening is with a little "console" that gives me the freedom of motion coupled with reasonably good reproduction. Or, with earbuds and a PMP while taking my daily walk.

[gfretwell]

I use my RF headset at night too. I really prefer it even though the entertainment center audio is available around most of the house if I switch over to it. I can also switch those (4) remote amps to local sources. They all have some way to play MP3s and video from the server too. There is about a mile of Cat5, 4 wire shielded audio cable and coax in the house.

The one redeeming value of the sat boxes Dish has is the RF out ports. There are 4 "channels" on my internal cable network that can select each tuner and I have RF remotes to run 2 of them. I also have an agile modulator on the PC and the RF from my ReplayTV on that cable. They are on unused UHF channels so my broadcast antenna amp is there too.

The only reason I am not a TV station (from the antenna) is the amp on that is "one way". I did test it.