21st century TV -- an even vaster wasteland
-Today in history-
47 years ago today, the then-Chairman of the FCC, Norton N. Minow, gave a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters on the subject of television.
...When television is good, nothing -- not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers -- nothing is better.
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.
You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly commercials -- many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.
Nice to know they did something about all of that by adding reality shows with greedy, empty-headed people eating animal testicles. Minow was wrong about one thing; when he said, "when television is bad, nothing is worse," he wasn't allowing for the possibility of worse TV. Adding insult to injury, the stations never sign off now -- it's crap 24/7.
And Minow was calling three networks "vast" -- there are a gazillion more channels now. That's what ya call yer "progress." (American Rhetoric)
-Headline of the day-
"Kick the oil habit and make your own ethanol."
E-Fuel Corp has unveiled what they call the "MicroFueler." According to the report, "The portable unit that sells for $10,000 resembles a gasoline station pump and nozzle -- minus the slot for a credit card, or the digital 'SALE' numbers that whir ever faster at retail pumps as global demand pushes fuel prices to record levels."
Ten grand? You know what this thing is? It's a freakin' still with a nozzle attached to it. The machine "ferments fuel from sugar, the price of which is historically cheap as global supplies are glutted." The output is priced at "as little as $1 a gallon."
Dude, that's not a home gas pump, that's a cheap vodka dispenser. Is less expensive fuel really worth having drunks passed out on your driveway? (Reuters)
-Bonus HotD-
"Starbucks dubbed ‘Slutbucks’ by Christian group because of new logo."
Coffee retailer and imperial power Starbucks is introducing new roast using their original 1971 logo featuring the company's mermaid mascot.
"The Starbucks logo has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute," says Mark Dice of the Christian group "The Resistance, "Need I say more? It’s extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks."
Writes Advertising Age's Keri Wheaton, "The mermaid's boobies are covered by her hair" and "As she is a mermaid, she ain't got no legs to spread." She suggests that maybe there's something wrong with Dice's head.
Still, look at the logo:
C'mon! Only filthy whores spread their fins like that... (Advertising Age, via Think Progress)
