I haven't been online much lately. It's been quite nice. For me, being online scatters my thoughts, drains my energy, eats up time. I am somehow happier when I don’t waste hours reading about other people's mundane lives or their trite opinions on the state of things. So why should you bother to read mine? Well, really I can't think of a good reason. If you stop right here, good for you! Go do something better. Something you'll really enjoy.
That’s what I did. Today I discovered one of the true joys of owning a laptop: its portability I spent hours in a coffee shop working on a personal project (a flash portfolio for my photography). It is amazing how much work one can get done when there is no internet connection or television. As long as there is plenty of light, a sturdy table, a comfortable chair and maybe a nice frothy cappuccino, it doesn’t really matter what's going on around me. Although I do I like being in a public place surrounded by people, rather than at home in my cramped flat.
Posted by shannon at 10:26 PM | Permalink
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Being at home all day as of late, I watch a lot of daytime TV. I am amazed by the glut of home (& garden!) shows that are on. I define a "home" show as anything focusing on the space where one lives, which includes home improvement, home selling & buying and home showcasing. One can watch 11 of such shows on the BBC alone (and one of them is a pseudo game show) and 8 more on the other broadcast channels. And those numbers don’t include new shows still in development or not on the air at the moment.
The list includes:
Through the Keyhole
Big Strong Boys
House Invaders
Changing Rooms
Trading Up
Real Rooms
DIY SOS
Housecall
Garden Invaders
Ground force
Our House
Better Homes
A Place in the Sun
A Place in France
Location, Location, Location
Grand Designs
Propery Ladder
River Cottage Forever
I did a quick comparison to daytime TV in the US and found that the good ol' American talk show (and "chat" show) replaces these home improvement shows in their number.
Here is a list of shows available in one day on broadcast TV in NYC:
The Other Half
Sally Jesse Raphael
The View
Ricki Lake
Rosie O'Donnell
Jerry Springer
Maury
Jenny Jones
Moesha
Montel Williams
Ananda Lewis
Oprah Winfery
Although there are a few talk shows on the air here, (just as there are a few home shows in the US) the talk format is much more popular in the US. I find it interesting that these formats are so popular in each country. Does it say something about the cultures?
How are these formats alike? How are they different? They are both more or less comprised of everyday people, with the occasional celebrity spot. In the UK we are treated to the intimacy of peoples lives through where they live, in the US we get a more detailed look at someone's world, not through their house but through their mouth. Brits want to look into other people's houses, Americans want to look into other peoples heads. Brits want Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to makeover their sitting room, Americans want Dr. Phil to make over their lives.
Maybe it is just the old cliché that the British are more reserved and tight-lipped, where as Americans are outgoing and open. Maybe to them its just as exciting (and uncomfortable) to have a complete stranger mess with their sitting room on national TV as it is for an American have someone mess with their marriage or family, I'm not sure. I just know that I flip to reruns of ER instead of watching people with a router, cheap lighting and some tile paint transform someone's cramped English kitchen. It may be popular here, but I'll take drama over wallpaper any day.
Posted by shannon at 03:57 PM | Permalink
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