Michael J. Mahon wrote:
> David Schmenk wrote:
> 
>>               I know, all the kids are used to whiz-bang graphics (of 
>> which I'm partly guilty) and 5.1 surround sound.  You can't keep their 
>> ADD brains in front of a boring old computer for long.
> 
> I was just watching a Nova show, which I used to consider a well made
> "food for thought" show, and found it riddled with fast cuts, stupid
> "revolving shots", and a general Sesame Street-inspired attitude (but
> much more manic than Sesame Street used to be).
> 
> The material they presented in an hour (with lots of repetitious and
> often irrelevant graphics) would have fit nicely in 20 minutes or less
> of a more thoughtful exposition.  I've noticed this trend for some time,
> but simply ascribed it to a desire to stretch sparse material to fill
> a longer time slot...like the way some people BS in school reports to
> avoid work.  Now I'm afraid it may be something much more sinister.
> 
> Is it me, or is the national attention span being degraded to less than
> that expected by even a music video?
> 
> I'm really sick of eye candy that is absent any meaning or intellectual
> nutritional value.  And I'm worried that we are training a whole nation
> (planet?) of zap-pow addicts!  And when that's complete, who will do the
> things that require more than five minutes of thought??  (Like voting!)
> 
> -michael
> 
> AppleCrate: An Apple II "blade server"!
> Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/
> 
> "The wastebasket is our most important design
> tool--and it's seriously underused."

I'm sorry to hear that about Nova.  I also used to enjoy watching that 
show, but haven't in many years.  I first noticed this trend myself when 
Wired magazine came on the scene.  I can't believe it's still published. 
  You have to be jacked-up on Ritalin just to open the cover or it might 
melt your brain.

To counteract some of this, I've gone a little extreme.  No TV.  Well, 
to be honest, I got a basic cable feed when I switched to cable 
internet, but the TV is in a closet in my room where a 5 year old can't 
get to it without me knowing.  No DVDs or video games until after dark. 
  The result is now that my son isn't addicted to watching hours of TV. 
  He can watch a little bit at a friends, then move on to playing with 
something else.  We also try and read a little from a book at bedtime. 
It really helps settle him down.  I hope it prepares him a little for 
the onslaught that will come.

Now, I know I'm on the computer waaaay more than I should be so I have 
to be careful about what it presents to my son.  I just have to make 
sure it is always a lower priority than anything family related.

I'll give you an update in 16 years to see how it worked out ;-)

Now, if I could just find a way to settle his friends down.  Legally.

Dave...
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