Tv is a Clamoring 2 year old trying to get Everyone's attention, JUST to show you commercials of STUFF, you probably dont want/need, just to force you to think about your budget, and WONDER if you can afford another TOY/GIZMO/GADGET/MICROWAVE/FLOOR cleaning thing/FOOD cooker..

AND if you have cable/sat, 99.9% of the adverts are for NATIONAL shops/stores, and NOT local services.  which means that about 30% of the people in the USA need to travel 40-100+ miles just to find the store SELLING it, or purchase over priced goods off the TV.

YOU use MORE thinking power trying to THINK about if you can afford to goto/buy something NEW off TV then (probably) any other thing you do. 
I'd rather be playing a RPG on the net and TRY to get that NEW super power, then to THINK about the NEW Iphone/IPOD from Verizon.(knowing that 70-80% of people buy JUST CELLPHONES is a comfort).

Just knowing the NET is around to compare the CRAP, is a nice thing, but STRAIGHT INFO/FACTS are still hard to find.  Getting a HANDS ON device and TRYING to compare 2-3-4 devices in the REAL world, is a PAIN IN THE BUTT.
ANd TV bombards us with CRAP that shouldnt even be allowed to SAY they are the BEST...

I find that I have programmed my mind to tune out the adverts. When a good or entertaining one does finally come along, I usually have to watch for it the second time to enjoy it, but after about five times it is boring like all of the rest and I go back to tuning out. With TV you can at least switch to channel surfing, and with the net it is mousing around!
I can read a whole newspaper and not focus on one advert. But with radio, I find it is harder to tune my mind out.

Yes,
time shifting can be great.
VHS is a pain..
DVR would be cool IF' they were affordable(<$100) and NOT encoded CRAP.

The restrictions on DVR are BAD, very very BAD.
MOST dont have a tuner.  And then IF' they do its for Broadcast ONLY, not Cable/SAT..and IF' you find one that would do it all, the CORPS would charge you TONS for the feature.

Look on the Back of the DISH DVR..there is a USB plug..it dont work.  Hmmm?  can you guess WHY?  They dont WANT you to have direct ACCESS to the programs you SAVED. (MPAA, TV CORPS,...)  DISH wanted to use it.  External backup and Direct to your computer/HD/FLASH/Portable DVD writer...
If anyone knows a CRACk for it, TELL ME..

If I'm up, tv is on.  Tv is like people:  most of it sucks.  You gotta pick and choose like everything else in life.  People who claim tv is no good are only commenting on their own abilities to separate shit from shinola.  If you don't like what you are experiencing---do something about it.

You are complaining about how cold it gets at night===put on another blanket.