What is Digg?341 Comments
- WaterMedia, on 05/05/2008, -14/+106I heard today the average American watches 29 hours of TV per week.
So before we blame government, let's not forget that people are wonderful at ruining themselves. Why try to achieve your passions when it is so much more satisfying to watch others attempt from the comfort of your own home? Keep your slave class entertained and they could care less for riots. - cptshamrock, on 05/05/2008, -3/+84If you aren't literate in this country I think its more your fault than anyone else's, there's endless opportunities to learn to read.
- h3smith, on 05/05/2008, -9/+65You don't think government schools are a social programming tool? It by far beats the effects of TV.
- dimebonics, on 05/05/2008, -6/+57So in the future we can watch OW MY BALLS in hi-def, you dummy!
- savantidiot, on 05/05/2008, -1/+34And spend 8 (eight) hours a day on Digg.
- inactive, on 05/05/2008, -6/+38HELP HELP I'M BEING OPPRESSED!
- Zandarrr, on 05/05/2008, -1/+33The Digital switch ads are extremely misleading. My mom was convinced that we would have to buy all new tvs come February, we already have a digital TV service. I had to explain to her that the switch only affected the old school OTA service. I know a lot of consumer are being fooled into thinking they need all new Tv's. No one is providing the accurate facts, on television, about the switch over. I fear in 2009 there are going to be millions of perfectly good CRT's tossed out.
- demiurgency, on 05/05/2008, -2/+29Replacing 4 hours of television with 4 hours of internet / Digg doesn't necessarily get you ahead of the game.
- toconnor, on 05/05/2008, -2/+28More TV == More Sesame Street == Less Adult Illiteracy
- Testiculese, on 05/05/2008, -0/+24Indeed!
*there're
:) - inactive, on 05/05/2008, -15/+38So are you one of those worthless hippies that blame all of society's ills on TV? God forbid we have a form of entertainment that you disagree with. I grew up watching an insane amount of TV (and I still do) yet I don't seem affected by the government's "propaganda" (unless they were sneaking it on Nickelodeon's lineup years ago).
- dinsy, on 05/05/2008, -75/+96TV is a propaganda/societal control tool. Criminal government does not want anyone to miss out on their lies, disinformation, and social programming. They want everything you've got. So hand it over.
- inactive, on 05/05/2008, -0/+20What's sad is people thinking throwing more money at any problem solves it. You don't need to look further than Iraq for that. Besides, literacy in this country honestly isn't that big of a problem, is it? Just because the government spends more money on topic X than topic Y doesn't mean *****.
- nickspohn, on 05/05/2008, -3/+23I'm getting so annoyed by those stupid commercials about it.
"Make sure you make the switch before its too late!" If people still don't upgrade after they see the commercial 100+ times a day, they don't deserve TV. - Nougat, on 05/05/2008, -0/+20And when you give a monkey a choice between cocaine and food, it'll choose cocaine until it dies. Even without addiction. studies demonstrate that people most often choose the most pleasurable thing immediately, even if they know full well that it's not the right decision in the long term.
Human behavior does play a part here, yes, but people who exemplify normal and expected human behaviors should not be vilified. - cptshamrock, on 05/05/2008, -0/+20Eduction is largely a matter left to the States, so Im sure if you take that into account it far outweighs 1.5 billion.
- SwedishNinja, on 05/05/2008, -0/+19Wanna go to Starbucks?
Naw, I don't really feel like getting a handjob. - sexybobo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+17I would also like to point out that this 1.5 billion is coming out of the $19 billion the fcc raked in from selling the 700mhz analog spectrum. This isn't $1.5 billion loss to our goverment in reality it is a $18 billion net gain for the fcc.
- debuggercll, on 05/05/2008, -1/+17Look, strange women lying on their backs in ponds handing out swords ... that's no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some Watery Tart threw a sword at you! - Texmurphy01, on 05/05/2008, -0/+16Couldn't care less. If I could care less, it implies I have a level of caring. If I couldn't care less, it is a clear statement of a total lack of caring.
- Testiculese, on 05/05/2008, -13/+28I'm glad I watch 0 (zero) hours of TV a day.
- rdoger6424, on 05/05/2008, -0/+13The zimbabwean government, the one that's making the switch to digital TV *sarcasm*
- linagee, on 05/05/2008, -0/+12The beatings will continue until morale improves.
- akatherder, on 05/05/2008, -1/+12The sensationalist headline and the author's thesis lead you to believe that "the government cares more about TV than literacy". However, the biggest factoid used to support this point is ONE year's budget granted to "adult basic and literacy education" compared to a ONE-TIME cost of educating Americans about the digital TV conversion. What about the other year's literacy budgets? What about everything that doesn't fall under "adult basic and literacy education"?
If you're going to measure things in dollars, then you need to include everything. Not just one dollar amount that helps prove your point. - Testiculese, on 05/05/2008, -3/+14He didn't say they weren't. We all know they are!
- sodascape, on 05/05/2008, -0/+10"Print is dead." - Egon (Ghostbusters)
- mavere, on 05/05/2008, -0/+10Considering I don't exactly see massive literacy problem in the US, I see no reason to arbitrarily have a higher funding for something just so other budgets can be justified and diggers don't whine left and right.
- JSager, on 05/05/2008, -9/+19Congratultions. I've been on digg for a good while now, and this is the first response I've ever wished I could digg down twice.
You have failed in so many ways it is astounding. To attempt to measure the depth of your stupidity empirically would be an exercise roughly equivalent to trying to find the last digit of pi. - republicker, on 05/05/2008, -8/+18You cant control the masses w/ literacy.
- MacEnvy, on 05/05/2008, -0/+10I blame childhood obesity on the influence of Patty Mayonnaise and Stu Pickles. Delicious propaganda name!
- kurtwinter, on 05/05/2008, -3/+12Soma.
- Culyt, on 05/05/2008, -0/+9Come and see the violence inherent in the system!
☢ - Monkeywithacold, on 05/05/2008, -1/+10@robthom
Homeschooling is better if all you care about is making your kids learn facts. I have several homeschooled friends, most of them would outscore me on a SAT.
Most of them also have no idea how to ride public transit, cry when they get in a tough situation, suck in social situations and are scared of being in downtown Portland passed 9pm. It's Portland for crying out loud, not Amsterdam.
Homeschooling has its pro's and con's. I would prefer to send my kids to a public school, where they will build relationships with real people, and actually be exposed to the world, while encouraging them to read and learn outside of the classroom as well. - GeauxLSU, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8Sorry Popular Mechanics....You forgot to carry the one (actually a few billion ones). The Fed sold the licenses of those airwaves for BILLIONS….So in the grand scheme of things, the American people MADE money! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/700_MHz_wireless_spec ...
- alpha19, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8And the article.
- toconnor, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8So I shouldn't spend my stimulus check on a new TV?
- rolf, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8I used to watch a lot more TV when younger but it's down to 5 hours a week, I guess that time goes into the internet now:)
Anyway, I wish I could just get the history, discovery, national geographic channels like channels with Comedy Central in one reasonable package. I wouldn't even need the local channels - network programming is ***** and local news sucks. - inactive, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8Get the ***** outta here with your logic and common sense! The government is always, 100% of the time, out to get us and screw us in any way shape or form!
- aMammoth, on 05/05/2008, -1/+9The funny thing is, even after you upgrade to digital, you still see them, even though they could spend it on a real ad. Stupid federal waste.
- harlowsmonkeys, on 05/05/2008, -2/+10The adult (15 and over) literacy rate in the United States is 99% for males, and 99% for females. I'd say that shows that the current levels of spending are just fine.
- MrFurious2k, on 05/05/2008, -3/+10Let's not forget who makes money off of licensing the airwaves.
- azzythedemon, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7True. Even if you discount public libraries -as part of government- there are still local groups. I'm sure churches do a lot of this kind of outreach.
- inactive, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7The switch is fine with me. Here in Raleigh I get 40 channels, most are high def. The reception is better and the quality exceeds the cable service. I have to pay extra for HD through Time Warner, I get it for free over the air. I canceled cable and I'm saving 100 dollars a month. I'm pulling down 2mb with the DSL line and i'm paying $38 a month for it. All those shows I can only get with cable can be streamed over the net in HD for free. I'm not missing *****. Also I get PBS and a bunch of UNC channels, good educational programming, in HD, for free, never got those paying for cable.
- Iztikeit, on 05/05/2008, -2/+9*This just in*
People expect Plato to be the teacher of every classroom in the U.S.. Schools are there to give you the OPPORTUNITY to learn, not MAKE you learn. It disgusts me that people can't take responsibility for themselves. - inactive, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7That film would have been alot funnier, had it not been so potentially prophetic.
- inactive, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7No, this conversation most certainly is not international. You're on an AMERICAN-based website commenting about an article on the AMERICAN government and the AMERICAN digital TV switch. Get the hell out of here with your stupid "international" argument *****.
- ePlurbisPablum, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7This is a funny place to read people's complaints about Literacy. Yew r awl sew gud at speeling here!
- GreyICE, on 05/05/2008, -2/+9That's what she said.
- inactive, on 05/05/2008, -1/+8Is 29 hours a week of teh intarwebs any better? I guess you can't compare really. 29 hours of Discovery or NatGeo, while educational, is still 29 hours of sitting on your ass.
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