The game as story

Sam — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:28:51 +0000

That was a heck of a game last night. I didn’t really care who would win, and I haven’t followed football in years, so I hadn’t intended to do more than turn it on for background noise. At first, I thought it was going to be another dull blowout, but once New Orleans came back from the first quarter doldrums and started scoring, it was riveting football. I’d tell myself that at the next commercial break, I’d get to work on something–a letter, editing, a blog post, something. The computer sat there untouched each time because I didn’t want to miss anything when the game returned.

It was a lot like reading a good novel, when I tell myself I’ll stop at the end of the chapter, but I can’t stop reading when I get there. There was enough tension to hold my interest, and the level of tension varied so that it didn’t become monotonous. Little reversals of fortune grew in importance as time ran down, with a big, climactic moment and a quick denouement.

Maybe we can replace the “three act structure” with the “four quarter plot.”

TVs in public spaces

Sam — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:34:23 +0000

Recently, Chris commented that “televisions are a problem when I need to concentrate.” I have the same problem, which is why I don’t have a television in the library where I can see it. (My back is to it when I sit at my desk. In fact, I don’t think it’s even plugged in right now.) But Chris’s comment made me think about another problem: the proliferation of televisions in public spaces. It’s really getting on my nerves.

It was understandable to have TVs in sports-themed bars, but why must my favorite Japanese restaurant have them on every wall? Do we need them showing from every window of every store? The local mall has gargantuan screens hanging from the ceiling to show advertising–as if we need to be reminded that we’re there to buy, buy buy.

I don’t have the knee-jerk antipathy to TV that some intellectuals* have. I like several TV dramas (“Bones,” “Monk,” “Psych,” and “Burn Notice,” to name a few), and I enjoy watching true-crime shows like “Forensic Files” and “The First 48.” But I don’t want to have a TV in my field of view at all times.

It’s maddening. My eye is often drawn to TVs in restaurants and other public spaces even as I’m trying to concentrate on whomever I’m with. Even when what’s on the TV is something I don’t like, I’ll find myself watching it. The flickering light and motion capture my attention in spite of my best intentions.

I’ve started requesting a seat with no view of a television, but I think that eventually there won’t be such a thing in public.

* Ooh, Mr. Full-of-himself, thinks he’s an intellectual.

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The game as story

TVs in public spaces