Not a huge fan of cable TV. In fact, basically, its four hundred channels of the same kind of crap that I can get for free, so why would I pay more for it? Except, of course, that with the new Digital TV stuff, its becoming increasingly unlikely that I'll be able to keep getting crap TV for free. So I finally bit the bullet and got cable.
In a nutshell... BORING! FORTY TIMES MORE BORING THAN USUAL!
UNTIL...
I watched the greatest show ever seen on TV on Saturday - Extreme Trains. The show's host is a conductor on a Maine RR who loves trains. But he's not just a geek with a hard on for powerful locomotives, this guy likes everything about trains from the tracks to the canto-levered lines to the bridges that span train lines. I've learned more about my college town (Pocatello) from this show in five minutes than I learned the entire time I lived there (two years) and all because a train passes through there. In the episode I just watched last night, I got to see a crane rip apart a refrigerator car, the engineer training school and the train simulator they use to train their engineers, and a refrigerator car loaded with produce get one of its wheels replaced while still on the track (very cool). This show is not only cool for adults, but also for kids. Had this show been around when I was a kid, I'd be a train engineer right now.
Anyway, I have my new favorite TV show and a reason to DVR again. I highly recommend this show which managed to be both educational and entertaining at the same time. Will Bob says check it out.
P.S. Its on the History Channel, in case you were wondering.
2 comments:
One of these days, I'll be compelled to get cable or satellite, I suppose. There are some good programs, but most of it's crap, and my kids spend too much time in front of it as it is.
The program you mentioned sounds cool though. I'm a big railroad fan.
Cheers.
(P.S. Back in the early nineties, the EMBLOS was on the short-list for the English department in Pocatello. Unfortunately, she took her hat out of the ring, because her father was ill and she spent two months with him in Germany. It seemed like a nice place.)
Pocatello was boring as heck ;) But its nice to know that I still live in such a small world. I REALLY liked Idaho State. I can't say it was a great school, but I had a great time while I was there and found the place quite charming. But besides the train that went by my house every night at 12:05am, I don't think I ever saw any evidence of a great train past in the town.
The show is really good and only one hour, so you can send the kids out to play soccer or basketball or pole vault afterwards!
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