The New York Times Magazine: Watching TV Makes You Smarter, a fun article adapted from Steven Johnson's new book, Everything Bad Is Good For You. It's a compelling premise, though partly so because it's precisely what someone like me wants to hear. When asked (usually by my wife) why I watch some of the TV that I watch, I usually say what I'm watching is "crap," but is titilating in a particular way that I like and I otherwise wouldn't recommend it. I get defensive because it seems I can't justify it over "better" uses of my time (reading great literature, learning a new skill, excelling at my job), yet I have a pretty good idea why I prefer it to, say, most everything else on television.
This is BrainLog, a blog by Dan Sanderson. Older entries, from October 1999 through September 2010, are preserved for posterity, but are no longer maintained. See the front page and newer entries.
April 28, 2005