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For a very long time, life was limited by the rate at which we spoke. Although we have had writing systems for millennia, early texts were designed to be read aloud, meaning that literature unfolded at the pace of human speech. For years now, podcast and audiobook players have provided speedup options, and research shows that most people prefer listening to accelerated speech. Now Jeff Guo writes at The Washington Post that a new kind of storytelling is emerging as software has made it much easier to watch videos at 1.5x to 2x.
You can play DVDs and iTunes purchases at whatever tempo you like and a Google engineer has written a popular Chrome extension that accelerates most other Web videos, including on Netflix, Vimeo and Amazon Prime. Over 100,000 people have downloaded that plug-in, and the reviews are ecstatic. “Oh my God! I regret all the wasted time I've lived before finding this gem!!” one user wrote. According to Guo speeding up video is more than an efficiency hack. "I quickly discovered that acceleration makes viewing more pleasurable. "Modern Family" played at twice the speed is far funnier — the jokes come faster and they seem to hit harder. I get less frustrated at shows that want to waste my time with filler plots or gratuitous violence. The faster pace makes it easier to appreciate the flow of the plot and the structure of the scenes."
"So here we are," concludes Guo, "spending three hours a day on average, scrambling to keep up with the Kardashians, the Starks, the Underwoods, and the dozens of others on the roster of must-watch TV, which has exploded in the age of fragmented audiences. "Nowadays, to stay on the same wavelength with your different groups of friends — the ones hating on “Meat Chad” and the ones cooing over Khaleesi — you have to watch in bulk."
(Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday June 26 2016, @07:54PM
It's encouraging that you say 99.7% of the population doesn't watch that stuff. I hope it's true.
Yeah I pulled the numbers in that case. Its possible to play all kinds of games based on average season or highest rating episode ever or ... but they all boil down to a fraction of one percent. A million or so USA viewers in a 320+ million country.
The good news is that no one watches "must see TV". The bad news is there's like 20 cookie cutter reality channels, so the problem is maybe 10 times bigger than that implies.
If someone told me the death of TV would be melting up in volume until you get 500 channels nobody watches any of, I'd never have believed it, I'd have expected sudden economic collapse of the industry due to centralization leading to out of control financialization costs, or a slow steady melt downward in volume.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday June 27 2016, @06:16AM
I easily spend 10X more time on this forum as I do watching TV.
TV has this way of subconsciously irritating the hell out of me with the timing of ad breaks. And its the same old tired ad over and over again. Its usually someone trying to sell me life insurance - but they keep using so many weasel-words I get the strong impression that they won't hold up their end. Why would I want to leave my loved ones arguing with an insurance company over my answers to the "three easy questions" that they will use to dispute whether or not a payout is coming?
And the Kardashians? I thought that was a race of people conjured up by Star Trek, until a big promotion at McDonalds pasted her picture all over the place. I still do not know what she does. I guess she's famous because some guys with a printing press and a microphone say so. She is a pretty thing, and obviously has the connections to the star-making machine. I guess that's about all it takes to be famous these days. You know it has to be true, because it was said through a microphone.
My love affair with the TV went out when YouTube came online. TV viewing also took a big hit when my last VCR bit the dust due to a broken belt and worn head. At those days, I was running OTA TV, and I could not have my computer on while watching TV because the computer made too much EMI, so I could not use my computer as a replacement VCR by using a Hauppauge board. ( Yes, I did try to do just that. ).
Its damn near impossible to follow a TV show these days, due to all the ads. I might watch some really old re-runs of old shows I grew up with - I already know how they are gonna turn out so if I miss pretty good gaps, nothing lost. But I would not consider trying to watch any new stuff on TV unless I could VCR it first.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Monday June 27 2016, @08:35PM
And the Kardashians? . . . I still do not know what she does. I guess she's famous because some guys with a printing press and a microphone say so.
I'm ashamed to know this, but it's only a wikipedia search away, [wikipedia.org] and you did ask...
The Kardashian girls' father was one of the lawyers representing O.J. Simpson for his murder trial, [wikipedia.org] so their family had the money to let them pal around with other L.A. rich kids like Paris Hilton. After creating, leaking, and suing the publisher of a sex tape, Kim was independently wealthy to the tune of $5 Million and had the media savvy to grab the spotlight and keep it on her.
Kim Kardashian is famous for being rich, stupid, and exhibitionist. It's a positive feedback loop tuned for turning stupidity (hers and the public's) into cash and "celebrity".
And now I'll go hang my head in shame for a while; I feel dirty knowing anything about this, despite working hard not to get any on myself. I'll console myself that none of my money went to her that I know of...
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 1) by anubi on Tuesday June 28 2016, @06:59AM
Yeh, I know Google will look *anything* up for me.
My situation was that I did not give a damn about what appeared to be a rich spoiled brat on a McDonald's placemat. Not enough of a damn to even google her.
Didn't see anything about Paris Hilton that interested me either. Just figured she probably had something to do with Hilton Hotels, and everytime I stayed in one, a couple bux went to her.
Personally, I am much more interested in the thermodynamic properties of propane than both of these "celebrities" put together.
Yet, the world values these celebrities much more than the desalinator stuff I seem to value.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Tuesday June 28 2016, @01:21PM
I know exactly what you're talking about.
By the way, are you suggesting that there's a method for using the thermodynamics of Propane to purify water? I would love to read up on that if you've got a link, it sounds fascinating! That's the sort of innovation the world really needs right now.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday June 29 2016, @03:53AM
I do not have any link to anyone else doing it this way...
For my uses, the propane is a cheap heat pumping mechanism.
Propane is miscible with lubricant, and most importantly, not corrosive.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]