Overdosing on Choices

Jim Sollisch, column in the 'Post:

Even the big three TV networks are moving toward commercial-free programming on demand. ABC recently announced that it will offer episodes of "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" on Apple's new video iPod service. And then NBC and CBS said they, too, would make certain shows available to some satellite subscribers with DVRs. It's enough to make me shout, "I WANT MY OLD TV."

I watch TV strictly to waste time. My goal is to make no decisions, no commitments. I flip channels at random, waiting to be surprised by something. By contrast, the future of TV offers me the chance to turn TV-watching into a job. To use my powers of reasoning to determine which shows I want to commit to. I'll get to compare and contrast, use hierarchical thinking, make value judgments, plan ahead. The only problem is, I don't want all this control.

...

When did progress and success become tied to how many choices you get to make? A few of my successful friends have recently built custom houses. Which basically means they have made more than 400,000 relatively useless choices. They have spent a year of their lives deciding which cupboard pull is the right one. My house, built in 1922, came complete with cupboard pulls. And the best part is someone else chose them.

you have no idea how hard it was to choose an icon to go with this post...

An excellent read...

...on boys and the modern educational system.

invasion of the australian accents...

i guess its just a combination of the success of south-pacific (australian, new zealand) films like Lord of the Rings, and the upcoming King Kong and Chronicles of Narnia, along with the fact that their studios can produce impressive commercials for slightly cheaper than american studios, but its getting increasingly annoying how many commericals shown in america these days are using australian and/or new zealand accents (apologies to natives of those countries, as to americans its really hard to tell the difference even though its as obvious to you as the difference between bronx and new jersey accents are to many of us).

major examples include the "what's in your wallet" barbarians/vikings, but more recently a number of computer-animated commercials are being dubbed in a/nz accents even when it would cost nothing more to redub it in the states with an american voice-over. the biggest example i just saw is that the geico gecko, once a sophisticated upper-middle class mid-atlantic representative, is now no longer an american. his new accent is undeniably from the southern pacific.

a few guesses why:

1. thanks to the movies i mentioned above, those accents are "popular", at least to madison ave.
2. american accents in advertising are easily ignored; a foreign accent that's still from an english speaking country (as opposed to an accent that can be considered a stereotype like german, italian, or japanese)
3. speaking of stereotypes, they may also be concerned that having an accent from one particular part of america may imply that the product is not targeted for other parts of the country, or that those from other parts of the country may feel offended at the lack of representation, or those from the region where the accent originates may feel offended at being singled out; better to go outside the country where all things are equal in regards to the states...

just some thoughts...