MickeyFood for Thought
TV has often been likened to candy for the brain- sweet, but no actual nutritional value. The warnings about TV rotting one's brain were so prevalent my parents never even bothered repeating them (then again, they had made it very clear to us kids that our TV privileges were very dependant on the grades we got in school). Certainly the idea of "learning" something from watching TV is laughable at first glance... but there are a few pearls here and there, carelessly cast before the viewing public.
First and best is an old documentary series, Connections. The show stands as proof that TV can indeed provide witty, intelligent educational substance. James Burke examines various trends and threads in history from a cause-and-effect point of view, showing how this change in society resulted in that technological innovation, which in turn sparked the other cultural shift. Next time you crack open a cold beer and watch the tube, consider how the refrigeration tech originally developed for brewers evolved to the point of being able to liquefy gases like hydrogen and oxygen into rocket fuel. Beer brewers, in addition to their many other wonderful contributions to our society, helped spark the aerospace technology that allows us to watch TV shows from all over the globe.
There are also some very fine modern documentaries. Discovery Channel has made some very fine programming showing the latest thinking on ancient animals. Walking With Dinosaurs and Before the Dinosaurs were interesting and entertaining as well as informative. Discovery teamed up with the BBC to cover the cost, allowing some very good CGI work coupled with animatronics to bring back to life the awesome behemoths that once ruled this world.
Very good work doesn't always require very high budgets. In the shallow, disco-infested 70's the gifted Steve Allen brought us the incomparable Meeting of the Minds, a "talk show" where the guests were actors portraying some of the most brilliant thinkers, insightful pioneers and forces of personality in history. The show was carefully crafted to be fully accessible to anyone who wasn't a deep scholar of history, yet still true to everything known about the guests.
PBS is often labeled as "educational television" (as a child I certainly learned how to put on a British accent watching our local PBS). Sometimes they can even rise above their usual soporific fare, notably the long-running science series Nova. Nova covers topics from literally every science known, and while there are often topics that don't seem to fall within my own interests they have often surprised me... and in shows that do strike my fancy they are often outright fantastic. Explaining things on a simple level without talking down to the audience is a difficult tightrope to walk, and Nova is to be commended for their delicate skill in this matter for the last few decades.
Another landmark documentary series was David Attenborough's Life on Earth. Covering the globe from burning deserts to the frigid poles, from the depths of the oceans to the very mountaintops- and beyond- Attenborough shows how life has come to adapt and thrive all over our beautiful blue world. His plain-spoken, matter-of-fact narration helps draw us into the myriad life-and-death dramas our fellow critters live out every day. The extremely high informational content aside, the time spent watching is worth it for the incredible camera work alone.
Don't get me wrong; I'm no ivory-tower intellectual by any stretch. I certainly enjoy more than my share of cartoons, mindless action and pretty much any sci fi, no matter how silly or cheesy. However, it is worth remembering that more intelligent and enlightening programming is there, available... and even in the midst of a candy store one just might want to stop sometimes for a good, nutritious meal.
First and best is an old documentary series, Connections. The show stands as proof that TV can indeed provide witty, intelligent educational substance. James Burke examines various trends and threads in history from a cause-and-effect point of view, showing how this change in society resulted in that technological innovation, which in turn sparked the other cultural shift. Next time you crack open a cold beer and watch the tube, consider how the refrigeration tech originally developed for brewers evolved to the point of being able to liquefy gases like hydrogen and oxygen into rocket fuel. Beer brewers, in addition to their many other wonderful contributions to our society, helped spark the aerospace technology that allows us to watch TV shows from all over the globe.
There are also some very fine modern documentaries. Discovery Channel has made some very fine programming showing the latest thinking on ancient animals. Walking With Dinosaurs and Before the Dinosaurs were interesting and entertaining as well as informative. Discovery teamed up with the BBC to cover the cost, allowing some very good CGI work coupled with animatronics to bring back to life the awesome behemoths that once ruled this world.
Very good work doesn't always require very high budgets. In the shallow, disco-infested 70's the gifted Steve Allen brought us the incomparable Meeting of the Minds, a "talk show" where the guests were actors portraying some of the most brilliant thinkers, insightful pioneers and forces of personality in history. The show was carefully crafted to be fully accessible to anyone who wasn't a deep scholar of history, yet still true to everything known about the guests.
PBS is often labeled as "educational television" (as a child I certainly learned how to put on a British accent watching our local PBS). Sometimes they can even rise above their usual soporific fare, notably the long-running science series Nova. Nova covers topics from literally every science known, and while there are often topics that don't seem to fall within my own interests they have often surprised me... and in shows that do strike my fancy they are often outright fantastic. Explaining things on a simple level without talking down to the audience is a difficult tightrope to walk, and Nova is to be commended for their delicate skill in this matter for the last few decades.
Another landmark documentary series was David Attenborough's Life on Earth. Covering the globe from burning deserts to the frigid poles, from the depths of the oceans to the very mountaintops- and beyond- Attenborough shows how life has come to adapt and thrive all over our beautiful blue world. His plain-spoken, matter-of-fact narration helps draw us into the myriad life-and-death dramas our fellow critters live out every day. The extremely high informational content aside, the time spent watching is worth it for the incredible camera work alone.
Don't get me wrong; I'm no ivory-tower intellectual by any stretch. I certainly enjoy more than my share of cartoons, mindless action and pretty much any sci fi, no matter how silly or cheesy. However, it is worth remembering that more intelligent and enlightening programming is there, available... and even in the midst of a candy store one just might want to stop sometimes for a good, nutritious meal.
