10.
The redeeming value of Cable TV is in C-SPAN. And C-SPAN is more than just politics. Folks at C-SPAN do not just follow our elected officials representing us in Congress. There are call in talk shows, features covering important gatherings of the academia and even insider video tours of the White House and other historicallly important buildings.
My favorite however, is the weekend show BookTV , an amazing place to find book reviews. I have enjoyed watching many shows of "After Words", a meet-the-author interview program. Some of these shows feature important works that the mainstream channels or networks would not normally attempt.
One such show was an interview with Michael Belfiore, author of "Department of Mad Scientists", a book on DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Now if you, like me, have been led to believe that Steve Jobs and his "iPod people" are the only idea makers around, this is the show to watch. DARPA did not just transform our life with internet and GPS. It is working on more and much more. Like "bullets" that fly themselves. A car that drives itself. A truly bionic arm. I know, it is mostly for the military. But as Belfiore explained on the show, there are quite a few ideas brewing in there which could end up impacting civilian life in a major way.
(Yes, I love lists.That means there is more to come.)
