16 November 2009

Reality TV

Today I discussed the phenomenon of so called "reality TV" with some of my colleagues. I pointed out that there is an evolution in these series. The whole stuff started with "Big Brother" and derivates like "The Models Flat Share", "Taxi Orange", "I'm prominent, get me out of here", and a whole bunch of shows, where one could watch a whole bunch of people solving some problem, such as living together. Then there are the judges-shows, like "Barbara Salesch", and "Alexander Hold", and some head-hunter and lawyer shows, as well as bailiff and sheriff programs. But it is somewhat awkward to call them "reality" shows, since they had only real material for one season at most. And now very popular are shows, where advisors help people, like social workers, "The Super-Nanny", "Out of Debts" ("Raus aus den Schulden"), and so on.

Why do I talk of this? Well, first there was a show proposed on an Austrian private television channel, ATV, with the title "The Sexperts" ("Die Sexperten"). A first show was produced, but never published. The idea is, that a couple with problems in bed are filmed with infrared, and then advised by sexual therapists how to improve their sex-life.

Upon telling this a colleague said to me: "We call all of these shows social-porn (Sozialporno), since they are like porn: You watch it, while saying to most things 'I wouldn't do IT'. "
(Well, this statement may be not true for everyone, the cast is, e.g., out of the game. 'sides, the word itself is partly a pleonasm, since isn't every sex somewhat social, except masturbation?)

10 November 2009

Tuesday already ...

and yesterday I was informed that I have to write the final report on my project till the 22nd of November to apply for the continuation of the project ... why do I have to think about the PhD-comics right now?

Anyway, yestereve I found two words, or better said one phrase and one word, of Monday, although in German: arschknapp (colloquial for hard-pressed, which goes actually pretty good as a pleonastic translation), and the slogan of the Egger beer: Gebraut aus Leidenschaft (brewed out of passion, really too much information!)

02 November 2009

Long time no see!

Well, in October I've been at the SPIEL09 in Essen, Germany, and, alas, the semester has started, so many young unknown students join classes to learn something. Teach them I can. Anyway, the VIENNALE, the international Vienna film festival, is also occupying my time. Although I watch less movies than I've bought games, which, of course, have to be tested (20 vs. 35), my spare time is pretty scarce right now. Also the students in Austria protest against the commercialization of education, which I support (the students pint of view, of course).
But my bank account is plundered, so I will have more time in the near future, since I've no money left to spend. (I had much luck on my trip back to Vienna from Düsseldorf airport: I didn't have to pay for the considerable overweight (15kg á 7€ per kg), but still, the games themselves, and the trip, and the movie tickets, and my bracers, they make quite a sum in total!)

So for this weeks news, I just give two pics of advertisement I found:

Cucumbers "mini" from Viennese gardeners:

Take Jesus!