Is life without television cruel and unusual punishment?

A 60-year-old man was sentenced to house arrest without television “in order that he have ample opportunity to reflect on the ways of harm he has brought to his family.” The defendant was willing to go for the deal rather than face prison, but his lawyers were outraged. “Given the state of the world and these dangerous and uncertain times, television is the primary way we get news,” his attorney explained. The defendant’s wife agreed: “A television is sort of like your umbilical cord to life,” she said. [via EarlyToRise]

Without the TV, my wife and son are reading like mad. They are staying up to all hours reading, and are sometimes totally zonked the next day. That’s the problem with a good book; it has a pause but you are not forced to wait until the next episode to see what happens. I’ve been reading to the kids nearly an hour a night, too.

I still spend too much time lusting over a Hitachi 53SWX12B 53” Digital 16:9 HDTV Monitor/Projection Television with anti-reflective screen. BUT! I’ve committed to waiting until my birthday to re-consider purchase. Or at least near my birthday. Or at least in the same year as my birthday. Yeah, it one of those kinds of commitments.