I hate.. hate... hate commercials. I usually watch two, maybe three shows at once because of the endless commercial interuptions. I'm too cheap for TiVo or dvr, so I just keep channel hopping.

My problem is, when I watch three shows at once, I sometimes forget what my primary show was.

Here's the invention idea for one of you techies to put together and get to market. All I ask for this in return is for a free box once you invent and patend this.

Say I'm watching football on channel 2.

History channel on 24.

Discovery channel on 34.

I program these channels in order (2,24,34). The machine is set so as soon as channel 2 goes to commercial, the machine automatically switches to 24. If that is on commercial as well, it goes to 34.

No remote control interaction required.

Once the football game comes back from commercial, the machine automatically switches me from 34, BACK to channel 2.

Smart, efficient, and no commercial interuptions.

One of you venture capitalists should get on this so the world will be a better place.

so if you invented it, would you advertise the product on TV?

Sure.

Until the mass sales of the unit (yeah, I said "unit")

made commercials themselves extinct.

It would greatly reduce the advertsing budget.

This is gonna take some R&D . . .

Picture in Picture Helps. I watch all over the place to. Question: Why do women hate us doing that?

Read a book or go for a walk. That'll solve the tv problem.

Book reading has become increasingly difficult for me.

I have about 6 new books I planned to read this winter and have made little progress.

Every time I head to my "study" for a book and a cigar, it is only a matter of a few minutes before someone wants to come down and sit with daddy. If I want peace to read, I literally have to ask my wife to keep my daughter "away" from me........which I just can't do. She doesn't like my books either. I am re-reading "The Hiram Key", a GREAT book that examines the historical and probable characteristics of Jesus and shows the parallels between his early teachings and freemasonic rituals. My three year old just can't grasp this stuff.

TV is casual, ambient entertainment that does not require absolute attention. We watch a lot of Bugs Bunny and Looney Toons together.......and read kids books to.

I guess what I'm saying is that for some of us, it is not that easy to go read a book.....even though that is what we want to do.

I agree with the reading option and with kids sometimes you need to change your book preference. Read the kids age level books. Reading outloud with a child and discussing what happened really opens a kid up.

First of all, get TiVO or DVR, it will change your life. What I do is this. I am watching a program, say a baseball game. In between innings, I take the Picture in Picture, press pause on the baseball game, and switch to something else. I can then watch that for however long I want, usually until the next commercial break, and then go to the baseball game, fast forward through the commercials, watch the game, sometimes fast forward through another set of commercials, etc. I don't think I have watched commercials in like six months.

"Every time I head to my "study" for a book and a cigar, it is only a matter of a few minutes before someone wants to come down and sit with daddy. If I want peace to read, I literally have to ask my wife to keep my daughter "away" from me"

I have the solution. Go find an abandoned cemetary. It solves a million problems. First, you can generally smoke your cigars, second, you can either read in your car or find a place to read. Third, you are usually the only person at the abandoned cemetary and won't be disturbed. Fourth, if someone comes, they generally assume you have a "deep" reason for being there and leave you alone. Lastly, no one in your family will ever come with you because they think its creepy, and your wife will want you to stay home, because she thinks its creepy. Then if you want to read you say you are heading out, she says stay here I'll find something to do with your daughter so you don't have to leave, problem solved.