quote:

---

Thanks to "M*A*S*H," I've always been ready to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a ballpoint pen at a moment's notice.

---

We all take television for granted. If you watch boaring old PBS, you can pick up some really great facts too. I filled in all my holes on the Civil War from Ken Burns' documentaries!

Thanks, Chris!
 

---

Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
 
Nice, Chris. I've keep the ballpoint in my back pocket, too.
 

---

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
 
I made a point of not mentioning PBS, the History Channel, or anywhere else where you might find programming actually intended to teach. I wanted to focus on the stuff I picked up despite myself, like learning how to do a 180 in my car.
 

---

Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
 
NooooOOoooo!!! Rod Roddy!!!

The Price is Right was an integral part of my childhood...

(thinks) Let's just hope that his career didn't follow him into the grave... I mean, I think I'd freak if I was close to death and heard, "come on down..."
 

---

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
 
:lol:

Some technical corrections:

More science,especially quantum physics, could be learned from one season of Star Trek (take your pick, any series will do) than from the Terminator movie and all of the "Back to the Future" movies.

It wouldn't be any more accurate. There is just much more of it.

"Emergency" or "Squad 51" could greatly improve your medical skills, including knowing that you to revive the patient fromt the heart attack, wait until the counter reaches 400 before placing the paddles on the chest.

Women never have heart attacks. I've seen the doctors and paramedics on TV rip the shirts off of men having heart attacks, but never once from a woman.

Japan was also in WWII. This was taught to me by the Professor on Gilligan's island when they found the surviving soldier sharing their island with them.
 

---

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
Just for the record, I can sing the entire Animaniacs "Nations of the World" song from memory.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the educational nature of pop culutre, Chris
 

---

Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
 
Stargate SG-1 taught me that once you hit colonel in the Air Force, you can backtalk all you want, especially if you've saved the world a few times. I also learned that wormholes go only one way.
 

---

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
 
Mental note: talk to Dan_Raven before writing any more of those kinds of columns...

The unedited version was half again as long and had more attributions, but I've been trying to control my column size.

I watched "Emergency!" faithfully with my parents every week and the only things I remember at all is that the lady at the hospital was named "Rampart" and that once they had to rescue a woman who had her toe stuck in a tub faucet.
 

---

Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
 
Did you, like me, also learn history from The Voyagers and Quantum Leap?

Loved the article. "It's funny because it's true!"

Oh, and a little side-anecdote: The preamble, as sung in Schoolhouse Rock, is wrong! The first day of first grade, thinking I was "all that," I raised my hand in response to the teacher's question as to whether or not anyone knew the preamble.

"We the people, in order to form--"

"Wrong. Anyone else?"

The song leaves out "of the United States." I don't know if I've ever gotten over that feeling of abject failure and humiliation in front of a class of my peers. Luckily, later that same day, someone (E.J.) peed his pants because he was afraid to ask to go to the bathroom, so I didn't remain the focus of ridicule.

--Pop
 

---

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
 
(((Papa Moose))) You are hilarious! (how is Squirrel btw?)

quote:

---

The Price is Right was an integral part of my childhood...

---

This is the same for me. I SO could have cleaned house on that show when I was 10.

Dan, I agree with you about Star Trek. The techno babble is actually more factual than non trekies realize.

Good article Chris. I laughed!!
 

---

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
 

quote:

---

The techno babble is actually more factual than non trekies realize.

---

quote:

---

I watched "Emergency!" faithfully with my parents every week and the only things I remember at all is that the lady at the hospital was named "Rampart" and that once they had to rescue a woman who had her toe stuck in a tub faucet.

---

Another "Emergency" factoid: When asked in one episode where he went to high school, DeSoto (the serious paramedic, as opposed to Gage, who was the wacky one) answered that he graduated from Norwalk High. Which was cool, because that was the high school I graduated from. We got a good laugh over that in our house.

Anyway - great column, Chris. But I must be old, because I remember "The Price Is Right" before Rod Roddy was the announcer. For that matter, I remember when Bob Barker was the host of "Truth or Consequences", before TPIR ever came along. And I remember "Jeopardy" when it was a network show and Alex Trebek was not the host. It was on in the mornings and I was always glad when I had to stay home sick from school, because then I'd get to watch it, right after "Concentration".
 

---

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
Narnia, this is getting eerie.

during the summer when I was little I would watch The Price is Right faithfully everyday and 90% of the time was better on the bids than the contestants.
I also watched $100,000 Name That Tune, Press Your Luck, and Let's Make a Deal reruns from before I was born where the retail value of the new car was $5,000!

I will always remain a Jeopardy! nerd, though.

In Spanish-speaking countries, do you think it's ¡Jeopardía! ?
 

---

Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
 
I thought I was the only one who even remembered "The Voyagers."

[ October 29, 2003, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
 

---

Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
 
Yay! Wednesday!

Irami, I also remember "The Voyagers". It was so awesome. I lurved Phineas.

I still watch The Daily Show for a news fix. Every night at 11:00 pm. Sad.
 

---

Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
 
psst...guess what?

In February, a bunch of girls on our floor are going to L.A. to go on the Price is Right!

We figure we'll squeeze into one car, win a new one, and be more comfortable on the way back.
 

---

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
 
Annie, you should know enough by now not to get scared. We are just twins!!

quote:

---

I will always remain a Jeopardy! nerd, though

---

3:30 pm Central Time, me, my dad, the remote and Alex Trebek. Always.
 

---

Posted by cyruseh (Member # 1120) on :
 
A show that seems to be full of (maybe) useful information is CSI... that is, if you ever wanted the help the police figure out one of your neighborhood crimes.
 

---

Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
Can I be the your triplet? (Oh, wait—I'm already Annie and Katharina's triplet, so does that make us quadruplets?) I've always had fantasies of going on The Price Is Right or Jeopardy!
 

---

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
I was on "It's Academic", a high school quiz show in D.C. Does anyone out there know if Mac McGarry is still alive and doing it? He was looking pretty mature in 1986.
 

---

Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
 
Jon Boy, I said this to hansenj in another thread when we decided that she and I were twins:

quote:

---

We're all connected actually because Annie is my other twin, and she's triplets with Jon Boy and katharina. So, we're all twins a few times removed.

---

quote:

---

psst...guess what?

In February, a bunch of girls on our floor are going to L.A. to go on the Price is Right!

---

muppet, I live 2 miles from where they tape TPIR. I expect a visit.
 

---

Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
 
Twins a few times removed! Beautiful!
 

---