> > Do you remember those "vacuum tube testers"
they had down at the drug store? When the TV
stopped working, you took the suspect vacuum tubes
out and down to the store to see which one was the
culprit.
>
> Heh. I was just about to post something like
that.
>
> > Vaguely related question for non-Americans:
When your local station goes off the air at the
end of the broadcast day, do they play your
national anthem as a closer?
>
> > koala"just wondering"mom
>
> Yes, they do. However, there hasn't been a
television station that ends a broadcast day since
the early 90s, I believe. (At least not since
late night informercials started airing.) The
last time I recall seeing that was on a PBS station.
>

> -Faux "The anthem ends and then they'd switch to
the color bars, because most television repairmen
work do color calibration tests between midnight
and 6am, uh-huh, right." Pas

Yes, "going off the air" is going the way of
vacuum tubes, I suppose, although there are still
a few local educational/civic type channels out
here that have sense enough to call it quits for
at least few hours each evening.

I suppose somebody must be buying the infomercial
merchandise, since the air after 12 am is
cluttered with them...anybody here ever bought
anything that way?

koala"likes the idea of cartoon kiwis saying
goodnight but wonders what 'hine e hine' *really*
means"mom