Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for June 30, 2014

Is this how he intends to spend his summer?

You should be more active Calvin.

Well he did spend time running away, that got him some exercise.

Notice the TV antenna on top… =-O

And no remote.

Wonder if Cal experiened radio. Not even any picture—how primitive can you get!?

Re antenna, used to call em rabbit ears!

TV never pandered to anyone. You pander to it by putting up with whatever it throws at you.

Back in the day, weekends were the best times to watch TV, they showed all the special stuff because that’s when people were at home. Now, it’s the time they will show just anything because people don’t depend on it near as much since the advent of the DVD, Tivo, etc.

Watterson said that the TV they used was outdated even back in 1985, when the strip started. But he went on to say that the old TV’s he used had more personality than the newer ones.

There’s VHF and UHF dials on the TV.

Does anybody remember somebody turning on the vacuum and the picture went crazy until they turned it off?

How do you explain UHF and VHF ti kids now days? Does it even matter? Signal all comes in through cable coax or HDMI or something.

Click here: Peanuts (January 23, 1970)

Today we have jumped one year in the Calvin and Hobbes reruns. Last week’s series was from June 1989, but today’s strip is from June 1990.We are viewing the strips that were originally rerun during Bill Watterson’s 1994 sabbatical. So, probably like Calvin in today’s strip, we are watching reruns of reruns.This will continue through the end of 2014. Then 2015 will be a rerun of 1995, the final year of Calvin and Hobbes.

We used an antenna TV for over 30 years. No UHF or VHF dials. Depending where their broadcasting antenna was, you got better or worse reception. Normally, we could get channels from up to 100 miles away. But if the “bounce” was right, we sometimes got them from Canada (600 miles).

Those rabbit ears type of VHF antenna on the TV were largely pointless. Houses usually needed an outdoor antenna higher than the roof. I spent three weeks earlier this year without cable or home internet in an apartment several floors up, and I had to use an indoor directional UHF antenna perched on a window sill, right against the window which luckily for me faced the right direction, all just to receive a few local stations. At least they broadcast digital HD signals today.If I would have had internet when I was a kid, I might have never left the house. I waste way too much time using it as adult — like I’m doing right now.

Well looks like the insurance came through.

Sorry, Pearls Before Swine is two strips over.

Good one. I had to go back and read the strip again.

When I was a kid my dad had an outdoor antenna with a telescoping pole that he lowered during electrical storms and raised after the storm passed. After I left home and got my own place I had to put aluminum foil ‘flags’ on the rabbit ears to get a good signal. I spent a lot of time moving the two antennas to the right angles to get a decent picture. I’m sure glad to have cable now.

“And so, I shall…” unfortunately…

@ Hobbes:Regarding your Peanuts (January 23, 1970) posting:Quite a few years ago, there was a local car dealer (Hopkins, Minnesota) who would always use the line at the end of the TV commercials, “Bring your wife and title card and come ready to trade!”A bit sexist, I know; but, my dad did get a charge out of it. I always wondered why mom never went with us to trade cars…

@Sportymonk:“How do you explain UHF and VHF ti kids now days?”Hey, not everyone gets their TV via cable or satellite. You can get over the air broadcast TV using just a simple antenna and it’s free; well, free of additional charges, that is!

Yeah, until his parents make him go outside, bc it’s nice out. Lol

Many, many years ago, I read an article that our local PBS station(60 miles away), was going to start showing Monty Python’s Flying Circus for the very first time. I desperately wanted to watch it, so I tried to tune it in on my little TV with the “rabbit-ears” antenna. I moved that TV all over my 3rd-floor apartment until I finally got it sort-of watchable and listenable, although I had to hold on to the antenna for the whole show.

Why not. Everyone else does.

Wait until Mum steps in the room….

xxx