You have two old television sets that don't work. What do you DO?

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The set from 1982 finally went out on me, right in the middle of San Andreas. The screen got really dark and blurry just - like - that. It wasn't a a complete surprise since I had heard it sizzling in the back for a few days prior. So I unplugged it and moved it to the floor.

I found in the back of my closet another television set, this one from 1987. I couldn't remember why I hadn't been using this one until I realized that it didn't have any RCA connections (you know, the red and white or black and yellow wires you fit into your stereo.) Instead, it had the old prongy things where you screw in the metal claw to make the connection. Needless to say, neither the DVD player, the stereo, nor the Playstation has any damned metal claws sticking out.

I looked around for something to connect the RCA into the claw-thiny, but a kit was going to cost over thirty dollars. Thirty dollars for a television set that turns on, but you can't change the channels. I may as well get a new one.

So now, I've got two 21" televisions sitting on my living room floor. I don't have the heart to throw them out, but the fiancee says that they had better be gone by the time that she moves in. What should I do with them?

(In the meantime, I'm playing San Andreas on an 11" TV/VCR combo that I bought for $79 back in 1993. It's the only VCR that I own now.)

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 22:52 (twenty-one years ago)

get a hotel room, and the rest writes itself

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

throw #2 at #1.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.inventati.org/amprodias/images/videodrome.jpg

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Raffle tickets — the winner gets to sledgehammer the sets, you get a few bucks. Be discreet throwing out the trash, though — tv sets and computer monitors are considered environmentally sensitive waste and most cities charge extra for disposing them.

― I Am Curious (George) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

TV SKEET SHOOTING

― PULL (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.ksb.org.za/Photos/fire%20service/tv_sets.jpg

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

(urgh I just remembered what current slang has done to the word "skeet" and I would like to retract my answer)

― C on TV???? (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.annamagicart.com/image-tour1/television.jpg

― I'm serious ... Ti-i-i-i-im (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

(urgh I just remembered what current slang has done to the word "skeet" and I would like to retract my answer)

PULL!

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Turn it into a fishtank.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember.4/WhendyO.Images/wendy3.jpg

Ask yourself, "What would Wendy O. do?"

― andy, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Put duct tape on my nipples and kill myself?

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

My father used to have televisions in his shed. Both were broken. The sound on one was buggered, but the vision was fine and vice-versa. It was a beautiful harmonious arrangement.

― papa november (papa november), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

come to terms with the possibility that you might be a redneck!

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I gave one slightly broken TV to Emmaus and threw a small working one away. It's only stuff, after all.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

use it as a piggy bank and put £1,000 inside it.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Throwing bricks at tellys is fun. But don't take my word for it, why not try yourself?

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

come to terms with the possibility that you might be a redneck!

Fuck, I had completely forgotten about that "If your new TV is sitting on your old TV..." line.

You people suggesting the bricks and sledgehammers! Such violence!

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Well it's probably useless if it actually sizzled... but sometimes you can pop these open and just replace a blown fuse for a buck or 2 to have happy TV joy again. I love finding these fixer uppers on curbs- there's a 24" (maybe bigger) sitting in my living room. But dammit, I hit 3 places and can't find a 3/4" 125v 1.6a fuse for it yet.

― seedy poops in the woods (Queen Electric Butt Prober BZZ), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

video art

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

how about just one? (It died after I made the mistake of watching de Palma's The Fury.) What's the best no frills model (this fucking Panasonic only lasted 3-4 years, so make it Japanese please)?

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

Panasonic are Japanese, it's the anglo name for the Matsushita (I think) Corporation.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:03 (nineteen years ago)

Billy Dods OTM, Japanese build quality is the new American build quality

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

what size?

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

It was Brian de Palma's birthday yesterday. Coincidence?

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:10 (nineteen years ago)

Ally got me a little Sylvania LCD and I'm pretty happy with it. Sylvania's part of Siemens AG now, they might be the answer to your conundrum:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=sylvania+tv&btnG=Search&hl=en

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:15 (nineteen years ago)

Spraypaint it and mount it on the wall. Plug it in, tuned to static. Presto! Early 90's chic.

― Fluffy Bear is a man. Do not shoot him. (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:16 (nineteen years ago)

We've got a 20" Polaroid flat panel LCD that's been good. It made it through a Netflix DePalma-fest about a year ago, unscathed.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:23 (nineteen years ago)

20" is big enough for me (ahem). Not sure if I'm ready to "go flat."

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

Sylvanian TV +

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0001MEGSE.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 13:46 (nineteen years ago)

awww

― sunny successor (katharine), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:39 (nineteen years ago)

Pardon me for being a middle-aged galoot, but I'll be able to use the RCA-type connex for DVD/VCR and DirecTV on an LCD TV? I hate learning new equipment. (Which explains the abacus.)

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

Flat panels are great because they 1) take up so much less space if you use them with a stand 2) can be hung on the wall to take up even less space, but put on a bracket so they can be angled for the perfect viewing angle 3) use much less power than CRTs 4) do CRTs give off radiation? I can't remember, but LCDs don't. 5) easier to move, if you move a lot (we seem to) 6) nice crispy picture 7) can double as a computer monitor in a pinch (must be a real pinch though as they are only 640x480 vga) 8) extra hi-tech shininess built right in!

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

Ours has like a hundred different plug in possibilities. What is the RCA connex?

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:44 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, I found it. We use those red/black/yellow ones, so yes probably.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

not black, white

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 14:47 (nineteen years ago)

Let me think for a minute, son.

Yes, I think it can be easily done - just take everything down to Highway 61.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

hold onto it! it's analog components will be scarce when the fcc mandated switch to digital tv is complete!

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

Grind them into paste and spread the resultant paste between two other old televisions.

― M. V. (M.V.), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

http://i.imgur.com/28ENqNh.jpg

― pplains, Friday, 28 November 2014 20:17 (eleven years ago)

CRT had a good run

― oh no! must be the season of the rich (Aimless), Friday, 28 November 2014 20:31 (eleven years ago)

pp is your marriage doing ok

― j., Friday, 28 November 2014 23:13 (eleven years ago)

Somewhat apocryphal story about a guy I went to high school with. Steve was a avant-garde nerd two years ahead of me who (to quickly stereotype) was a "Garth in Wayne's World" personality type. I fully expected him to one day say "hey, I built a nuclear bomb in my dorm room. You wanna see it?" But Steve wasn't just a narrow reactionary nerd, he was also into photography, futurism, etc. with a p.o.v. that was off-track from the off-the-shelf nihilism that was popular. So Steve went to Williams College and (as the story goes) began gathering up dead TV sets, painted Reagan faces on them, and then left them everywhere on campus. In buildings, trees, everywhere. Go use the bathroom in a building - there's a mini TV with a Reagan head on it. Supposedly this went on all year. Later Steve got hassled by campus security because he was playing Throbbing Gristle way too loud in the dorms. Because it was Throbbing Gristle, security refused to enter and instead cut the power to entire dorm building.

Best conclusion to the story is that Steve is now a state senator in Arizona.

― Elvis Telecom, Saturday, 29 November 2014 01:04 (eleven years ago)

Today I learned that there are but 30 members of the Arizona Senate.

And four of them are named Steve.

― pplains, Saturday, 29 November 2014 01:33 (eleven years ago)

But only one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Farley

― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 30 November 2014 02:05 (eleven years ago)

I don't have the heart to throw them out, but the fiancee says that they had better be gone by the time that she moves in.

Not gonna lie, I have purposefully spent the last few years of my life growing up to be sunny successor.

― Orson Wellies (in orbit), Sunday, 30 November 2014 02:07 (eleven years ago)

seven years pass...

― Right column Leftist (sunny successor), Thursday, 14 July 2022 17:17 (three years ago)

Steve Farley no longer a state senator, now CEO of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Arizona senate now with 0 Steves.

― bulb after bulb, Thursday, 14 July 2022 18:26 (three years ago)

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