TV while you work

[Inkthinker]

So thanks to Hulu and other streaming TV sites that finally seem to have worked out their kinks, I'm catching up on a lot of TV now as I burn the midnight oil. With the extra monitors around the studio at Fates, it's not hard to drag a flatscreen over next to the station and set up something that I can turn my head to follow if it gets interesting, and the rest of the time I can focus on my work without the distractions of boredom.

Maybe it's an animation thing, but sometimes that shit gets mechanical.

We've actually been keeping it up during the day as well, especially when running out a render (bastards in compositing and 3D get to take breaks on the excuse that "they're waiting for the render to finish"), but that can lead to some horrors... for instance, today I was subjected to the entire second season of Last Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. Including the two peripheral "recap reunion" episodes.

So... much... pain.

I tried going into headphones and Pandora, but it was a 6-hour marathon. There was no escape.

At any rate, I'm caught up entirely now on Burn Notice, Monk, Psych, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, 30 Rock, The Office and I've begun running the occasional classic episode of The Addams Family when I can find nothing else. John Astin was a pretty funny guy.

Does anyone else let the TV run while they work? How about streaming programs? What can you recommend, what works well as background noise, and what doesn't? And who else thinks that Kristy did the right thing, and that it's a shame Bo got fired from his job as a football coach?

No, wait, scratch the last one. I'm still a little traumatized, I think I might have Stockholm Syndrome or something...

[KRAZYRICKY1]

I goto some of those sites that host links of tv shows and movies, and I usually watch old movies and catch up on some of my favorite TV shows while I work.

[krikkit13]

I like to watch any and all of the Law & Order series while I'm working. I have no idea why, but unlike other shows it doesn't distract me at all, and I can still sorta pay attention to what's going on. It's like drawing-fuel for me, for some reason.

Plus, you can tune into USA or TNT and be guaranteed to catch a marathon of it just about any day of the week.

[Mase]

Haha - I've seen 10 minutes of Tila Tequila. Just long enough to see Bo get his shit ruined. That head butt was surgical!

My wife got me watching Bones. It's an hour long show (which is typically a deal breaker), but its entertaining and has impressively high production values. It's a mix of Psych and those CSI shows.

[xadrian]

The few times I draw at my desk, I have to kick the kids out of the loft because they'll watch kids shows and that's too distracting - I end up watching it with them.

I'll end up putting on AMC or TCM and watch some old black and white movies. It's the same as krikkit's Law & Order banality, it's just this side of engaging without being distracting.

Plus I like being the odd old man who watches old movies.

[50%grey]

I like that OV guide website for the streaming of the TV and movies at work >_<

[Jel]

Wow, I don't know how you guys do it. Lately I've found out that even music takes away from my concentration and my speed, so I can't even imagine what something like watching TV that requires the same sense used for drawing would do.

[ScottEwen]

I can't watch TV while I work, I get distracted and just start watching the show. Although I've been able to watch Mythbusters marathons while I work and just sort of half pay attention to it.

For me it's podcasts and music. I can pay attention and still be looking at the paper rather than a screen.

[50%grey]

Any chatter in the background helps most people concentrate. Something to do with engaging both sides of the brain.

Silent rooms can be tough for alot of people to work in.

[harmonix]

When I need to do something mechanical (design or programing) I always have an audiobook going in my ear.

It's the only way I have time to get some "reading" in these days.