Highly personal and original . . . McKibben goes beyond Marshall McLuhans theory that the medium is the message.The New York Times Imagine watching an entire days worth of television on every single channel. Acclaimed environmental writer and culture critic Bill McKibben subjected himself to this sensory overload in an experiment to verify whether we are truly better informed than previous generations. Bombarded with newscasts and fluff pieces, game shows and talk shows, ads and infomercials, televangelist pleas and Brady Bunch episodes, McKibben processed twenty-four hours of programming on all ninety-three Fairfax, Virginia, cable stations. Then, as a counterpoint, he spent a day atop a quiet and remote mountain in the Adirondacks, exploring the unmediated man and making small yet vital discoveries about himself and the world around him. As relevant now as it was when originally written in 1992and with new material from the author on the impact of the Internet agethis witty and astute book is certain to change the way you look at television and perceive media as a whole.By turns humorous, wise, and troubling . . . a penetrating critique of technological society.Cleveland Plain DealerMasterful . . . a unique, bizarre portrait of our life and times.Los Angeles TimesDo yourself a favor: Put down the remote and pick up this book.Houston Chronicle