ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC Have Lost More Than 77% Of Their Market Share

[Scott5114]

I mean hey there is at least one follow up question which would easily transition claimed dating partner statistics back onto the topic of sex.  I've refrained from asking that follow up question thus far.

The bigger question is could you then transition from that back to CBS market share?

Challenge mode, the transition must include the words "Walter Cronkite".

Secondly, people in the information systems field work with data collection, organization, analysis, and storage every day. It's normal to apply the same habits to personal interests.

I am sorry to say that your fuckin.xls file is not, in fact, normal.

[Max Rockatansky]

Unless CBS starts handing out free dates to viewers I don't foresee how they are gaining market share back from streaming services.

Let's take Beltway's last post one step further.  A friend of mine met a woman at a bar back in 2007 and took her home.  They had sex and she left the next morning.  The next time he saw her was three years later when she knocked on the door with his twin sons.  I can't really say that was an "arranged potentially romantic date."

[Scott5114]

If Jim is reading this thread, he could be the funniest person on Earth for April Fool's next year...

[Beltway]

Let's take Beltway's last post one step further.  A friend of mine met a woman at a bar back in 2007 and took her home.  They had sex and she left the next morning.  The next time he saw her was three years later when she knocked on the door with his twin sons.  I can't really say that was an "arranged potentially romantic date."

Spontaneous romantic encounter / connection. One night stand.

[Max Rockatansky]

Let's take Beltway's last post one step further.  A friend of mine met a woman at a bar back in 2007 and took her home.  They had sex and she left the next morning.  The next time he saw her was three years later when she knocked on the door with his twin sons.  I can't really say that was an "arranged potentially romantic date."

Spontaneous romantic encounter / connection. One night stand.

That's the kind of thing most people probably don't need a spreadsheet to keep track of.  Questionable how much "romance" was involved considering how much drinking had been going on earlier that night.

[Beltway]

Secondly, people in the information systems field work with data collection, organization, analysis, and storage every day. It's normal to apply the same habits to personal interests.

I am sorry to say that your fuckin.xls file is not, in fact, normal.

Define "normal." Have you worked in the field?

Back in the early 1980s when I entered the field a number of people in the office had personal computers of the day with the tiny screens. Is that normal?

I would have thought AARoads would love something like that.

Half the forum maintains spreadsheets for exit lists, traffic counts, sign inventories, and interchange histories. A widening‑tracking sheet is the same behavior with a different subject line.

If anything, it's one of the more normal artifacts around here.

[Beltway]

Let's take Beltway's last post one step further.  A friend of mine met a woman at a bar back in 2007 and took her home.  They had sex and she left the next morning.  The next time he saw her was three years later when she knocked on the door with his twin sons.  I can't really say that was an "arranged potentially romantic date."

Spontaneous romantic encounter / connection. One night stand.

That's the kind of thing most people probably don't need a spreadsheet to keep track of.  Questionable how much "romance" was involved considering how much drinking had been going on earlier that night.

No ONS in my past.

[Molandfreak]

It's rare that you run into a full-grown adult who lies like this.

[bugo]

ordained or authorized preacher or minister of the Gospel, priest or other ecclesiastical dignitary of any denomination who has been duly ordained or authorized by the church to which he or she belongs to preach the Gospel, or a rabbi

No other religions?

Oklahoma is a Christian supremacist state. If you're not a bible thumper, you're a third class citizen.

[bugo]

You don't strike me as exactly being hip to what the kiddos are into.

You don't have to be one to talk to them. Being in a 3,000+ member church gives wide exposure to all age groups.

You shouldn't be exposing yourself to anybody.

[Max Rockatansky]

It's rare that you run into a full-grown adult who lies like this.

I found Reply #406 to be pretty believable.

[Molandfreak]

It's rare that you run into a full-grown adult who lies like this.

I found Reply #406 to be pretty believable.

Yeah, it's part of the Motte and Bailey fallacy. He's retreating to a more defensible claim after being called out for an outlandish one. Just like the 39 claimed "diverse hobbies," he backed out of that one real quick.

[Beltway]

Reply #406 to be pretty believable.

They're disgusting.

Yeah, it's part of the Motte and Bailey fallacy. He's retreating to a more defensible claim after being called out for an outlandish one. Just like the 39 claimed "diverse hobbies," he backed out of that one real quick.

Hobbies and interests. For example, studying following and playing the stock market is not really a "hobby" but it is an ongoing focused interest.

The comment was about "people in this hobby not having game" and I pointed out that this does not have to be your only hobby. Roads started at 16 when I started driving. Had a ton of interests long before that.

Just from age 6 to 16, with age spans and comments --

Car model building        6    12                                                   
Bicycle riding        6    present                                                   
Astronomy        6    present                                                   
Reading        6    present                                                   
WW II history        6    present                                                   
Swimming        6    16                         
Surfing         12   16                         
Airplane model building        8    16        B-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-36, B-47, B-52, B-58, B-70, B-1B                        P-38, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-80, F-86, F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, F-106, F-111                   
Baseball        8    present        playing, history, Yankees                       
Aviation        8    present        Commercial, military, history, piloting, airline disasters                                           
Space program        8    present                                                   
Military history        8    present        wars, hardware, strategy                 
Ship model building        10    14        8 or 10 or so                             
Meteorology        10    present        clouds, hurricanes, climate                 
Geography        10    present        land and sea                                   
Construction        10    present        homes, businesses, roads, other infrastructure                                           
Football        12    present        playing, history, Packers, Redskins             
Golf        12    present        playing and history                                 
Oboe        12    13        junior high band                                         
Chemistry        12    present        elements, compounds, radiology, applications     
Stock market        12    present                                     
Electronics        12    present        radio, electronics, electrical               
Boating - recreational        8    30        sailing, row boat 
Shipping and maritime issues        10    present        shipping, underwater topo and channels                 
Coin collecting        12    14                                                   
Business        12    present                                                   
Science fiction        12    25                                                   
Police work and firefighting and emergency services        14    present        NAO, reading                                           
Engineering        14    present        civil, chemical, aero,                       
Cars        15    present        driving, maintaining, classic                       
Beer can collection        15    18                                                   
Highways and rail transit        16    present        maps, driving trips, construction projects, design, traffic engineering, environmental studies, career 43 years                                           

[Molandfreak]

Just from age 6 to 16, with spans and comments --

Car model building        6    12                                                   
Bicycle riding        6    present                                                   
Astronomy        6    present                                                   
Reading        6    present                                                   
WW II history        6    present                                                   
Swimming        6    16                         
Surfing         12   16                         
Airplane model building        8    16        B-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-36, B-47, B-52, B-58, B-70, B-1B                        P-38, P-40, P-47, P-51, P-80, F-86, F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, F-106, F-111                   
Baseball        8    present        playing, history, Yankees                       
Aviation        8    present        Commercial, military, history, piloting, airline disasters                                           
Space program        8    present                                                   
Military history        8    present        wars, hardware, strategy                 
Ship model building        10    14        8 or 10 or so                             
Meteorology        10    present        clouds, hurricanes, climate                 
Geography        10    present        land and sea                                   
Construction        10    present        homes, businesses, roads, other infrastructure                                           
Football        12    present        playing, history, Packers, Redskins             
Golf        12    present        playing and history                                 
Oboe        12    13        junior high band                                         
Chemistry        12    present        elements, compounds, radiology, applications     
Stock market        12    16                                                   
Electronics        12    present        radio, electronics, electrical               
Boating - recreational        8    30        sailing, row boat 
Shipping and maritime issues        10    present        shipping, underwater topo and channels                 
Coin collecting        12    14                                                   
Business        12    present                                                   
Science fiction        12    25                                                   
Police work and firefighting and emergency services        14    present        NAO, reading                                           
Engineering        14    present        civil, chemical, aero,                       
Cars        15    present        driving, maintaining, classic                       
Beer can collection        15    18                                                   
Highways and rail transit        16    present        maps, driving trips, construction projects, design, traffic engineering, environmental studies, career 43 years                                           

[kphoger]

Here are just some of my many hobbies.

Brushes    3    present    teeth, hair   
Clothes    0    present    wearing, buying, donating   
Food    0    present    eating, cooking, leftovers   
Grass    9    present    smelling, mowing   
Hair    2    present    combing, styling, cutting   
Hygiene    0    present    bath, shower   
Internet    16    present    searching, surfing   
License plates    9    present    spotting, registering, replacing   
Mucus    9    present    picking, blowing   
Percussion    9    present    playing    orchestral, drum set
Playgrounds    6    15    swings, monkey bars   
Roads    8    present    maps, signs, trips   
Shoes    1    present    wearing, tying    2 at a time
Sitting    1    present       
Sleeping    0    present    nighttime, naps   
Television    5    present    watching    >10 channels
Toilet    2    present    using, cleaning    #1 and #2, wiping
Walking    1    present       
Words    1    present    speaking, writing, typing, hearing   

[Scott5114]

Grass    9    present    smelling, mowing

Eight-year-old Kyle resolutely refused to smell the grass.

[kphoger]

Eight-year-old Kyle resolutely refused to smell the grass.

I occasionally smelled the grass at age eight, and even earlier, but it didn't become a hobby until I started mowing the lawn at age nine.

Last year, I even bought a brand-new lawnmower.  It was at a steep discount, but it still cost around $400.  As you can see, hobbies can get expensive, but they're important for living a well-rounded life.  I estimate that, if I listed all of my hobbies, I'd end up with a list of at least 41.

[SEWIGuy]

I will say, reading this thread has made me happy that I met my now wife at 20, she was 18, and we have now been married over 35 years. Defining what a date is, and keeping track on a spreadsheet, would be way too much for me.

[Max Rockatansky]

The only thing I've ever seriously compiled data on spreadsheets was shoplift apprehensions.  Even then the only reason I did that back then we wrote paper case reports and didn't have a case management system.  Keeping track of all this nominal self defined stuff sounds insanely tedious.

[Beltway]

I will say, reading this thread has made me happy that I met my now wife at 20, she was 18, and we have now been married over 35 years. Defining what a date is, and keeping track on a spreadsheet, would be way too much for me.

Yes, undergirding all this, at least for me, the ideal is meeting someone in early adulthood when there are plenty of quality candidates available. That has been my advice to young family members. The field declines precipitously after 28-30.

I know people that dated just one person, met in high school, and are still married to them in their 70s.

[kphoger]

The only thing I've ever seriously compiled data on spreadsheets was shoplift apprehensions.

I live my working life in Microsoft Excel.  I seriously compile data on spreadsheets every day.  But that's my work life, not my personal life.

In my personal life, I use Excel for various hobby stuff, some of which is roadgeek stuff.  But I wouldn't call any of it "seriously compiling" anything.

I know people that dated just one person, met in high school, and are still married to them in their 70s.

I've only ever dated two women.  I had my first kid with the first, and I've been happily married to the second for twenty years as of next week.

[Max Rockatansky]

I used to be far more proficient with Microsoft Office and even computing in general.  I surprised myself back in 2023 when I was still able to use SQL in a program called ASPECT.  I haven't exactly had the need to keep with most computer stuff as time has gone on.  My dad was a computer software designer and taught me how to do a lot of stuff when I was a kid. 

I seriously dated four women for a year or longer in my adult life prior to meeting my wife in 2017.  I mentioned it upthread already but there was various reasons those relationships didn't work out.  Truth be told I wasn't really serious about getting married until my 30s.  I was way more serious about getting my career going in my 20s.

I should note that Jessica had a similar story to me.  She had never been married either when I met her in 2017.  She was the first person in her family to graduate college and was career focused like I was in her 20s.  Certainly didn't hurt that when I met her she had just gotten back from a trip hiking across Spain.

[formulanone]

I am sorry to say that your fuckin.xls file is not, in fact, normal.

(...hey, let's not size shame...)

[JayhawkCO]

I think some people in this thread might have different definitions for things. Here are mine, from less serious to more:

Gone on a date with: Spent a couple of hours on a 1:1 basis with a pre-planned activity.
Dated: Gone on a date with 3+ times
Serious relationship: Dated for 6+ months

I can easily recall the number for the latter, which is five. My "dated" total? Maybe 10-12? Don't know for sure. "Gone on a date with" is maybe 25-30? I certainly don't know exact numbers for those. All the rage pushed on me from social media is "body count" and I think if you know that number for certain, it's either pretty low or you're likely a creep that keeps souvenirs.

[kphoger]

I've only ever dated two women.  I had my first kid with the first, and I've been happily married to the second for twenty years as of next week.

I think some people in this thread might have different definitions for things. Here are mine, from less serious to more:

Gone on a date with: Spent a couple of hours on a 1:1 basis with a pre-planned activity.
Dated: Gone on a date with 3+ times
Serious relationship: Dated for 6+ months

My count remains the same.

There was one time in high school that three of us decided to surprise a girl we knew from church and take her out for her birthday.  She was a farm girl, we were seniors in high school, and I hatched a plan.  I pretended that I was going to write up something about some old abandoned church building a couple of miles from her family's farm, as part of applying for college financial aid.  We drove out to her farm, picked her up, and headed over to the old building.  We all got out, she started telling us the little she knew about the place, and then we proceeded to stuff her into the trunk of my car.  Farm girls are tough, and it took all three of us to pull it off, but eventually we succeeded and drove away.  Eventually, we pulled down the back seat, let her out of the trunk, and continued on our 60+ mile drive to McCook, Nebraska.  She quickly calmed down, and we had a great lunch.  But I wouldn't call that a date.  It was more a like a kidnapping across state lines.