Dude in Sbux watching black & white TV with converter box

Aaron Barnhart of TV Barn shared this photo of a man who brought a small black & white television and a converter box into a Starbucks.

Dude in Starbucks watching black-and-white TV with converter box!

[#1 posted by Stefan Jones, July 16, 2009 12:38 PM]

Hey, why not?

I saw a small (trade paperback sized) digital converter in Goodwill the other day. It would be neat to build it directly into the cabinet of one of those giant wooden console TVs, then donate the TV with a big sign on it reading "DIGITAL".

[#2 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 12:52 PM]

This trend of coffeeshops becoming libraries is kind of ridiculous. Way way way beyond a laptop. Maybe it's a Brooklyn thing, but I have seen people with scanners, telephone headsets (not bluetooth, think telemarketer-style), or bust out their own packed lunches. It makes me wonder what the coffeeshop owners must think!

[#3 posted by romulusnr, July 16, 2009 12:55 PM]

Grr, I just imagined a B&W tv with a DTV box the other day. I'm always a day behind the curve.

[#4 posted by Micah, July 16, 2009 12:59 PM]

This is reminiscent of Improv Everywhere's Mobile Desktop mission. Not IE's strongest work, but relevant nonetheless.

[#5 posted by grumpyhawk, July 16, 2009 2:14 PM]

Doesn't this just mean he spends too much time at Starbucks?

[#6 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 4:01 PM]

I have almost the exact same thing in my workshop.
A 5 inch B&W portable TV with a converter box.
However, I no longer consider the TV "portable".
I just didn't want to toss out a perfectly good TV!

[#7 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 6:46 PM]

Well at least he doesn't look like everyone else on their Iphone or Blackberry. Come on this man is awesome!

[#8 posted by InsertFingerHere, July 16, 2009 7:52 PM]

Is he trying to watch Boing Boing TV ?

[#9 posted by Drew from Zhrodague, July 16, 2009 9:00 PM]

There are low-power television stations that still broadcast in analog. If you still have an old TV laying around, give it a try with an old set of rabbit ears or a coat-hanger.

[#10 posted by Jump Higher, July 16, 2009 9:06 PM]

LOL grumpy hawk - I think you hit the nail on the head, this guy obviously just spends too much time at Star bucks! I wonder what he is watching?

Ben from the Jump Higher hub.

[#11 posted by Daemon, July 16, 2009 9:59 PM]

We sure it's actually black and white? They made them in colour aswell.

I also doubt that's a cable converter. I really don't see starbucks letting people random jack into their TV outlets, assuming they even had them.

[#12 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 10:09 PM]

No one said anything about it being cable. It's presumably terrestrial digital, the ones the government is subsidizing.

[#13 posted by dwdyer, July 17, 2009 7:33 AM]

I have an old Sony Watchman, it's tempting to rig it up just for the curiosity value.

[#14 posted by dwdyer, July 17, 2009 7:35 AM]

BTW, there is a hack here to run a converter box off of batteries:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Digital_TV_Converter_Hack/

[#15 posted by milovoo, July 17, 2009 9:46 AM]

I now prefer to visit coffeeshops with no WiFi and a no-computers rule. It was fine at first but tragedy of the commons and all that. I mean do you really want to have to sit next to this guy?