In the late 1970s in the UK there was CB Radio, in the early 1980s there was Home Video (Betamax, VHS, and other short-lived formats – including laser-disc), in the mid to late 1980s there was Cable TV – which evolved into Satellite TV. This all shifted into the internet during the late 1990s. Home Video in the UK was arguably the most revolutionary development – as we could suddenly watch whatever we wanted – whenever we wanted -without government scrutiny. The early days of video rental were like the Wild West in the UK. Both the machines that play the videos – and the videos themselves – were rented from shops that sprung-up like mushrooms all over the UK. However, the UK never possessed Public Access TV – as was available in the US. I never heard of anything similar in Europe. The USSR had a free book-publishing system that permitted any citizen to use to write, publish, and read a book entirely at the government’s expense. This was introduced early in the history of the USSR and effectively broke the monopoly once enjoyed by the profit-seeking publisher. In the US, citizens were permitted to access TV broadcasting frequencies – either free or at very little expense – which allowed locally made TV programmes to be shown to whoever wanted to watch them outside of the commercially-controlled mainstream system – as no official or corporate advertising was permitted on Public Access. Above, we see a Christian Preacher asked by a random caller “How Do Magnets Work?” This is one of the funniest – and yet poignant questions I have ever heard. Beautiful spamming in the US even prior to the internet.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 