"Excuse me? Did you say like you've seen on CSI?"

I love TV. Watch it regularly. From stupid shows with no redeeming value, to News, to DYI, to WWII marathons.
However, when watching TV, I have the ability to discern what is reality or what is fiction. I also understand how editing works.

There have been many times that I have rushed to my computer to look something up to see if it is real or not...like a certain car model or the newest hand held device. But I can also tell what is fiction.
I know that the 11" netbook that I saw on a cop show doesn't boot up in 3 seconds nor does it have a processor big enough to hack a Government database in 20 seconds.

I have been getting a rush of people that have been so unable to determine truth from fantasy that they think everything in the world is drag and drop and push a button.

I'm talking about grown, supposedly educated people, that think You Tube is run on a desktop or that photoshop can take a grainy 50x50 picture from 1970 and blow it up into a 900x900px digital, 3d masterpiece like they've seen done on CSI.

I know TV makes everything look easy, but it seems now that even the grown ups are starting to believe it.

It's actually making my job harder because I have to continually explain to people that you can't build a site like Facebook for $1200, so obviously the next question is "How close can we get?" and they proceed to do their own investigation, piecing together parts from all over the internet and then want me to make it work. People believe that everything on the internet is true and every application works flawlessly no matter how old it is.

Is it TV that gives people an unrealistic understanding of real life, or is it our "now", instant gratification expectations that is catching up to us?

It's getting ridiculous.

doesnt facebook run off an old PC in zuckerburgs basement??

I have to say that's one of the reasons I like the Mythbusters show so much. It's fun to watch them disprove all the scenes we've seen a million times on television and in films.

I love it when people tell me "I know it can be done. I've seen it". And then I ask "where did you see it?" and they go blank.

I love the csi effect, it is actually killing regular trials in the criminal system as well. If you can't provide dna evidence or that blown up picture, then jurys don't get as into it. They think that it is all csi and that is just the way it is. I have a friend that is a defense attorney and he loves it. Every one expects to see all this great evidence presented, and in fact all you see is some papers and boring testimony. It still amazes my that people will still believe things that they see in a tv show. Thats why we watch the shows, because the break us away from reality.