CALVIN: So, are you pretty well settled in your new place?
TOM: I still have to buy a washing machine and dryer.
But otherwise I've pretty much finished moving.
CALVIN: Does your building have cable TV?
TOM: I'm not sure. I didn't check yet.
CALVIN: Huh? How can you move into a building if you don't check?
You don't want to live somewhere where it's hard to get cable.
TOM: Why? I'm not a big TV fan. I watch very little.
CALVIN: Well, I agree. Regular TV is lousy. I don't watch it either.
But cable TV is excellent. Didn't you have it at your old place?
TOM: My girlfriend had it hooked up for about three months.
But I rarely watched it. I was too busy.
CALVIN: What do you do for news?
TOM: I read the newspaper. That's much better than cable TV.
CALVIN: I don't agree. I think it's better in some ways.
But CNN is great. With CNN, you have fast news coverage, and images too.
And you can watch it while you're eating breakfast.
TOM: Yes, I've watched CNN before. But I still like the newspaper better.
CALVIN: Larry King Live is my favorite talk show.
I think shows like his are excellent ways to hear different opinions about world events.
TOM: So maybe I will get cable hooked up. Just to watch CNN, I mean.
CALVIN: But that's not all you have with cable.
There are a lot of things you can get. Do you like MTV?
TOM: No, not at all. I don't care about that.
I like Beavis and Butthead. They're hilarious.
But I never watch music videos. They dry up your brain.
CALVIN: How about the Discovery channel?
TOM: Yes, I forgot about Discovery.
I have to agree that's an excellent channel.
And maybe, for the first time in history, it's a channel that does some good in the world.
CALVIN: What do you mean?
TOM: I mean, usually TV channels are only good for advertising products.
In other words, they are good for making money.
But the Discovery channel does a lot to show people how the environment is being destroyed. 
CALVIN: Yes, it does. I agree.
TOM: I think the Discovery channel makes people think about protecting the environment.
That is a great service to the future of the world.
CALVIN: So you see: cable TV can be important.
TOM: Yes, I suppose.