Television has turned 88 years old onSeptember 7, 2015, and it has never looked better. In its youth, television wasa piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures oflow-budget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became popular. Between1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9%to 92% of the population.

    As the audience got larger, thetechnology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s.The reception (接收效果) improved. The picture improved. The major networks started broadcastingprograms in color.

    Even greater improvements were comingaccording to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became areality. For example: All sets in the not-distant future will be colorinstruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, morereliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work.Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expectscreens to get much bigger. However, today's 3-D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all. There is some doubt whether the public would be eager topay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3-D movies.

    But the technology with the greatestpotential, according to Brown, was cable television (有线电视), whichwas still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cabletelevision was highly interactive (互动的). It wasn't cable television that gaveAmericans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was theInternet. He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, big-screentelevisions for conferences, and computers providing information at the touchof a button.

    Brown ever said, “The future oftelevision is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question ofwhat we want.”

    Events at London Canal Museum

    There is plenty going on at London Canal Museum. We have regular monthly illustrated talks in the evening. We have summer boat trips through the long Islington Tunnel on certain dates. We have occasional special days of activities for families or adults. We also occasionally offer roses and castles painting courses, and other events.

    28^th May

Summer Tunnel Trips from the museum through Islington Tunnel and back. Booking is online—click this link. A guide will travel on the boat and will explain the history as you cruise through the lengthy Tunnel.

    31^st May

    Watery Wednesday an activity day for children, put on by our education team. Take a short boat trip! Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. The theme is birds and butterflies, nature and the canal.

    1^st June

    Illustrated talk: Saving the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals by David Dixon. An epic story of the major tasks involved. ￡8.90 adult, ￡6.50 child including museum admission.

    Until 24^th September

Exhibition:Brindley 300 A large exhibition produced by the National Waterways Museum now showing in London for the first time. James Brindley was born 301 years ago, he was a pioneer of canals and, together with the “ Canal Duke”, of Bridgwater, he started the development of modern transport. His contribution to making this country a great industrial nation was great, and this exhibition celebrates his life and achievements.

    The events arrangement can easily be included into any other website and will automatically be updated. See Other Webmasters page for details.

    England continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. London in particular is one of the most visited cities and draws people in with its appeal, history and pubs. England's smaller cities, like Bath and Oxford, are equally as attractive with a lot of culture and fewer crowds. Liverpool, birthplace of The Beatles, has a rich musical history. The countryside has wonderful natural beauty. Here are some tips on traveling in England.

    Free museums—Public museums offer free admission in every city throughout England and the UK. It's a great way to learn about the country's most influential artists and history, and spend a rainy day without paying a cent.

    Book early—Book all transportation well in advance, even if you don't plan to use it. Fares can be around £ 2 with a little planning. The Megabus not only runs buses but also provides trains throughout England and is the best choice for cheap travel throughout the country.

    Pub food—Eating in England can be quite expensive, but for good cheap and filling meals, visit the local pubs, where you cam get a good meal for less than £10. Besides, the pubs are a great way to meet people!

    Get a Taste of UK card—The taste of the UK card offers up to 50% off at selected restaurant. You don't need to be an English to get the card, and you needn't pay the first month's membership fee, which is perfect for most travelers.

    Take a free walking tour—Many major cities in England offer free walking tours. They usually last a few hours and are a great way to see the city.

    Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living in it.

    On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne. Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3, 500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest. At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world.

    Jesse's family played an important role. "I was made to believe I could do anything, although there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive" he says. "People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn't. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn't be ready by the time I had to leave." However, through perseverance (坚持不懈) and belief in himself, he was able to do what many told him was impossible.

    On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted.

    When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and he wrote letters to many companies until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris began to lose his confidence, then depressed. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.

    "Why don't you start your own business?" one of his uncles told him. "The world is a money­locker. You'd better find a way of opening it."

    "But what can I do?"

    "Get out and have a look round." advised his uncle. "See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it."

    Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to win his good fame. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position, too expensive or with some other problems. But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop in a new place where there were plenty of customers but no competition.

    Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair motor­cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed to open the money­locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside.