Recently relocated to Chicago from Hong Kong and seem to have managed to get through winter without losing any digits or the will to live and spring at last seems to be in the air. Mostly enjoying the city so far, but one thing that really bugs me is the omni-presence of the TV set in just about every bar and restaurant. I was somewhere the other night that had more TVs than customers. As someone who tends to be drawn towards the moving images on the screen I find it really distracting (and Mrs Schmidt even more so) that I end up watching something that I don't want to..... Are bar owners being paid to have TV blaring from every angle? And it isn't just the bars - I'm stunned by the number of restaurants that seem to have also caught the same disease. Maybe I'm getting old........