I get annoyed by loud commercials too, but as the article mentions, all you really have to do is hit the mute button and the problem goes away. Does the House really need to legislate this?

The House has voted to level off the abrupt spikes in volume felt by television viewers during commercial breaks.

The bill — approved by a voice vote — is aimed at stopping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than programs. Supporters say the measure would alleviate a common irritation that leads consumers to scramble for the mute button as they watch their favorite shows.

I just don’t quite understand why this is worthy of the attention of our national legislative body. Don’t they have anything better to do?

Sci-Fi writer John Scalzi has put together a list of the “10 Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time.” I refuse to excerpt any of it because I demand that you follow the link and read the whole thing for yourself, but the titles include “Ayn Rand’s A Selfish Christmas (1951)”, “The Lost Star Trek Christmas Episode: ‘A Most Illogical Holiday’ (1968)” and “A Muppet Christmas with Zbigniew Brzezinski (1978)” among others. Read it for a healthy dose of the spirit of Christmas.