For those who find TV a challenge to the mind, you have my profound symphonies.
In regard to books, especially relating to video and computer games, here's what I had to say back on February 16th:
The stack of books to read is growing faster than anyone's ability to keep up. If you read three books a day, you're still falling behind.
Don't worry about it. Not reading is worse.
Reading is a way of making up for having a short 80-ish life-span. Each book is a distillation of the life experiences of the author, and of the wisdom he or she has gleaned in surviving them.
Reading books is the opposite of playing computer games; with every book you read, another life essence is added to your own.
Bob, the actual author-type fellow, is quite right. (If only he used semicolons a little more often, he’d be nearly perfect!)
I would say, however, that television can challenge the mind in the same way a theatrical performance or a lecture can. It depends on the material and the presentation, and on what the viewer does with it. In my living room, we often have discussions that are suggested by the content of what we see on television - it’s the analysis that’s challenging, especially when all the know-it-alls are present, not necessarily taking in the broadcast itself.