[orev]

I'm not talking about Solarized, I'm talking about the place that the quote in question was describing. "The port" was not a cheery blue sky type of place, it was gray with a restless energy, so the "color of a television tuned to a dead channel" is not a bright blue sky. That's the literary picture he is painting with those words. Good writers don't just state what something looks like, they paint a picture that gives you an overall sense and emotion of it. Investigate the writing tips from Chuck Palahniuk for more on this, or just read some Shakespeare.

In case there is any more question, this is what a "TV tuned to a dead channel" looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ZAMjpjYfQ