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They love to read; they spend time with friends; they do all sorts of stuff. So I swear by this: Television is a waste of time.

Get off your damn high horse. Television has plenty of crap on it, but that doesn't mean the medium sucks. There's plenty of crap published in book format too. People who argue this 'television sucks' focus on the crap and ignore the quality stuff out there.

It is akin to saying 'CDs suck' because the local Wherehouse music has a rack full of NSync. If you are unhappy with the programs you watch, find better programs. There are plenty of good, entertaining, moving, educational shows on television.

Crappy TV rots brains about the same amount as crappy romance novels, or teeny bopper pop, or Gigli. Don't identify the medium with only its dregs.

-Ted

The deadline for sending in applications is Monday 28th January 2002.

That's unfortunate timing, need to /. these things quicker in future :)

Maybe if you can get enough /.ers interested and write to them (quickly) you might be able to extend it a week or so.

JUNKYARD WARS APPLICATIONS
RDF MEDIA
14622 Ventura Blvd. #1017
Sherman Oaks CA, 91403
USA

The application procedure is pretty cool :-)

Al.

In spring 2001 TLC showed an all-american show with american teams. It was filmed at the original scrapheap site in London. They had a final 2 hr episode with the winners of the 2000 british series.

There are 2 new series that are being filmed, or have been filmed at a new location in California. These are now separate for the UK and US markets, and will not cross over. There is a new host, a Canadian Tyler ??? (Can't find the last name right off hand). See This discussion for a photo

Fans are waiting impatiently for the new series to air in the fall!

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What challenges would you like to see on the next series? - if you post any ideas on the Junkyard discussion, there is a much higher chance that the production team will see your suggestions (they don't look at Slashdot much!)

Cheers,
andy.bell@rdfmedia.com
"The fiercest and, frankly, ugliest show on television" - Robert Llewellyn

http://www.junkyard-wars.com/

anyone want to start a slashdot team on it?
maybe not... nothing would get done, only people talking about how to get linux to run on it.

The only physics it demonstrates is Ke=1/2mv^2, and you don't get to see them building the things.

There is a real "Iron" chef like mechanical challenge show, in the UK it goes by the name Scrapheap Challenge, when shown in the US, they call it Junkyard Wars. It too features a Red Dwarf actor as host, this time Robert, the guy that plays Kryten (without the mask however).

Basic premise: Two 3 person teams are each provided with a specalist, identical workshops, and equal access to an 800 ton pile of scrap metal. (literally). Dragged from their beds at the crack of dawn, costumed in flameproofed jump suits, they are given a problem to solve (something "simple" like a one person glider, or a 4 person amphibian. How about A diving bell, or a MPG marathon machine. It might be something that can solve a problem, say retrieve a car sunk underwater), and they have 10 hours to build a solution, using only what they pull off the scrap pile. The next day, the two machines are run head to head, and the better one's team advances to the next round, and a harder challenge.

I organized the first US team to compete. We think its a whole lot more fun than Survivor or Iron Chef. The obvious questions are answered in my FAQ

In the UK, the show is carried by Channel 4, and the new season starts Sept 17. In the US, TLC carries it, but not particularly well. (they have show 6 of the 13 existing episodes, and haven't yet agreed to pick up the third season. They have commisioned their own version, to be shown in Jan/Feb timeframe.)

-dp-
We flew over, we built, we can't say what we got to build, or how we did until the shows air, we had a truly great time.

This planet needs a lot more kids that think taking the lawnmowers' engine apart is more fun than playing nintendo.

Just what is the attraction of shows such as Survivor anyway?

Where I live now, we have a channel that shows ``Real Life TV'', and it looks awful! I have a life, thank you, and I'm not especially interested in hearing other ``real'' people argue about meaningless topics, fight over who'll get the last slice of bread, debate which of two kinds of music (both of which I despise) is the greatest, have babies, get married, survive on an island (with a huge television crew watching their every move), or anything else!

What happened to having to write shows? To having intelligent people think about ideas and create a dramatic presentation? Oh, yes, it's expensive. It's much cheaper to throw together some people no one would even talk to if they didn't already know them, force them to interact under surveillance, and broadcast the results.

If you want to watch some ``reality'' television that still has some educational and entertainment value, I recommend Junkyard Wars (originally Scrapyard Challenge in Britain), now airing on The Learning Channel.

Some of you may have seen a British tv show inspired by the MIT design competition. It was shown in the US as Junkyard Wars. (In the UK, it runs under the name Scrapheap Challenge)

Quick summary: Two three person teams, pair of matching workshops. Large pile of scrap metal as feedstock. Morning of competition, you find out what problem you get to solve. Say a 4 person amphibian, or a glider that can carry one human. A device that lets you retreive a Mini in 20 meters of water, a non-wheeled machine that can traverse a tank testing course... You get 10 hours construction time. Next day, the two teams machines are tested head to head. Winner moves on to the next round, and a harder challenge...

Well the US tv network wants a series with north american accents, and are willing to pay to get it. So they need 8 teams, ASAP. (they start filiming in August, applications are due the end of the month). The show will be taped in London, so teams selected get flown over and put up at the networks expense.

More details, can be found at Junkyard Wars
Disclaimer: I don't work for the TV network, or the production company that is taping the show. They did just buy me plane tickets, I will be spending a week in London so I can play with their piles of stuff on camera.

Check out my teams page -- The NERDS

-dp-

Organizer, The New England Rubbish Deconstruction Society; The NERDS