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NerdTV Coming in September
Random BedHead Ed writes "After years of development, Robert X. Cringely's NerdTV is finally on its way, and will be released September 6th. The program will feature interviews with prominent nerds, such as Bill Joy and Macintosh programmer Andy Hertzfeld. But far from being a normal television show, it will be downloadable. As Cringely explained last week in his column, BitTorrent and the expansion of broadband made this the right time for such a move. The show will be available at pbs.org/nerdtv/, where there is currently an information page.
Larry Lessig points out that the show will be distributed under a Creative Commons license - the specific license is not specified, but Cringely and PBS say that noncommercial use and redistribution will be allowed."
This is way cool.
Really nice for us geographically challanged non-americans to get it without the usual half-a-year waiting period too.
Just the fact that someone is giving their show away over the internet for free earns enough respect for me to actually give this a look. I haven't ever heard of the host, but if he's smart enough to know about Creative Commons liscenses he's better than 90% of the computer show people out there.
Software is like sex. It's better when it's free. -Linus Torvalds
It would be great if they used bittorrent to distribute the programming. The more valid legal reasons for bittorrent to exist the better.
I suppose one could try to give it the PC "reclaim a derogatory term" spin, but... perhaps I should just suggest viewing Revenge of the Nerds.
Wow. Let's all make a society that's so PC nobody can say what they want anymore. If you take serious offence at words like "geek" or "nerd" then you are a small, small person. Even comparing it to racist and the use of N*gger is pathetic. It's not close to the same.
how about a home remodeling show "Fags have fun with your living room" ?
You know the term "queer" as in "Queer Eye for a Straight Guy" used to be an offensive term too, but some homosexuals embraced the term rather than being offended by it. I'd say the term "nerd" is likewise a badge of pride among many people. After all you're reading a site that says, "News for Nerds" right at the top of it.
Here's a tip: You cannot give offense, you can only take it.
To paraphrase that icon of Nerd-dom, James Kirk, "Sorry about your thin skin, but as we say on Earth, 'C'est la vie.'"
Cool now if this catches on (and it will) we might be able to get some real Tech shows. I would love to see Laporte and the gang do a video podcast so I can try and erase the any thoughts of "attack of the show" out of my mind. Ewwwwww!!!!!!!!! Bad TV man.... Bad TV
Now, channles often have nothing to do with what they are named. MTV might as well be reality TV... 4 episodes of Real World followed by 4 episodes of Road Rules, followed by 8 episodes of Real World versus Road Rules. Ugh. Then, for the 200th time a repeat of "When the 80's ruled".
But here is what gets me pissed off. Did everyone hear MTV is now using the money we paid (through watching the advertising) to start a new tv network for gays and weirdo's.
Same thing with a Nerd network. Do we really need it? How about haveing The Learning Channel and Discovery channel having real science programming? Has either station ever played The Mechanical Universe? I know it is PBS programming, but they show it at 2am once a week on a friday. Or what about either of those two stations following NASA? Or having a weekly tech show. Instead, TLC is airing Trading Spaces, a show where two neighbors redecorate their houses, and then suprise each other (How do you like it, I knew you would love your living room painted lime green).
Names are meaningless today. Just like when government passes the Patriot Act. They just pick a popular name for marketing purposes, it really does not tell you much about what it is. They should have called it the Terrorism Prevention Act, it would come a little closer to the truth, or better yet Lets Take Away All Civil Liberties Act.
I don't need 100 channels. I need 10 good ones. Give me a true science and tech channel. Give me one true news station, and not an editorial station. I already have ESPN, they are pretty good with sports. I think you could combine FoodTV and Home and Garden to have one channel, on Living (Do we really need 6 episodes of $40 dollars a day, highly offensive to me, as I watch this woman suffer to feed herself on only $40 each day, while I live off $4 a day).
Toss in a movie station for a 5th station.
And while we are at it, some RULES for all TV stations to follow. #1, get rid of the laugh track. It is not funny when a character comes on stage. I don't need a pre-recorded laughing sound to know when to laugh or what is funny. Are people that stupid that most laugh because they hear laughing? Once you hear the laugh track, and you become aware of it, it will ruin all your shows. It will become very annoying.
Rule #2, No more advertising while a TV show is airing. I don't mean commercials. I mean the boxes that pop up and take 1/9th of the screen with an advertising for what is on TV next. Or what movie is playing this weekend. Or even the ones that identify what station you are watching. I know what station I am watching.
Rule #3, Don't cut off the end credits to a show. Some of us want to know who an actor on a show was. Some of us hate the screen splitting, with an advertising on the opposite side. Some of us want to take the last minute to enjoy what we just saw, as we watch the credits.
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."