Slashdot Mirror
Choose the New PBS Science Show
chinmay7 writes "PBS has posted three different pilots for a new science show, and they want viewers to weigh in and help choose one as the regular science feature. All three pilots are viewable as vodcasts. Wired Science aired on January 3rd. The pilot certainly is polished, as one might expect from Wired Magazine, and deals with interesting topics: 'Meet rocket-belt inventors, stem cell explorers and meteorite hunters.' Science Investigators (air date: January 10) seems to be the most 'science' show: 'The investigators examine 30,000-year-old Neanderthal DNA, vanishing frogs, mind-boggling baseball pitches and more.' 22nd Century (air date: January 17) is pretty gimmicky and loud for my taste, but delivers interesting content — 'In the coming decades will all our brains be wired together like networked computers?' So watch and vote."
Uh, yes it is. Science is the process of building on earlier reputable studies. Do you think anyone is actually going to use Mythbusters, with its lack of appropriate controls, as a basis for his own research? Science also requires that nothing be published without peer review and approval, while obviously Mythbusters will just throw out whatever sells.
Can't televisions networks produce anything that's isn't interesting in it's own right without trying to be trendy? Can't they produce something that isn't intended for someone with a 3 second attention span?
They can't present a machine going through the motions in normal speed. They have to shave off a few seconds my constantly speeding video up several times. Either that or they spam the view with a barrage of imagery that never quite convey anything. Some shows are so bad about it to the point of it being a distracting. They can't get into detail with anything instead glossing over everything and instead presenting simplistic facts. And almost worst of all are the obnoxious hosts who can't be professional and serious, preferring to be stupid twits instead.
And it looks like advertising is leading he way with this garbage. Advertisers no longer just have a person stand in front of a camera and speak. Now they have to splice together a series of unrelated nonsense statements that don't actually make any point. I guess it's more "real" that way. And that's when they aren't filming the proceedings with a jittery camera that isn't constantly going out of focus. It's enough to drive someone insane.
It's sad that PBS has succumbed to this sort of nonsense. But then, what do you expect considering how pervasive this garbage is on American television. We have 24 hour news networks that can spare more than 30 seconds for a news story. Everything is always presented like they're in a rush. But they never provide anything of substance to begin with, instead regurgitating whatever poor investigating some other news agency passes for journalism.
I guess it's fairly apparent I don't like television much.
I have noticed the "dumbing down" with much sadness , I quit donating to PBS in part because of this and in part because they have become far too "politicaly correct" and seem to put a left leaning slant to everything . And before you brand me a rightwing nutcase ,while conservative , I am an athiest,prochoice , anti war on drugs, and have serious concerns about the patriot act . I just dont believe that more government and more taxes is the answer to everything. for instance I am unhappy with my tax dollars funding the absolute crap that PBS has become , the comercial networks (Fox included ) do a fine job of shoveling out mindless bullshit I dont need more of the same from PBS . and BTW have you noticed they are running more and more very thinly disguised comercials in addition to endless fund drives ?