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."

Is his middle initial really necessary?

How many Robert Cringley's are there who write tech columns and host PBS computer shows? Or does the man in question secretly want to be referred to as RXC?

Re:Is his middle initial really necessary?

A lot of people think a middle initial adds a touch of class... In my mind, a middle initial adds a touch of crime

Says Alex P Keaton.. ;-)

Re:Is his middle initial really necessary?

n my mind, a middle initial adds a touch of crime...

George W Bush comes to mind.

Andy Hertzfeld?

Gee, that ought to make for compelling TV. Earth to Bob: it's now 2005.

Yeah!

This is way cool.
Really nice for us geographically challanged non-americans to get it without the usual half-a-year waiting period too.

What about a downloadable gardening show?

Reminds me of the earlier internet. Thousands of sights on, aghast!, computer programming. Zero on fashion, or gardening.

Slashdot backup?

So between slashdot stories I can get my "hit" from TV?

I dont think it will work...

Unless they have a mostly white back ground with a funky green menus and fonts. Otherwise I think I will stick with my Slashdot.

Creative Commons license..

The Creative Commons license is often heralded among certain music circles, because it affords an artist the ability to remix and mash licensed songs as they see fit for non-commercial purposes. ..personally, I can't wait to make my own 'remixed' versions of Cringely's show for my own nefarious purposes.

Great!

I have to sit at work listening to my fellow programmers, now I can finally go home and listen to more programmers. Thank you PBS!

Free=Respect

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.

Re:Free=Respect

I haven't ever heard of the host...

I'd suggest you check out his weekly column [pbs.org] from time to time. He seems to be one of the few tech pundits out there that actually has half a clue. Although sometimes it's obvious it's only half a clue...

Official News Service

Are they going to be licensing Naked News? If they are going to properly service Nerds the needs the right news service.

Hmm Redistribution

I like the whole redistrubatable deely.. Maybe we could have an apt or portage repository.. Then one could daily do an apt-get install tvshow or emerge tvshow? Now that would be super Cow Powers!

When did it become ok ?

When did it become ok to start calling people nerds ? Seriously, is it ok to call a hip-hop dance show "N*ggers that dance" ? Before you say "Well that's different because that's a racial epiteth then how about a home remodeling show "Fags have fun with your living room" ?

I mean, since nerd IS still a word that is used in a negative way it should not be bandied around like this. I don't care if you're not offended by it. Some people are.

And before you say "Well you are posting this on a site labled 'news for nerds'" I say yes, I know that Einsten. And it bothers me, but I think if anything. This is the place that a discussion like this needs to happen.

Re:When did it become ok ?

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.

Re:When did it become ok ?

I'm proud to be a nerd. My girlfriend and I

Look, who do you think you're kidding here?

started talking initially because she "really, really likes nerdy guys"

Aw now come on, don't overdo it.

(she also likes geeky guys,

Well, large jpegs of pink moist young girls really can be lifelike, and with a little imagination, they really do seem to like everybody very much.

Okay, bad joke. I'm just kidding :-)

(photos please?)

Re:When did it become ok ?

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.

Re:When did it become ok ?

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.'"

Re:When did it become ok ?

And before you say "Well you are posting this on a site labled 'news for nerds'" I say yes, I know that Einsten.

I like it when you call me "Einstein".

-Jam

My question:

Will it include commercials? If it does, and advertisers are still willing to pay even if the show is not being distrubuted via standard means (i.e. television), then we may be witnessing the beginning of a new era of advertising. Kind of like what Google did with Adwords.

The Future Of NerdTV

It will gradually build its own cast of ecclectic personalities, building a loyal fanbase. Eventually it will reach a critical point at which it starts to slide more into the mainstream. This of course will be its doom as actual nerds are replaced by increasingly bland and mediocre television personalities. Then end will come when that scion of drek, G4, buys NerdTV out.

No, i'm not feeling hostile. Why do you ask?

This could really help P2P.

If more programs start jumping on the p2p bandwagon, then it's going to start getting harder and harder to pass laws against it under the argument that it is only used for illegally trading files.

The success of this show may directly effect the future of p2p, and the internet as we know it; because if it does make it, others will likely follow suit.

Bittorrent

It would be great if they used bittorrent to distribute the programming. The more valid legal reasons for bittorrent to exist the better.

Kinda Like What The Screen Savers old Crew..

....is doing at http://twit.tv [twit.tv]

What defines non-commercial distribution?

Could a cable company broadcast it in an available channel slot? Perhaps throw it in the mix of its community programming?

Any one have some answers on that?

Finally...

Usually, I despise watching Television. But this would be something worth watching/downloading.
And another reason to get a new handheld video player!

(I think there should be /.TV! But, then again, there is not enough time to show all the comments.)

Nerd TV

I want my...

I want my...

I want my Nerd TV.

First we get Morgan Freeman going over,

now we get NerdTV. (You know you need the 'bleeding edge' and early adopters before you get to the generally accessible fun stuff, but since they're not time-locked, it doesn't matter when you 'discover' a series.)

Wait until producers realize that they can use broadband and a content aggregator or Google to skip the entire 'kowtow and then bend-over facing the other way' process that they go through with the current lot of content disseminators.

No more canceled shows until there's no audience for them, not the current trade-off of "we can squeeze more profits with pushing ads on schlock than we can with your high concept stuff, so piss off."

Not being broadcast?

"Beginning Sept. 6, PBS will make available - exclusively over the Internet - broadcast television's first entirely downloadable series"

So it won't actually be airing on PBS, just on the internet?

SlashdotTV coming September 6th... ish

"We're pleased to be offering this new video-download news format free to Slashdot customers." said CmdrTaco, who would not indicate whether he was hard or soft-shell, "It is another example of how Slashdot is on the fringe of digital news."

When asked why viewers should get their video news from Slashdot rather than going straight to PBS and downloading the whole news program, CmdrTaco replied "Well, we know our Slashdot readers are busy. Some of them can only check the site 10-12 times a day, and as everyone knows they don't have time to read the articles. So what we've done is cut out everything but 10 seconds of the interview, the best inflammatory bits we can find, and then added an audio-only cynical or sarcastic comment at the end, with an occasional 'Linux is getting better every day' comment for good measure. We tried video footage using a web cam for the comment, but it was, well, kinda creepy."

CmdrTaco also said Slashdot is working on another new feature called Slashdot ReMix, where existing news items are posted by different Slashdot editor and given a slightly different spin, to see how different angles of the story are received. Perceptive Slashdotters, he noted, have noticed this system in beta testing over the past few years, with more heavy testing in the last 1-2 years. He believes the system is now nearing perfection.

The kittens are safe!

For some reason I don't think that there will be any kittens sacrificed because of this program.

--

TechTV

There used to be a whole cable TV channel devoted to nerds called Tech TV. (The name, but not the shows or people was sold in 2004.)

Broadband quote from article

Cringely noted, "With more than half of American homes with Internet access now using broadband"

So when will website designers start to realize that half of us aren't able to get broadband?

Creative Commons....w00t!

"Cringely and PBS say that noncommercial use and redistribution will be allowed."

Excellent! Now the nattering naybobs of negativism here at work, who currently have conniptions whenever I try to use something from TV in the classroom, can't complain. Well, they can still complain, I just won't have to comply.

Other PBS Shows

How about offering other PBS shows for download. My mom TiVo's "America's Test Kitchen" every weekend, and I enjoy watching MotorWeek. It would be nice to just download them, burn to a CD, etc.

It's Cringly Though...

I'm sorry, I tried to like him, but Cringely is a hack. He makes wild ass guesses and long winded posts about things like getting Wifi from a neighbor and why are we suposed to care again? /. posts links to his garbage at least weekly, if /. is getting cash from these posts to Cringely, I think they should tell us.

Remeber Cringely famously posted in 1998 that the iMac launch was going to fail.

"For one thing, it is very doubtful that there will be enough of the machines to go around. Apple's expectation, I have read over and over, is to sell 400,000 of the machines right away. I hope they do. They plan to have at least the first 30,000 of these machines in stores by next Friday. That, I doubt. As of last week, only about 5,000 iMacs had been produced. And a random sampling showed an out-of-box failure rate of 11 percent, which is vastly above Apple and the industry's average. These are just teething problems, sure, but they are problems nonetheless. You'll see stories about them."

We didn't see stories about them because it was all bull.

Die G4 Die

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

Leo Laporte

They should add Leo Laporte to the line up. He was one of the few good things on TechTV.

I'll Give It A Shot

With all the crap that is readily available on television, it is good to see a show that might actually have a chance at being decent. I'll watch the first couple installments and see how it goes. Good to see the use of the Creative Commons License as well as the online availability. Anyone who can get the network (even PBS) to agree to those two conditions has to have a good head on his shoulders.

Nerd or Geek

NerdTV? Give me a break. Wasn't there someone around to help these socially challenged people to come up with a better name? Nerds just suck, geeks get things done.

IntelligenTV

I hate to get all "liberal" and whatnot, but does it have to be "NerdTV"? Personally, I got over the cuteness of terms "nerd" and "geek" about 5 years ago. Using "nerd" just undermines the whole thing IMO.

Blues for Nerds?

How many nerds prefer watching TV to, say, a bloviating website full of typos and dup's? How many geeks?

You had my interest, really you did

You had my interest with this, really, you did.

Then you said the word "Cringely".

Now I don't care about this anymore.

;shrug;

Hertzfeld is a god (High praise from an atheist.)

Here's a five second primer on Andy Hertzfeld from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:

One of four of the original primary software architects of Mac OS

Created the MagicCap OS (it had a really cool/funky GUI and AFAIK is sadly complete dead)

Founded Eazel in 1999, which gave us the Nautilus file manager for the GNOME.

'Nuff said.

High Tech Heroes

Reminds me a lot of a local access show I used to watch called "High Tech Heroes".

http://www.webfoot.com/hobbies/hth.blurb.html [webfoot.com]

Small Plug for Google Video

This is the beginning of the mountain of content that will be soon be online, free of charge.

Google already knows the future of "television" is shared hosting (via bittorrents, etc) of user-submitted content, and I'm sure Robert Cringley knows this well too.

Nothing stopping these producers from advertising, and it might even be cheaper to maintain an online presence than to broadcast the show the regular way.

I'd like to candidly plug my own small contribution to internet video here:

BeGeistert 14 Interview with yellowTAB [google.com]

Don't mean to burst everyone's bubble but...

...remember when the news about a video game network [g4tv.com] came around?

It has been done before.

Check out http://www.legaltorrents.com/index.htm [legaltorrents.com] There is a program called Go Open.

Their claim to fame was that it is the worlds first ever TV Program dedicated to "All things Open Source."
It includes interviews with major open-source figures such as Richard Stallman, Lawrence Lessig, Jon 'maddog' Hall, and Bruce Perens, as well as case studies and discussions of Shuttleworth's Ubuntu Linux.

Some programming ideas

A few new shows they could try [superflippy.net]

Re:Gee Whix

It's going to be awesome. Bob is always fun to watch and read. And he's pro splicing. So it's going to be okay to have some fun cutting up his interviews and doing interesting things to them.

Re:Creative Commons License

What if it shows up in SCO code?

Why should it? Nothing else does.