The Screen Savers

Now the three people that read my posts would probably notice a trend towards the geek. Shocking I know, but there we are. So a couple of years ago I stumbled across a TV show, which was all about the interesting bits of technology, and for the most part computers!

Great stuff, was watching the Screen Savers for ever and a day. Then one day Comcast came along and spent a huge wodge of cash on grabbing the show for themselves. Within a couple of weeks, the show had gone from informative tech news and know-how, to ADD riddled know-nothings with painfully empty heads.

I like a game like the next person, and the entire channel is devoted to it. Not a bad thing on the surface, but try watching any of G4's offerings. There are games on the channel, as well as reviews and other game related segments. The only problem is it is all so... er.. how can I put it... just so unwatchable. Just one long flit from sparkly shiny thing to the next. I am still awaiting the day when I would get any real information at all from any of it!

So as always...back to the point...

The Screen Savers appears to have died.

As Kevin Rose (one of only two presenters to have survived the butchery) recently pointed out...
"...the days of Linux command prompts on TSS are over..."

The show DID have great presenters, and a real enthusiasm for the subject matter. Now it is like watching an endless bad commercial, where the people on screen obviously have no idea what the script actually means. The only time taken seems to be arranging cleavage and making sure they all say how excited they are while not really listening to the conversation!

I am sure a lot of people have not bothered to watch any more. I keep the Tivo attached to the show, but I would not be surprised if the whole thing just winked out of existance in a short while. When the first firing round happened, it was out of the blue, and most of the presenters along with behind the scenes staff, were told to get out that same day. Perhaps normal for the TV industry? I certainly don't know. Could this be the G4 channel buying up competition and eliminating it? I don't know that either, but in this case, they were not catering to the same people. If the idea was to buy the TechTV channel along with all it's shows, and then wipe them away, giving them entire market share, then why do it with a channel that very much, seems to cater to an entirely different audience?

G4 just give me my TV show back ok? Please? Keep your teen can't-wait-for-a-loading-screen-otherwise-it-may-take-some-effort programming, and just give me back some informative people with valid opinions. Watching someone who KNOWS what they are talking about, and just getting on with what the geeks out there want to know, is where it was at. I wonder if SOMEONE might be able to pick up what G4 seems to have so intently messed right up, and make a show for an underserved population. If anything they have handed the original TSS format to anyone else out there that would like to mimic the show. I am sure there are a LOT of people that would tune in. Again I know nothing of televisions inner mysteries, but hopefully someone will read this, who may be able to do something about it. Slim chance I know, but a chance all the same.

Ok here is my take on who should be back... if you don't agree then let me know and it will make SOOOoooo much difference..

So as this is my site and I can say nearly anything I like, here is what would be nice, but ain't gonna happen. Sort of listed in order of preference, but switching the hosts around seems to work, or it did before G4 killed the show.

Alex Albrecht (FIRED) - Wonderful host, really funny, and was great to watch!
Kevin Rose (One of two still with the show) - Knows his stuff, if a little stilted most of the time.
Sara Lane (The other one of two still with the show) - Do I have to spell it out, and while she is reading this... hey give Kev a break ok?
Patrick Norton (Chose not to travel to LA for the new show) - Best served occasionally, in his own segments. Great opinions and always good to watch, until he clams up and then needs rescuing.
Chris Pirrilo (Fired a LONG time ago) - Uber geek and thats what we seem to need.
Dan Huard (FIRED) - I REALLY want to like this chap, and if his new site articles reflect what nobody has been able to see up to now, he could be a great person on my fantasy line up.
Leo Laporte (Fired a while ago) - Keep him on filmed segments, nothing live. The less he can deliberately ruin other people's segments the better.
Morgan Webb (Still presents X-Play) - Knows her stuff and is great to watch.
Adam Sessler (Still presents X-Play) - Odd choice I know, but he has a great style.
Yoshi (FIRED) - Keep him doing INTERESTING mods, none of that frying eggs on a CPU crap!

Current Hosts
Kevin Pereira - Not too bad, and of all the G4 presenters, I would have picked him if, as in this case, I HAD to.

Chi-Lan Lieu - Nothing to say about her but FCUK OFF!!





Dead, and probably soon forgotten :(