Monday, January 31, 2005
The foo is almost ready!
Saturday, January 29, 2005
This is getting out of hand.
Well, i guess all the heroes are getting into it.
spiderman2004.blogspot.com
venom2004.blogspot.com
Friday, January 28, 2005
Frate down.
I'll be here now.
This may not be a great forum for everyone, you see, over there, we use complete sentences.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Wait a minute
and you can get me on msn (and send a text to my phone) at samureye24@hotmail.com
get your questions in to Joey the Intern!
Anyway, Joey the intern stated that he would no longer be talking about G4 on his blog come February 11th. What does that have to do with anything? Well, the rest of my interview with him is yet to be released. SO, of you wanted to ask him ANYTHING, please send him an email.
jrabier@gmail.com
Friday, January 21, 2005
New forum.
Check out frate.
It's new.
I'll be there, it'll be good, so go check it out.
Monday, January 17, 2005
I want you!
I want you to affiliate with! If anyone is interested in affiliating, let me know, via comment or email. It really doesn't matter what the site is about, so if you are interested, let me know and we can work out the details.
samureye@gmail.com
P.S.
I'm approaching 20, 000 hits!
Sunday, January 16, 2005
elgoog
This is pretty crazy, it's a backwards google. I don't know what to say. Be sure to type in your query backwards!
.tou ti kcehC
Narc a deal.
Read.
+Krose subscribes to the hype.
Martin Sargents's G4 Profile.
Martin Sargent (born Earl Sarmet) spent his earliest years traveling back and forth along the towpath of the mighty Erie Canal (mainly between Spencerport and Brockport). Because his gambler father refused to pay school taxes, Sargent was forced to work his way through elementary school by loading and unloading canal barges (primarily cases of sushi-grade carp harvested from the canal).
One night, at the age of 13, the barge upon which Sargent slept was untied from its moorings by some local toughs who had a beef with the plucky young docksman on account of his legendary relations with the local fishmonger's daughters. This incident launched a nightlong, Huck Finn-like journey culminating in Sargent's waking up when his barge was dashed upon the rocks off Manhattan.
The journey had just begun
Sargent traded his cargo of carp for a fancy new suit and 50 shillings and set out to make his fortune on the mean streets of New York. In no time, parlaying his street smarts and skill at nonverbal intimidation to his political advantage, Sargent found himself at the helm of one of Chinatown's toughest gangs, The Violinists.
As a gang leader, Sargent (gang name "Big Money") was afforded ample free time to study (and soon master) the powers of mind control and remote viewing. The CIA's squad of giant invisible robots soon recognized Sargent's "Street Fighter II"-like powers and whisked him away to their headquarters at the center of the Earth. It was there, as a slave of the US government, that Sargent was forced to learn how to breathe fire.
The adventure continued
Now a full-fledged member of Dick Cheney's Time Cop Corps, Sargent spent his late teen-age years battling communist space zombies who had escaped to our dimension from the places before time. Taking advantage of the Time Cop Corps' ROTC program, Sargent attended Cornell University, where he received a Bachelor's degree in English.
The degree was a ticket to landing an editorial assistant's position at one of the hottest technology product review magazines in the world, San Francisco-based PC/Computing. The key decision-makers at Ziff-Davis, the outrageously mismanaged company that owned PC/Computing, collectively got drunk and hopped up on goofballs during a team-building retreat and decided, while simultaneously having sex with their co-workers, to start a TV station about computers called ZDTV. Hurting (badly) for content, ZDTV made Sargent a frequent guest and eventually hired him as a fulltime on-air personality.
Years later, Microsoft co-founder and fellow Time Cop Corps member Paul Allen bought the channel and changed the name to TechTV. Using his powers of mind control, Sargent convinced the soft-headed managerial team to give him his own show, which was to be called "Unzipped." Sadly, "Unzipped" was the name of a Canadian gay porno magazine that didn't want to share, and "Unscrewed" was born.
In his spare time, Sargent likes cooking and travel.
Well, what do you think?
Fricking help!
Can someone explain to me exactly what this does and how i can use it?
If i can't get help soon, i'll screw it and start from scratch.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Blog help.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Torrents.
cfhtracker.info
unscrewed.tk
Any more, send me an email.
samureye@gmail.com
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Send me a text message!
samureye24@hotmail.com
Updating!
Scopetech.net Dan Huard's site, it's up ,(Pre Alpha stage)
Alex Albrecht on the G4 name change.
Kevin Rose and Leo
The Broken is back, baby!
Bye Bye TechTV!
Read it.
Official Press Release.
Well, with the new Girls Gone Wired, at least Adam Sessler is on a new show, but Hal Sparks as the host????!!!>>
I'm not even going to say it, i'm keeping this blog rated Pg-13...barely.
If anyone has a picture of the new logo, which was put up and then taken down, let me know.
What do you think of this?
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Questions.
Let me know in the comments.
Leo Laporte Quote.
from the beginning.
I can believe that TSS was unprofitable after the move to LA,
however. The minute the G4 purchase was announced several major
advertisers cancelled multi-million dollar contracts, including two
car manufacturers. The G4 version never got close to the ratings TSS
achieved on TechTV, so it seems unlikely that they were able to
replace the loss of revenue. But nothing they're doing will make any
difference. G4 is doomed.
Leo"
From long live techtv.
HELP ME!!!
Thursday, January 06, 2005
More updates...
AntiG4TTV will be having a radio show. Interesting. (Tell 'em you want samureye on it :P)
Another anti G4 site.
Random updates.
2.KP has a blog! No not Kim Possible, Kevin Pereira! I'm a big fan of his, so i'll be keeping an eye on it. I can't get enough of him. It's a real interesting blog. Where he came up with the URL is anyone's guess.
kevinpereira.com
[props to techtvforever.net]
I beat Kevin Rose!!!
Kubrick skin with blogger?
MSTechTv?
Okay, forget what i said in my last post...
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
MSTechTv confirmed.
Just today i had confimed that for you! People, don't doubt the awesome power of the samureye!
Here's an interesting tidbit for you. The domain name mstechtv.com was registered in December.
Edit: Me saying MstechTV would be real was just a luck guess, and i don't really have any powers, unless you count my ability to annoy people... :~)
spammy!
Anyways, i opened the account and it already had 4 gmail invites. I have given them out below. Anyways this account is meant to be a test account. I want you guys to send legit spam. Go on, send it. Again, legit spam, no bad pictures. Send attachments if you like, i'll let you know what happens.
The account is
ilikespambutnotthemeat@gmail.com
Invite
Invite
Invite
Invite
Mstechtv
Edit: Oh, and i'm a kid with a blog. Take it with a GIANT grain of salt. Thanks for the comment by the way,
Cell phone app needed...
The swish...
http://lauraswisher.blogspot.com/
This is the website.
lauraswisher.com
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Newsletter tool?
Anyways, i need to know if anyone knows a good newsletter tool. What i mean is, something free, where i put a form on my blog for you to submit your email and i can use it to send you messages. This is really important, so any help will be greatly appreciated.
Monday, January 03, 2005
By the way, G4 sucks...literally.
nielson oct 2004 reports
Leo comment #2
A comment made by Leo on Dan's blog. I checked it at Long Live Tech Tv and it's the real Leo, he said so himself.
diggity dig...
I'm really into digg.
MY DIGG NEWS.
Go join and help me get to the top!
http://digg.com/users/samureye
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Pat Norton update.
Here is an article done by Patrick Norton on C|Net.
Read the article.
Help me get it on the home page of digg.
Well, as i said before, i won't be able to update as much as i would like, but i'll do it still. I may miss stuff, so please, if you find anything, email me. It could be ANYTHING, any little morsel of info, please pass it on so i can share with everyone. Don't worry, i won't bite (much) :P
samureye@gmail.com
I will reply to anything you send me, just so you know i don' blow anyone off.
Oh and please submit those questions for Chris Pirillo.
Hope to see you soon (end of the week).
samureye@gmail.com
BURN!
-------------------
Just so it's clear, this is never something I would have countenanced when I was managing editor of The Screen Savers. And I know that my successor, Patrick Norton, would have brained anyone who suggested such a thing.
We did sometimes pre-book calls - and I do it now on the Canadian version of Call for Help - for production reasons. But I always hated even doing that. I never do it on my radio show. But far worse is using "actors" to ask canned questions. That's just plain lying.
Unfortunately, it doesn't surprise me.
----------------------
It doesn't surprise him? Ouch!
Original Comment.
What do you want in 2k5?
samureye@gmail.com
CTRL+A, CTRL+C, CTRL+V
Remember when i did that with a post Kevin Rose made on his site, then in no time at all, the post was edited? Well i do, so this is just for preservation purposes.
------------------------------
Life as a TechTV/G4 Employee
A lot of people ask, “what was it like to work at TechTV and ultimately at G4?” I have to say, for the most part, the experiences were amazing at both places. They each had their positives and negatives. So, I’ve decided to shed a little light on what exactly I did at TechTV and G4. Basically, this post will explain what my typical work day was like.
As an intern, I worked very typical intern jobs at a television studio. I got in before anyone did at TechTV, which was generally between 7:00 and 7:30am. Most of my work was for Megan Morrone. I did a lot of screen captures from websites, CDs, DVDs, etc. I remember one screen capture she asked me to do regarding something about NPR and September 11th. I remember this pretty well because I was so stupid. This was during the time TSS was using the CFH set while the new set was being built. She wanted me to capture some video of the sounds of 9/11. I totally misinterpreted what she wanted and captured all of the horrible, heart wrenching sounds as the trade centers fell, people screaming, etc. She was looking for more G-rated material like songs dedicated to all the victims, etc. It was just a stupid intern mistake. I also want to mention that Megan is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She was always good to me and very patient as I made those ‘stupid intern mistakes.’
I was also behind the scenes teleprompting. Let me tell you how difficult it was to scroll a prompter for Leo and Patrick. They rarely read it, especially the news section. There’s definitely a script for them to read but they’re so good and comfortable in front of a camera they don’t even bother. Truthfully, the only bits they’d read were the teases. Teases are when a segment ends and the talent says something like “coming up after the break…” It was necessary they read the teases explicitly because we would have specific video or images that corresponded with the read.
I did tons of odd jobs as well. One time, I remember traveling to Berkeley with ex-TSS Series Producer, Ken Marquis. We went to pick up a huge telestrator TV. I’m sure all you TSS fans remember that giant TV Leo and Pat would use during “The Real Deal.” Ken and I picked up a U-Haul truck and ventured over to the place to pick it up. There were a couple problems. First, it was heavy and second, it was just Ken and I. Needless to say, Ken threw out his back but we got it in. Third, the TV was not secure in the truck. So, like a good starving intern I volunteered to jump in there with the TV. This is completely illegal, but I insisted. I was trying everything I possibly could to get a job. To Ken’s credit, he said no and it wouldn’t affect my chances for a job. I did it anyways. There was barely any air in there except for a few holes and it was hot as hell. So I took my shirt off climbed near the very small air holes so I could breathe. Luckily, it all went well except for Ken’s back. I’m sure its fine now.
My typical work day as a Production Assistant (PA) changed dramatically from the intern position. Now, I was in charge of all the computers on the set for TSS. I had to maintain and upgrade them on a regular basis. Anytime you heard audio from a computer I had to run audio lines to the control room. Also, whenever you saw a full screen of a computer, it was my job to run the video (scan lines) to the control room. I was in charge of the daily tech setup, as well. This meant I’d have to acquire info from each of the segment producers to see what they technically needed for the show. It was never really difficult; there was just a lot to do. My jobs ranged from getting Megan’s Downloads of the Day set up to setting up Linux boxes for demonstrations.
Another job I was given were the bumps. I’m sure you all remember these. They were little Windows, Mac, and Web tips that Megan, Morgan, Sarah, or Jessica would do. They used to be pre-produced with Megan’s voice over (which Morgan used to produce), but when I took over we decided that doing them live is more interesting. There were two per show which equaled ten per week. For just little tips it seems pretty easy but let me tell you, after a year of doing them, the ‘well was starting to get dry!’
My other major job was screening the phone calls. I probably enjoyed that the most. There were tons of repeat callers, many of which I still talk to today. In fact, Ashley, the lovely woman I’m with first called into the show. That’s how we originally met. There were definitely some crazies that called me. Looking back though, I wouldn’t trade it for anything…except for all-call Fridays. Those were my worst days! Trying to get ten or more calls lined up, enter them in iNews (our prompter program) and writing teases for each one was so difficult. Sometimes we’d have dropped callers just because it was so hard to keep up. Soon after, we’d have interns help field the phone calls to take the burden off me.
After about two months as a PA, CFH needed some help because they lost some employees (sadly due to lay-offs). So they had me do their tech setup in the mornings until 1:00pm (when the show ended) and then I’d start work at TSS. This was difficult because I was split between two shows, never went to any production meetings, and ultimately had no idea what was going on with either show. All I did was set them up. But I met a lot of amazing people, including my good friend Roger Chang. Now, a few months after that, Kevin really started to make a name for himself on TSS so he wasn’t able to manage and set up the LAN Party anymore. I was the next logical choice to administer that. The perks of being the LAN admin were great! I got free copies of the games we played, was always challenged setting up remote dedicated servers, and I got to play video games while I worked. I remember countless lunch breaks where Kevin, Joshua Brentano, Yoshi, and I would play UT2K4 and Halo. We would even stay after the show and play for hours. Brentano would NEVER lose, and I mean never…damn it!
My work schedule at G4 didn’t change much. I was now an Associate Producer (AP), which didn’t really mean anything other than a little bit more of a salary. I was still the LAN admin and phone screener. Really, the only difference is that cast members were no longer in charge of tech setup and the bumps were given to another producer. But there was a change. The Screen Savers definitely changed into a new show format. With that new format came a change in the method we produced. In San Francisco, we produced for geeks. In Los Angeles, they wanted us to produce for a gamer/geek lifestyle and culture. The difference, as you’ve all noticed, is very obvious. No longer were we covering subjects like the Intel 915/925 chipsets. Now, it ran the gamut of ‘Rock the Vote’ to all the way to TV dinners. This philosophy change also altered the live calls.
From September 7th on, every A block caller (the beginning of the show to the first commercial) needed to be pre-produced. Pre-producing live calls was my job. This meant I needed to troll through the viewer email for good questions (and people with netcams) and set their call up ahead of time. I had the first two weeks of our calls finished and produced. ‘Finished and produced’ means that I had products ordered, found freeware/websites as solutions to specific questions, and even found video for more visual elements. Management, not crew or cast, wanted it this way. Pre-producing live calls was not for the benefit of Kevin. He can answer pretty much anything you ask him. As for other hosts, new or old, I can’t speak for them. But keep reading for further information regarding the new hosts. Management didn’t want ‘geeks’ asking questions on our show anymore. I had to become more judicial with the people we put on our show. Producing a live call isn’t as bad as it may seem. They’re still genuine questions from real people. Since the show was taking on more of an entertainment-value format, it only makes sense to find people who speak eloquently and have not as technical of questions (at least for the A block). But this is where the problems started. For five to six years TSS has groomed its audience to be geeks, they encouraged it. When we moved to L.A. that all changed. The L.A. TSS changed the format without notifying you, the audience. Imagine watching the show 24 and the next season they change the format to comedy. It just wouldn’t work and there would be a huge negative response. So finding the ‘good’ callers, as they’d refer to them, became increasingly difficult.
After struggling to find better callers for the show, I started to fall behind in my work. I wasn’t able to be one or two weeks ahead of schedule. As a side note, it was hard to keep people scheduled because they were either flaky or they just had other plans that came up between when I scheduled them and the day they were scheduled to ask their question. I fell so far behind in my work that a couple days before I was supposed to leave for a week long field shoot at Disney World, they cancelled me and put Cat Schwartz in there instead. I was very angry at them and at myself because I was having such a difficult time. So I decided that the only way I’ll have enough time to produce these live calls was to take one of my responsibilities away. I asked management to take me off all on-air duties. That’s why all of a sudden I wasn’t giving out the phone numbers at the top of the show anymore. Daily on-air duties required me to be in the studio at 2:00pm. With makeup, wardrobe, pre-show, and lighting, I had no alternative.
To get back on track, even with an extra few hours to work on live calls, the execution of the calls were still suffering. Getting geeks to ‘come out of their shell’ is very hard. Rehearsing the question with them ahead of time always helped but as soon as they were on live television it usually went to hell. Nonetheless, I kept plugging away. After the next couple weeks of pre-producing the first live caller, I started to get some heat from my Executive Producer, Paul Block. Even with the callers I found from viewer mail, they still weren’t interesting enough for him. People get nervous on TV. Hell, I would get nervous on TV, it’s not easy. I explained to Paul Block and Joshua Brentano (the new Series Producer) that the demographic we’re using for the live calls isn’t working. Most of the TSS fans are geeks, they’re introverts. This is where The Screen Savers as you once knew them changed completely. I was ordered by Paul Block and Joshua Brentano to generate questions for live callers. But these weren’t any live callers. They wanted me to use G4 employees, friends, family, whomever. Basically, I would think of a question and give that question to a designated caller. So now, the A block callers were manufactured questions and callers. I used TSS producer’s friends and family, Peter Green’s assistant (Sr. VP of Programming & Production - this was done with his OK, btw), my girlfriend, and countless other people to create the ruse that these were genuine questions coming from our viewing audience. At this point my work suffered exponentially because my heart just wasn’t in my job anymore. The live aspect of the show just died, and I stopped believing in the most unique show on television. I was called into Paul Block’s office two other times this time I was threatened to lose my job. Here’s a quote from that meeting, “Dan, if I didn’t like you, I’d fire you right now.” Was Paul correct in saying that? Maybe, but I was forced to go against what four years of college told me not to do: lose my ethics. I fought them every chance I could, I tried my best to uphold the dignity and the ethics of The Screen Savers. From what I gather, this is why I was part of the lay-offs.
According to my anonymous source, “After the lay-offs they tried to pre-produce live calls, then realizing how difficult it would be, went back to real callers with non-technical questions. The new hosts are having an extremely hard time answering calls on-air. In fact, they have banned Chi-Lan from taking live phone calls and emails altogether unless it’s something she one hundred percent knows. Look back at the last five to six episodes, and you will notice she hasn't answered any questions.”
Although my friends still inside can't speak their mind, trust me when I tell you they all want out. It's not easy for everyone to leave due to contracts they have signed, they are bound to them.
I never intended to make this article a scathing expose on the inner-workings of G4. If it appears that way, please accept my sincerest apologies. I tried to balance the G4 and TechTV information as much as possible. Like I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m genuinely appreciative of all my experiences at TechTV and G4. Each job brought its own positives and negatives, and both made me a better person because of them.
------------------------------------
Just some lil' links and stuff.
Dan Huard on working at G4techtv and techtv
joey the intern and the new G4 shows
Kevin Rose on 2k5 and Dan "blowing the whistle"
I guess i'll comment later.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
boy oh boy
I'll be updating a bit less now due to school, but i'll still be doing articles for techstuff. I'd love to hear your suggestions for programs.
samureye@gmail.com