57 Channels (and Nothin' On)

With apologies to Bruce Springsteen, there's nothing on TV.

There is an interesting article in the current Atlantic called "The Revolution Will Be Televised." In short it is about how some people are getting rid of their TVs and are using their computers as television sets- they down load or You Tube everything.

This is an interesting idea, but not for me. This is what I want in a Television:

A BOX that I can move around and sync to my computer and have it wirelessly go to a flat panel HDTV. That box would be a hard drive (like Tivo) and I would get the following programming. Call it TV A La Carte:

Network shows- The Office, 30 Rock, Lost, 60 Minutes- live sporting events and breaking news. (Super Bowl, Oscars, 9-11 tragedy)
HBO (all their services but I pick the shows I want).
Sports- I would pick Red Sox and Celtics games.
PBS (selected shows).
Various cable- selected shows.

Also, I want all those shows to come downloaded to me one day a week. I watch them when I want. I also want all episodes of a series- not one a week. Why not. Give me at least 4 episodes of Lost.

That's about all I watch. And I almost never watch TV live or when it is scheduled to be on. I only caught up to the Super Bowl at the end of the 4th quarter.

Also, this box should also allow me to send the program as a quicktime movie to someone else. I would be willing to pay the privilege- say $200 a month- about my cable, internet and phone bill combined.

Why not? That's how I want to watch TV. One reason is that our subscription cable bill helps subsidize the smaller, fringe networks. BUT as I said, I will pay a premium to get what I want, how and when. The other reason is that it would be hard for new shows to break through to me. True, but advertisers would have a real sense of who I am, AND producers and networks would be free to send me trial episodes for my viewing pleasure.

The technology is there. Someone deliver.

PeterH

TW3

That Was The Week That Was was first broadcast in Britain in the early 196os and gave David Frost his first wide television exposure. A short time later an American version appeared giving TV audiences their first real glimpses of performers like Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Woody Allen, Alan Alda and Buck Henry. Both shows were satirical looks at the week's news, a precursor if you will to The Daily Show. I bring this up because last week at Flashpoint was both very typical and oh so atypical. Let me explain.

On Saturday the 13th the actor Jeffrey Wright and rapper/actor Mos Def came to school as part of The Chicago International Film Festival. Sometime around 10pm there was Mos Def pounding on the drums in one of our recording studios.

Tuesday, representatives from Morocco and the Chicago Sister Cities program came to school to explore cultural exchange opportunities. And that evening about 1/3 of our students went to a screening of The Darjeeling Limited where writer and director Wes Anderson and co-writer and star Jason Schwartzman answered our questions.

On Friday Mesh Flinders, creator of the Internet phenomenon Lonely Girl 15, was on campus speaking with students and high school counselors and administrators. Friday afternoon the first ever Flashpoint Academy Machinima Challenge took place. We divided students into eight groups and using the Team Fortress 2 game engine, created eight short films in the span of five hours. At 5pm we had a screening and later this week those films will be posted on the web.

All of this happened under the lens of Channel 11 (the local PBS affiliate) who came to do a piece on us for their program Chicago Tonight.

On Saturday Flashpoint had an open house and 180 perspective students and their parents attended looking to enroll in January or next fall.

On Sunday (some of us) rested.

That Was The Week That Was.

PeterH