Until yesterday, the end of the internet was just a joke to many people. Now it seems it may become a reality.
No TWiT this week. Leo Laporte couldn't get the crew together. No show next week either 'coz Leo will be on a geek cruise. What's more, in his blog on his TWiT.tv site, he says:
"I'll decide what happens to TWiT, the show, when I come back, but at this point it looks like it's on life support and the heart monitor is flatlining."
That sounds really ominous. TWiT is one of most popular podcasts around, and one of the best. To many Screen Savers fans, it's also a part-resurrection of the old show. If the show ends, it's a big blow to many fans. Just look at the comments on Leo's blog, and Digg.
To some of those comments, Leo replied:
"At this point I have a couple of choices. I could re-cast the show with people who will actually show up, but is it a TWiT without Patrick and John?"
TWiT History
The idea of running the show came as the result of a reunion of the former TechTV personalities. For a brief background of how TWiT came about, read the TWiT.tv story. You can also download the "pilot" episode: The Revenge of the Screen Savers - the precursor to TWiT. I don't know what discussions there were about the show, where it should be going and what might happen to it, who came up with the great idea of the name TWiT (this Week in Tech) - and whether anyone owns the name.
To an outsider like me certainly, it's Leo who took the lead in creating the show. He then added other shows, and at the time of writing, there are 13 podcasts. For a long time, the whole operation was done on a pro bono basis, with support from donations. As far as I can gather, Leo has been slow to accept advertising. Astaro on Security Now was one of the exceptions. Then in September, TWiT became officially a podcast "network", which Leo had been talking about for a while. The website got a new look, with on-site advertising, and almost network-wide advertising by Dell (and by Visa for the trial period of September).
Earlier this month, Leo got the award of Podcaster of the Year. The website looks good. More podcasts are coming. All of a sudden it looks very rosy.
Not everyone was pleased with the changes. Some people started complaining about the ads, and threatened terminating their donations. Some were receptive to the idea of ads, but didn't like the way Leo was slipstreaming the ads into the shows, fearing editorial contamination. On the whole, though, people understood that they could not expect all those podcasts (with the generally high quality that comes with the shows) to continue on a pro bono basis. Personally, I welcome the advertising, and it's been tastefully done. I much prefer this "slipstreaming" to the commercial breaks you get on CrankyGeeks and dl.tv, but that's a matter of personal preference.
Then the servers came down last weekend. It meant a lot of work for Leo. The weekend period is already a packed schedule for Leo at the best of times. He has to host his KFI Tech Guy on the radio on Saturday and Sunday, put on Security Now and Windows Weekly, get the crew together for TWiT on Sunday afternoon, record it and put it on. Add a couple of servers which chose to go down just before the weekend and it must have been a real nightmare for Leo.
And now he couldn't get the crew together for TWiT.
Can TWiT do without John and Patrick?
Everyone has his own favourite and non-favourite panellists on the TWiT show. Some have pointed out that they don't like John or Patrick anyway, and in any event, if they're not willing to come on the show, so be it, let's move on and get other panellists.
Of course the show can do without them. But would it be the same? Personally, I think what's so special about TWiT is the particular mix of personalities and the chemistry they generate. Neither John's nor Patrick's own show has the same magic (John's CrankyGeeks is probably a closer format to TWiT than dl.tv). But the same can be said of Leo's own shows, good as some of them are. None of Leo's other better shows, such as Security Now, MacBreak Weekly and Windows Weekly (yes, I admit, the format is different), create the sort of fireworks you get on TWiT. Leo is an excellent host, interviewer, moderator and navigator (you can hear the big difference e.g. on MacBreak Weekly when it's not hosted by Leo), but we need the right people to throw the punches when it comes to the crunch. Witness last week's Windows Weekly Episode 3: Vista's Enthusiastic License Agreement, in which Leo and Paul Thurrott made some polite criticisms on Microsoft's new Vista EULA, but no one was there to really tear into Microsoft the way it deserved.
You need a Cory Doctorow to trash DRM as a scourge on the face of the earth; you need a John C Dvorak to say categorically that the YouTube sale to Google is a completely dud piece of rumour which is NEVER going to happen (and get proven wrong, all the better for it). All right, Patrick doesn't necessarily fit into this category, but hey, I like the chemistry.
Go easy on John and Patrick
People have pointed out that they wouldn't have started watching CrankyGeeks or dl.tv or even known about them if not for listening to TWiT. TWiT draws in the audience for them. It's their loss. Yes, but in the same way, TWiT also draws in the audience for the network's other shows. So in an indirect way, the TWiT show's regular panellists have also contributed to the success of the TWiT network, the credit for which is attributed, naturally, mostly to Leo. Quite rightly, too, as he has done most of the work. It's not anyone's fault, but that's just the way things are. But for those of us who like the show in its present format, it doesn't help if we start saying that we can dispense with John and Patrick.
None of us know why it's getting more difficult to get John and Patrick on the show. Leo hasn't explained it. He hasn't even said whether he knows what the reasons are. Before I know what those reasons are, I'm not going to blame John or Patrick for being reluctant to appear on the show. I honestly don't think that John and Patrick are reluctant to appear just because TWiT has become a network the running of which is out of their hands or that they're not getting any, or enough, remuneration for their effort. But with some people responding to Leo's blog by saying the show can easily do without John or Patrick, it's just going to strengthen the perception that TWiT has become the Leo show, and there will be even less incentive for John and Patrick to make the effort.
And it is a lot to ask people to appear on the show on a Sunday afternoon on a weekly basis. Most of them have a full-time job. They need to spend time with their families or do whatever they need to do outside their working hours. It may be just an hour or so each week, but that one hour may mean getting in the way of, say, a family outing for the entire day or afternoon.
Leo's Frustration
I can readily understand Leo's difficulties and frustration, especially after last weekend's server saga. He needs to know who's appearing for next week's TWiT, and if necessary, get other guests on board. All I can say is TWiT wouldn't be the same without John and Patrick, and the TWiT network wouldn't be the same without TWiT. I still hope that they can make it to the show on a basis which makes Leo's task of scheduling guests feasible.
The end of TWiT? I hope it doesn't come to that.
PS: Good news. Leo has announced that TWiT will be back. The TWiTs are going to keep the show going and will work out a system to prevent burn-out.
No TWiT this week. Leo Laporte couldn't get the crew together. No show next week either 'coz Leo will be on a geek cruise. What's more, in his blog on his TWiT.tv site, he says:
"I'll decide what happens to TWiT, the show, when I come back, but at this point it looks like it's on life support and the heart monitor is flatlining."
That sounds really ominous. TWiT is one of most popular podcasts around, and one of the best. To many Screen Savers fans, it's also a part-resurrection of the old show. If the show ends, it's a big blow to many fans. Just look at the comments on Leo's blog, and Digg.
To some of those comments, Leo replied:
"At this point I have a couple of choices. I could re-cast the show with people who will actually show up, but is it a TWiT without Patrick and John?"
TWiT History
The idea of running the show came as the result of a reunion of the former TechTV personalities. For a brief background of how TWiT came about, read the TWiT.tv story. You can also download the "pilot" episode: The Revenge of the Screen Savers - the precursor to TWiT. I don't know what discussions there were about the show, where it should be going and what might happen to it, who came up with the great idea of the name TWiT (this Week in Tech) - and whether anyone owns the name.
To an outsider like me certainly, it's Leo who took the lead in creating the show. He then added other shows, and at the time of writing, there are 13 podcasts. For a long time, the whole operation was done on a pro bono basis, with support from donations. As far as I can gather, Leo has been slow to accept advertising. Astaro on Security Now was one of the exceptions. Then in September, TWiT became officially a podcast "network", which Leo had been talking about for a while. The website got a new look, with on-site advertising, and almost network-wide advertising by Dell (and by Visa for the trial period of September).
Earlier this month, Leo got the award of Podcaster of the Year. The website looks good. More podcasts are coming. All of a sudden it looks very rosy.
Not everyone was pleased with the changes. Some people started complaining about the ads, and threatened terminating their donations. Some were receptive to the idea of ads, but didn't like the way Leo was slipstreaming the ads into the shows, fearing editorial contamination. On the whole, though, people understood that they could not expect all those podcasts (with the generally high quality that comes with the shows) to continue on a pro bono basis. Personally, I welcome the advertising, and it's been tastefully done. I much prefer this "slipstreaming" to the commercial breaks you get on CrankyGeeks and dl.tv, but that's a matter of personal preference.
Then the servers came down last weekend. It meant a lot of work for Leo. The weekend period is already a packed schedule for Leo at the best of times. He has to host his KFI Tech Guy on the radio on Saturday and Sunday, put on Security Now and Windows Weekly, get the crew together for TWiT on Sunday afternoon, record it and put it on. Add a couple of servers which chose to go down just before the weekend and it must have been a real nightmare for Leo.
And now he couldn't get the crew together for TWiT.
Can TWiT do without John and Patrick?
Everyone has his own favourite and non-favourite panellists on the TWiT show. Some have pointed out that they don't like John or Patrick anyway, and in any event, if they're not willing to come on the show, so be it, let's move on and get other panellists.
Of course the show can do without them. But would it be the same? Personally, I think what's so special about TWiT is the particular mix of personalities and the chemistry they generate. Neither John's nor Patrick's own show has the same magic (John's CrankyGeeks is probably a closer format to TWiT than dl.tv). But the same can be said of Leo's own shows, good as some of them are. None of Leo's other better shows, such as Security Now, MacBreak Weekly and Windows Weekly (yes, I admit, the format is different), create the sort of fireworks you get on TWiT. Leo is an excellent host, interviewer, moderator and navigator (you can hear the big difference e.g. on MacBreak Weekly when it's not hosted by Leo), but we need the right people to throw the punches when it comes to the crunch. Witness last week's Windows Weekly Episode 3: Vista's Enthusiastic License Agreement, in which Leo and Paul Thurrott made some polite criticisms on Microsoft's new Vista EULA, but no one was there to really tear into Microsoft the way it deserved.
You need a Cory Doctorow to trash DRM as a scourge on the face of the earth; you need a John C Dvorak to say categorically that the YouTube sale to Google is a completely dud piece of rumour which is NEVER going to happen (and get proven wrong, all the better for it). All right, Patrick doesn't necessarily fit into this category, but hey, I like the chemistry.
Go easy on John and Patrick
People have pointed out that they wouldn't have started watching CrankyGeeks or dl.tv or even known about them if not for listening to TWiT. TWiT draws in the audience for them. It's their loss. Yes, but in the same way, TWiT also draws in the audience for the network's other shows. So in an indirect way, the TWiT show's regular panellists have also contributed to the success of the TWiT network, the credit for which is attributed, naturally, mostly to Leo. Quite rightly, too, as he has done most of the work. It's not anyone's fault, but that's just the way things are. But for those of us who like the show in its present format, it doesn't help if we start saying that we can dispense with John and Patrick.
None of us know why it's getting more difficult to get John and Patrick on the show. Leo hasn't explained it. He hasn't even said whether he knows what the reasons are. Before I know what those reasons are, I'm not going to blame John or Patrick for being reluctant to appear on the show. I honestly don't think that John and Patrick are reluctant to appear just because TWiT has become a network the running of which is out of their hands or that they're not getting any, or enough, remuneration for their effort. But with some people responding to Leo's blog by saying the show can easily do without John or Patrick, it's just going to strengthen the perception that TWiT has become the Leo show, and there will be even less incentive for John and Patrick to make the effort.
And it is a lot to ask people to appear on the show on a Sunday afternoon on a weekly basis. Most of them have a full-time job. They need to spend time with their families or do whatever they need to do outside their working hours. It may be just an hour or so each week, but that one hour may mean getting in the way of, say, a family outing for the entire day or afternoon.
Leo's Frustration
I can readily understand Leo's difficulties and frustration, especially after last weekend's server saga. He needs to know who's appearing for next week's TWiT, and if necessary, get other guests on board. All I can say is TWiT wouldn't be the same without John and Patrick, and the TWiT network wouldn't be the same without TWiT. I still hope that they can make it to the show on a basis which makes Leo's task of scheduling guests feasible.
The end of TWiT? I hope it doesn't come to that.
PS: Good news. Leo has announced that TWiT will be back. The TWiTs are going to keep the show going and will work out a system to prevent burn-out.
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