Background:
Most young kids have dreams of being baseball players. I was in my thirties when I had a literal dream that I was a member of the New York Yankees. It was an interesting dream because I was just a bench warmer and not a star player, but I was a member of the Yankees nonetheless. The dream lasted probably, what amounted to, ten minutes. Although it was just a night-time regurgitation of neurons dancing in my brain, it was the best time of my life. ( just remembered another dream I had in college with Claire Danes )
Last Nights Dream:
I am talking to ex-Yankee sinker-ball pitcher; Chien Ming Wang. He is downtrodden and working a job handing out tickets in the rotunda of some nondescript outdoor stadium. He opens up to me about his injury-shortened career and starts to cry. Just then, superstar Derek Jeter comes by, and there is a mutual respect between us, even though I was a bit player. He is in a rush but we start reminiscing. Then I realize I had neglected Chien-Ming and now he’s become upset at me. Then, Chien-Ming is walking up some rafters, he shouts down to me his phone number, but my phone is dead and I have no way to take down his phone number. Then, there is some guy (I think the guy who plays the priest on HBO’s The Leftovers) who is important for some reason. The dream shifts to him.
But, he was chained from his wrists to the back of a tractor-trailer truck and the big rig had one of those boots on its rear axle. (F.Y.I. all NY Yankees are gone at this point) He couldn’t get free of his chains so he got someone to rev the engine of the immobilized eighteen-wheeler in the hopes of cutting his chains on the spinning tires. Then the truck spins out-of-control over a fire hydrant and there’s some sort of flood and I wake up.
Conclusion:
I have no idea what this stew of a dream meant. Nor do I understand the emoticons that Sarah Lane and her friends post on each others Instagram. Nor do I have any idea what Don Quixote is about.
I missed the majority of Night Attack and the post show. What I did hear was incoherent. I did formulate an opinion but need to watch the entire episode when it’s posted. (and watch for edit cuts) My initial prognosis is that they were compromised. I read Dale Carnegie’s book, so false contrition and Jedi mind tricks don’t work. The interesting thing is the compromiser is seemingly in a no-lose situation. He either gets what he wants or he gets to put a wedge where he wants to put it. But I am rushing to judgement.
Anyone who saw it have any thoughts?
Turnsh out a power hour innerview ishn’t ja besht idea in ja wurld.
Not much drama to be had though, BriBri and The Jurbs wanted to appear on Padre’s new show but word Came Down From On High that the DC duo are now persona non grata in the TWiTterverse. Reason of the week is that they left with (gasp!!) ad revenue on the table, a mortal sin. Since they had both appeared on shows post-departure there are two explanations: either the Soupmeister General changed his mind after the fact or the plan all along was to pretend to be smiles and hugs and then excommunicate them quietly once fewer TWiTards were paying attention.
No word from the Chief Soup Eater or the carnal associate, this news seems to be coming instead from the Petaluma peasant-folk.
Yobama» Quote comment
That is inconsistent with the fact that Brian was on TWiT (show) numerous times after leaving TWiT(network.) They would be more upset about ad revenue (probably paid in advance) back then than now. you noticed that too, weird. Also, i thought NSFW was a money loser why would they care. I thought twit just lied to fans, looks like they lie to employees too.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
It doesn’t take much to gain the ire of Soup Guzzler. He claimed he never watched NSFW, that’s a lie, he watched. He also watched/ listened to, at least at the start, DTNS. That’s why he was quick to make that statement about Iyaz and then making a comment about wondering if Sarah Lane would be on there as well next.
In fact after one of his petty outbursts against Sarah that had been caught and recorded by someone and placed onto Youtube he started to worry that she was going to quit when they were doing a iPad Today and she was demo’ing a jobhunting app. He even asked her.
Laporte is one of those that stalks those that he hates most. I don’t think he really blocks people that criticize him on Twitter. I believe that he is that worried that they will say something that will put an even brighter light on his hidden side rather than the fake persona that he depicts all the time.
Anyone that would chuckle and be boastful about the scene on TechTV where he sexually harasses a female co-presenter like it was something to be proud about is the sign of someone that is blissfully ignorant of his lack of personal self control. To have carried out the act on camera and then be proud to reminisce on another show about it and how he was dragged in front of the bosses over it.
With NSFW, he is sour because the guys left TWiT and told everyone that they didn’t want to upset any advertiser TWiT had by saying something that could lose the advertiser’s business.
That was a true statement. They never said that they wouldn’t advertise they just said that they didn’t want to upset any advertiser that could harm TWiT.
It may upset Laporte because they are advertising and some of the advertisers (certainly the last time I watched) were the same advertisers that they had on NSFW. I just means that the advertisers were getting more business from that show that Laporte and Kentzell admit to there being. Why would these same companies advertise with NightAttack if it was not getting them business.
On top of that Brian has been regularly a guest host on DTNS and if you look at the new TNT format it is very much akin to DTNS! They went from one format to another and then settled on one that mimics Tom Merritts format because they saw that it worked for him and like I have said before, Mike Elgan does not think twice about plagiarizing other people’s work and calling it his own. The trouble is Mike Elgan will always sound like a drunk with a lack of coherency and a smile like a Monkey eating shit!
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Beautiful words, BurntheadBob. Almost Poetry.
manimal» Quote comment
+1
Richard Yes» Quote comment
I should have added but didn’t until I reread it, that it makes it even more evident that behind the scenes Laporte & Kentzell are regretting the changes they made and they are punishing Sarah for having an association with Night Attack. Chad’s set was getting tatty and the cost of repairing or replacing it was not commensurate with giving him the set and setting the show loose to fend for itself, he himself during set up one evening actually mentioned that the decals would have to be replaced and the cost would have been about the price of a day’s meals for Leo!
I believe Amber was caught in the cross fire as Kentzell fired off salvo after salvo of shots and I suspect that she is taking a fair bit of the heat from people that blame her, the messenger, when she thinks more about getting revenue. This is also the reason that the Friar’s Tuesday evening show that coincides with Night Attack has not been cut yet. If it were just an income thing then they would cut that show as well and air re-runs of shows with advertising.
This whole round of cuts has been purely as shots fired across the bows at those that Leo resents most, the ones that chose to leave and make their own way before he could cut their show or get a decent reason i.e. an accusation that they had lost them advertisers!
Note that everything is just observation and thought and as a lazy a-hole I have plenty of time on my hands to mull over things. Give me long enough and I will find the moon landing set for Adam Curry! 😉
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
Many great observations here. I see twit in the same way I see things happening at my current job, there was an idea, even a mission (less said for my company as I constantly bring this up) but it gets muddled in plenty of excuses and even lies to save face when it really just makes things worse. If your mission and decisions boil down to some statement about making or losing money and then you keep that tone, you’re gonna lose. At work word from execs comes around that we aren’t meeting promises (no shit, I told them things don’t make sense 2 years ago) and now with new direction from the new CEO who brought in his team of peeps to basically go against every idea and vision I heard and frankly never saw implemented anyway just talk and no execution. I see twit making the same decisions, people without the right credentials not exactly hitting the right marks, not improving when given time, leads me to believe there is a lack of appropriate leadership handing down the idea and the mission.
They need a leader who can execute the vision, not someone who leads based on the ledger. The latter can help give insight but like hell anyone who runs based on numbers should ever make decisions because in my experience that person is usually measuring in inches when you should be measuring in pints.
As I work frantically to build my own personal portfolio (work ain’t gonna do it for me I have to get the hell out) I hope I get the same opportunity Leo and others had to start my own operation. And lessons being I don’t want to lose that vision and work with people who share to grow that vision, not rail against it. I’d rather help myself and others grow. Sigh, my utopian pipe dream. ^_^
Sho» Quote comment
It’s not inconsistent. He regularly can’t find enough panelists to do Twit, and has started to complain about it pre-show. In those situations who does Chadrick (whose job is on the line if he can’t find guests) call? A friend he can count on to help get him out of the situation..
Laporte is more than happy to use anyone when it suits his purposes. When it doesn’t? “Who are you again? Do I even know you? Oh right, you’re that guy who used to work for me?.. ” He loves the put down moments.
Hell, loveable Leo’s even broken his sacred “no Gawker writers” policy for Twit, just to get enough panelists!
So Brian is simply helping Chad, but I’m sure there’s some conflict in knowing he’s also helping out a gargantuan douchebag who tried to get him to screw Tom over by remaining a host on Frame Rate.
Word is out about Laporte amongst the tech community. That’s why there will likely be more usage of paid panelists. It puts the tubby dictator back in some sort of control, rather than appearing like a pariah or (worse.. ) an irrelevance!
But I do wonder how some panelists might feel, knowing they’re getting nothing, whilst others get paid a pretty penny for the same appearance?
I’m also sure he does block on Twitter. That’s because he has some unfortunate person (Hi Glenn) whose job is to “manage community relations” and advise him if anyone’s said anything, on places like this, that he should know about.
I don’t think him being a gigantic douche counts as something to know about, because that’s probably neither news to either Glenn nor Laporte, who basically admits he’s “not a nice person” in his rare (and getting rarer) candid moments.
All he really cares about is anything which might seriously prevent companies advertising. If you figure that out then I’m sure he’ll start to read what you’re writing!
JustSaying» Quote comment
There is something very off about Mike Elgum, I don’t know if he’s autistic, suffered a traumatic brain injury, had a stroke or is just lacks a formal education.
What makes it worse is that he wants to place himself in the middle of conversations so badly but most of what he says is just disjointed, random, long winded and a lot of times inappropriate.
During the Sept 30th TNT preshow when CNET editor Roger Cheng who is Asian appeared on camera, Mike Elgum started babbling and sputtering about “Yellow Journalism” then paused and muttered “Oh boy” before going into this long diatribe about the definition of the term with his buddy Joe Panettieri.
Where is Mike’s mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrdpliMfoAM
Boyscout Johnson» Quote comment
oh boy i missed this and saw the show. Mike’s inappropriate humor has been a problem since he’s tried to force his comfort in that seat. It’s not always this inappropriate but it always causes me to shudder.
manimal» Quote comment
I vaguely heard it, but I can only take a little bit of Elgums rubbing alcohol induced garbled sentences before I either turn the volume down, way way down, or mentally switch off.
It is there small actions and statements that places emphasis on the real though process behind a person when they state shit that sounds racist before thinking about who was there to see the conversation and how that statement may sound.
It is strange that he talks about “Yellow Journalism” when by the very definition, that is what he does! That is what CNET does! That is what almost all Tech writers do.
In fact this is the job that Iyaz Acktar (sorry if I spelt his second name wrong) does this for CNET.
I remember when someone asked me why I stop and pause before I answer in person and I told them that I have to check my answer and make sure that it cannot be taken in the wrong way.
The one entertaining thing on TNT and I ignored it. Damn it!
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
oH boy. mikes a [f’n] dumb ass.
thank you . you made me laugh
emojiTECH» Quote comment
Some of these comments are so good they should be entire posts.
skieast» Quote comment