Bored of Reality Tv?
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: "Oye Mi Canto" - NORE & Nina Sky
Topic: The Web
Those who are paid to know these things have predicted that as the internet matures (it's just barely entering it's adolesence) we would end up with new types of entertainment. The big networks don't control the internet, we, the netizens, do. I can put up anything I want on my site as long as it's not covered by hate crime laws or relating to terrorism. (Oh yeah, they can also stop me from copyright infringement) People may or may not come depending upon what kind of advertisement I get, but I can put up anything and no one can stop me. As you know, this is definitely not the case with Tv. If you are caught broadcasting over the airwaves without a license, even if your material was to help little kids become geniuses, you would get into trouble and be fined. The other difference is that the internet is relatively cheap, make that orders of magnitude cheaper, than Tv to make content for.

So, if you're tired of reality tv, which is not reality tv, but really unscripted tv....ok, it's not unscripted, but the contestants don't know that the producers will string together the clips to make it seem like so and so is ALWAYS complaining when they only complained once; unless they've seen VH1, then they should know what they're getting into. Also, I hope that guy that jumped into the pool naked, in a spread eagle pose in Real World knows that if he ever runs for president or other office that this video may surface - without his bits fuzzied out. But I digress....

If you tire of this crap that you watch only because there's nothing else to watch, then I introduce you to one of the alternatives - watch something from Rooster Teeth Productions. Their work is semi-professional and the shows are pretty funny. It's geared a little more towards gamers, but it's still funny. Red Vs Blue takes place in a stereotypical shoot 'em up game. I don't know what game it's based on, but it's one of those lan party games where you each have a base and try to kill the others. I've watched the first two episodes and I think they're pretty funny. It isn't the funniest thing I've ever seen, but it's better than anything I've seen on Tv lately. In fact, they sell DVDs with the previous two "seasons". This has to potential to do for Tv/Video what the internet has done for garage bands. Groups that would have never gotten a record, not because they were crap, but becamuse they didn't match the stereotype that the music execs wanted, have been able to gain followings and actually make money. They haven't reached a level where they can sustain themselves from this income, but at least they have listeners, and as someone who likes to create content, having people look at, watch, or listen to you work is often more important than if they buy it.

Then they [RTP] have The Strangerhood. This footage comes from the new in-game camera in The Sims 2. The series only has a couple of episodes up, but I'm not 100% sure what it's going to be about. It appears to be a parody on Reality Tv, but it's a little hard to tell after only two episodes. I like the theme music and I like the idea so much that I can't wait until I get The Sims 2 so that I can try something like this for myself. It's like unlimited free actors.

So check these guys out because what they're doing is groundbreaking. The same way that I've recently begun to heavily promote Linux because it gives one freedom, I'd like to promote people doing things like this. These are the kinds of disruptive technologies and trends that force change.

I'm not saying that overnight M$ will fall and Tv will stop showing crap, but if current trends continue, things will have to change. M$ will either have to adapt and give people what they want for less $$$ or they will be pushed aside like OS/2 and become an obscure little OS that almost no one uses. They don't even have awesome graphics or music like the Mac to keep them alive. Also, perhaps one day you'll be able to watch content from RTP on your Tv instead of crowding around your computer or hooking up the 'puter to the Tv.

Stay tuned for my own creative works. If not over Thanksgiving break, then definitely when Christmas Break comes around expect new artwork, un-touched up photos, the first chapters of Lights Out, and - perhaps - some Sims-based movies. I may have to dissapear after this awesome run of posts every day since the anniversary of the blog, but I've got a bunch of crap to finish for school before Thanksgiving Break. I guess one thing to be happy about in school is that in the "real world" there's no Thanksgiving, Christmas or Spring Break. That's why they have to pay so much - as compensation. It's really bad for productivity, but that's a topic for another post.