moriarty@uw-june (Jeff Meyer) (01/14/84)
Several topics of general interest have cropped up in net.tv in the last
several weeks, with little or no response made to them: here is an attempt
to respond and to generate comment among other subscribers:
COMPUTERS ON TV:
Yes, this is really getting to be a problem, especially considering
the networks "only have computers doing this" policy. I really wonder what
non-technical people over 30 think about computers (or the people that use
them)... are they really being thrown into paranoia about their lack of
computer skills? It seems every week some show on the air has some warped
genius breaking into government/CIA/financial computers and either threating
our national security (oh-oh!) or robbing some poor old folks of their
hard-earned dough... and I'm talking about the non-computer-theme shows here
(i.e. excluding Whiz Kids, Automan, etc.). The evening news seems to think
computer crime is the best thing since the Red Scare, and we constantly get
overblown reports about somebody using Arpanet for (gasp!) non-government
business. Generally, Hollywood and the media have a distorted and
over-simplified impression of computers which could be seriously affecting
the publics' perception of computers. My question: Is this actually
happening? My friends are all in some technical field, and my parents have
been force-fed computer education (by me, which may or may not be to their
advantage), so I am rather ignorant of the actual situation. Comments?
COMPUTER TV SHOWS:
A mixed bag, especially considering the level of this year's TV
(more on that later). I admit that I enjoyed the early episodes of Whiz
Kids, and last weeks episode with the NSA was hilarious (FBI officer talking
to one of Ritchie's friends: "Yeah, I'm one of the few guys in the Bureau
with a sense of humor. The NSA? They're the guys with NO sense of
humor."); they seem to be fairly computer-accurate (I very well could be
wrong), though any kid with that much equipment is surprising. I think what
I like most about it is the portrayal of the Kids themselves... pretty
vivid, I thought. This seems to be deteriorating though. Whiz Kids is
still one of the 8 shows I watch a week. Yes, Automan is cute, and I really
enjoy the graphics (the realization of the car coming from nowhere, and
those 90-degree turns... great)... I can't get offended, as the show is so
light in tone. Various computer geniuses and/or computers are much less
entertaining or agreeable; the Rip Tide geek stereotype and the car in
Knight Rider (bringing AI to a new low) are primary examples.
TV PROGRAMS IN GENERAL:
Cheers, Hill Street, St. Elsewhere, Whiz Kids.... what other network
show are there (entertainment, that is)? Family Ties, Simon & Simon,
Automan, and Masquerade are all watchable, but they are all pre-empted by any
good books and/or articles around the house. Night Court is beginning to
show potential.... hopefully the rough edges will be blunted soon (has the
potential to be a Barney Miller class show if writing improves some). News
programs terrible except for the Charles Kuralt/Bill Moyers programs (which
are supposed to be continued this year!) and Kuralt's Sunday Morning show
(when tooks several turns for the worse this year) and, of course,
MacNeil/Lehrer and Washington Week in Review. Anything Moyers gets involved
with is given an edge of clarity and honesty which is unusual in print, let
alone television; Kuralt has a great love for the American countryside and
its people, especially the rural Midwest -- he seems to surpass the "human
interest" stories so prevalent on the evening news, yet he never sinks into
the mawkishness of Real People or its ilk, apparently because Kuralt
respects the people he interviews. In summary, not the worst of years (it
looks like Three's Company will FINALLY bite the dust... the only program
which makes me physically ill); however, television seems to be degenerating
into constant soap operas, and I expect the worst.
Trivia Is My Business
-jwm-
{...decvax!}tektronix!uw-beaver!uw-june!moriartygds@mit-eddie.UUCP (Greg Skinner) (01/15/84)
I admit I don't watch the computer TV shows (I consider them an insult to my intelligence, however I hear Automan is doing well in the ratings despite what I think) however I am generally concerned with what is portrayed in the shows regarding computer theft. The media is a more powerful force than most people think -- computer fear could wind up in a lot of us losing jobs (suppose a computer scare causes Atari, Intellivision, ColecoVision etc. to go out of business). About tv in 83 in general: well ... I watch nighttime soaps mostly anyway (Dallas, Falcon Crest, Knots Landing, to mention a few) so I guess I am biased about them. I do, however, appreciate some of the newer things (AfterMASH, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King) and I loved Buffalo Bill over the summer, don't get to watch it too much with classes and all. Sure, nighttime soaps are taking over, but if you give them a chance you'll get hooked. I used to be a soap-opera hater, and now 3 out of 4 of my favorite shows are soaps. -- --greg ...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!gds (uucp) Gds@XX (arpa)