A minor memorial for Leo Laporte’s terrestrial AM radio show(oldvcr.blogspot.com)
oldvcr.blogspot.com
A minor memorial for Leo Laporte’s terrestrial AM radio show
http://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-minor-memorial-for-leo-laporte-on.html
87 comments
I agree on everything you said.
The pitch to potential TWIT advertisers is that they can reach a highly engaged, influential (and affluent) tech-savvy audience. The syndicated terrestrial radio show hurts that positioning more than the wider exposure helps.
I listened not for the advice, but for the "how will Leo answer this one" factor. He's very patient!
He would end up spending 5-10 minutes explaining to someone how to recycle power to a router or demystifying the basics of OTA television.
The pitch to potential TWIT advertisers is that they can reach a highly engaged, influential (and affluent) tech-savvy audience. The syndicated terrestrial radio show hurts that positioning more than the wider exposure helps.
I listened not for the advice, but for the "how will Leo answer this one" factor. He's very patient!
He would end up spending 5-10 minutes explaining to someone how to recycle power to a router or demystifying the basics of OTA television.
(author) Dick DiBartolo once joked recently he was looking forward to Leo's hard hitting review of the Atari 800.
Thanks for the kind words. No I'm not dead. I'm just not on the radio any more. I've been podcasting for longer than most (started in 2004) and plan to continue as long as I am able.
Leo, thank goodness you are alive! That headline had me worried.
It's unlikely you would remember me, but we met sometime around the late 1970s or early 1980s. We were attending some kind of est spinoff workshop in San Jose. It may have been Playground or Summit Workshops or some such? There were so many of them that I have lost track.
I do seem to recall that people at this workshop were promoting the latest pyramid scam, Circle of Gold or something like that. You would be expected to bring in ten of your friends, and then they would each bring in ten of their friends, etc.
I tried to use simple logic to explain to one of the promoters that the math just didn't work out. Exponential growth, anyone? I said that after a very few generations, we would have signed up every human being on Earth. And then what do you do?
Their response was "That's not a problem. Everyone can just sign up again!"
A few of us went out to lunch and sat at a round table at the corner of the restaurant. You were sitting near the corner and I was across from you.
Memory is a funny thing. Mine is very positional. I don't remember the name of the workshop, the restaurant or type of food, but I do remember where we sat. (If it jogs your memory, I had a fuzzy red Afro thanks to my Neanderthal heritage - wish I still had hair like that! - and I was probably wearing some kind of South American jacket.)
You may have just been starting your radio career around that time, and I distinctly remember thinking "this guy has a radio voice!"
I don't suppose you happen to remember what workshop that was? Don't worry, no offense taken if none of this rings a bell. :-)
It's unlikely you would remember me, but we met sometime around the late 1970s or early 1980s. We were attending some kind of est spinoff workshop in San Jose. It may have been Playground or Summit Workshops or some such? There were so many of them that I have lost track.
I do seem to recall that people at this workshop were promoting the latest pyramid scam, Circle of Gold or something like that. You would be expected to bring in ten of your friends, and then they would each bring in ten of their friends, etc.
I tried to use simple logic to explain to one of the promoters that the math just didn't work out. Exponential growth, anyone? I said that after a very few generations, we would have signed up every human being on Earth. And then what do you do?
Their response was "That's not a problem. Everyone can just sign up again!"
A few of us went out to lunch and sat at a round table at the corner of the restaurant. You were sitting near the corner and I was across from you.
Memory is a funny thing. Mine is very positional. I don't remember the name of the workshop, the restaurant or type of food, but I do remember where we sat. (If it jogs your memory, I had a fuzzy red Afro thanks to my Neanderthal heritage - wish I still had hair like that! - and I was probably wearing some kind of South American jacket.)
You may have just been starting your radio career around that time, and I distinctly remember thinking "this guy has a radio voice!"
I don't suppose you happen to remember what workshop that was? Don't worry, no offense taken if none of this rings a bell. :-)
I don't remember the Circle of Gold and, like you, would have been very unlikely to support such a thing. I did take est in San Jose in 1978 and participated in quite a few graduate seminars for some years after so your story checks out. Sorry I don't remember your red afro. I'm amazed you remember me!
As scammy as it probably was (Werner Erhard mostly just cribbed from Alan Watts and others) est was a very formative experience for me as a 21-year-old. I think it has stayed with me ever since. I was just thinking about that the other day, in fact.
As scammy as it probably was (Werner Erhard mostly just cribbed from Alan Watts and others) est was a very formative experience for me as a 21-year-old. I think it has stayed with me ever since. I was just thinking about that the other day, in fact.
My fondest memory of est was a lesson in forgiveness.
I'd started assisting at Franklin House, Werner's residence. (As you know, "assisting" meant "working for free!")
My first task was to draw up a schematic of the home automation system under Werner's bed. You would flip up the top of the bed and underneath it was a point to point circuit of relays, and no one knew what it all did or how they connected together.
I don't know why this system of relays was under his bed, but there it was.
So I traced out all the wiring - there was a lot of it! - and made the schematic.
They found out I enjoyed cooking, so I started assisting in the kitchen.
Werner loved scallop quenelles, and we made a lot of them.
Then he had his first physics conference, with Richard Feynman, John Wheeler, Leonard Susskind, and many other luminaries.
And I was the breakfast chef!
I made custom omelets to order for all the physicists, and as far as I know, they all enjoyed them.
After that success, they asked me to fill in for dinner one night when his chef was on vacation.
My menu included French onion soup, and sautéed broccoli and scallops with brown rice.
For some reason I thought I would throw some brewers' yeast into the soup. You can't go wrong with that, can you? So I put in a lot! It was pretty terrible, and someone else there said "It's time to save the soup!" So he threw in bouillon cubes and who knows what, and it got worse and worse. But we served it anyway.
Now we get to the sauté. Werner was on some kind of no-fat diet, so I decided to "sauté" the scallops and broccoli in white wine with no oil. As you can imagine, it came out very sour and unappealing.
All in all, it was the worst meal I've ever cooked.
A few days later, I got a note in the mail from Werner, thanking me and saying how much he appreciated me and not a word about how terrible the meal was.
When anyone disappoints me, I hope I can treat them with the same courtesy.
I'd started assisting at Franklin House, Werner's residence. (As you know, "assisting" meant "working for free!")
My first task was to draw up a schematic of the home automation system under Werner's bed. You would flip up the top of the bed and underneath it was a point to point circuit of relays, and no one knew what it all did or how they connected together.
I don't know why this system of relays was under his bed, but there it was.
So I traced out all the wiring - there was a lot of it! - and made the schematic.
They found out I enjoyed cooking, so I started assisting in the kitchen.
Werner loved scallop quenelles, and we made a lot of them.
Then he had his first physics conference, with Richard Feynman, John Wheeler, Leonard Susskind, and many other luminaries.
And I was the breakfast chef!
I made custom omelets to order for all the physicists, and as far as I know, they all enjoyed them.
After that success, they asked me to fill in for dinner one night when his chef was on vacation.
My menu included French onion soup, and sautéed broccoli and scallops with brown rice.
For some reason I thought I would throw some brewers' yeast into the soup. You can't go wrong with that, can you? So I put in a lot! It was pretty terrible, and someone else there said "It's time to save the soup!" So he threw in bouillon cubes and who knows what, and it got worse and worse. But we served it anyway.
Now we get to the sauté. Werner was on some kind of no-fat diet, so I decided to "sauté" the scallops and broccoli in white wine with no oil. As you can imagine, it came out very sour and unappealing.
All in all, it was the worst meal I've ever cooked.
A few days later, I got a note in the mail from Werner, thanking me and saying how much he appreciated me and not a word about how terrible the meal was.
When anyone disappoints me, I hope I can treat them with the same courtesy.
Yay - you're still alive!
Seriously, I read that title and panicked. I remember watching ZDTV in high school, and listening to twit podcasts up until 2011-ish? We're taking about the foundation of my love of tech. The early-90's to early 2000's pre crash was an amazing time to come up in the internet. Even the post crash boom was like the wild west compared to today. You were there producing content through it all.
I got off the habit of tuning in after I abandoned itunes and the iphone for Android. There just wasn't as a robust podcasting network on Android at the time.
It sounds like twit is still going strong. Time to check back in!
Seriously, I read that title and panicked. I remember watching ZDTV in high school, and listening to twit podcasts up until 2011-ish? We're taking about the foundation of my love of tech. The early-90's to early 2000's pre crash was an amazing time to come up in the internet. Even the post crash boom was like the wild west compared to today. You were there producing content through it all.
I got off the habit of tuning in after I abandoned itunes and the iphone for Android. There just wasn't as a robust podcasting network on Android at the time.
It sounds like twit is still going strong. Time to check back in!
Leo, I've listened to all of your podcast (Security Now, Twit, even Windows Weekly as a non windows user) for ages (maybe since I was 15?). Pre-vista (I remember you and paul going on about that). I think I came across you while watching diggnation (though obviously you stand on your own).
Thanks a lot.
Thanks a lot.
Been a fan since your techtv days on the screensavers. Used to watch your shows religiously as a young kid. Just wanted to say thanks for all of the entertainment and knowledge throughout the years.
I apologize for the confusion. I really didn't mean the original title in the way it came out. I did enjoy the day on the show. If you would like the post removed, I'll do so.
Absolutely not! I loved the post! I remember you well.
And I got a little peak at what it will be like when I actually do die. Not many get that privilege. ;-)
And I got a little peak at what it will be like when I actually do die. Not many get that privilege. ;-)
Thanks very much! It was a great time.
I was lucky enough to visit the broadcast studios seven or so years ago for a taping of windows weekly. It was a bucket list item of mine after I started listening to Leo in 2008 during grad school.
It beat my wildest expectations, getting to watch live one of the best in the business. Even after taping for nearly two hours, with a fast turn around to his next show, he was kind enough to grab me his fez hat, take a couple of photos behind the desk, and chat with me about life.
I still look at that photo from time to time, and remember the joy I felt that day. Those are those special moments that make life so beautiful.
It beat my wildest expectations, getting to watch live one of the best in the business. Even after taping for nearly two hours, with a fast turn around to his next show, he was kind enough to grab me his fez hat, take a couple of photos behind the desk, and chat with me about life.
I still look at that photo from time to time, and remember the joy I felt that day. Those are those special moments that make life so beautiful.
Same story for me! I had just moved to San Francisco in ~2014 after landing my first Silicon Valley tech job. One of the first things I did was head up to the studios to watch This Week in Tech live. Leo was so nice and we chatted for a bit after the show and took pictures. I love that photo! I’ve been a fan since TechTV!
Leo in many ways has spawned a whole industry with podcasting and youtubers covering tech. Kevin Rose did a great interview years back with Leo as the subject and it was fascinating hearing about how it all came to be. Much respect!
Leo in many ways has spawned a whole industry with podcasting and youtubers covering tech. Kevin Rose did a great interview years back with Leo as the subject and it was fascinating hearing about how it all came to be. Much respect!
I'm not crying, you're crying!
I'm pretty sure I can say I've listened to every episode of This Week in Google¹ since the very beginning. It's a pause whatever else I'm listening to and start listening to it event whenever it hits my podcast player.
¹ https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google
¹ Has been an increasingly inaccurate show title for many years now - covers many areas in the world of online companies and journalism these days.
¹ https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google
¹ Has been an increasingly inaccurate show title for many years now - covers many areas in the world of online companies and journalism these days.
Member since 2008 and first post!
Noticed that too. Nice. He probably registers on nearly every tech related website to save his username at the very least.
Seeing you post here is one of the reasons I love Hacker News! I grew up listening to your show, glad you are well!
Glad to hear you plan to keep the podcast going, it's practically an institution. Growing up in rural Australia, your shows were one of the only connections I had to technology education, and you were the only one making it look fun and exciting! I used to spend hours watching TechTV (when perhaps I should have been at school even). Technology has become my career, and I can fairly say you were a big part of how I got here. So thank you for that, Leo and I am glad to hear the show will go on.
Leo, I watched you in my formative years on ZDTV. My only question is where is the burned Mandrake CD you promised us if we wrote?
Kidding, kinda. Seriously though, thanks for all that you've done.
Kidding, kinda. Seriously though, thanks for all that you've done.
Leo! Thanks for all the hard work and effort you legend!
Thank you for TWiT!
Something something, bring back Maxwells house! J/k Glad to see Twit rolling along as always
Clickbait: He’s not dead. Yes, the article says so in the first sentence, but a clickbait title is a clickbait title.
I choked up a little bit reading the headline. I have good memories watching him on Tech TV when I was a teenager. Kevin Rose, too.
He definitely helped kindle my early interest in tech.
He definitely helped kindle my early interest in tech.
First thing I thought reading the title. He's a bay area native. Glad to see he's not dead, but his radio show was terrible and hope that he can pivot to something more interesting.
He pivoted to podcasts a long long time ago: https://twit.tv. Tons of shows covering tons of topics.
This guy helped me find my love for computers and all things tech back in the late 90s. Call for Help and The Screen Savers sent my life in a very particular direction, and I regret none of it.
So yeah, the bs headline gave me a mini panic and quite frankly pissed me off. Sad to see the current state of what gets posted on HN.
So yeah, the bs headline gave me a mini panic and quite frankly pissed me off. Sad to see the current state of what gets posted on HN.
(author) Why? He's not on AM radio anymore, so the radio show is indeed done.
Its not wrong, but its ambiguous. I'd have preferred less ambiguity in matters of life and death.
Thankfully, in this case this is neither the end of the world nor the end of Mr. Laporte.
Thankfully, in this case this is neither the end of the world nor the end of Mr. Laporte.
That's right. It's a memorial for his AM radio show.
The way it's worded right now, it reads as a memorial for the person (who has not passed),
rather than the radio show.
A different way to word it might be: A minor memorial for Leo Laporte's terrestrial AM radio show.
A different way to word it might be: A minor memorial for Leo Laporte's terrestrial AM radio show.
I'm just going to politely refrain from further comments. I stand by the title, and not only was no clickbait intended but the first sentence was intended to reinforce this was about his presence on AM radio. I hope my good faith is obvious. That said, I appreciate the efforts at clarity.
> and not only was no clickbait intended but the first sentence was intended to reinforce this was about his presence on AM radio
That’s exactly what clickbait means. You have to click on the link to read the first sentence.
It leaves the important information out of the link text, and it uses ambiguous tongue-in-cheek language to suggest that the piece is going to be about something more interesting and engaging than it really is.
The fact that the title is debunked in the first sentence is a clear sign of bad intentions. You are literally being pranked: “Did you hear Leo Laporte passed away? Psych! Actually, he’s still alive! We only made you think he’s dead, just because we thought we could get away with it!”
If that’s your idea of “no clickbait intended”, I wonder what intentional clickbait would look like?
That’s exactly what clickbait means. You have to click on the link to read the first sentence.
It leaves the important information out of the link text, and it uses ambiguous tongue-in-cheek language to suggest that the piece is going to be about something more interesting and engaging than it really is.
The fact that the title is debunked in the first sentence is a clear sign of bad intentions. You are literally being pranked: “Did you hear Leo Laporte passed away? Psych! Actually, he’s still alive! We only made you think he’s dead, just because we thought we could get away with it!”
If that’s your idea of “no clickbait intended”, I wonder what intentional clickbait would look like?
To make it clear why people are saying it’s ambiguous:
(A minor memorial for) (Leo Laporte on terrestrial AM radio)
vs
(A minor memorial for Leo Laporte) (on terrestrial AM radio)
The latter is not only just as grammatically valid as the first, it is also a sensible article headline, the idea that someone used AM radio to broadcast a memorial for Leo Laporte.
Can you not see why people would read it as the latter?
(A minor memorial for) (Leo Laporte on terrestrial AM radio)
vs
(A minor memorial for Leo Laporte) (on terrestrial AM radio)
The latter is not only just as grammatically valid as the first, it is also a sensible article headline, the idea that someone used AM radio to broadcast a memorial for Leo Laporte.
Can you not see why people would read it as the latter?
Sorry but you can't stand by the title when it's wrong - you should readjust your understanding and fix it and move on.
First thing I did was check the wiki if he was dead. The key problem is "memorial for Leo Laporte" OK? Terrible title.
First thing I did was check the wiki if he was dead. The key problem is "memorial for Leo Laporte" OK? Terrible title.
Sorry. I also had the same reaction when I read the title.
As Leo himself has posted a clarification, I've changed the title. I'll ask if dang can alter it here or simply remove it. I'm sorry for the turmoil.
I had only known Leo from TV and the web. I was on vacation and during a long drive and found him on AM radio in the car and was delighted. Forget Howard Stern, Leo LaPorte is the King of all media.
Until COVID I was in the Valley almost yearly. I have family in Marin and it's still on my bucket list to be an audience member on Leo's show some day. I have a close friend here in Michigan who has done it and she told me not to question whether it would be worth it or not.
Until COVID I was in the Valley almost yearly. I have family in Marin and it's still on my bucket list to be an audience member on Leo's show some day. I have a close friend here in Michigan who has done it and she told me not to question whether it would be worth it or not.
I love Leo and have been a fan since TechTV days. His inability to remove political opinions from his netcasts, primarily the loathing echo chamber that he fosters, make it very difficult to listen to TWIT regularly. But I still power through it occasionally because it's a good show and his guests are very informed.
What are his political views? I used to follow him way back in the TechTV days and the very early TWiT.tv days and I can’t say I have the slightest clue what his political views are. A quick Google doesn’t reveal anything either.
He states pretty clearly that he's fairly liberal. However, in the occasional times there's an important politics angle to a tech story, he does a reasonably good job of discussing it objectively. Even when there are guests across the political spectrum, the discussion never degrades to mud-slinging or name-calling.
Strongest political stance I can remember him making lately is ridiculing the idea the last presidential election was stolen.
Honestly, I think any complaints about the "politics" in his netcasts says more about the person complaining than about the actual contents of his podcasts.
Strongest political stance I can remember him making lately is ridiculing the idea the last presidential election was stolen.
Honestly, I think any complaints about the "politics" in his netcasts says more about the person complaining than about the actual contents of his podcasts.
> Honestly, I think any complaints about the "politics" in his netcasts says more about the person complaining than about the actual contents of his podcasts.
This is right. I don't want to paint with too broad a brush, but in my, admittedly anecdotal, experience a lot of folks who are on the right politically really have trouble consuming content if they perceive any degree of left wing bias. Like if they know the star of a movie has done some left wing activism they struggle to enjoy the movie even if the movie itself is in no way political. So the fact that they know Laporte is a liberal they become extremely sensitive to any topic that could be perceived as political.
I'm sure this isn't just a right wing thing, but for various reasons the people I know who struggle with it are all on the right.
This is right. I don't want to paint with too broad a brush, but in my, admittedly anecdotal, experience a lot of folks who are on the right politically really have trouble consuming content if they perceive any degree of left wing bias. Like if they know the star of a movie has done some left wing activism they struggle to enjoy the movie even if the movie itself is in no way political. So the fact that they know Laporte is a liberal they become extremely sensitive to any topic that could be perceived as political.
I'm sure this isn't just a right wing thing, but for various reasons the people I know who struggle with it are all on the right.
Yeah, im going to have to disagree with you on that. Politics is fine as long as it relates to the subject matter. For example, the anticompetitive direction Microsoft is taking with Windows 11 would be important to the context of technology. But if its talk about presidential elections on a tech show then thats a waste of my time as a technology enthusiast.
I watched a few episodes of TechTV back in the day because I liked hearing about new gadgets. The Twit thing seems like its geared toward tech support for the masses. Not something I am interested in.
IMHO, a show's interest is the gage of its success and if you are not focusing on what interesting in technology, then why are you doing it? That says more about the person doing the show then its says about them people listening to you. That's kind of like saying it the listeners fault that they don't find the show interesting. Yeah, and I'm thinking "OK, Let me know how that works out for you"
I watched a few episodes of TechTV back in the day because I liked hearing about new gadgets. The Twit thing seems like its geared toward tech support for the masses. Not something I am interested in.
IMHO, a show's interest is the gage of its success and if you are not focusing on what interesting in technology, then why are you doing it? That says more about the person doing the show then its says about them people listening to you. That's kind of like saying it the listeners fault that they don't find the show interesting. Yeah, and I'm thinking "OK, Let me know how that works out for you"
>But if its talk about presidential elections on a tech show then thats a waste of my time as a technology enthusiast.
True; it's not as if elections are tabulated on some sort of "voting machines" that are closed-source and often hacked at DEFCON's Voting Machine Hacking Village.
True; it's not as if elections are tabulated on some sort of "voting machines" that are closed-source and often hacked at DEFCON's Voting Machine Hacking Village.
As a regular listener of many of the TWIT shows, this comment really doesn't make sense to me. Politics do often surface due to the increasing intersection of politics and tech, but I'd hardly call it a loathing echo chamber, and have generally found the guests to keep things honest.
What are you even talking about? He’s no Mark Levin.
Leo, Dick & Steve are some of the most personable and knowledgable hosts I ever had the privilege of listening to. I'll also forever be a fan for calling out Calacanis
(author) It's also a very kind show. I think the folks he gets (or got) on the radio are a different audience than those who might call into an Internet streaming show. I suspect the experience on the new show will lack some of that variety even though it'll still be the same great people, unfortunately.
I started watching Leo when I discovered ZDTV (which became TechTV). I watched him build up twit and used to watch him record ever show.
But over the last 5 years I have basically stopped paying any attention to him. He pushed out the people I liked and I just found myself with less and less patience for him.
But over the last 5 years I have basically stopped paying any attention to him. He pushed out the people I liked and I just found myself with less and less patience for him.
I feel the same way. I was done by the time Tom Merritt left. But I will forever have gratitude towards Leo for all the things he taught me on ZDTV/TechTV growing up. I probably owe my entire career to him and Patrick Norton.
Bit tangential, but hey, the theme is nostalgia…
I don’t believe I ever heard Leo Laporte before podcasts—can’t recall Tech Guy Show being syndicated where I grew up in central Illinois.
But this prompted to see if Kim Komando is still on the air, and, yup!
https://www.komando.com/the-show/
The idea of a call-in radio show for computer help seems impossibly quaint nowadays, but in the old days, before you kids had your TikToks and your broadbands, these really were valuable resources.
I don’t believe I ever heard Leo Laporte before podcasts—can’t recall Tech Guy Show being syndicated where I grew up in central Illinois.
But this prompted to see if Kim Komando is still on the air, and, yup!
https://www.komando.com/the-show/
The idea of a call-in radio show for computer help seems impossibly quaint nowadays, but in the old days, before you kids had your TikToks and your broadbands, these really were valuable resources.
Kim Komando is on my local FM/AM talk station every Saturday and she sounds the same as she did 20 years ago. It's comfy listening, sometimes. The main problem is as another poster mentioned is that most of the callers are elderly folk (or people my age who simply don't "get" technology) asking the most simplistic questions over and over such as "how do I back up my family photos" and "how do I stop my grandkids from using my credit card on Roblox" or similar. The second problem is the dissonance - in one segment she will discuss the hazards of privacy threats and cookie tracking, and in the other she will shill an advertiser that does even worse. I can't tell anymore whether she cares.
I had occasion to listen to Kim Kommando once or twice back in the late '90s.
My impression at the time was that she didn't seem to actually know _that_ much about computers and software. But she knew which words to say so that she sounded competent to anyone who didn't know any better (which was almost everyone back then).
Presumably, she's had some time to brush up on things since then...
My impression at the time was that she didn't seem to actually know _that_ much about computers and software. But she knew which words to say so that she sounded competent to anyone who didn't know any better (which was almost everyone back then).
Presumably, she's had some time to brush up on things since then...
> I don’t believe I ever heard Leo Laporte before podcasts—can’t recall Tech Guy Show being syndicated where I grew up in central Illinois.
Did you not have TechTV in your area? That’s probably by far what he was most known for and was a good decade and a half before podcasts.
Did you not have TechTV in your area? That’s probably by far what he was most known for and was a good decade and a half before podcasts.
I'll always remember when Leo Laporte and Kevin Rose were racing to see who would be the first person to 1M Twitter followers. Only for Britney Spears to join Twitter and demolish the follower counts.
I was interested in this story, and tried to find out more. I'm guessing it was a race to 100,000, but it's bizarre to think there was a time when both Laporte and Rose had more twitter followers than Obama. Also, it's amusing to see The Guardian unsure whether it should tweet. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2008/may/18/leol...
I fondly remember listening to his show on KGO while hanging out on IRC. I even played Quake 2 with him (hosted on his shiny new cable modem, of course). Good times! He really was ahead of the curve engaging with his audience. I followed along with TechTV for a little bit, but it just wasn't the same.
AM radio doesn't consume very much of the radio spectrum but I wonder how much longer it is going to keep going. When I lived in California in the 90s, I'd often listen to whatever KFI was playing while driving up and down the coast multiple times a week. If I lived there today, I'd probably end up listening to audiobooks or podcasts rather than terrestrial radio. Wonder how much the market for AM can shrink before it can't cover the bills.
TSS was a sensation for adolescent me.
I was a big fan, growing up. Screensavers etc. I haven't kept up as much since, but he was a big reason, I got into computers as a kid. Big up Leo.
Stopped listening around the time he and John C. Dvorak parted ways. Laporte started taking TWiT a bit too seriously.
John is too busy doing the No Agenda show to have a cogent thought at this point.
Yeah. Different stokes for different folks I guess. Personally the less Dvorak the better in my books. I stopped listening to TWiT ages ago and even by that point you could really tell that he was a bit unhinged.
Listening to Dvorak and Pournelle(RIP) going on about old war stories on TWiT was lots of fun, but on his last few appearances Dvorak was really out of touch with the tech stories they were covering and was just very confidently wrong, making a net negative contribution to the show. I think he's a lot more comfortable covering politics on No Agenda.
Back in the day, he used to be a really nice guy. At least that's how he projected himself. I met him a few times at different trade shows and he was great.
Then he got his own "empire". He became the boss. He married his business partner and then he totally and completely took a 180 and became a jerk and treated his employees terribly. None of the original crew that were instrumental into making TWiT into a big thing (back then), are left. It's just a shell of what it formally was. It's really sad when I see people I used to admire turn into something like this, but I moved on.
Then he got his own "empire". He became the boss. He married his business partner and then he totally and completely took a 180 and became a jerk and treated his employees terribly. None of the original crew that were instrumental into making TWiT into a big thing (back then), are left. It's just a shell of what it formally was. It's really sad when I see people I used to admire turn into something like this, but I moved on.
Do you have first hand knowledge?
Because there is at least one person who has been trolling Leo for years, reposting every dumb thing he says, which is easy since he is probably talking at least 15-20 hours a week on a wide variety of topics.
https://shawnjroberts.com/this-just-in-leo-laporte-is-no-mar...
Because there is at least one person who has been trolling Leo for years, reposting every dumb thing he says, which is easy since he is probably talking at least 15-20 hours a week on a wide variety of topics.
https://shawnjroberts.com/this-just-in-leo-laporte-is-no-mar...
From ex-employees that used to work for him mainly. As far as some guy that's trolling him, I had no idea. Sarah Lane, Tom Merrit, Eileen Rivera, Brian Brushwood etc. Just things they've said since leaving/being fired from TWiT.
There’s a whole community of Leo/TWIT haters. There’s a website and everything. It really seems like a bunch of people have gone off the rails and the rolling of the dice has dictated that this is their obsession.
I had to stare at this for a minute or too before I understood that Leo Laporte died. Even as clickbait it’s confusing, because of the word “minor”.
One of the worst titles on HN in some time. Please change it.
One of the worst titles on HN in some time. Please change it.
You read it wrong, Leo Laporte is alive! The (poorly titled) link is about his AM radio going off the air.
This was my first exposure to the US style where the host reads out the advert. I’ve gotten used to it now obviously but it was jarring at first. It felt wrong even, i remember thinking surely it’ll cause some people to buy the product just because they like the host. I suppose that’s the idea.
I met him once and accidentally offended him. I didn’t mean to, just crossed wires. I think he misheard me, probably thanks in no small part to my accent!
I met him once and accidentally offended him. I didn’t mean to, just crossed wires. I think he misheard me, probably thanks in no small part to my accent!
I remember first watching back when he was on cable via hacked DirecTV cards. Fascinating back in the day. When it went to the podcast/vid, I started losing interest when it became a smart phone centric, then came the two inadvertent D pics live on air. Never watched a segment since. Great run though, congrats.
He still seems to co-host Security Now! (https://twit.tv/shows/security-now)
Really loved that show, tho I didn't listen to it for a while.
Really loved that show, tho I didn't listen to it for a while.
He continues to host This Week in Tech, Mac Break Weekly, and others. The content on the TWIT network is pretty decent for staying up to date on a variety of topics.
Yes, and Twit really is a trove of historical information, dating back to Windows XP!
I listened to this week in tech for years. Then it got a little too political for my personal preference. I would take a break and come back but sure enough it just went deeper down the political podcast category than I felt like listening too. Calling Tucker Carlson a nazi was an interesting one. I don’t watch his show but this just reeked of a left talking point instead of addressing anything specific he said. I consider myself middle of the isle libertarian leaning… I see a lot of good and bad from both sides. Sometimes I love a good political debate. Just wasn’t interested in it from TWiT. His show though. He had a right to talk about anything he wants. I did try to email them just to discuss as a long term fan. Someone, his wife I think, made it pretty clear my input was not wanted. fair enough but that’s when I stopped listening.
Petaluma is 17% Republican, which is probably high for the Bay Area. While I also dislike when politics leak into a show that's subject based (not general interest nor specifically political), he keeps his shows from having much in the way of dead air and some of that requires filling in with whatever topic is on the top of the head of the host. For the Bay Area, that's often going to be about how some conservative is bad. I used to watch lots of TWIT shows but these days I pretty much only watch 'Security Now' and even that only once in a while, but for what it's worth, I don't recall too much political content, at least not content unrelated to security, during that show.
If you’re offended on behalf of Tucker Carlson, I don’t think you can really call yourself a “middle of the isle” guy.
Don’t watch his show but I can definitely call myself what I want ;)
In the same sense you can call yourself a cabbage if you want, sure. But if you don't watch someone's show, maybe don't wade in to defend them from even extreme criticism, since for all you know it might be correct. (I don't watch Carlson's show either, merely pointing out the internal logic of your statements.)
I would have had the same thing to say if he called Don Lemon a nazi. My point was really that degrading the conversation down to who is a nazi is pretty unproductive. Unless of course they actually were. I sure hope that’s an extreme example we can both agree on. Does that logic check out?
> Unless of course they actually were.
But that's the whole question. Which you've already admitted you don't actually know. Because you haven't watched the show.
But that's the whole question. Which you've already admitted you don't actually know. Because you haven't watched the show.
I have 100% confidence that a Nazi would not have their own television show on a popular network where they spread Nazi propaganda in America.
I do not believe the American people would tolerate it. Seems like a safe bet to me. I don’t need to watch his show to know that. There are also people whom I know who do watch his show who I know would never accept a nazi perspective even for one second. So I do believe I can have some confidence that it’s a ridiculous claim used to stir up fear and outrage.
Does this sound unreasonable? I appreciate the questions and the conversation. However I can’t tell if it is sincere or just having fun for fun’s sake. I’m down for both but if you really think that I should take a closer look to confirm whether or not he is a Nazi. Please point me in the right direction. Maybe my entire world view of how things currently work needs a calibration.
I do not believe the American people would tolerate it. Seems like a safe bet to me. I don’t need to watch his show to know that. There are also people whom I know who do watch his show who I know would never accept a nazi perspective even for one second. So I do believe I can have some confidence that it’s a ridiculous claim used to stir up fear and outrage.
Does this sound unreasonable? I appreciate the questions and the conversation. However I can’t tell if it is sincere or just having fun for fun’s sake. I’m down for both but if you really think that I should take a closer look to confirm whether or not he is a Nazi. Please point me in the right direction. Maybe my entire world view of how things currently work needs a calibration.
As much as I like the guy, I think this is for the best. I haven't listened to his podcasts, but I think podcasts and online content creation have a greater potential for a better quality audience.
Not gonna lie, one of the reasons I've listened to "The Tech Guy" a lot less than I used to is that most of the people calling in these days need to get their printer to work or simply have someone listen to them. That's all well and good, but it doesn't make for nearly as good of listening as back in the heyday when computer tech was hot and people under the age of 60 were calling in. Just sayin'. I don't want to be ageist, but I also cannot avoid it here. When I'm in the car on the weekend, I'll tune into KFI and Leo's talking to a guest who's totally clueless about basic computer skills in 2022. It's good that Leo's been there for these people, but it's more cringe than entertaining.
On the other hand, Leo's an older guy himself, and I'm usually impressed with how he's kept up his general tech knowledge. Other hosts might get too comfortable over the years, but I can usually tell that Leo's been reading things that are relevant.
Leo actually got me into Linux. I remember a show back in 2006 where he was recommending someone try out Ubuntu to give new life to an old computer, so that's how I learned about Ubuntu.