Al Gore Invents Internet TV 474
catdevnull writes "The SF Gate is reporting that former VP Al Gore is launching "Current" a new CableTV-Internet hybrid. From the article: "Current, the name of Gore's enterprise, hopes to do that by airing a shuffle of short news features, some produced by the network but many submitted online by viewers. Current will also air segments every half hour showing TV viewers what Google searchers are tapping into at that moment -- everything from current events to tourist destinations. It's all directed at a generation that thinks nothing of plugging into more than one media outlet at once." "
Next week... (Score:5, Funny)
The link? (Score:5, Informative)
It's pretty, and it the layout works with Firefox (unlike some sites [slashdot.org])
Pointless (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Pointless (Score:2)
I just knew the link because I saw the same story everywhere else. (I didn't RTFA)
Re:Pointless (Score:3, Informative)
Re:The link? (Score:5, Funny)
GOD HELP US ALL.
Al Gore invented mathematics... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Al Gore invented mathematics... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:right flop like air america radio (Score:3, Interesting)
Dude, I've been listening to talk radio since I was 8 years old. I have two solid decades of talk radio under my belt. I know good talk radio from bad. I have listened to "Air America" plenty and it is the most droll, uninteresting, unprofessional, ill-prepared drek ever. It's a decent idea, but poorly excecuted. You can't just take the cast of SNL and make a syndicated political talk station out of it.
And 53 stations is nothing if they're 53 stations with poor ratings.
I don't know a soul
Internet-TV hybrid? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Internet-TV hybrid? (Score:5, Funny)
Oblig quote (Score:3, Funny)
Al Gore? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Al Gore? (Score:2, Funny)
X-Bender (Score:5, Funny)
introduce the host of the Kyoto global warming convention. The
inventor of the environment, and first emperor of the moon, Al Gore.
Al Gore: I have ridden the mighty moon worm!
[Applause]
Fry: Good for him.
Re:Al Gore? (Score:2)
Re:Al Gore? (Score:2)
I'll be here all week!
Eric Schmidt generates the AlGoreRhythm. (Score:2)
Eric Schmidt, formerly of Novell [novell.com], now of Google [google.com], is a real political animal:
Uhhh... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's going to be kindof X-rated, don't you think? Experience has shown that at any given point, a good portion of people using the internet are searching for porn, or at least naked pictures of celebrities.
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2)
Re:Uhhh... (Score:3, Interesting)
A couple of years ago at OLS [linuxsymposium.org] they had a presentation by someone from Google on their use of Linux in house (this one [linuxsymposium.org] I think).
At the end of the presentation, he brought up a web page that showed a scrolling list of google queries that were being done in near-real-time. I think it was showing every nth query (every query would have been scrolling too fast to see). He said that they had two versions of this web page - a filtered and an unfiltered one, and he was running unfiltered.
Was it ever funny - peop
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2)
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2, Funny)
Hot Liberal Action [google.com]
Michael Moore Exposed [google.com]
Job Wanted [google.com]
I propose... (Score:2)
Re:I propose... (Score:2)
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2)
Ahaha.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:5, Informative)
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:2)
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:5, Interesting)
Al Gore didn't create a damned thing, all he did was spend money to expand it. No matter how many times his fans mod it down as flamebait, the truth will not change.
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:3, Insightful)
The urban legend is about him saying he *invented* the internet. That's clearly untrue, and I never repeated this anywhere. However, he DID say he took the *initiative* *in* *creating* the internet. Even the famous Algore apologist, Barbara Mikkelson, affirms that he made this statement.
The problem seems to be over the definition of "internet." Those who want Algore to be the father will define it in such a way that he becomes the father. T
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:4, Funny)
For those of you keeping score at home:
Al Gore: 1 semantic slipup
His Opponent: 12,476 slipups (plus $2e11 mistake penalty), and counting.
Re:NSF had nothing to do with his funny claim (Score:2, Informative)
"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."
'Initiative' means "A beginning or introductory step; an opening move".
Now, 'create' and 'innvent' are synonyms:
create = "To cause to exist; bring into being."
invent = "To produce or contrive (something previously unknown)..."
so, substituting into the original statement:
Haven't we had enough.... (Score:5, Funny)
Obligatory Al Gore Link: (Score:5, Informative)
http://tinyurl.com/65ssc [tinyurl.com]
Re:Obligatory Al Gore Link: (Score:2, Insightful)
Insulting elected officials is a good way to get funding/contracts killed. Ask Theo.
Re:Obligatory Al Gore Link: (Score:2, Insightful)
Al Gore and the Internet (Score:2)
I swear to god, when I heard about this (several days ago, btw, on my local nightly news program- Slashdot is a little slow on the uptake), the newscaster said something along the lines of "Al Gore isn't stopping with the internet, now he's doing his own TV channel!"
I always assumed that everyone got that the whole "I invented the internet" stuff was a bunch of crap, but now I'm starting to have my doubts- I think a lot of people DO think he "invented the internet".
She wrapped it up with "however, Gore
Not a bad idea folks. (Score:2)
I don't think he'd want to see the outcome of TV and Internet merged under one solution. We already got Paris Hilton all over the net and on tv
Then I read the following line:
Those hoping for a liberal network to balance the conservatism of Fox won't find it here.
Well now I'm almost sold!
When will Al Gore's head become... (Score:5, Funny)
A TV show or short segment showing what people are looking for on Google? Oh god, I can just imagine it now:
193.53.2.10 is looking for "l33t w@r3z" with 57 hits
Oh but check this out! 216.23.129.44 is looking for "vast right wing conspiracy" with 683,000 hits!
101.23.64.99 is looking for "CENSORED" with 2,947,345 hits. What a perv!
Etc.
Re:When will Al Gore's head become... (Score:3, Funny)
SHOWING Google searches??? (Score:2, Funny)
What would Tipper say??
Got Google (Score:2)
Ticker!!! (Score:2)
Linux ext3 tweaks - Opus Dei - free porn movies - cosign auto loan - mario - squirting mpeg videos - lighsaber - free amateur husband creampie wife sample videos
(Based on eal dogpile searches [dogpile.com])
no! (Score:5, Funny)
"...a generation that thinks nothing of plugging into more than one media outlet at once."
Maybe in my college days, but never again!
Stop it already (Score:2, Funny)
Jay Leno's pic of Gore returning to the spotlight (Score:5, Funny)
Al Gore TV: Same Impact as... (Score:2)
>
Re:Al Gore TV: Same Impact as... (Score:3, Insightful)
Sounds good at first... (Score:3, Interesting)
Having viewers make shows for you? I guess that's kind of like how /. works. I was hoping, however, that it would be like blogging meets TV--you know, bloggers at events and getting air time in front of a cable audience and not just the blogosphere.
Then again, it's already like that but with only text. And the blogging goes straight through to the viewer. So the more I think about this, the more it sounds like he's creating a middle-man company, which is to say, a completely useless and potentially brain-damaging company. Fuck that.
By the way, the first sentence of the article is "Al Gore never said he invented the Internet." So at least there's some good text in there.
I actually think it has a chance (Score:2, Insightful)
I for one wouldn't count out the possibility of this channel actually becoming popular. I mean, it seems to be feeding off the viral video phenomenon that the Internet has created. If it can really manage to get material that is as addictive as all these viral videos then it has a chance.
The only real concern I have is that it is selling itself as a news channel. There really isn't much viral news out there on the internet. But it will be nice to see them give it a try anyways. Could be the first _new_ a
Binary Numbers (Score:2, Funny)
Al Gore's Algorithm (Score:4, Funny)
A friend who has participated in numerous "brainstorm" sessions in TV industry once described those meetings as "plenty of saliva storm but no brain". Now I know why.
The report says Gore bought the network for $70 million; my graphic blog, http://sunandfun.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com], does not cost a dime to produce and offers plenty of entertainment.
Correction about what Al Gore "Claimed" (Score:2, Informative)
Which is true, he was a part of a house sub comitte that funded the DARPA research to develop a communications system that w
Interesting fella... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Yeah, and? (Score:2, Funny)
Nah, I'd guess it to be more like Robot Wars 24/7.
I don't think so (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't think so (Score:2)
May as well make a pron channel (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Did he? (Score:5, Informative)
Nope. The internet makes you stupid.
Re:Did he? (Score:2)
Re:Did he? (Score:5, Informative)
Still a poor choice of words, but you are spouting the same falsehoods as you see on TV/Slashdot.
Snopes Article [snopes.com]
And "took the initiative in creating" and "inventing" are most certainly differnt. Nikola Tesla discovered/invented AC power distribution, but George Westinghouse took the initiative in creating the power grid, by providing the money for it. Al Gore's role was more like Westinghouse's, in that he worked to secure funding for the internet and similar projects in the 80s when no one else really cared about them.
Re:Did he? (Score:2)
Re:Did he? (Score:4, Insightful)
It's funny how such a liberal crowd as Slashdotters and TV writers keep repeating the Republican-created meme that Gore "invented" the Internet. Does this make you fools, tools, or both? You could at least give the Republican party credit for knowing how to play you.
Whole discussion: -1 Flamebait (Score:5, Interesting)
Poor choice of words? Maybe, but Wired misquoted (libel!) him and put the word "Invented" in his mouth.
Either way, Al Gore did coin the phrase "Information Superhighway" and Eisenhower should get credit for the Internet because it's his vision of the Interstate system that was the fundamental idea that went into creating the Internet (and that was in like the 1950's!)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:3, Funny)
2. Thinks Gore bragging about having voted to fund the growth of the internet is somehow "damning" or "Gore having claimed to invented the internet".
We have ourselves a Fox News Zombie!
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:3, Informative)
His mistake was in making his statement too easy to misinterpret. I believe he's admitted as much.
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:3, Informative)
I don't know why people get all worked up about it though.
People get worked up about it because it was used during the 2000 election by right-wing pundits (yes, I mean *you*, Peggy Noonan) to "prove" that Al Gore was a serial liar who couldn't be trusted with the presidency.
So people on the right who get worked up about it do so because they see it as evidence that Gore is a dangerous buffoon who came *this close* to leading the country. People on the left who get worked up about it do so because it c
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Thanks a lot for digging out this quote though, it's nice how often zealots find counter-factuals for you.
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2, Informative)
Idiot (Score:2)
Ok, so you indicate that you're about to show that he claimed to have *invented* the internet. But then you quote Gore as having said:
I took the initiative in creating the Internet
I'd just like to make two points here:
1) If you question Gore's role in CREATING the internet, why don't you read what the guys who INVENTED the internet have to say [politechbot.com] about the matter.
2) "Invent" is not the same as "create". Last week I create
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Easy enough solution: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:2)
Re:What Al Gore said... (Score:3, Funny)
Response: "I don't know, YOU TELL ME!"
Democratic followup: "Dubya isn't smart enough to do that. Ju
Re:Woohoo! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:It will be crap (Score:4, Interesting)
What, you mean the stuff we get has had most of the crap screened out.
Re:How the mighty fall.... (Score:4, Funny)
Thank God we dodged that bullet, eh? With the wrong man in charge we might have ended up, oh, I don't know, invading the wrong country by mistake or something...
Re:How the mighty fall.... (Score:4, Insightful)
So, Saddam gave some money to widows and orphans of Palestinians some of whom might qualify as "terrorists" (a badly misused and meaningless, not to mentioned loaded, word). That's Israel's problem not ours. Oh, wait, I forgot: we're the United States of Israel now. I keep forgetting "everything changed" after 911.
If you were referring to the alleged Iraq/Al Qaeda link, that's complete bullshit. Only the shills still push that line.
Electoral College (Score:2)
Re:Electoral College (Score:2, Insightful)
First, there is something philosophically nice about the person who gets the most votes winning an election. The electoral college is an obstacle to that. I am a liberal, but I've been saying that ever since sixth grade or so when someone first explained to me what the electoral college was. I would still say it even if Kerry had won the electoral vote and Bush the popular vote. In fact, I was really rooting for that outcome. It will probably never be changed unless
Re:Electoral College (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm a liberal but don't get all of us involved! If you haven't learned anything since the 6th grade, then I pity you.
The problem is that small states have too much power. There is already a provision to balance it out in Congress with each state having two senators. As for the presidency, I don't like the idea that someone's vote being worth more or less collectively t
Re:Electoral College (Score:2)
- Most of the populace was uneducated and couldn't read/write
- The Vice President was the person with the second highest electoral vote.
- Allowing Men to vote that did not own land was considered liberal.
- Most of the cities were only conected by trails. Making a true popular election pretty difficu
Re:Electoral College (Score:2)
Re:Electoral College (Score:2)
If there's a benefit of that, it's to encourage political balance in all states. For example, all New Yorkers would benefit from a stronger Republican presence, and all Georgians would benefit from a stronger Democrat presence. Ohio and Florida are damn near 50/50%, no surprise they get the attention.
Re:Electoral College (Score:2)
As other's have pointed out the electoral system fails to accomplish what it was designed to do because instead of candidates ignoring the least populated states they are now ignoring anything that isn't a sw
Re:Pls (Score:3, Insightful)
Better question: What, in your mind, would be an appropriate activity for an ex-presidential candidate? And who the hell are you to judge?
Al Gore and Bob Dole have made, and will make, millions in their post-political careers. Meanwhile, every business G.W. Bush touched before becoming President turned to shit. The shocker here is not how the mighty have fallen, it's ho
Re:is drudge running /. this week? (Score:2)
Wolf Blitzer talking with Al Gore:
Re:is drudge running /. this week? (Score:2)
It's amazing that you can look at evidence that should refute that ridiculous claim once and for all and
Re:Who cares? (Score:4, Informative)
Air America Failed? (Score:3, Informative)
Air America now has 51 stations, and reaches millions of viewers. It is also, according to Time magazine, "financially stable."
If your going to compete with the likes of Rush, Hannity, and the right you need to deliver facts and keep the slant off.
I almost spit up my drink over that line. Do you really believe that Rush and Hannity do
Re:Will the lame Al Gore jokes never cease? (Score:2, Interesting)
I trust AC's very little and those who label me as something I'm not, not at all.
Yes, it'd be funny if it was true... but it isn't, so it isn't.
Re:Already Invented (Score:2)