HBO's New Space Comedy Mocks 'Tech Bros in Charge' (engadget.com) 46
Engadget reports on a new tech-industry-in-space comedy premiering tonight on HBO:
If you thought that HBO was done mocking technology companies now that Silicon Valley is done, think again. Avenue 5 is the channel's new sitcom, and one that asks the question: "What if tech bros were in charge of more than just our internet histories?'" The answer, at least according to the first half of the season, is that it won't be pretty -- or safe...
The Avenue 5 is a large space liner that, in the words of cinematographer Eben Bolter, is designed after a vulgar space hotel that goes too far and "gets the details wrong". This Titanic-like vessel and its 5,000 passengers are on a routine jaunt through the solar system when a minor disaster strikes, and its course is altered. But this is space, where a small deviation changes the flight time from eight weeks to several years.
The ship is owned by Herman Judd (Josh Gad) of the Judd Corporation, a self-regarding business magnate who, in Bolter's mind, has "only ever had one good idea." He's not quite an analog for the Bezoses and Musks you may be thinking of, but more a cracked-mirror version of both. Throughout the show, he attempts to impose his thinking on the crisis as if he was still in California, or wherever Silicon Valley moved after the show's alluded-to Huawei Wars. Early on, Judd is presented with the intractable problem of space physics, and he hopes to fix things as he did on Earth. He says, in the Jobsian tradition, that you can make something happen by making someone say that it can. The fight between visionary optimism and reality is harder when you're surrounded by an infinite vacuum, after all.
Avenue 5's point seems to be that you can't simply blue-sky your way out of a crisis when reality keeps getting in the way.
If you thought that HBO was done mocking technology companies now that Silicon Valley is done, think again. Avenue 5 is the channel's new sitcom, and one that asks the question: "What if tech bros were in charge of more than just our internet histories?'" The answer, at least according to the first half of the season, is that it won't be pretty -- or safe...
The Avenue 5 is a large space liner that, in the words of cinematographer Eben Bolter, is designed after a vulgar space hotel that goes too far and "gets the details wrong". This Titanic-like vessel and its 5,000 passengers are on a routine jaunt through the solar system when a minor disaster strikes, and its course is altered. But this is space, where a small deviation changes the flight time from eight weeks to several years.
The ship is owned by Herman Judd (Josh Gad) of the Judd Corporation, a self-regarding business magnate who, in Bolter's mind, has "only ever had one good idea." He's not quite an analog for the Bezoses and Musks you may be thinking of, but more a cracked-mirror version of both. Throughout the show, he attempts to impose his thinking on the crisis as if he was still in California, or wherever Silicon Valley moved after the show's alluded-to Huawei Wars. Early on, Judd is presented with the intractable problem of space physics, and he hopes to fix things as he did on Earth. He says, in the Jobsian tradition, that you can make something happen by making someone say that it can. The fight between visionary optimism and reality is harder when you're surrounded by an infinite vacuum, after all.
Avenue 5's point seems to be that you can't simply blue-sky your way out of a crisis when reality keeps getting in the way.
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Re:I'll give it a watch. (Score:5, Insightful)
these shows don't contribute to any meaningful change in perception, or industry self-reflection.
And they shouldn't try to. If they do, they wouldn't be funny but preachy or awkward.
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Thing is that Silicon Valley did do that stuff, and it did it well. A lot of the jokes were based on real life events or were commentaries on the real Silicon Valley. So many episodes were built around one of those ideas.
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these shows don't contribute to any meaningful change in perception, or industry self-reflection.
This may come as a terrible shock to you, but most of us don't watch shit to to undergo a "meaningful change in perception" or engage in "industry self-reflection". We watch shit to be entertained.
Its just another thing to sell to people, to commodify.
OMG say it isn't so!! The TeeVee industry is about selling stuff??? When did that start?
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Expecting someone of your...vintage to appreciate satire may be too much.
That's what I always say when I'm called out for having voiced a stupid opinion: "You fuckers just don't understand my highly-advanced humor and satire!"
Tech bros aren't in charge of Internet Histories (Score:4, Insightful)
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Umm....you can crawl back under your rock now. Say hello to all the creepy crawlies for us. Write soon!!
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Get used to it, snowflake- we're taking over, and as you said, there's nothing you can do about.
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all that you're winning is the death of us all. you should kill yourself, you know, to help the climate and the polar bears and seals.
Cry all you want, cupcake, you cannot stop us. We will replace you. And you know it's true or you wouldn't be here crying the blues.
Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones whose body we stuff and put on display in a diorama. We'll pose you so that you're shown tied over a chair, being gang-banged by a long line of swarthy people.
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Re:Tech bros aren't in charge of Internet Historie (Score:4, Insightful)
a handful of wealthy plutocrats are. Bezos & Zuckerberg (the folks being parodied) are both ruthless businessmen.
I would say it's more like they are indifferent to the suffering of those under them and enabled by a system that pro-corporate political climate.
Elon Musk is a Union buster.
This would be true if there were unions to bust. Seems more like Tesla is doing everything they can to avoid a union forming.
I think it's important to recognize that so single individual is evil but rather the icon of a collective that is deemed evil. However, Zuckerberg seems like a real asshat.
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yep, the fundamental difference between obstructing creation of union vs removing reasons and need to create the union. Leading the company in such a way that the union is not needed.
You do understand the reason there are no unions (Score:2)
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I would say it's more like they are indifferent to the suffering of those under them and enabled by a system that pro-corporate political climate.
Both things that they created.
Seems more like Tesla is doing everything they can to avoid a union forming.
Which is the same thing as union busting.
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Elon is doing more for humanity than any other human living or dead.
He's only chasing great people right now, and until he surpasses Norman Borlaug he won't be doing more for humanity than any other human living or dead.
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Elon is doing more for humanity than any other human living or dead.
He's only chasing great people right now, and until he surpasses Norman Borlaug he won't be doing more for humanity than any other human living or dead.
Norman, is certainly a great man who stands out over most other people and is vastly under appreciated, but I would still put Elon ahead of him.
It is a good idea to at least give a brief outline to back up your statement.. For those who are to lazy to look him up: "Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. "
This will be an interesting time (Score:2)
Having lived through the First Dotcom Bubble in 1998/1999. watching the Second one playing out again in a very similar fashion is amusing to say the least. The only thing different is that the VCs are the ones investing in the companies. and by extension, the techbros. You don't have as much individual investor CNBC-driven hubris. (I remember seeing people quit their jobs to become day traders just as the bubble popped.) As soon as there's an economic contraction and the stock market stops constantly rising
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Re: This will be an interesting time (Score:2)
> almost everything except housing prices has come down in the last 10 years.
I'm not sure what you've been smoking, but it must be some really good shit.
Prices at grocery stores like Publix have pretty much doubled across the board over the past 10 years. Oh, the items that are on *sale* this week are about as expensive as the same item on sale 10 years ago, but nearly EVERYTHING ELSE now costs twice as much if you just walk in and buy what you specifically want without regard to what's on sale.
If you av
Aniara (Score:5, Informative)
That's the same premise as the film/poem Aniara, though there's no tech bros in that.
How arts degrees see technology (Score:1, Troll)
Re:How arts degrees see technology (Score:5, Funny)
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ugh (Score:2)
Go read Manna (Score:2)
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Ianucci (Score:3)
Just looked at the credits and Amando Ianucci is on the writing team and directs some! Ianucci worked with Chris Morris on some of his biggest pieces. Ianucci and Morris have never been afraid to push comedy into some very dark places, Blue Jam, The Day Today, 4 Lions and a hand in The IT Crowd.
Re: Ianucci (Score:2)
Ok. That sounds interesting now (and probably important enough to be mentioned in the summary). So hopefully more like 'the thick of it' in space, and less like 'my two space dads'
Silicon Valley is a documentary (Score:1)