Conference noted::sf

1169.0. "Prisoners of Gravity" by DSSDEV::RUST () Mon Sep 20 1993 18:54

    There's a subversive new show that's sneaked into PBS' lineup. If you
    tune in to, for example, Boston's PBS station (channel 2) at 11:30 a.m.
    on Saturday, you'll see what looks like the beginning of another nature
    documentary - birdies chirping, etc. But then the screen flickers,
    glitches, fades - and we're looking at a wacky little guy in a runaway
    car-turned-spaceship, who's using multimedia to conduct interviews with
    as many of today's science fiction authors as he can find.
    
    The setup's cute, and the interviews I've seen so far have been
    interesting, if a bit too sound-bite-ish for my taste (I'm an
    in-depth-documentary person myself, and a smorgasbord like this only
    whets my appetite). The first subject was Ray Bradbury; last week's
    show went for "fantasy world-building" instead of a single author, and
    the host interviewed lots of people, in between demonstrating
    earthquakes on his SimCity game. In addition to interview clips (and
    game demos), we sometimes get captions on the screen that provide
    additional information beyond whatever's being talked about, so if you
    can read, watch, and listen at the same time, you can pick up a lot of
    trivia...
    
    I think it's rather fun, and plan to tune in again. But what I'd really
    like is for it to be truly interactive, so I could zap the host when
    he doesn't pursue a line of questioning that I want to follow. ;-)
    
    -b

>	so I could zap the host when
>    he doesn't pursue a line of questioning 
>    that I want to follow. ;-)

Just grab the remote 8^)

    As a writer, I find the show engrossing.  Sunday nights are
    usually spent reading, but I always find myself putting my book down
    when PoG comes on.   

    	It appears they have taken PoG off the air on Boston's Channels
    2 and 4 (both PBS) at least for the rest of November.  I hope this 
    is not a permanent condition.  The show is a rare gem on television,
    even for PBS.
    
    	Larry
    

    The TV Guide blurb last week said it was the last episode (the one on
    "how to become a writer"); I don't know if another series is planned.
    Maybe time to write some letters? 
    
    -b