Stilgherrian Live (Metro Screen) Special, with Cnuts

Metroscreen Logo: click for video stream

There’s a very special edition of Stilgherrian Live this Friday afternoon at 2pm Sydney time. ’Pong and his classmates at Metro Screen are producing a full multi-camera episode with a quiz and interviews and other entertainments.

The program is the end result of their full-week course, Produce live-streamed multi-cam television. ’Pong pitched doing Stilgherrian Live as his segment — as if he wasn’t busy enough doing his Masters of Digital Media at COFA and being DOP for some SEKRIT soap opera — and somehow that’s morphed into me presenting the whole program.

The program will be streamed live from Metro Screen’s page at Viocorp.

Now, I know 2pm Friday is when many people are meant to be working, but it’d be great to have a few of you watching, commenting back, and even providing the students with some feedback.

So to encourage your participation, we’ll have our usual offer of a t-shirt of your choice from our friends at King Cnut Ethical Clothing. Just nominate a “Cnut of the Week” and be watching the program when we draw a name from the Cocktail Shaker of Integrity.

Cnut of the Week graphic

“Cnut of the Week” is where we remember the example set by King Cnut the Great, who proved to his sycophantic courtiers that trying to hold back the tide is pointless.

We’re looking for people, organisations or other entities who are futilely trying to hold back the tide of change — especially the changes being wrought by the Big Bad Digital Hyperconnected Internet. It has to be something in the news in the last week, and you have to explain yourself. Nominees have to be not merely doing bad things, but failing to notice or adapt to the change around them. And you have to nominate here, in a comment on this post, for your entry to count.

(Of course, neither me nor King Cnut Ethical Clothing are as lame and unethical as to share your email address with anyone else. I for one have site policies about this sort of thing, and so do they.)

Who do you nominate, and why?

I’ll have to tell you the closing time for nominations later. Normally it’s an hour before the program starts, but with a multi-person production team — especially one in training — we’ll need to give everyone a bit more time. We’re having rehearsals on Thursday afternoon, but I think we can use “substitute Cnuts” until the real ones come in.

[Update, Thursday 30 July 2009: Nominations will close at 8pm Sydney time tonight.]

We also need a better method of confirming that the winner is watching the program when we draw their name. With a tighter program timeline, we can’t just waffle on for three minutes until you email, or not. Any suggestions?

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  1. Michael Meloni’s avatar

    I nominate Gen Y for holding up the economy, the queues at Centrelink and, preemptively, the beds in our hospitals.

    Or maybe it’s News Ltd, for just never growing up…

    Reply

  2. Simon Rumble’s avatar

    King Kevin Rudd is my Cnut of the Week for bitchslapping the queers of Australia by refusing to even discuss gay marriage. As “missamanda” said on Twitter: “If the argument against gay marriage is so strongly connected to religion, why was I, as an atheist, allowed to marry?”

    Reply

  3. Mac Yourselfathome’s avatar

    I nominate the programmers at Channel 9 for getting it so horribly wrong that they thought the general public would want to watch Hey Hey It’s Saturday all over again.

    Reply

  4. James Beattie’s avatar

    Tony Abbott for thinking that religion has something to contribute (other than ignorance) to discussions about divorce law.

    Reply

  5. Zombie_Plan’s avatar

    I’ll actually be here for StilLive for once :D

    As for such things as waiting for emails, a DM via Twitter? Or have them cry out on uStream chat?

    Reply

    1. 'Pong’s avatar

      This special edition will be hosted by http://www.viostream.com with covertilive plug into it.

      Reply

  6. Stilgherrian’s avatar

    While I’m obviously not eligible for the prize, I’d like to nominate Kyle Sandilands, Jackie O and the management of 2Day FM in Sydney for their appalling episode this morning where a 14-year-old child was interrogated live on air about her (potential) sex life to the point of admitting she’d been raped.

    What’s the tide of change they’re resisting? The emergence of vertebrate life from the oceans.

    @Zombie_Plan: Good suggestions. As it happens, Viocorp have added a CoveritLive liveblog stream to the video streaming page, so we’re cool!

    Reply

  7. Wolfcat’s avatar

    I would like to nominate Kevin Rudd… for giving tax payers $900 which most just gave to the bank and pokies and then telling us it will cost around that to ensure that we can all actually have healthy teeth.

    Reply

  8. Marc Lehmann’s avatar

    Australian Liberal and National party conservatives for what seems to be a concerted effort to, as quickly as possible, change nothing, in our approach to the climate. I’m sure it was a ‘conservative’ axe that dropped the last palm tree on Easter Island. *Ignores History*

    Reply

  9. mpesce’s avatar

    Kyle and Jackie O. Obviously. Because shock radio is *so* 1995. And Inquisitions are so 1495.

    Reply

  10. Woolly Mittens’s avatar

    How about Sen. Conroy, for declaring his web-filter trial a runaway success. Mainly because he wills it to be a success.

    http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/301839/web_filter_runaway_success_exetel?fp=4194304&fpid=1

    Reply

    1. Stilgherrian’s avatar

      @Woolly Mittens: While I understand your sentiment, Senator Conroy himself has never used the word “success” in relation to Internet filtering trials. The story you cite uses “success”, but that’s the sub-editor editorialising on Exetel’s report. And as I reported in Crikey last October, Senator Conroy has never used the word “success”.

      Reply

      1. Woolly Mittens’s avatar

        Oh bother. I was misled by some hyperbole in the media then. My apologies.

        There’s something Cnutty going on with the results of that trial though: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/aussie-net-filtering-trial-deemed-a-success-despite-problems.ars

        I can’t find out who actually called it a success? Anyone?

        Why would anyone come to any conclusions about a trial with a handful of subscribers who happily volunteered to take part.

        Reply

      2. Stilgherrian’s avatar

        @Woolly Mittens: It’s “the media” wanting to declare everything about “winners” or “losers”, without the real-world shades of grey. And without actually waiting for formal results.

        The Phase 1 trials, which were a series of lab tests, reported back in mid-2008. Senator Conroy “welcomed” the report, but it was only the newspaper The Australian which editorialised that into “success”. Conroy’s office made it very clear to me that Conroy had never used the word “success” himself — I still have the email on file — and I assume that’s about giving himself an avenue for escape.

        The Phase 2 trials are the field trials, which is what the Ars Technica report refers to. But they haven’t actually finished yet. They’re clearly writing their story bouncing off the ARNnet report I cite in my Crikey piece without understanding the subtlety. The ARNnet journalist contacted the trial participants to see how things were going, but the formal report isn’t due until September.

        Reply

  11. Stephen Collins’s avatar

    It’d just about have to be Kyle and Jackie O for finally and definitively proving they aren’t worth the air they are continued to be allowed to breathe.

    But there are so many options this week – the gay marriage issue and the Federal Government’s (and Opposition’s) continued refusal to simply accept that most of the populace either wants such a thing to be okay or at the very least has no objection opens, I think, the entire Federal Parliament to a nomination.

    Tony Abbott for his book and it’s inevitable content.

    Kevin Rudd for his manifesto… thank you, Chairman…

    We seem to live in a country now where lowest common denominator entertainment rules and those in power are incapable of anything but pontification.

    I’m moving to Denmark.

    Reply

    1. Stilgherrian’s avatar

      @Stephen Collins: Do you have trouble making choices?

      Reply

  12. Venise  Alstergren’s avatar

    Despite sterling contenders in the form of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O-whose efforts would normally rated a lead gong by me, I have to put forward as Knut of the week….Drum roll….
    Tony Abbott, for his tireless efforts to undermine the wisdom of our ancestors who in the Oz constitution stated we are a secular state.

    Reply

  13. James Polley’s avatar

    Seconding Simon’s nomination of KRudd, for the same reasons.

    Reply

    1. Simon Rumble’s avatar

      Actually I withdraw that and put Kyle and his bimbo sidekick. They really take the cake this week.

      Reply

  14. Venise  Alstergren’s avatar

    Apologies for writing the letter K where the letter C should be.

    Reply

  15. sylvano’s avatar

    2pm Friday should be OK for me, I hope. ;-)

    cnut nomination of the week: apart from the well deserving Kyle nomination, I’ll throw Malcolm Turnbull into the mix. The strength of character required to persist in the face of an ever diminishing public support and a very disturbed (double entendre intended) back bench is both laudable and laughable.

    Reply

    1. Venise  Alstergren’s avatar

      I would almost give my vote to Malcolm Turnbull, on the basis of your comments “laudable and laughable”. But no, I’ll have to stick with Tony Abbott :( whose comments will be predictable and anything but perceptive. :(

      Reply

  16. Ciarán’s avatar

    Not in Oz, but David Cameron for his “too many twits make a twat” comment. It’s a vaguely funny line (though not sure how prime ministerial it is to essentially say c**t on national radio) but for someone who has a video series called WebCameron it reeks of hypocrisy. You can’t pretend to be ‘with it’ on the one hand and make (lame gags) like this on the other. Not without looking like a cnut, anyway.

    Reply

  17. Jason Appleby’s avatar

    Whilst there’s going to be a hell of a lot of attention placed on Kyle and Jackie O, the real CNUT of the week has to be the mother of the girl from yesterday’s glorious radio debacle.
    She is ultimately responsible for the girl’s wellbeing, a test she apparently has failed on multiple occasions in this story. Her continuing custody and guardianship of this child will continue to put any attempt to safeguard the child’s wellbeing and recovery from the trauma of rape at risk. Not to mention the trauma of what can only be considered national-level mortification means that this child is going to require ongoing counselling, support and expert care as well as a probable change in circumstances.

    So yeah, Kyle and Jackie O and TodayFM have attracted our attention, but the real CNUT of this story is the one that continues to put the child in harm’s way.

    Reply

  18. Bob Bain’s avatar

    I nominate the designers of the “name the new creamy Vegemite” page at http://www.vegemite.com.au given the fact I had to ring technical support for assistance.

    After several attempts it was agreed that my chosen “screen name” was too long and that if I shortened it to eight instead of sixteen characters it should work. It did !

    Reply

  19. Alix’s avatar

    Definitely have to vote for Kyle & the rest of 2Day FM. What a **** up!

    Reply

  20. Stilgherrian’s avatar

    Since we have a few new people nominating this week, I’d better explain how the process works from here.

    Once we hit the nomination closing time — which I’ll state a little later today — everyone who’s nominated someone and left a valid email address goes into the prize draw.

    Meanwhile, I choose from the nominees a shortlist of 4. Mostly that’s by popularity, but sometimes it’s my bloody-mindedness. I announce the shortlist during the program, then live viewers get to vote one of them as “Cnut of the Week”.

    We give you time to vote, then I announce the winner, then we choose someone at random to win the t-shirt — but you have to be watching the program, and we’ll have some way to test that.

    Whether your nomination makes it into the shortlist or not doesn’t affect your entry into the prize draw.

    All clear?

    Reply

  21. Venise  Alstergren’s avatar

    I apologize for being pedantic; however, I failed to state it was Tony Abbott’s book as being the particular origin of my ire.

    Reply

  22. grum’s avatar

    I nominate Horizon Realty for suing someone for $50,000 over a tweet that would have been seen by about 20 people. http://mashable.com/2009/07/28/woman-sued-tweet/

    Reply

  23. Stilgherrian’s avatar

    Nominations will close tonight at 8pm Sydney time!

    Reply

  24. Jinjirrie’s avatar

    Hereby I nominate Robert McClellan for CNUT of the week for his lofty work extending Australian counter-terrorism laws “targeting those who radicalise people, then try to tip them over the edge into launching an attack based on political views, ethnicity or religion”

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/29/2640188.htm

    while singling out the Islamic community for special treatment.

    http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25817921-5013871,00.html

    Reply

  25. Zombie_Plan’s avatar

    I nominate Stilgherrian for this tweet stopping nominations a whole 17 hours earlier than normal, guaranteeing something amazing will be in the news tomorrow that we can’t nominate.

    That is all.

    Reply

    1. Stilgherrian’s avatar

      @Zombie_Plan: While this does not invalidate your nomination in the least, the reason for the long lead time is that I have to prepare the graphics for the “Cnut of the Week” shortlist tonight so they can be loaded into Metro Screen’s production system first thing in the morning, in turn so the brand-new crew can do their technical rehearsals through the morning.

      In a regular program with a regular crew, sure, we could load them in during the last hour. But this is my help-the-process-of-education wonderfulness in action… or something.

      Reply

  26. Dave from Albury’s avatar

    I’d like to nominate ACMA and 2Day FM for their wonderfully antiquated complaints process, where if you want to want to vent your spleen over the vile inappropriateness that is Kyle and Jackie-O you have to download a form and fax it to the station. I’m pretty sure I had a form on my ‘personal web-site’ circa 1995 that would email me, surely 2Day FM can manage that?

    So, for their commitment to stifling communication, ACMA and 2Day FM are my nominations for cnut of the week.

    Reply

  27. Tarale’s avatar

    I nominate Facebook for trying to change their service to something it’s not…by overriding everyone’s security/privacy settings.

    Reply

  28. Bob Bain’s avatar

    I have already nominated “the designers of the “name the new creamy Vegemite” page at http://www.vegemite.com.au given the fact I had to ring technical support for assistance.”

    Having submitted an excellent name I have reviewed their terms and conditions.

    Condition 14

    14.The entrant whose entry is chosen by the judging panel may be invited by the Promoter to participate in a media campaign (as determined by the Promoter), including but not limited to, being interviewed and photographed, filmed and/or chaperoned, and having their name and photograph published in any newspapers, publications, the Kraft newsletter or press releases, at the absolute discretion of the Promoter.

    By submitting an entry, entrants agree that if their entry is chosen by the judging panel, they will participate in and co-operate as required with all reasonable media editorial requests made by the Promoter. The Promoter will not pay the entrant any monetary prize, fee or compensation for their entry.

    The Promoter is not obliged to invite the entrant whose entry is chosen to participate in any such media campaign and the invitation is at the absolute discretion of the Promoter.

    ===================

    Huh. NO MONETARY PRIZE NO FEE NO COMPENSATION

    but…

    ..the winner is obliged under the terms and conditions to “co-operate as required” with all media requrests made by the Promoter – being interviewed, photographed, filmed and/or chaperoned and having their name and photograph published in any newspaper, publication, the Kraft newsletter or press releases.

    Reply

  29. Stilgherrian’s avatar

    Nominations are now closed. I’ll be choosing the shortlist tomorrow morning and you can vote in the final poll during the program from 2pm Sydney time on Friday. Thank you!

    Reply

  30. Ben’s avatar

    I nominate Today FM for being stupid. @yin_yin agrees.

    Reply

  31. Stilgherrian’s avatar

    @Ben: Now that I’ve edited the timestamp on my last comment to reflect when nominations actually closed, I see that you missed the deadline. But you should be happy with that, because otherwise I would taunt you mercilessly for thinking that “being stupid” is even remotely an example of “futilely holding back the tide of change”.

    Reply

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