The Engadget Show tapes today... snow be damned!
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted December 20th 2009 11:10AM
posted December 20th 2009 11:10AM
The last show of the decade will be dedicated to just that: the decade. We're going to be talking about the most important gadgets of the past 10 years -- both good and bad -- and we'll be joined by the perfect guest. Peter Rojas, the founder of both Gizmodo and Engadget (and now gdgt!) will take the stage with Josh, Paul, and Nilay to discuss what has been arguably the most important 10 years in gadgetry.
We'll also have a few surprises, as well as some giveaways including an Xbox 360, so don't miss it -- you'll be sorry if you do!
The show takes place at the Tishman Auditorium at Parsons The New School for Design. As you may already know, we film live in front of an audience once a month -- but if you can't make it, don't worry. We're bringing the video back home to Engadget (and as a free download here, in the iTunes Store, or the Zune Marketplace) for your viewing pleasure.
The beautiful venue (which you can see in a photo after the break) is located at 66 W. 12th Street between 5th and 6th Aves. Seating is limited and tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis -- which means if you want to join us in the audience for the show,
Update: As you guys may have noticed, New York and the surrounding areas got hit with a little bit of snow last night. Never fear, because we're still doing the show, but we're going to make it easier for everyone to come out and enjoy it. If you want to see the taping today, don't worry about showing up at 2PM or standing in line -- if you come anytime before 4:30PM you will definitely get a seat! We don't want anyone standing around in the snow, and it's likely that not everyone who was going to come will be able to make it, so we should be able to accommodate everyone that does show up.
Here are the facts you need to know about the show:
- The show is graciously sponsored by Sprint, and hosted by Parsons The New School for Design
- The total show length will be around an hour
- Music will be provided by Bubblyfish, and visuals by Chris Jordan!
- There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free
- The event is all ages
- The venue seats just over 450 people
- Parsons students are welcomed, and we encourage them to come!
- Tickets will be available for pickup at the Tishman Auditorium at 2PM on the 20th, and we're strongly encouraging people to get their tickets and not stand in line -- if you have a ticket, you'll have a seat!
- You'll need to hold onto your ticket stub to be eligible for the giveaways
- You cannot pick up tickets for other people -- if you want your friend to get a ticket, bring your friend!
- The show begins at 5PM, and doors will open at 4:30PM
Greatest Engadget show yet? possibly!
@werty1432k
I'll be there, wearing this shirt.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/popculture/a574/
@Smart People Play Tuba
I will see on the livestream if I can see you from there that would be so cool!
@werty1432k
worst one of all? Definitely...
@werty1432k guessing no iPhones...
Snow be damned, indeed. I'll leave a bit later in this case. :)
snow ftl
4th!!!
@SJobs Mr Jobs, Don't you have something better to do than to be commenting such lameness? Like working on the Apple Tablet maybe?
Can't wait to see the show, anybody know if there is going to be a live feed up anywhere?
Who is going to go there to see it?
@MoonWalkerCTE Definitely going still. A little snow won't stop me. D:
And damnit, verify, ffffff
@MoonWalkerCTE If I was in New York I would go to every one of them but since I'm in Canada I don't think I have the option :)
"The Engadget Snow", I like the new image =)
I'm also interested in a live feed, is there usually one for the video shows? Do we have to wait for the podcast to update tomorrow?
you guys win.
so is actually Gizmodo is Engadget's dark brother?
I guess the two just have a case of sibling rivalry.
@JeremyBenthem Younger brother beats older brother by I dunno.. about 143 site ranks and about a million daily visitors.
- http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=gizmodo.com+engadget.com
@werty1432k
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=engadget.com+google.com
pic = WIN!
Greatest. Engadget show. Picture. EVAR.
@Cam OF ALL TIME
No live streaming?
AT-AT's!!! If you giveaway one of those I'll fly to manhattan to be their! Lol. Actually, I'd love to come to one of these, so if you ever do one in San Francisco, I'd drive 3 hours to see it.
Live Streaming !!!!
Where is the link ?? I know Justin.tv is there to do this for you ...
Please post the link ........ or else I'll have to google it
Bang bang !
What happened to my POST ??
@maniii
It was deleted by me!
BWAHAHHAHA
The last year of the decade is actually 2010....
Everyone had this discussion when everyone thought the new milennium began in 2000. That would only be true if there were a Year 0, but since we started counting at Year 1 (AD), completing a decade means getting to the end of Year 10, or now Year 2010.
@John H +1
@John H
I completely agree with you and the fact about the true millennium, but people did start counting 'this decade' at 2000. A decade is a period of ten years so it wouldn't have anything to do with the millennium and year zero. People started counting "this period" as one that did not start with a 19 and ended in a single digit... and that ten year period is over.
So for all intents and purposes, we can just say that people started counting for the new decade during the final year of the last millennium.
I do remember getting in somewhat "heated" discussions with people who refused to believe something like 2001 being 2000 years from year 1. Crazy, right?
@Mystictrust
Agreed. I think people just get excited about more than one digit rolling over. Plus it doesn't help that we have terms like 80s and 90s, which run from the "zero year" like 1980 to the "nine year". People associate that range with the decade, and while the years 1980-1989 do indeed constitute A decade, it is not THE decade if you start all the way back to Year 1.
And yes, I remember those heated discussions around the year 2000 as well. What I found most amusing was all the news stations talking about the beginning of "the new millennium" at the end of 1999 and then at the end of 2000 talked about the beginning of "the true new millennium".
@John H Society and convention rules against you. New era now - "2010" will bring the start of the "new decade."
You wanna start using medical techniques from "year 1" as well? Of course not! Gotta let it go and move on.
@(Unverified)
How does keeping correct count (i.e. remembering we started at Year 1) have anything to do with using medical techniques from that time period? We use more modern medical techniques because there have been improvements, so unless you think losing track of counting, as "society and convention" apparently has, amounts to an improvement, I can't imagine why you used that as an example. That's a ridiculous argument.
The fact that a certain portion of society associates years ending in 0 with the beginning of a new decade/century/millennium doesn't make it correct. A certain portion of society actually believes that "Me and him went to the store" is a grammatically correct sentence.
@(Unverified)
Here: http://www.astronomyboy.com/millennium/
@John H
Three arguments.
First, technically, we didn't start counting "at" year 1. We started counting at year 1582, when they introduced the current Gregorian calendar... ("The Gregorian calendar is the one commonly used today. It was proposed by Aloysius Lilius, a physician from Naples, and adopted by Pope Gregory XIII in accordance with instructions from the Council of Trent (1545-1563) to correct for errors in the older Julian Calendar. It was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in a papal bull on 24 February 1582. This bull is named ``Inter Gravissimas'' after its first two words." http://www.tondering.dk/claus/cal/node1.html) ... and not everyone switched their calendars at that time. Some places didn't start using the Gregorian calendar until the 1900s.
Second, the reckoning of the Gregorian calendar was to reset the calendars to the birth of Christ (ie. AD stands for Anno Domini = In the Year of Our Lord). This has been shown to be historically inaccurate, and that He was born sometime between 7-4 BC, not in 1 AD.
Third, WHO GIVES A FLYING RAT'S ASS ABOUT PEOPLE CALLING IT A DECADE! LET THEM SAY 2010 IS WHATEVER THEY WANT! IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!
@Gib
I agree on all the first 2 counts, and at this point I'm pursuing this more for intellectual sport; this isn't something that gets me hot and bothered or keeps me up at night. However:
For #1: You're correct, but the fact that we might not have started counting from Year 1 AT Year 1 doesn't mean that the counting system we use now doesn't recognize that as the first year. So even though we switched to that system in 1582, the fact is that the counting system we use today only goes back to 1, not 0, which has consequences in determining how many decades/centuries/millennia have passed.
For #2: You're again correct, but the fact that the calendar's intent turns out not to mirror reality (i.e. starting from Christ's birth) again doesn't change the fact that that's the counting system we use and that it starts at 1, even if the event intended for Year 1 turns out not to have taken place at that time. Christmas is celebrated in December when it's fairly clear that Jesus was born in the spring; December 25 was actually chosen because it's near a pagan holiday.
For #3: My problem with that argument is that it gets taken too far. Saying things are right if lots of people believe they're right or that people are free to call anything whatever they want just isn't realistic or wise. The idea that even matters of historical fact (like that we started counting at 1) can be written off as "just your opinion" I think is a dangerous world view to have and one that, when applied to more serious discussions than the end of a decade, could have major ramifications in terms of pursuit of truth, people's overall intellect, etc. I understand that discussing the end of the decade is trite (as I mentioned at the beginning of this post), but there IS a right answer as to when two millennia or 201 decades have elapsed according to our current counting system, and the answers are at the END of the Year 2000 and 2010, respectively. It's just not a matter of opinion. If you want to celebrate more than one digit rolling over, that's fine. But that doesn't equate to the transition into a new decade/century/millennium.
/Soapbox
@John H
This is such a fruitless argument. The world Started this decade in 01Jan00, and they have declared it will end on 31Dec09...that is for all in tents and purposes 10 years...and that's all that matters. The thing that determines when this decade ends is when you began it. For some it maybe 31Dec10 (if you began it on 01Jan01), but for 99% of the world it will be 31Dec09...although either party is correct, but which party is recognized? Obviously the majority rules...facts about when we actually started counting or when the system started counting is irrelevant.
@InternetJunkie06
Fair enough. I agree that for people who defined the start of the decade as Jan 1, 2000, then yes Jan 1, 2010 would be the start of a new decade. I guess the point about this that I find most intriguing is that if you extend that logic all the way back to the beginning, at some point there had to be a 9-year decade for that to work. Which decade do you figure got short shrift?
No more Nokia sponsoring?
@Imran I think after Engadget podcast #173, Nokia may not want to spend money on Engadget and try to put it into either symbian or maemo lol!
Along with the picture you should change "show" to "snow" :p
The DECADE isn't fucking over, its 2009! A Decade is TEN years, defined by the linear start. SMH...
@SouthBayMike
It's like this buddy:
2000 (1) 2001 (2) 2002 (3) 2003 (4) 2004 (5) 2005 (6) 2006 (7) 2007 (8) 2008 (9) 2009 (10)...there you go. It has been this way for ever!
@SouthBayMike
From Wikipedia:
"Some writers like to point out that since the common calendar starts from the year 1, its first full decade contained the years from 1 to 10, the second decade from 11 to 20, and so on.[3] This observation, however, is largely irrelevant since decades are not usually defined and named with ordinal numbers (first, second and so on) but using the initial part of the year number."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_decades
Will it be live broadcasted ?
If yes, where ? :)
LIVE BROADCAST ANYONE??? Please post link
I really would love to go to these. One major downside of living in Scotland! If I'm ever visiting the US while one of these is taping, I'll certainly be making an appearance!
this one was the most boring of all, no free stuff for attendees...
The photo - it burns my retinas. Please don't abuse that amazing cinematic milestone with that corny font/title treatment.
The show was cool...i really love the way it's displayed...
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