Full disclosure: Most competition based television shows bore me to tears. And while I understand the appeal of shows like AMERICAN IDOL, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, LAST COMIC STANDING, DANCING WITH THE STARS, and THE BIGGEST LOSER, the simple fact of the matter is that there is only so much I can take when it comes to watching people sing, dance, tell jokes, or cry over and over and over again.
Unless of course they’re laughing, singing, or crying on AMERICA’s GOT TALENT, the hit NBC show that continues to amaze me week-in-and-week-out by allowing anyone with any talent to compete. From sword swallowing to genital dare-devilling (Seriously, you would not believe what some people do to get on TV!) no ‘talent’ is too obscure… except it seems the nerdy ones! As this part-time TV Addict, full-time tech head has yet to see a great techno-talent appear on stage.
A fact made all the more surprising when you consider some of the unbelievable tech-related talents and skills people have. For example:
- I once saw a 13 year old kid so good and fast at Guitar Hero that his fingers were a blur on the fretboard.
- I’ve seen teenage girls that can text on cellphone’s number pad faster than most people can type on a keyboard.
- Some of the most skilled dancing I’ve ever seen has been on a Dance Dance Revolution machine.
- I’ve seen custom AV installers strip a coax cable and put a connector on faster than most people can find the power button on their TV remote.
- Watching this guy beatbox the music to Super Mario Bros. was pretty incredible.
- Some of the most interesting music compositions I’ve heard have been played on Game Boys, Commodore 64s, and other ancient game consoles.
Suffice to say, America most definitely has tech talent. Perhaps not talent enough to sustain a live show in Vegas 365 days a year. But if there’s anything watching AMERICA’S GOT TALENT has taught me is that some of the most entertaining talents you’ll ever see are ones you didn’t know existed until that very moment. And if given the chance, people can do some pretty amazing (and bizarre) things.
America most definitely has tech talent, and I want to see it compete next season.
Don’t you?
Satisfy your inner geek while fueling your TV addiction… TV Tech Fix is a column by Matt Whitlock, editor of the TechLore.com Consumer Electronics Community (plus several other gadget-focused community websites), and lover of both technology and TV. In this column, he’ll cover a wide variety of tech topics aimed squarely at the TV addicts of the world – from tips and tricks to help you better your TV experience, to gear recommendations, to the impact technology is having on the TV shows we love.
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