IamA TWiT! Hi, it's Leo Laporte, AMA about TWiT and The New Screen Savers!

What happened with Brian Brushwood? When are you going to make-up and have him back?

I'm sure I will eventually. He did a drunken show with JRY that really hurt my feelings. They were also very cruel to my wife. That's pretty unforgivable, but hey, if I can hug Calacanis anything's possible.

Well I believe Brian did try to meetup with you in Ausin but was rebuffed? Screenshot

I would have talked with him gladly. He did not come see us. In fact, he's never apologized at all.

How often do you think you can get Patrick Norton on the show? There is a dynamic between you two that is unmatched, and I've never seen it remotely replicated on any other show. Thanks for bringing back TSS.

As often as he'll do it. Saturdays are tough for him because of his kids, but we'll get him as much as possible!

Is John C. Dvorak a troll persona? He seems like he might be a nice guy when you don't give him attention.

John is the original troll, but in a nice way. He made a name for himself by being the anti-editor (that was actually his title at MacUser). I think that's part of his appeal - he's the antidote to the generally fawning coverage tech gets in the trade press.

Jason Calacanis is back now, when will you invite Adam Curry back?

Adam seems to be taking a real delight in slamming me and TWiT. I eventually blocked him on Twitter for that reason. Naturally I'm reluctant to give him air time on my show. That's fine - there are plenty of people who aren't on TWiT. Most people, in fact. Adam has his own bully pulpit. I doubt he cares about being on mine.

Any Chance of Martin Sargent return?

Hopefully we'll see him on the New Screen Savers sometime at least. Martin Sargent covering the weird things on the internet is hilarious and can be fascinating.

Martin is already scheduled to co-host TNSS on 5/23/15.

Can you switch Twit live over so we can watch you do this AMA live?

I'm at home in my underwear. Do you really want that? I guess I could Meerkat it.

YES YES YES DO THIS! :)

OK I'm live. mrk.tv/1KHXdS0 - watching me type will be SO exciting.

Hi Leo. I've been listening to Windows Weekly for years and years; really love the content you guys produce.

My question is: Has a guest ever turned out to be very rude in a way that totally surprised you? If so, how did you deal with it on the air?

Most people are reluctant to be truly rude in public. Mike Arrington did once ask me a very rude question (he implied that I was on the take from Palm and that's why I liked the Palm Pre). I hung up on him and never had him on a show again. The video is somewhere on YouTube. Not my finest hour, but fortunately that's the only time that's happened.

Was this the infamous "Butt Cuba"?

What is this "butt cuba" of which you speak?

Would love to have you do a triangulation with the Quad Father, without getting too religious; his path to TWiT seems very interesting. Ever consider doing Triangulations with some of your hosts?

Great idea! We have interviewed many of our hosts in the past on Triangulation. I like to space them out, though. I don't want anyone to think we're lazy about our bookings!

No one would after todays show! How did you get Neil Young?

Harry McCracken's wife, Marie Domingo, made the connection. I'm eternally grateful - Neil is one of my stone cold heroes. I hope I wasn't squeeing too badly!

How did you get hooked up with Steve Martin too? I don't think I would have been able to carry on a coherent conversation with him.

Steve sent me a direct message on Twitter about five years ago. He said "Great admirer of yours, Leo. No need to respond." He's kind of weirdly humble and shy that way.

We have corresponded ever since, but I wouldn't dare to call him a friend. I once called myself a "fan" of his, and he practically yelled at me. I don't think he likes that idea of fandom.

Hi Leo, I remember first seeing you on TechTV and am excited for the New Screensavers.

I've seen from commentators on reddit and youtube is that people think that any time an employee leaves the network that they have been fired personally by you. I try to look up each person's own explanations on why they left (contract is up, new opportunities, ect) and no one implies any bad feelings. Is this something you can speak to or explain? Thanks

Not everyone who leaves TWiT is fired, by a long shot but I've had to fire my share of employees. That's what happens when you own a business. It's always horrible. But we can't talk publicly about it to protect both parties. Unfortunately that means I can't (or shouldn't) respond to allegation from trolls, etc. I have been too talkative in the past, and I apologize for that. I had to learn the hard way that it's nobody's business but the people directly involved.

I love transparency, but unfortunately, I can't always be as forthright as I'd like.

Hi, Leo! (currently watching you on Meerkat)

I watched TNSS today, and it brought back a wave of nostalgia!

I wanted to say thank you for everything. I still have my How To Build A Computer VHS from back in the day. I think i got it for christmas when i was in fifth grade!

My mom still blames (in a good way) you for making me the nerd that I am. In fact, TechTV/The Screen Savers is the only reason we kept DirecTV back in the day! I graduated last year with a Bachelors' of Computer Science, and I really, really owe you a huge debt of gratitude.

What advice would you have for someone that is at an impressionable age like I was back in the day?

Awwww that's so sweet. You mom is so sweet. Thank her for me!

You owe ME nothing - just pay it forward.

I always tell young people to find their passion and do it. Don't worry about anything else. If you're doing what you love the universe aligns behind you.

Hi Leo! My question is this : How long is your typical work day? How many hours a week do you personally spend at the studio? BTW : I was the first caller on your "trial episode" of The New Screen Savers, and it was amazing to be able to speak with you. I wish I could have screen-grabbed the video of my chat with you, since it never aired!

I'm usually on the air for four hours every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then about six hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Of course there's a lot of other stuff to do to keep TWiT running. That's why I have Lisa and the team. They work hard so I can go home and sit in my hot tub.

Where do you see TWIT going in the next ten years?

Watch the excellent interview Kevin Rose did with me on the most recent Foundation... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNvzpx4KrXs. About 54 minutes in I talk about the future of TWiT.

I think we're on a roll right now and I'm very bullish about the future. I'd love to be a full-blown, 24x7, IPTV channel.

Hi Leo!

Just curious if you were planning to bring back the "Build the Ultimate Gaming Machine" segment in Screen Savers? That was always one of my favorite parts, not only because it provided great insight at the time into the top of the line parts, but a great laugh later on to look at how far we have come.

Hope all is well. Thanks for sharing your time with us!

We did it when we launched TWiT, actually. Colleen built an amazing liquid cooled behemoth. We did a series of shows around it then gave it away on the air.

It's probably time to do another Ultimate Gaming Machine, though!

the pcper leaderboard is amazing. Definitely need to include those guys on builds

Agreed. I always send people to the pcper leaderboard when they ask.

Thanks for Bringing back The New Screens Savers. Watching it also made it seem like it never ended way back when. I was one of the first to win a TWiT hoodie at the Apple Store. Do you have plans to take the show on the road?

I would love to. I want to rent an Airstream and take the show on the road. And if we ever figure out how, we will!

Have you had any issues with people using your content in unanticipated / inappropriate ways since you've been releasing it under creative commons?

We did recently change the license to no-derivatives (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International license) due to a couple of trolls. But when people ask we almost always give permission.

How long will it take before the "New" in the title can be dropped?

Good question! I think we'll keep it for six months or so.

Right now it seems like you're going to rotate through co-hosts every week on TNSS. Are you eventually going to pick a new permanent co-host?

I'm not sure. I really like the idea of rotating hosts. The New Screen Savers is intended to be a variety show. Each co-host will bring her or his unique interests to the show and I think that's fun.

I wouldn't rule it out though if we find the perfect person!

Hey Leo, any plans to get Chris Pirillo on a TWiT show?

We haven't contacted Chris yet, but we will.

anyone else from he original ScreenSaver crew coming back?

Pretty much everyone. Patrick was co-host Saturday, Kevin Rose is this Saturday. Megan, Sarah, Martin Sargent, Morgan Webb, Kate Botello, have all agreed to appear. But we're also going to be featuring the folks who work at TWiT and many others. I don't want it to be a nostalgia show - we just want to be as fun and informative as the original.

Are there any podcast episodes that never made it to release? If so, can you give us the story?

Only the shows I either erased or forgot to record! I accidentally erased a FLOSS Weekly twice in the early days. I had to send Chris DiBona a gift basket to get him to record it a third time.

These days no one lets me touch the recordings.

How is Floss Weekley doing? I hope it won't get axed any time soon.

It's not a big show but it's important. I consider it a pro bono broadcast.

If I recall, TWiT originally went by "The New Screen Savers" until your previous employer put a stop to that. What happened to let you call it this again? (I suspect the answer might be "I can't talk about that." That's fine, too)

We called it "The Revenge of the Screen Savers" for about 10 seconds. But G4TechTV was still airing a show called The Screen Savers so there was some merit in their (gentle) complaint at the time.

It's been 10 years however, and Comcast's trademark has long lapsed, so I feel comfortable using it now. Anyway, we're not copying the old show; we're creating a new show in the same spirit.

Hi Leo, I’ve been a fan since the TechTV days. My questions:

1. I was wondering about totaldrama, and whether you have any legal options against that idiot (slander/etc)? He seems to have an creepy / unhealthy obsession with you.

2. How did the return of Jason Calacanis happen? I’m happy he’s back and whatever issues you had are resolved now.

Sorry for the somewhat “negative” questions, but I’ve been curious about them.

Thank you and enjoy your AMA!

EDIT: I moderate /r/tnss and would like to ask anyone who is interested in helping me mod it that 1) has mod experience 2) knows css 3) enjoys "The New Screen Savers" or TWiT in general to please PM me.

Trolls be trolling. Nothing I can, or want, to do about it.

As for Jason, I never lost my affection or regard for him, I just didn't want to promote a business that was copying TWiT. It was silly and I'm glad he was willing to accept my apology. He really is great on TWiT.

On point #2, yesterday's show was probably one of the best in a long time because Jason has a ton of insight into how Silicon Valley works. Glad the dust up is done!

No kidding. Jason really brought his A game to yesterday's TWiT. Lots of fun and tremendous insight and feeling.

Which now-discontinued TWiT-network show do you wish could have kept going?

Every single one. It's a LOT of work and costs a lot of money to launch a show. We only launch a show if I love the idea and really want to do it.

We only cancel them due to lack of audience. So you can pretty much assume I hated canceling every one of them.

For this reason I hope Ham Nation continues to work out.

Ham Nation is a bona fide hit. Those guys are doing a great job!

Big fan for a long time. I host a large YT Channel now, over 1M subs and yet we struggle with painfully low ad rates. You told me once you get 80 CPMs. HOw do current Yters get that kind of cheddar for their hard work?

Advertisers pay what an ad is worth. I always thought TWiT was a premium product, so we've always held out for high CPMs (cost per thousand impressions).

My goal is to give advertisers a reasonable return on investment while maximizing the amount we make. Just keep making great stuff! Oh, and get off YouTube - you're not working for yourself, you're enriching Google!

When you bring Patrick back, will he bring his kilt with him too?

I was mad at Patrick - he didn't wear the kilt on Saturday. :-( I'll make sure he does next time!

This was always my favourite moment from the radio show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHERqRLvU8k

Do you have a favourite/most memorable moment from your years of broadcasting?

That was one of my favorite moments. I teared up hearing again.

I really am lucky doing the job I do. I feel so blessed that every moment is special. I know that sounds corny, but it's true.

Hi Leo! Grew up watching you with my dad, ever since the original screen savers. I met you back in the summer of 2013, my entire family came for a Sunday edition of your podcast! http://imgur.com/bL7mFvG Here's the picture, I'm the guy with the white box over my sweatshirt, it had my school name on it and I didn't want to throw that out to the public! I've just got two questions, if you don't mind.

1. What do you think has been the most influential piece of technology in the last 10 years?
2. What do you think will be the most influential piece, in the next ten years?

Thanks and keep up the great work!

It was great meeting you. My favorite TSS stories are about the fathers and sons who watched together. (And mothers and daughters.)

As for the most influential tech of the past 10 years, the Internet changed everything, but the iPhone put it in your pocket. It, and its clones, have brought technology to the masses.

As for the next 10 - I think augmented reality will be a game changer.

Hey Leo, long time fan since the ZDTV days. Just curious, are you still not taking a salary from TWiT and getting the majority of your income from the "real radio" show and tips? Keep up the good work!

Oh god no. That didn't work out at all. About half my income comes from the radio show. The other half I take as draw from TWiT. My ex-wife gets all the rest.

Hi Leo,

Are you still an active radio amateur?

I have my general ticket: W6TWT, but I never get on these days. I spend so much time on the air as it is! I am planning to do some DXing and learn CW when I get a moment. Probably something for retirement!! 73!

Hi Leo- Thanks very much for providing such good Tech commentary/entertainment/news all these years... Real quick, who is the co-host who makes you crack up laughing most consistently?

Sarah Lane. I miss her so much!

I also have a blast every time I work with PadreSJ.

How did you convince Mike Elgan to put an end to his world travels and work for you? Or were his travels coming to an end anyway? (watching you type the reply to this write now.. spooky)

I didn't not expect Mike to say yes when we offered him a job, but he did. I think his wife wanted to have a kitchen to call her own. But for whatever reason, we're really glad he decided to end his peripatetic ways here in Sonoma County.

I still remember the day my friend called me up after hearing you or Patrick on TSS read an email telling him to get well soon after he had surgery. To this day I haven't seen the episode myself since I fell asleep! I was in 8th grade then, so 2002. I've since gone on to receive a Master's degree in Information Science (teaching kids about technology as a librarian in a school now!), and I owe a lot to you and the whole crew as there really wasn't a golden tech resource like TSS. That look and quality of the shows has had some influence on my Youtube channel, where I talk about preserving cancelled games (youtube.com/ptoponline ), so I just wanted to say thank you for TechTV, TWiT, and everything else you have done to promote technology. I wouldn't be here otherwise!

So my question is, what has been the most surprising person you've heard about that was a regular watcher of TechTV?

Thanks so much for that great comment. I'm really thrilled about how TechTV and TWiT has touched so many people.

I am always surprised when I hear about celebrities who listen - like Steve Martin and Roger McGuinn, but it's people like you we really do it for.

Do you have any regrets about building TWiT out in the middle of nowhere?

Can you talk about any notable missed opportunities caused by TWiT being headquartered in Petaluma?

If you were to do it all over again, would you stick with Petaluma or build TWiT closer to the city?

We love Petaluma. The quality of life is excellent here. And after commuting to SF for 13 years I'm thrilled to live five minutes from work. I also think it's an advantage to be outside the SF tech bubble but close enough that we can entice people to come up.

Finally, Skype solves this issue entirely. We don't need to be in SF, or LA, or NYC, and can treat everywhere equally thanks to the Internet.

I watched TNSS on Saturday and it brought back good memories from my teenage years. It just didn't have the same feel as it did back then, probably because there are just so many technology shows available now than it was back in the early 2000's. I still loved it, you're 99% responsible for what I do for a living today.

How long do we have to wait to see Kevin Mitnick and Steve Wozniak host a show?

I really wanted to reprise the show where Woz gave Kevin a Macbook to use for his first time back on the Internet. I've proposed the idea Woz, but he says he's really really busy these days and almost always on the road, so maybe it won't happen. I will get Mitnick though. He's been on before.

Hi Leo, do you think Apple will ever allow you to attend keynotes again?

I wonder about that. I feel like I'm on a list and next to my name there's a handwritten note: NEVER! -SJ

On the other hand, even if I were invited I wouldn't be able to go. I need to be in the studio to anchor coverage. If you're in the keynote, you can't cover it.

I am so glad I did get to see Steve's best keynotes in person: the iPhone announcement, the iPad announcement. Great performances by a master showman. I don't think I'm missing anything much these days.

Leo, huge fan of TWit, and the TechTV Days/Screen Savers. Are you bringing back Patrick full time to the show and are you going to have an app on the Roku/Smart TV's?

We did offer Patrick a full-time job when he left Rev3 because we wanted him to co-host with me. But he's happy doing his own shows (and didn't like the idea of commuting to Petaluma on Saturdays). So I'm just going to have to settle for getting him in every month or so.

Hello Leo,

Sometimes, on various shows that cover Apple, Google, or Microsoft, you have a tendency to "like" that platform for that show, then disparage it on one of the other shows. Is this intentional or an attempt to "be fair"? It sometimes comes across as odd.

In the real world, things are rarely black or white - good or bad. I usually like some things about a product and dislike others. Maybe that's what you're hearing. People are so used to a one word opinion on something that they can't hear the full, nuanced, opinion.

I promise I state my opinion truthfully everywhere. It just may not be the simplified take you're looking for. Pretty much every show I do there's someone calling for my head because I'm insufficiently worshipful.

LEO! I've been watching and listening to you for a long time now. I even got my wife listening to you on the drive to work on weekends. Thank you for all you've provided to give insight and exposure to the tech world.

What would you do differently (if anything) building TWiT and keeping/letting go the different hosts over the years?

That's a really hard question. I'm so happy with where we are right now I'd hesitate to change anything. Even the painful stuff!

Hi Leo, as a long time fan of your shows since the days of Tech TV and Screen Savers days, since the New Screen Savers debuted, any chance of it some day going back to television or is it just going to stay on Twit tv?

I really felt that mainstream TV was not a good fit for the kind of stuff I like to do. They kept wanting to dumb it down.

Thank goodness for the Internet. We have a relatively small audience (well bigger than TechTV did, but not exactly American Idol sized) that shares our deep interest in tech. I wouldn't want to dilute that to reach the larger audiences broadcast TV requires.

But if the check were really big.... hmmmm

Hey Leo! I have been so happy to finally see the Screensavers format revived. I was not around in the TechTV days but I have been watching you through TWiT since around ~2009 and I visited you at the Brickhouse during the first week. My question is are you still considering doing some sort of daily morning show and if TWiT has any plans to eventually expand beyond the Brickhouse (like perhaps a satellite studio in LA or NYC)? Keep up the fantastic content :)

PS: I wanted to personally say thank you to you for allowing me to interview you in 2011 and to TWiT for opening up so many opportunities for me. I have met many wonderful people through the TWiT community, some of which I have met up with IRL and have formed true friendships with.

Hi, Carmen! I don't think the morning show is going to happen - we just couldn't find the right talent to do it. As for an NYC studio, we're ready to go. Just waiting for a green light from CUNY.

I last saw you at SXSW when you crowd surfed at the live Diggnation, I still have the video! Do you still go to SXSW?

No we skipped the last two SxSWs - it's pretty hard to top that crowd surf.

Hi Leo! I've been a long time fan since TechTV. It was a while ago and I don't exactly remember, but I do recall reading an article that said Comcast was not very pleased with the use of "The Revenge of the Screen Savers" name. How were you able to use "The Screen Savers" name?

It's been a long long time since TSS left the air. We did try to make a deal with them but they showed little interest, so after a couple of years of trying, we just decided to go it alone. And I'm thrilled!

what do you do with all your old devices? Absolutely nothing ages quicker then consumer tech. Do you give them away to guests? Do you get a tax break when you buy them?

A lot of them are passed along to other staffers (Fr. Robert has my old Oneplus One. Chad has my old Pebble. etc.) Some we sell on Gazelle. And I've been known to hand something to an audience member from time to time.

Plus our basement is really big and full of crap.

Everything we buy for the shows is a business deduction. Stuff I buy for personal use is not deductible.

What happened to Yoshi? And is he coming back to do more crazy builds and laser cutting?

Yep - he's working in the movie business, but we've reached out to him to get him onto The New Screen Savers.

What do you think would have happened to TechTV if G4 never bought it?

That's a great question. I think the problem with doing a cable channel is that it's so expensive that you have to make it mass market. Even before G4 bought us we were heading in a very bad direction, dumbing the content down, and doing tangential content, in an effort to woo a general audience. In doing so we risked losing the niche audience that loved us so much.

That's why I started TWiT. Doing it on the Internet means we don't need to reach a mass audience - we do very well with the niche audience - so we can do exactly the programming our niche wants without concessions to mass appeal.

Do you think TWiT will continue once you've hung up the mic?

I hope so. My son wants to keep it going. But I'm afraid the subject matter will shift to skateboarding and dubstep.

4k Twit??

Do you really want to see me in 4k???

In truth, when Alex Lindsay started doing 1080p Macbreak video I thought he was crazy. No one could stream it without dropping frames. Now it's commonplace. So never say never. In 10 years, we may be 8k!

Hi Leo, thanks for bringing us TWiT. Is there an active forum to discuss each episode of the show? Other than the live chat I have very little luck finding an outlet to engage and discuss on things that happened in each episode, it could be something very beneficial considering how big the community is.

Live chat is it. We used to have fora but that seems kind of old skool. Maybe a subreddit?

We kind of rely on our community to create such things as needed.

Leo- thanks for the info-tainment. I used to watch TechTv and learned a great deal about PC building from you and your crew. Loved Patrick, Megan, Morgan and the rest of the gang. On of my biggest reqrets was never attending a live recording. I'm in the area, but was tethered to my job. One of my prized possessions is an actual screen savers mug.

I'd like to name a pizza after you... What would be on the Leo Laporte Signature Pizza?

Now you're making me hungry. Pizza is my FAVORITE food! Where do you pizzify?

A Leo Laporte pizza would have lots of ham on it. Ha ha. Actually I prefer sausage and meatball and pepperoni and garlic. And that, my friends, is why I can't eat pizza any more. :-(

Hey Leo! I'm a long-time fan, and grew up watching your shows on TechTV. I remember having my Rio Karma and listening to the first episodes of TWiT (and ROTSS) and loving every second.

Are there any chances we could see other favorites from the old days resurface? I would love a new Call For Help, and with all the resources available now it'd be incredibly informative. I learned a lot of troubleshooting basics from Call For Help, and kept watching when it was only produced in Canada.

I hope TWiT continues strong into the future. You've always been someone I look up to, and I can only hope my children one day will as well. Thanks for all that you do!

I feel like the Call for Help need is satisfied by the six hours of call in radio I do every weekend as the Tech Guy. It's pretty much the same stuff. For now, I think we want to put all our energies into The New Screen Savers and make it a perfect hour every week. That's hard!

Hi Leo! I know you don't like marketing, but I have a question. I discovered TWiT last December through a Google search that led me to an All About Android episode. I am now hooked on TWiT all the time since then! I would have loooved to watch TWiT earlier but I was just not aware of it. Do you or the TWiT marketing team think about doing very targeted ads (toward IT professionals especially) in order to get people like me who would be interested but are not aware of the network yet? Thank you for what you bring to the community.

This is something we debate all the time. I prefer to grow organically via word of mouth, but I would like to reach everyone who would enjoy our stuff. I just don't want to waste money talking to people who wouldn't.

If you think more people should be watching, tell your friends!!

Leo, When you interviewed Mitch Kapor on Triangulation, you mentioned that in the 90's Microsoft attempted to replace the Worldwide Web with their own protocols. Do you remember what Microsoft called that program?

I don't alas. But the interview should still be at http://twit.tv/tri.