
Mike Judge Skewers Silicon Valley With the Satire of Our Dreams - kareemm
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/mike-judge-silicon-valley/
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phusion
No comments!? I really enjoyed this show, I don't think there has really been
anything like it-- but then again I never saw "Betas". Mike Judge brings some
interesting things to the table, I had no idea he was a math major and had
geeky leanings.

This show has lots of promise, and not just for IT industry folks. It's a
great ribbing of the mentality of the giant tech companies who promise to make
the world a better place--

"Hooli is making the world a better place through minimal messaging transport
layers." \-- laughed my ass off.

What did HN think of this show? Did you watch it? Will you keep watching every
week?

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jacoblyles
I thought it was "meh" until the doctor started pitching the main character on
his startup during an appointment - then I lost it

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ojbyrne
I find a lot of HBO (and other cable) shows start slow and improve once they
find a rhythm. Perhaps because they don't need to immediately grab an
audience.

The show did seem a little slow, but looks promising.

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dragonwriter
> I find a lot of HBO (and other cable) shows start slow and improve once they
> find a rhythm. Perhaps because they don't need to immediately grab an
> audience.

I find that's true of most shows, including those on traditional networks. I
don't think its really a cable (or premium cable) vs. traditional network
issue.

~~~
ojbyrne
It is, but basic cable shows are more prone to pull the plug early. HBO,
especially, seems to have much more patience. The canonical example would be
"The Wire."

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LukeWalsh
I think it's odd that tech people are comparing this to the Big Bang theory.
Big Bang theory dumbs down all of the jokes at the expense of not conveying a
genuine culture. This is why it is massively successful in the general
population and regected by geeks.

Silicon Valley seems to be the opposite at least based on the first episode.
There are at least 4x as many subtle tech memes as there are jokes.

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tsax
Agreed. I absolutely loathe Big Bang Theory and don't understand why people
like it. It consists of cardboard cutout characters with unfunny dialogue. I
watched the Silicon Valley pilot and was on the floor laughing. This is
genuine stuff. No comparison.

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jonnathanson
Big Bang Theory isn't made for geeks; it's made for people who want to laugh
at geeks. Mostly, it's made to sitcom conventions and happens to use geekery
as the punchline to conventional setups, situations, and timing. It's a show
on rails, with ostensible 'nerds' as set dressing. Provided you watch it as a
formulaic, mildly entertaining sitcom, it serves that purpose. Occasionally
you can nod knowingly at catching Sheldon's obscure-to-the-general-public
science references. But if you're the kind of person who catches Sheldon's
references, the show's not for you. (In the aggregate, at least. Personally
speaking, I enjoy Sheldon, even though I recognize him as a caricature.)

There have been some great commentaries over the last few years about shows
_for_ nerds vs. shows _about_ nerds. Compare, for example, Big Bang Theory and
Community. The former has more putatively 'nerdy' characters, but it's by no
means a nerdy show. The latter revels in its obscurity, geekery, and
absurdity, even though only one of the characters is supposed to be a 'nerd'
in the vein of BBT's Sheldon. General Population watches BBT for
entertainment, but also for a sort of paradoxical validation: to feel 'in' on
the nerdery, but mostly to place a safe distance between itself and nerdery.
Nerds, meanwhile, watch shows like Community, which make no bones about their
nerdery.

Traditionally, the gulf between content 'for nerds' and 'about nerds' has been
pretty wide. That's because the non-nerdy public finds the genuine article to
be unfamiliar and vaguely threatening. If Judge's take on Silicon Valley
succeeds, it will be the first time in years that someone's bridged this gap.

~~~
agent00f
> Big Bang Theory isn't made for geeks; it's made for people who want to laugh
> at geeks.

It's important to note that BBT's jokes are largely predicated on academia and
NOT tech culture since their inside consultant is a physics prof. It's amusing
when the "geeks" complain how the show portrays _them_ , when they don't just
get the humor having never shared the experiences of the academics on the
show.

That said, the volume of nuanced yet poignant physics jokes has dropped since
season 1. Still not bad though, and enjoyed by those without the misplaced
egos.

~~~
jonnathanson
The physics jokes are probably the best part of the show, and they're sort of
an easter egg for people who get them. That's the part of the show where the
effort invested (expert consultant, etc.) really shines through.

In general, I find the show mildly to moderately funny. I'm certainly not
_offended_ by it, as a lot of people seem to be. I just take it for what it
is. It's a mainstream show that happens to feature some insider humor, rather
than the other way around. Characterizations of the show as "nerd blackface"
seem misguided, IMO. Legitimately offensive "nerd blackface" would be, for
example, the portrayal of Asian-American characters in '80s comedies like
Revenge of the Nerds and Sixteen Candles.

~~~
agent00f
All true, but the main point is that the subject of BBT isn't "geeks", which
explains the misguided haterade. For example, Raj seeking research/grant
funding from Sheldon and their university office sharing hijinx hits home for
a segment of nerds who aren't the type to frequent reddit or HN where the
"laugh at geeks" narrative became popular.

This is esp. cogent if Community is supposed to be a "proper" nerdy show. The
reality is a single-camera format is more conducive to a more subtle script
(eg 30 rock, which geeks similarly like) than a cheap/quick multi-cam sitcom.
The love seems to stem from the nature of the material, which is conflated
with the material itself.

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waterlesscloud
If all the show ever does is make saying your startup is "making the world a
better place" instantly mock-worthy, then it was worth it.

~~~
aaronem
Oh? I've never been all that close to the SV startup scene, and as far as I've
been able to tell, that was mock-worthy already. Many good things have come
from startups, but maintaining a sense of perspective is a good thing, too.

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kqr2
HBO put the first full episode on youtube for at least US viewers:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvkmsI54ss4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvkmsI54ss4)

~~~
bowlofpetunias
"Not available in your country."

Nothing encourages piracy like geotarded content on youtube. What other
industry thinks "na na na, you can't have this" is good marketing?

~~~
dfc
Answer: Every high end luxury good ever marketed.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good)

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valarauca1
I like the show a lot. I think it does a good job at mocking stereotypes that
are all too prevalent in the industry and playing it off for laughs. Most the
jokes are very pointed and I feel easy to miss. The world changing CEO who
only a 15 minute conversation with can change your outlook on life. Its great.

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daphneokeefe
I'm confused. So many comments here but the link returns "Not Found. The
requested URL /2014/04/mike-judge-silicon-valley/ was not found on this
server."

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gdubs
I thought the satire was well-aimed, and my wife and I laughed out loud a few
times. My nit is that I was hoping for it to feel less "sitcom-y" for an HBO
production. Looking forward to AMC's Silicon Valley drama that's coming -- I
believe that one is set in the early 90's, and more of a drama.

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spo81rty
I loved it. It's like big bang theory meets start ups and IT.

