[Robotgroup] ABC WifeSwap - wouldn't know a robot if it bit 'em on the... :)

Thu Dec 21 16:40:20 PST 2006

Imagine a meta-reality show.  A RG member, the unsuspecting weirdo, takes the bait.  Using a matrix of hidden cameras, the RG surreptitiously records the producers' efforts to create strife, then has our own production.

----- Original Message ----
From: brooksdesign <brooksdesign at peoplepc.com>
To: vern at txis.com; Austin Robotgroup Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 5:12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] ABC WifeSwap - wouldn't know a robot if it bit 'em on the... :)

welcome to the (new) world of show biz .
-brooks

-----Original Message-----
>From: Vern Graner <vern at txis.com>
>Sent: Dec 21, 2006 2:18 PM
>To: robotgroup at puremagic.com
>Subject: [Robotgroup] ABC WifeSwap - wouldn't know a robot if it bit 'em on    the... :)
>
>Ok, so it turns out that I have "no robots" in my home... Let me
>explain.. :)
>
>I hadn't caught everyone up on the results of ABC contacting us in re:
>being on the WifeSwap show. For reference, here's the story from the
>beginning:
>
>Around Nov 11th these emails started appearing on various robotics forums:
>
>--------------------- CLIP ------------------------
>Subject: For families who are interested in robots,
>         ABC television is looking for you!
>Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 17:36:33 -0000
>From: wife_swap_casting <melissa.rothschild at rdfusa.com>
>
>My name is Melissa Rothschild and I am a Casting Producer for ABC's,
>"Wife Swap". The premise of "Wife Swap" is that one parent from each
>household swaps places for five days to experience how another family
>runs their lives.  It is an incredible family experience and
>opportunity to both learn and teach different family values.  The two
>married couples see themselves and their spouses in a whole new light.
>
>I am currently looking for families interested in robots. Potential
>families can live anywhere in the United States (The only places that
>are not eligible are Canada, Hawaii and Alaska), but we do ask that
>families who apply consist of two parents that have at least one
>child, ages 5 or older, living at home.
>
>Families featured on the show will receive a $20,000 honorarium. If
>you recommend a great family that ends up on our show you get a
>finders fee of $1000 *Family must complete taping and show must air*.
>
>Please speak with anyone who is interested and have them contact me at
>the below number or at this email address.
>
>Look forward to hearing from you and the interested parties!
>
>All the best,
>Melissa
>---------------------/CLIP ------------------------
>
>Soon after, I received an email from Melissa saying Nuts and Volts
>magazine had recommended me for r the show and asking if we would be
>interested.
>
>She wanted to send down a "film crew" to shoot video of our house and
>robots. We agreed and thats when I sent out the S.O.S. call to this list
>asking to borrow some bots (11/15/06) :) I wanted to spruce up the place
>with lots of eye candy for the show and the Robot Group members responded!
>
>On 11/17, ABC sent one young lady out with a fairly nice camcorder (this
>is their idea of a "film crew"?). She arrived at around 7:00pm and told
>us to just  act "naturally" so she could tape us.. We didn't even get
>through dinner before we started to get "directions" from her, "Have
>Sami sit down there.. have Nic play with that robot.. Call Nic on the
>phone again" etc.
>
>She interviewed each of us separately and took video of many of the bots
>around the house. As a recap, what we had on display was:
>
>Gator Girl
>Babbling Head
>Maxx Steele
>Robosapien V1
>Robosapien V2
>WooWee Robopet
>Parallax BOEBOT
>Tab Robotics SUMOBOT
>R2D2 animatronic phone
>Tai Chi Charlie
>6 Therepings
>Lost In Space B9 mini model
>Denise's Mechanical Flower
>The Sisyphus sandart machine
>The Dungeon Keeper animatronic coffin
>The S.U.V (Shy Ultra Violet)
>The Robo Spin Art Machine
>4 CardBots (in various poses and places)
>
>She finished up around 1:30am and hustled out the door to get the tapes
>to a courier meeting her at the hotel at 2:00am to get the tapes back to
>New York.. Things were happening fast and furious! and then... nothing...
>
>So, I sent a follow-up email to Melissa to let her know of my good
>fortune in becoming the President of the Robot Group to let her know
>Kym's new status as the "First Lady" of robotics. :) I was quite
>surprised to see this response:
>
>------------------------- CLIP ----------------------------
>Vern,
>
>Unfortunately, after looking at the tapes we felt that your family had
>been misrepresented as a "robot family" due to the fact that there were
>no robots in the household.
>
>I appreciate your time and I wish you luck as the new President of the
>robot club.
>
>Best,
>Melissa
>
>Melissa Rothschild| Casting Associate Producer | ABC's, "Wife Swap"
>RDF USA| 440 9th Avenue| 11th Floor| New York| NY 10001
>tel. + 1 212 404 2444| fax. + 1 212 404 1423
>melissa.rothschild at rdfusa.com | www.rdfusa.com
>------------------------- /CLIP ---------------------------
>
>Though I toyed with leaving this alone, I decided to send a response in
>an attempt to correct what I felt where serious misconceptions on their
>part:
>
>------------------------- CLIP ----------------------------
>No Robots!? I suggest you review the definition of "robot":
>
>From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot):
>
>"A robot is an(are) electro-mechanical/bio-mechanical device(s) that can
>perform autonomous or preprogrammed tasks."
>
>The items we presented certainly qualify using this accepted definition,
>and would not be found *anywhere* but in the household of "families
>interested in robots" (a quote from your solicitation email).
>
>Would you say those things that make cars on the assembly line aren't
>robots? How about that little wheeled vehicle on Mars.. is it a "robot"?
>
>I guess you were hoping for some movie set robots such as R2D2 or
>C3PO... devices that only exist as science fiction "props" or in
>multi-million dollar research labs.
>
>FWIW, most *real* robots used by hobbyists and researches are about
>shoe-box sized and do not look like "humans" at all. For example:
>
>http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/robotics/shop/robo_comparison.asp
>
>http://www.crustcrawler.com/products/nomad.php?prod=3
>
>I feel we had some pretty photogenic and impressive robots (not all of
>which were working on such short notice). Maybe you "misrepresented"
>what you were seeking?
>
>If you give me a better idea of what it was you were looking for, maybe
>I can reconfigure what we have or suggest someone who has what you're
>seeking?
>
>Vern
>------------------------- /CLIP ---------------------------
>
>I have not had a response. :)
>
>So.. thats the story of the ABC Wife Swap. Turns out they want to do a
>show on Robots, but they don't know what a Robot is. Pretty weird, eh? :)
>
>Vern "The Robotless" Graner
>
>-- 
>Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
>Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
>Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course, if the network
>http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
>Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG
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