David Pogue’s “It’s All Geek To Me” Debuts Friday

The Science Channel debuts “It’s All Geek to Me,” a new weekly series that brings O’Reilly author and The New York Times personal technology columnist David Pogue’s expertise on the world of technology to television. In each half-hour episode, Pogue uses his unique brand of humor to help average consumers unravel the mystery behind complex electronic gadgets used in their daily lives. Whether it’s choosing the right digital camera, unlocking fun tricks on your cell phone or learning how to edit your own home videos, Pogue’s unique knowledge and expertise helps it all make sense. The series premieres Friday, May 18, at 8 PM (ET/PT) and will air every Friday on The Science Channel.

For years, David Pogue has enlightened readers about personal technology in The New York Times, as founder of and author for O’Reilly Media’s Missing Manual series, and as an Emmy award-winning correspondent for CBS News. Now his unique wisdom reveals the mysteries and special features and functions behind a variety of consumer technology products. Useful tips and tricks, interspersed with quirky sketches — including man-on-the-street segments — ensure that each episode of “It’s All Geek to Me” entertains while informing.

Camcorders
Camcorder sales may be down, but amateur video is way, way up, thanks to the camera phone, YouTube and other developments. David Pogue takes you on a fast, funny ride through the entire process of becoming a home-movie mogul: choosing a camcorder (tape vs. DVD vs. memory card), learning to use it, editing out the boring parts and finally posting the result on the Web for a potential audience of one billion people.

Cell Phones
Cell phones have gotten less expensive, smaller and more powerful over time, but people still have a love-hate relationship with these little gadgets. David Pogue offers couples therapy for you and your phone. He shows which features are worth shopping for, how to avoid being scammed when signing up for service and how to save minutes and money using voicemail, directory assistance, picture sending and more.

Laptops
Laptops: they’re the fastest-growing kind of computer, the road warrior’s trusty companion. David Pogue takes this show on the road, literally, and offers advice on getting online, protecting your laptop from theft and destruction, using public wireless hot spots without being eavesdropped and presenting PowerPoint pitches while connected to a projector.

Digital Cameras
Digital cameras have revolutionized photography; in less than a decade, they almost completely wiped film cameras off the map. But that doesn’t mean they’re idiot-proof. David Pogue demonstrates how to buy a camera, avoid common photo-taking pitfalls, fix up the lousy shots on the computer and finally present the results to your adoring public via slideshow, e-mail, DVD or website.

iPods
You knew that your iPod plays music. But did you know it’s also a stopwatch, alarm clock, Web-page reader, audio book, recipe reader, TiVo recorder, karaoke machine, podcast player, radio, big-screen TV and YouTube viewer? You will, once David Pogue gets finished.

Saving Past Data
At this very moment, all of your audio, video and photographic memories are disintegrating, slowly but surely. VHS tapes have only a 15-year shelf life before the image begins to degrade; cassette tapes, same problem; and plenty of computer storage formats are no longer playable because nobody makes the programs or the disk drives anymore. In this show, David Pogue shows you how to rescue all of these decaying or disappearing formats: home movies on film, vinyl records, VHS tapes, audio tapes, data on floppy disks, slides, prints and more.

“It’s All Geek to Me” is produced for The Science Channel by City Lights Television. Dave Noll and Christopher Stout produced for City Lights and Mark Allen is executive producer for The Science Channel.

[tags]science channel, david pogue, new york times, personal technology, science, consumer electronic, consumer electronics[/tags]