Another Brick in the Wall

March 9, 2012

Léo doing a podcast in the TWiT Cottage (Photo by Ron Schott)

Almost daily I listen to or watch netcasts created by Léo Laporte’s TWiT.tv network. Léo has been broadcasting about computer technology on the radio and television for many years, but I did not know of his work until I stumbled across his podcast of a get-together of former Tech TV hosts back in 2005. I loved his style and was grateful when he began a regular podcast which has evolved into a whole raft of video and audio netcasts emanating from Petaluma, California to the north of San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

The TWiT Cottage where it all started

For years I listened to his audio podcasts on my iPod and then my iPhone. He started broadcasting video along with the audio, and I would sometimes watch the video versions on my Apple TV or iPad.

But I started regularly watching the video versions once I had an iPad 2, especially since it can send the videos over to my HDTV via AirPlay to my second generation Apple TV. I can now effortlessly switch back and forth between the tablet and the big TV.

I regularly watch these TWiT shows:

This Week in Tech – weekly tech punditry from Léo Laporte and friends
MacBreak Weekly – funny Apple updates from Léo and friends
This Week in Google – what is happening with Google and the cloud
Windows Weekly – what is happening with Microsoft
The Giz Wiz – gadget fun with Dick Debartolo of Mad magazine

Léo built up from a single show recorded in a tiny garret studio in a cottage. He steadily added more shows and hosts, eventually taking over the entire cottage and ramping up to several million dollars per year in advertising to support a franchise of over 30 weekly and daily netcasts, all centered around digital technology in its various forms.

The staff grew commensurately and were soon filling up every nook and cranny of the tiny cottage. So Léo recently spent over $1.2 million renovating an old furniture factory building into the TWiT Brick House studio.

The new TWiT Brick House studio (great HDR photo by Trey Ratcliff – click to enlarge)

The new TWit Brick House studio and the location of my brick in the wall

I’ve done my bit to support all of the infotainment his shows provide by donating monthly to the cause and by purchasing a brick in a fundraiser to help build the new studio. The bricks are displayed in the lobby, and they posted GigaPans so I could find where mine wound up.

It is fun to see it mounted there since I have no idea if I’ll ever make it out to Petaluma to see a show live. If you love technology, check out TWiT.tv!

The Brick House before the remodel

Lobby of the TWiT Brick House

My brick in the wall at the TWiT Brick House

POSTSCRIPT:

This isn’t the first fundraising brick I’ve purchased. Downtown Bartlesville’s Centennial Park features this:

My brick in Bartlesville’s Centennial Park

1 Response to Another Brick in the Wall

wastedspacer says:

March 28, 2016 at 3:46 pm

My wife and I have our 30th wedding anniversary brick in there somewhere – time for a trip to go find it 🙂