The pilot is called ‘Best of our Knowledge’ and the first episode focuses entirely on 3D printing and the ways that it is beginning to shape our future. The show was created by Steve Overmyer and Clay Parker and was devised as a way to bring information about new and emergent technology to an audience that may not be aware of them.
The show uses a familiar ‘talking head’ format that you see on most news shows, so don’t expect anything groundbreaking there, but this isn’t a show made for people who already go out seeking news about new science breakthroughs. The show is aimed squarely at a casual audience so the familiar style is comfortable and easy and the writing is smart but clear and uncomplicated.
You can watch the entire episode here:
Since the show isn’t especially aimed at me, I decided to ask the one person in my life who has absolutely no idea what 3D printing is to watch the pilot and give me their reaction. My mother’s response was overall pretty positive. She said that while she was still confused, she enjoyed the segment about the 3D printed hands. She also said that she would be willing to watch the show again, and that while she didn’t understand everything, she understood enough to remain interested.
Overmyer – who also serves as host for the pilot – and Parker both work in television in New York, so the show looks quite professional and slick despite being produced with virtually no budget. According to Parker they were able to borrow the set and equipment from the studio in order to film the pilot, but would have their own if the show is picked up.
While it was nice to see Bill Buel from MakerBot representing the corporate side of 3D printing – even if he was in full marketing-speak mode – it would have been nice to see a guest from the medical or industrial side of the industry. But that’s a minor quibble, and the show did talk quite a bit about these areas. I especially enjoyed the insight from Erica Orange who works as a futurist consultant. The final guest was psfk.com’s EiC Piers Fawkes, and both his and Orange’s perspective made for a lively conversation.
Because this is only a pilot don’t expect it to start airing this Fall, but it was still nice to see that their first topic was 3D printing. However if you like the show and would like to see more you should share it with your friends and family, if only to get them to stop asking where they stick the paper in a 3D printer.
So what do you think? Would you watch a weekly news show about emergent technology like Best of our Knowledge? You can find more information about the show on Reddit where Parker originally shared the pilot, and you can head on over to the Best of our Knowledge Facebook page and let them know what you thought of the show. Or just let us know, via the comments below.
