STARDATE, 010115—Once again, the new year was launched with a bevy of planet-sized spy TVs at the January Consumer Electronics Show. I mean the International CES (trademark sign). I mean the Consumer Technology Shoe. I mean the International CTA (trademark sign). I mean Missy Elliot’s new video.
In February, Singer Katy Perry eclipsed an otherwise pretty good Super Bowl by dancing alongside a choreographically challenged left shark.
In March, the Federal Aviation Administration allowed drone-based newsgathering in a straight line, with visual contact, several hundred feet from anything. Meanwhile, a KIRO-TV chopper team had their helo buzzed by a drone operated by a guy across town.
With April comes the annual NAB Show, where tens of thousands of people wander the Las Vegas Convention Center asking one another, “weren’t we just here?”
In May, the feds got prickly about false Emergency Alert System tones and fined Nashville’s WSIX-FM 1 million smackeroos for fear that false EAS tones will lull the public into thinking it’s a test. It’s only a test. In the event of a real emergency, you will be directed to consult the nearest Facebook meme for further information.
In June, market researchers proclaimed 2015 the year of the smartwatch, not taking into account that those things are seriously fugly.
The entire Internet winced in July at footage of a handgun-shooting drone. The FAA responded by doing nothing.
In August, we learned about fortitude from the staff at WDBJ-TV.
September is when everybody goes to Amsterdam and you don’t even get a lousy T-shirt.
October saw DirecTV, aka AT&T, or OMG, launch virtual reality programming from a boxing ring, where everyone dreams of vacationing.
November brought 4K NASA TV so we could make out that woman on Mars, and then suddenly…
December. Just when you got used to the idea that it was 2015. Where did the year go? I mean, Missy Elliott’s new video!
To subject yourself to more McAdams On, check out TVTECHNOLOGY.COM/SECTION/MCADAMS-ON, and see how well I did at calling 2015 when it started, at the other “McAdams On: 2015.” And as always, cats and kittens, thank you for reading my humble contributions. May you live long and prosper.
