Buzz Out Loud Lounge forum: Tom's Replacement

The show really needs someone to keep it from running too far off the rails. Rafe was the person I considered but I'd like to hear other possibilities...

Thanks for that unexpected mention, Shalin. I'm much doing critiques from the peanut gallery, however. Although it would be fun to do a "Point-Counterpoint" with minimalist, lol. Seems like that's where we always end up.

I don't deserve the shoutout...I haven't been around these parts in a while. But the mention is much appreciated. :-D

Well, I started listening when Molly was out on maternity leave, and I loved the banter between Veronika and Tom. I kept wondering who this "Molly" was that they kept talking about and had a hard time imagining how she could possibly improve the dynamic. When Molly came back, I saw how good the show was with the three of them. Then I was devastated when Mahalo stole Veronika away, but I kept listening and enjoying. Truth is, I will keep listening and enjoying as replacements are found, shuffled around, and eventually leave to be replaced by someone else. Will I miss Tom? Of course. Will I keep Listening and enjoying? Absolutely!

I'm thinking I like Rafe more than Cooley- don't get me wrong, I love Cooley, but he isn't quite as analytical as Rafe or Tom. Does anyone have suggestions outside of the CNET universe?

I'm not sure I agree with you. I think the show NEEDS an anchor. That has always been Tom. Now they need a replacement. I say, Raffe! He has a lot of similar qualities to Tom--analytical, widely knowledgeable, humorous, even-tempered and a major geek! Also, I think he would stomp all over Molly's nerves, which could be very fun to listen to! Now that you have an anchor, then bring all the variety in--now that's fun, and I think that is the most like the BOL we all know.

I think Tom is extremely deferential to Apple, no matter the story. He's much more inclined --by my perception-- to diss or otherwise dismiss Microsoft and much more inclined to support Apple or find something positive in a negative story to say about them.

That's why I think there's bias there. Hey, it's hard not to be biased in life. Everyone has opinions, including me. But you really need to go the extra mile on a show like this to be evenhanded. On many issues apart from Apple, I see that he's trying to find the "what if..." part of a story that might mitigate the negativity the story might normally generate. That's fine. It makes one consider the alternatives. But my impression --and it's just my impression-- is that he's far more likely to find that silver lining where Apple is concerned, and far less likely where Microsoft is concerned.