UPDATE: Ok I'm off to dinner. This was a lot of fun, thanks everyone for participating! I'll check back later just in case but I think 7 hours is probably plenty. :)

You may know me from TechTV's The Screen Savers, G4's Attack of the Show, Revision3, or Current TV. I'm now happily employed at TWiT and host Tech News Today, The Social Hour, iPad Today, and iFive for the iPhone. Ask away! Nothing's off limits.

PS- confirming mah identity: https://twitter.com/sarahlane/statuses/232569046271397888

Comments: 883 • Responses: 57  • Date: 

rizzledizzle187 karma

One time at SXSW (2009?) I was at a party and turned the corner and almost ran into you. My (drunkenness + abrupt nergasm) made me yell "SARAH LANE!!!!!!!" really loud, and it was probably creepy, so I'm sorry! I still regret that whenever I see TWiT...

sarahlanerocks303 karma

I was probably drunk too, maybe I thought I yelled it?

elbaso167 karma

Hi Sarah. Been a fan for a long time.

How has your health been since you've had that brain parasite from traveling the world? Does it affect your day-to-day life at all?

How did it affect your life when you were first diagnosed?

The concept of a brain parasite is still a bit freaky to me, hence my curiosity for a first-hand account of what it's like.

sarahlanerocks354 karma

Ok, for anyone who wasn't heard my long brain saga, here's a tidbit: http://www.sarahlane.com/blog/2009/10/13/i-had-a-grand-mal-seizure-want-to-hear.html

It was horrible at first and took me months to get back to the point where I could work normally again but I was taking so much medication. I also had my license revoked until they could be sure I wouldn't have another seizure and kill someone behind the wheel. I got really good at walking over the next year. Overall it was a pretty scary time.

The good news is that almost 3 years and 100 MRIs later, I'm completely fine and medication-free. I still have a calcified lump in my brain which is how you'll always know it's really me once clones start trying to take over the earth.

manskies110 karma

If I can ask you anything, what was all that ruckus about what Leo Laporte said last night on Twitter about Kevin Pereira/G4/Adam Sessler?

sarahlanerocks179 karma

I'll be honest, it surprised me. I was out of town and got a text from Pereira wanting my opinion on where Leo was coming from. So I read the thread and don't really have an answer. Clearly this is uncomfortable for me because I understand why Leo hates G4, but I don't agree with blackballing specific people (good, smart people) because of what went down on an executive level 8 years ago. If Adam Sessler is tainted from working at G4, then so am I.

burrbit8b69 karma

when is TWIF coming back??

sarahlanerocks76 karma

Martin and I would love to do TWiF. We know it's not a great fit for the TWiT network anyone and we've talked about just bringing it back ourselves in our spare time. But yeah, we're both busy. It's definitely not just Martin's fault that it's not happening. We get gung ho and then we both get busy and postpone everything. I'm glad it's something people would still be interested in!

allieharch57 karma

Hi Sarah! I've been a huge fan of your work and was completely devastated when popSiren went off the air. It was the inspiration for my lady friends starting our own podcast this year.

That said -- what is the most embarrassing thing you can tell us about my friend Colin Weir, engineer at TWiT? :)

sarahlanerocks106 karma

Colin lives in a Philadelphia-themed igloo in place of a cubicle in the TWiT basement. He just sits in there all day watching Philadelphia-based programming via his Slingbox app. I once tried to bond with him over the subject of cheesesteaks, but it didn't go over well. I have not spoken to him since.

younan151 karma

Why can't you get Tom to dance in the TNT outro?

sarahlanerocks136 karma

Are you really really really sure you want to see Tom Merritt dance? Think carefully.

racer951y48 karma

A Few questions

  1. How is your relationship with Kevin Rose nowadays?

  2. If you had to what Android phone would you use?

  3. What podcast do you listen to yourself?

  4. Do you not keep in touch with anyone from the TechTV days that you wish you had?

And a comment: When I was looking for podcast to listen to a year ago when I started my night shift job. I was super excited to see how big TWiT had become because you were on staff there.

sarahlanerocks74 karma

  1. Kevin and I are friends
  2. Galaxy S III
  3. I love Radiolab & Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I get my fill of tech the rest of the day being myself
  4. The folks from TechTV that I don't see are usually at least my Facebook friends now and I see all their weddings and babies and vacations.

younan142 karma

Is Leo pervy to you off camera too?

sarahlanerocks90 karma

If you were a lawyer I'd say you were leading the witness.

HDTV_FTW42 karma

On the Screen Savers, did they tell you ahead of time they were going to point the thermal imaging camera at you?

sarahlanerocks51 karma

I don't remember, but I look ridiculous in that shot. Thanks for the memories.

cleasai38 karma

Has there ever been a guest that has been banned or invited to never again appear on any TWiT show?

sarahlanerocks75 karma

I can't think of anyone who was officially banned, but Mickey Rourke once said something very inappropriate to Jessica Corbin and she walked out of the interview.

UPDATE: oh wait! You asked about TWiT, I was thinking TechTV. Yes, as far as I know Jason Calacanis is the only person unwelcome on TWiT. That all went down before I was working here so I stay out of it.

gcgoblin37 karma

favorite guest ever? ...and why?

sarahlanerocks86 karma

Probably David Lynch because he's my favorite director. Though LeVar Burton once told me I was adorable and it made my day. I also interviewed Johnny Depp for the first Pirates movie and freaked out on the inside for ten glorious minutes.

Codykillyou36 karma

How hard is it to work with someone with chiseled good looks and boyish charm like Marty Sargent? ;P I really miss TWiF

sarahlanerocks44 karma

It's very difficult. His beauty is very distracting.

godbois34 karma

  1. How is it working for Leo? He seems like a nice guy on camera, but so do many douchebags. (I swear I won't tell.)

  2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?

  3. Let's say for one reason or another you decide to leave your career in front of the camera/microphone behind. What would you like to do?

  4. Have you ever met someone in your industry you just won't work with? Why? (You don't have to say who if you'd feel uncomfortable.)

  5. How long is your commute to work?

sarahlanerocks36 karma

  1. I love Leo. He's been a mentor and friend for many years and I'm honored to be part of TWiT.
  2. In five years, I hope I'm still at this. In 10 I hope to have cracked the code on a YA fiction series that'll make me $100B.
  3. I'm kidding about the YA part, but I actually would love to be a writer.
  4. There are a couple people I won't work with, but I wouldn't want to give them the satisfaction of me typing their names.
  5. My commute is 50 minutes each way

younan131 karma

Do you get annoyed with Darren starts prattling off shell commands or sed expressions?

sarahlanerocks46 karma

Nope, I think it's charming.

younan127 karma

Do you have any brief words of encouragement or advice for young women in the tech world?

sarahlanerocks48 karma

Be yourself. Don't let anyone tell you how you are or what you think.

Dacvak27 karma

If you could reboot one aspect (show/segment/etc) of TechTV, either on broadcast television or the internet, what would it be?

sarahlanerocks45 karma

I feel like I'm already doing that on TWiT every day. Downloads and websites are now apps and services, but it's still the latest tech content. If TechTV were still around the subject matter would be just like this!

halcyoneus24 karma

Any topics you guys currently don't cover on TWIT that you would really like to host?

sarahlanerocks62 karma

I wish I could figure out how to fit a food show into our lineup. I know it's way left field for a tech network, but food is my favorite thing in the universe and I spend a lot of time thinking about it. ;)

walexj23 karma

Do you miss The Screen Savers?

sarahlanerocks52 karma

Sure I do. Great memories, great team. I still work with Leo and Tom and just had lunch with Megan the other day. Many of us keep in touch and hang out regularly, so in a way it doesn't feel over, just evolved.

dammitjacqui22 karma

Do you feel that the reputation Silicon Valley has for sexism is overblown or well-deserved? As a woman reporting on the tech industry, have you experienced it firsthand?

sarahlanerocks41 karma

I read about it a whole lot more than I see it. I wouldn't say it's overblown, though. That would be a disservice to anyone who's ever experienced sexism. I'm just lucky to not feel like it's a problem in my career. Sure, there have been comments and shitty behavior here and there over the years, but those people always seem to get what's coming to them.

tea_bird22 karma

Sarah, I don't really have a question for you... I just wanted to let you know that I started watching TechTV in early high school and you were one of my role models all throughout because you were beautiful, intelligent, seemed friendly and many of the things I always and still strive for.

Thanks!

sarahlanerocks19 karma

Thanks for being supportive after all this time!

IM_THE_DECOY21 karma

The day you and Brendan left Attack of the Show was the beginning of the end for G4 as far as I'm concerned.

I've read you guys left to travel and see the world, but I've always wondered if you could see the direction the programming was going and wanted to get out of dodge before it went somewhere you didn't want to go?

Basically, did you leave G4 because the quality was declining, or did the quality decline because you left?

I tend to think it was the latter.

sarahlanerocks33 karma

I really did want to travel the world. It was something I'd wanted to do my entire life, and at the time I was in a relationship with someone who wanted to do it with me.

That said, I was burned out and felt like AOTS wasn't the perfect fit for me, so even though I was sad to leave my co-workers, I wasn't sad to leave the job itself. People thought I was insane. It was a great job for someone who wanted it more, I guess.

stereotypicaliowan18 karma

What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your job?

sarahlanerocks49 karma

I love research, and the majority of my job is researching news stories, cool apps, tricks, workarounds, etc. And I can pretty much research anywhere. I love that flexibility. My least favorite part? The long commute (I live in San Francisco, it's a 50 min drive to Petaluma one-way).

invar918 karma

How do you keep up with all the changes in the tech industry? How do you prevent tech burn out???

sarahlanerocks29 karma

I just don't stop. When I stop, I get behind. It's not a very healthy solution but it's the only way I keep momentum.

midday16 karma

does Leo pay well?

sarahlanerocks58 karma

The answer is hidden under the silk pillow in the master bedroom on my yacht in Antibes.

TheToeTag15 karma

How many cats do you have and what are their names?

sarahlanerocks21 karma

2 cats: Sam and Lucy

beridan15 karma

Do you miss Margarita Mondays?

sarahlanerocks24 karma

Wasn't it Margarita Friday? Or was it Thursday...

[deleted]14 karma

[deleted]

sarahlanerocks27 karma

On that particular trip I went to various cities and towns in Greece, Turkey, Russia, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Brazil, and Argentina (in that order). Many, many interesting stories as I'm sure you can imagine. I answered the brain q above but yes I'm fine and thank you for asking.

chuncken6 karma

That sounds like an amazing trip. I've always wanted to do something like that, but I never know how I could swing it. How did it impact your savings and career?

sarahlanerocks17 karma

I quit my job but was lucky enough to get another one when I returned a year later. My savings didn't fare as well, I've never really financially recovered from my trip + brain medical expenses.

surilamin14 karma

Has the growth [of TWiT] been what was expected since moving to the Brickhouse? Judging by some comments Leo has made lately it seems as though it has not been and new shows having not been achieving the same success as the flagship shows.

and has Leo asked all hosts to do AMAs to hopefully drive some traffic to Twit?

P.S. Big fan of yours Sarah :) I really loved it when you & Martin did a show together. People simply do not appreciate good hosting skills

sarahlanerocks15 karma

Leo didn't push me to do this AMA, but I was asked and thought it'd be fun.

It's true TWiT's had growing pains and we want to continue to do what works while creating new programming that expands our core base. I know that sounds lame, but it's really true. It's a lot of trial and error. I just launched iFive, which is a complete 180 from the kind of shows TWiT usually does. I don't know how the ratings are yet, but the feedback's been very positive.

Skatastic13 karma

What does Kevin Pereira smell like?

sarahlanerocks26 karma

mud

FiveDigits677013 karma

Have you ever wanted to strangle a co-host? If so who and why?

sarahlanerocks25 karma

Russ Pitts (of eagle semen fame) threw a pen at me once. I wanted to strangle him a little.

Spineshanked11 karma

Any chances of you reviving PopSiren in any way? Absolutely loved that show, and miss the music recommendations!

sarahlanerocks15 karma

I'm not sure everything about popSiren is right for TWiT, but I am incorporating some of the look and feel into iFive for the iPhone (just launched). Check it out here if you haven't yet: http://twit.tv/ifive

thechad121211 karma

What is your favorite "off air" moment while on set?

sarahlanerocks19 karma

If you watch TWiT you know we don't have a lot of off-air moments, everything's pretty much live.

superpc910 karma

Do you think even though TechTV going was sad, do you think it was better in the long run for the people involved since it gave them a format to go on to even better things online?

sarahlanerocks22 karma

I prefer to think of it that way, yes.

robbycsmith10 karma

TWIF is what got me watching TWiT, and I do hope you guys do one or two specials a year for TWiT. Onto the silly questions

  1. Did TechTV ask you about being involved in their poll for playboy about doing a playboy spread? Was it a big joke to begin with, or was it a WTF moment.
  2. Fuck, Marry, Kill, - Anthony Bourdain, Hugh Laurie, Alton Brown
  3. Favorite Beer
  4. Favorite Wine
  5. Favorite Cuss Word

sarahlanerocks19 karma

  1. Yes they asked. I played along. I knew it wouldn't mean I actually had to pose nude if I didn't want to.
  2. Yes, that's the order I'd choose
  3. Old Speckled Hen on tap
  4. Anything velvety
  5. MF'er

Last_Gigolo10 karma

What the heck happened to Brendan Moran ?

I understand the connection,and how it can be iffy. but come on. He was one of my faves of TSS. Been since your trip around the world since I have heard anything about him.

Is he alive?

sarahlanerocks18 karma

Yep, he's remarried and has a family. Seems to be doing really well, and I'm happy for him.

kifn210 karma

Hey Sarah. Top Quark or Bottom Quark?

sarahlanerocks22 karma

is this a sexy question?

Kevers869 karma

were you ever creeped out over the fact that people were watching you on webcam all day at techtv?

sarahlanerocks19 karma

Oddly, it was comforting. Not sure what that says about me.

CrankyHippo9 karma

Who is your favorite co-worker at TWiT at this very moment?

sarahlanerocks7 karma

Oh yeah, like I'm going to answer that and be hated by everyone else. I am partial to Jeff Stewart the editor these days though. He helps me a lot on iFive and I love him.

Raphman909 karma

What do you think of G4 now? I used to watch AoTS when it was you and Kevin (I was somewhere in highschool at the time) and I loved it. AoTS and X-Play were my favorites. Now I'm lucky if G4 is showing American Ninja Warrior and not cops or Cheaters.
I hate seeing that on what used to be TechTV/G4.

sarahlanerocks29 karma

I don't have cable so I couldn't watch G4 even if I wanted to. But I love the show Cops and I don't care who knows it. The Florida episodes are always the best.

ganesha238 karma

Hey Sarah, I been watching you since the TechTV. But here is my Question: if you were not doing Tech Journalism what would you want to doing instead?

sarahlanerocks21 karma

Travel journalist, food critic, pescetarian chef

fishboy19758 karma

One piece of tech you could not live without?

sarahlanerocks21 karma

iPhone

shemp4208 karma

How long have you been aware of Reddit? Long time lurker, longtime user, just here for this?

sarahlanerocks27 karma

I actually made an account like 6 years ago under "sarahlane" and can't remember my password and now it says there's no email address associated with the account. Doh!

Darf17 karma

Love all the shows and subscribe to all of them.... do Iyaz and Tom fight like cats and dogs before the show

sarahlanerocks9 karma

not at all, they only pretend to fight on air

Kronos69487 karma

Hi Sarah! Used to chat a little on the rev3 boards. Do you still keep in touch with the ladies of Pop Siren? I remember Moujan was a bit shy, how is she? Still talk to the Gator?

Thanks for everything, even the rev3 Gazette.

sarahlanerocks10 karma

The Gator was last seen in Shanghai. Moujan is doing great in NYC. And I see Heather all the time. We drink wine a lot.

xchido7 karma

Apart from technology, what interests you the most in life?

sarahlanerocks12 karma

Traveling and the science of food. I think about food way too much.

ismailthegreat6 karma

Hey Sarah I've been a huge fan of yours since the old tech tv days and have followed you for years. Online.. Not in rl that would be creepy haha. Anyway Do you keep in contact with Moujan Z from pop siren? I found her absolutely hilarious.

sarahlanerocks11 karma

We keep in touch online. Moujan is so funny and talented. She needs to be on SNL.

aves2k6 karma

I already asked one but I'll ask another. Am I crazy for thinking that your photo on Wikipedia looks nothing like you:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_Lane_photo_by_Lan_Bui_December_2008.jpg

sarahlanerocks6 karma

I don't know if you're crazy for thinking so, but I assure you, I was there for that shoot!

Coaltrain23716 karma

Where do you feel the place for 'Web Content' is? As a cable cutter (like yourself) I've found that i'm more and more entertained and informed by content produced for the web.

Do you find that the opinion of the general public is starting to accept the web as a legitimate publishing platform that could contend with the traditional publishers? Will it ever accept it? Does it matter?

Edit 1: Typo & Clarity

sarahlanerocks19 karma

I think the lines are blurred more than ever. I know too many people still don't quite understand the concept of subscribing to content and think of internet video and podcasting as an amateur version of TV, but it is changing. I feel smart being at the forefront of the next wave.

amorpheus866 karma

What's your favorite TV show?

sarahlanerocks34 karma

Game of Thrones.

siwelb875 karma

You have a great taste in music. :) If you could see any band live, who would it be?

sarahlanerocks11 karma

LCD Soundsystem but that won't happen anymore. Arcade Fire would be fun.

jjm974 karma

will your hair ever be short like it was last fall ever again?

sarahlanerocks7 karma

It will be if I cut it in two days...

Avcracy3 karma

A few years ago, you had a seizure in a restaurant. Did they ever figure out the cause?

sarahlanerocks5 karma

Yes, answered this q already, long story short all is well now

spamalamadingdong3 karma

I love seeing you on the NSFW show, what do you think of it? Also, how does it feel that TDKR didn't make as much as you hoped for the movie draft?

sarahlanerocks4 karma

Love NSFW, those guys are nutty. You know after the whole Aurora thing I felt weird about caring about TDKR numbers. Haven't paid much attention. But I'll get 'em in the winter draft. I already know what I'm bidding on. :)

aves2k3 karma

Why does Tom Merritt come to Dragon*Con every year and leave you behind? It would be awesome to see you guys do an episode of TNT or something.

sarahlanerocks6 karma

Yeah, it would be fun. It's hard for us both to travel at once and still do TNT, actually.

YumCheese3 karma

Do you know Alex? He works at TWiT. Is he a super rad dude IRL?

sarahlanerocks10 karma

Yes, Alex is great and we share a burning desire for pancakes in the evenings.

arcyn2 karma

Saw you on Bourbon St a while back. You had a lot of beads.

sarahlanerocks13 karma

Yep, never been on Bourbon Street.