What a joke!
What an embarrassment!
I'll be sure to watch the "ball" in NYC for now on.
I hope heads roll.

Terrible performance. Very unprofessional vendor that the city contracted with for the display. They should have had some back up plan for their issue. Totally let the city down!

embarassing, yes. but everyone makes a mistake now and then. it's still a new year, and each one is a blessing, fireworks or not. i hope cooler heads prevail. there are many worse things that could happen than no fireworks.

Someone is going to lose their job over this!

It was weak!!
But then again the city council will let anything happen if you pay them enough..

It was very unfortunate but computer glitches can't be helped.

I was shocked when the fireworks stopped suddenly. That is a major screw up and a dissapointment for the entire city. After the shock passed, I was upset to have the New Year brought in with a whimper instead of a BANG.

Oh man... of all the fireworks displays in the world... ONLY IN SEATTLE! I hope this isn't an OMEN of the year to come!
If I paid for that I'd want my money back!

Yeah it wasn't what we expected...but it's still a New Year and ultimately it comes down to wbat each of us individually to make it a good one. Bummer yes..get over it. Mistakes happen!

What's SHOCKING and EMBARASSING is that it's January 1, 2008 and people are still complaining that the city didn't have to do in the first place! Go figure.

Even with the glitch, it was still one of the best shows around. I thought the pyro-technicians did a great job of salvaging a decent show after the computer malfunction.

The Times Square ball is about as dull as you can get. You're welcome to it if that's what floats your boat.

Thanks much to KING5 for posting the live streaming video of the celebration.

I have to say I never saw that coming... Wounder if it was off a Mac or a PC running Vista... Also, I hope they put a 3d video of what it was going to look like on the net!

Got a good laugh, which was as satisfying for me as another batch of fireworks.

Must be vista.

Hey... is that VISTA on that fireworks laptop? Glad I watched that live, got a great chuckle!

Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" should've been playing along w/ "Pyrotechnics by David Chase and the Sopranos crew"

it was probably LINUX but the 17 techs that it takes to support it were at home drinking and playing dungeons & dragons as the ball dropped.

The only worse showing for Seattle was then-Mayor Paul Schell's cancelling of the 1999-2000 show amidst fears of a terrorist attack. This was made worse by his comment that "I played [football] for Northwestern. I am not a wimp."

Were the fireworks as they were ending the show live? Did they finally get that computer to wake up?

I think that they should re-do it tomorrow night

Wow. How big a refund will the city get for this?

By the way, where were those fire engines going that you could clearly hear when Dennis and Joyce finally gave up trying to fill dead air?

No, computer went down (blue screen of death no doubt). Notice that the saucer fireworks went off clockwise around the saucer... definitely launched manually (Pull the plug and keep hitting the fire button!!!!)

I want to deduct this misfire on my taxes this year and get a refund.

Seattle can't even figure out how to keep the lights on in the bus tunnel, so this screw-up was no big surprise.

I was let down - I've never seen the space needle fireworks before and I was excited. I guess I should have just stayed home in my small town, their fireworks are better. Really too bad.

Seattle can't even figure out how to keep the lights on in the bus tunnel, so this screw-up was no big surprise.

Hey, I didn't know that Sound Transit was in charge of the Space Needle fireworks!?!?

If this is a sign of how 2008 is going to go, what other Seattle plans will mis-fire?

It was free people! We loved being out with all of the people and although we were disappointed with the fireworks (it just seemed random at one point) it was a great night with friends.

It goes to show you just how professional they usually are that we expect it to always work. These are essentially bombs afterall that they hang off the side of a high rise building.

Stuff happens. Chill out - It was FREE!!!

the fire works were lame, but the reporter kissing the other reporter was priceless! did anyone see the look on her face? hahahah hes going to be looking for a new job tomorrow!

Pyro Spectacular has never really even impressed me in the past either, so I hope the Space Needle will find a better contractor next year.

Yes, it was a big disappointment for everyone, but I'm sure even moreso for the ones who worked so hard to set it up only to see it fail. To those who put this outcome down so much, get over it. Sometimes things just don't go right no matter how hard you try.

The reporter kissing the other reporter happen to be married, so nobody's gettin' fired.

No problem with the fireworks down here during Tacoma's First Night celebration. Y'all are welcome down here next New Years.

TV Coverage: Hey! Stop complaining. The King 5 logo on the screen covered 200 feet of the Space Needle. It was amazing how the HD 5 logo would turn into King5.com logo on the screen. King 5 saved the night. It could have been worse! What if the King 5 logo had a glitch and you couldn't see what channel you were watching? Next year put the King 5 logo a little more to the left and then it will be dead center.

Bravo to Dennis and Joyce for covering that SO well. I loved the look on Dennis face. He was obviously trying hard not to crack up. Well, we were all howling at home watching it. Loved to have a good laugh to bring in 2008!

I was watching live. It was weird when the top fireworks came off one side and the bottom ones went off the other. I was a little scared when the sirens were on the video since I thought something was on fire. I like how right before the owner of the fireworks company said "This is the biggest and best fireworks display ever".

Kind of sad.

The fireworks show was disappointing, but, just like in everything, you have to give props to all the people who tried. It's not them we should shake the finger at. This may all lead back to our very own neighbors creating said computer systems. We still got our air time. Seattle's first dud show will go down in history and leave us with more to talk about than had it been a success.

Come to Tacoma next year! First Night was awesome, and the fireworks went off without a hitch!

It was a huge disappointment. Last year's show was amazing, and this year was just a dud. I can't believe I wasted money on parking and sat out in the cold waiting for absolutely nothing.

Damn those Mac PCs. Sure was funny to watch it start and stop from Eastlake Bar and Grill.

Hello folks.
I was a member of the crew that put on this show in past years.
After having stood on the roof of the needle in pouring rain and howling winds for ten consecutive years placing the fireworks boxes on the edge of the roof, being there long hours I can say that... Mistakes happen.
Ive worked on fireworks shows around the United States for 20 years and sometimes things happen that are unforseen.The show is an incredibly complex and intricate work of art. The designer puts in a years worth of choreography ,carefully selecting music *and* firework effects that will bring the new years spirit to the people of Seattle. I currently reside in California and was not in Seattle to see this years show,but watching it live on computer,I was horrified.
there is alot of work that goes on to make this show happen,from many people and many places.The talent of these people is the best in the world. I know that the crew has got to be pretty bummed out. I would be. I am.
the power of New Years Eve resides in every one of you! Its about you and yours. the show is just the icing on the cake. Granted that this years icing was a messy affair.

so, to the people who feel cheated and are angry about the show,I cant speak for this years crew, I offer an apology.
...and yes, its run on Windows!

How embarrassing! I'd like it if they put the thousands of dollars for the kiddie fireworks to a better use -- say feeding and housing the homeless! People should get over the "fireworks" mentality by the age of 6. No matter how many New Years they celebrate, some people never grow up! Get over it.

You know...how many years have the Space Needle fireworks gone on without a hitch? Now, I ask all of you complainers and whiners...how many of you would think you deserved to lose YOUR job because of a computer malfunction?? I'm more ashamed and embarrassed of the negative attitude of these people in Seattle than I am of the computer glitch. Kudos to everyone for continuing the job and obviously carrying on with the spirit of the evening..Having a GREAT time bringing in yet one more year... Oh...btw..they also kept everyone safe with all of those explosives going off of the Space Needle. Way to go to all involved!!

I was watching TV waiting for another great fireworks show...and then the music started a few fireworks and they stopped... I couldn't guit laughing it was so embarrassing. Then a few more shot off and then silence again... once again my laughter broke out it was so funny LOL

Kudos to all you Seattlelites who have put a positive spin on this. Stuff happens. Think how dissapointed those who worked so hard to put it on must be. Lighten up Seattle. Have a laugh. Life goes on. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It was great despite the glitch, I mean it's a free quality firework show and it was worth the wait. Happy New Years everybody!

I betcha they must have used Vista.

Windows Vista pwned the show with a BSOD. Thanks, unkie Bill!

...I'm still laughing it was so embarrassing. LOL it's so funny. I'm glad I wasn't sitting under it waiting for that all day long LOL

I saw better fireworks in the little of town of Wenatchee at 4th of July!

I knew the original guy who owned Pyro Spectaculars. Too bad he blew himself up years ago. Shame to see the computer take a dump in the middle of a show. That's what redundant systems are for. You can be sure they will use one from now on.

powered by windows 3.1

Maybe next year they can hand out sparkles to the people inside the needle as a backup plan!

You know, folks? It was disappointing, but that happens. I bet everyone can look back on 2007 and think of a mistake they made. If crappy fireworks are the worst thing you experience in 2008, count yourself lucky and give some people a break! Wishing that someone else gets fired is not a good way to start off YOUR new year!

OMG - BOB that is too funny I will laugh at that idea all day long. LOL

At first, we got a great laugh as the helicopter flew past the lovely Space Needle, sans fireworks, but as the event went on, we grew worried and, then quite concerned when the sirens and flashing lights were visible around the perimeter of the Center. It got to the point where we were just hoping the show would end without anyone hurt, and heaved a great, collective sigh of relief when the fireworks stopped. Maybe it is just me, but I would not want to be at the top of the Needle if/when anything were to go wrong with this type of show.

Bravo to the workers for Pyro Spectaculars - I'm sure this was the worst night they've had in a long while, and they took every possible step to keep the show on track.

It was different - everyone will have a story to tell from this year's event!

Happy New Year, Seattle...

And I just want to thank Quadrant Homes for sponsoring tonight's show!
It cost how much?

I have three comments:
First, Thank God nobody was hurt. I've seen Pyrotechnicians loose their lives.

Second, things do go wrong. Don't blame the damb computer, blame the contractor that didn't have a backup system, or failed to program the show correctly.

Third, I hope the city gets a partial refund for being made a laughing stalk.

You've got to admit between the excellent ad lib from the reporters, and chuckle we all got at someone screwing up. A good time was still had. Happy 2008 to you all.

The sirens were for some piece of trash that was running away from the police in reverse at high speed and rammed a family in a van right on the corner of Fisher Plaza, directly opposite the needle. I hope they hang this guy by his privates for ruining someone's new year. It should be illegal to be that stupid.

I thought the fizz was supposed to be in the drinks not the needle!

Look at the positive side - at least we'll remember this one and have a good story to tell!

they got the blue screen of death. this was strangely more fascinating than watching the same thing as every year before, especially when all you could hear during the manual fireworks were sirens at the end.

The big questions: Was it a PC or a MAC? ... will it be a commercial?; 2) Was it the Mayor pulling down the flag as in 2001?; 3) Was it the Seattle bus tunnel guys being spread out kinda thin?

As I watched the firework mishap on TV, I was saddened for all the people at KING TV who work so hard to reach this pinnacle moment, ushering in the New Year 2008.
Then to find out it was a computer crash! Maybe the media-hype of the Y2K bug of eight years ago finally bit us. Oh well - Happy New Year

I laughed so uncontrollably, I cried. Don't get me wrong - I feel badly for the people who worked hard to plan the show, but it was just too funny. I’m sure many Seattleites will look back on this New Year’s display with amusement for many years to come.

BTW, did anyone else think it was weird to start the show off with the theme from Jaws? That can't be a good omen for the new year:)

Maybe next year they can just light the tree on fire!

I didn't think it was that big of a deal that we had to be a little more patient to see all the fireworks this year, and because of this mistake I doubt it will be happening again anytime soon...I hope people can be forgiving about this because it was still a great show and hey, mistakes happen to all of us.

All I kept thinking was I felt so bad for them. We saw the news the night before they had been working on this for three months. They must be frantic. I told our son right now these people are desperately trying to fix it.

If anyone wants to see some real fireworks; stay tune this Saturday at Quest Field! Go Hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was great in its own unique way… Come on, years from now you’ll recall where you were while watching this show. We had walked to Alki and stood with hundreds of people as the show misfired. Hearing people’s comments and jokes was better than anything I’d heard in a long time, great fun indeed. Too bad that the 8 minute show didn’t pan out as planned – due to Leopard or Vista maybe it was Mayor Greg Nichols or Hillary Clinton. The Seahawks will lose, stocks will fall, 2008 will suck – nah, it was just an error.

A computer glitch hum!? Well yes perhaps computer glitches can't be helped but you do need a backup plan. Like the person said, if they'd have paid for it they'd have asked for a refund...hum, you know that's why I’ve stopped going to the movie theater, after the first week the picture and sound are pretty messed up (could have put an R rated comment here). People spend millions putting something together just to have it fall apart on delivery trying to save a few dollars, it’s not worth it. Hope these folks learned their lesson, glad no one was hurt.

Perhaps they should have done some testing with a dummy setup and had redundant systems. There is no excuse for this type of colossal failure.

So the show sucked. but all these computer generated automation for the fireworks each year for a 10 minute show. I suppose this was bound to happen to someone at some point. unfortunately it was us this time. BTW , It's not the company , they are very professional. they have done this show for 15 straight years and the other shows have been flawless. so lets give them a break please. computers glitch, cant help that. at least they did it by hand , after they couldn't get it to reboot after 2 times. so lets give them a break, they did great considering they had this to deal with.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2008!!

It was a terrible show. I and a friend paid $350 for an Argosy dinner cruise to see the fireworks, so some of us paid good money for this terrible disappointment. I hope that they add something special next year to the show free of charge to the city / Space Needle Corp to make it better or refund a substantial amount back to the city for doing a poor job this year. Hopefully, they will also pay for a backup system to prevent this from happening again. I wouldn't get rid of the company because up until this year, they have done a fantastic job, but I would insist on a guarantee of performance for future shows.

I was right underneath the Space Needle at Seattle Center when the "error" took place. The crowd didn't seem to really care much. I think they were just excited to be there as I was. Fireworks and fireworks shows of that caliber are extremely expensive and any spectacular light show, coordinated or random, should be appreciated. Yeah, maybe no one should loose their job over a glitch or whatever it really was. I don't think anyone really knows what really happened or who's fault it was. However, I think they should do what they need to do to prevent it from happening in future years (with a strong contingency plan). The responses from others dosn't surprise me. I again see the tone of negativity, cynicism, blaming others, accepting nothing but perfection, while ironically and insanely tolerating mediocrity. We should learn from this.

The Two All-time funniest blogs ---- LOL I laughed so hard watching it on tv and I'm still laughing at some of these blogs. LOL

Maybe next year they can hand out sparkles to the people inside the needle as a backup plan!
Posted by: Bob | January 1, 2008 1:52 AM

Maybe next year they can just light the tree on fire!
Posted by: Beth | January 1, 2008 2:20 AM

Thousands of people watching, many hats and party favors purchased and then 3,2,1....nothing Priceless!

Dave - your blog is priceless... LOL

Maybe some people spent money on New Years Eve expecting fireworks, but really, you spent money to have a good time and ring in the New Year with your family and friends. Count your blessings.

Maybe some people spent money on New Years Eve expecting fireworks, but really, you spent money to have a good time and ring in the New Year with your family and friends. Count your blessings.

RAWR! I AM POSTING IN ALL CAPS IN COMMENTS BECAUSE WHEN COMMENTING ON KING5 EVERYONE IS ALL ANGRY ALL THE TIME AT EVERYTHING FOREVER!

i'm typing in lower case as to not make anyone mad. good show seattle

...I should of added this to my previous comment:

Fireworks are awesome! Glad I was there.

Look everyone I think Victor has a HO...

I think it's funny how many people had an immediate reaction of "Vista" -- even my 9-year-old daughter and I came up with the same joke simultaneously the moment it was announced as a computer problem.

Hope the city gets a BIG discount from Pyro next year.

FIRE TYRONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"computers glitch, cant help that."

really? that makes a nice excuse - but when was the last time you heard of a computer outright crashing / "blue screen of death"?

Maybe a software bug - but that's still the pyrotechnic's job to sort out.

if for whatever reason their systems are really that unreliable - they need live backups.

I suspect pyro company has a tough time ahead of it.

was still loads of fun to watch - in a schadenfreuden kind of way...

This is not the horrible catastrophe that people are making it out to be. There are some terrible things going on in the world and I don't think the fireworks not going off perfectly is one of them.

And all caught in HighDef.

Fireworks are awesome! Glad I was there!
I was right underneath the Space Needle at Seattle Center when the "error" took place. The crowd didn't seem to really mind much about the imperfection. We all made the best of it. I think we were all just excited to be there. I don't think the small children even noticed what was wrong, all they saw were the awesome lights. Fireworks shows of that caliber are extremely expensive and any spectacular light show, coordinated or random, should be appreciated for the mere fact that it is not an everyday occurrence. Yeah, maybe no one should loose their job over a glitch or whatever it really was. I don't think anyone really knows yet what exactly happened or who's fault it was. Everyone is speculating at this point (like maybe the contingency plan had to take a shit or a dust mite crawled onto the motherboard.) However, I think they should do what they need to do to prevent it from happening in future years. The tone of some of the comments from others on this blog doesn't surprise me: negativity, cynicism, sarcasm, blaming others, and accepting nothing but perfection while ironically and insanely tolerating mediocrity.
Many of us need somewhere to vent and I guess blogs are the place for some.
For those I say: Please come to next years to Seattle Center for the fireworks show, better yet I think they do a 4th of July one too. Whatever happens, fireworks are awesome! Just please, someone make sure that that at least we have some kind of show like we did end up having this year. Maybe we should thank whoever saved it. I remember thinking that as I sat on the grass watching the show.

I thought it was fine. People are over-reacting. Really. Fire work display failed, and the world ends. Shut up. Is that what new years is really about? Nothing needs to be spectacularly displayed for you to enjoy the show.

We all took a break from work and went over to the window to watch the fireworks show -- radio turned on and everything. When the fireworks stopped, we just thought maybe we couldn't see everything?? Later when they continued past the music, we were all ... "huh, I bet a windows computer runs the show and it CRASHED!!!" (Yes, we are tech support....) Funny to see we were right. UNIX ALL THE WAY!!!!!

Every New Years the Space Needle is so spactacular. Accidents happen. Plus, its a free fireworks show for most people, I don't really see what everyone is complaining about.

Well, I've lived in this city for sixty-one years, and for the vast majority of the time, these sorts of events have gone off very well. So we had one with a glitch. What I kept thinking was how mortally embarrassed the pyrotechnicians were as they rushed around trying to make it all work.

wow....can we say passive-aggressive? typical seattle response...you either roll with it or get pissed off....for those of you so irritated with the lack of a free show - stay to the right on I-5 so we don't have to deal with you on our bumpers this next year - zooming in, passing to the left, zooming in, passing on the right...never happy but never getting any where any way.

Who cares. I went to bed at 8:30. I was sleepy.

Someone wasn't there to check "Allow" when prompted "Are you Sure you want to proceed with the fireworks show"

Wonder if they should plan to use Linux or MacOS next year?

So Linux or MacOS has some magical way to repair the glitched code?

NEAT! I'm switching for sure!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Windows strikes again.

everyone needs to relax

Really...you are all that upset that you didn't get to see the fireworks show exactly how it was supposed to be!!!??? Did you have such a miserable year that you have nothing else to be thankful for or look forward to?????

Imagine that, Seattle investing in something that turns out to be crap, never heard that one before. How about investing some of that money into improving the roads? If this is a preview of what is to come in 2008 for Seattle, I am affraid, very affraid.

All of you crybabies make me sick. Get a life. And why don't you try to do something positive in 2008, like help the homeless....as opposed to just complaining like you're doing now.

Come on - it wasn't that bad. My Fiance and I were at Fischer plaza under the needle...great view regardless. Sure, it didn't turn out as planned. But stuff happens. Plain and simple. It's a bit funny that the thing was running Windows...worth a chuckle or two. But it was free, and there WERE fireworks. Happy New Year!

This might have run just fine on DOS or Apple II Basic. Both of those systems were simple... and bulletproof!

The fountain at Seattle Center ran for years on a cassette tape... or was that punched paper.

More complicated... easier to crash. Make it easy. Light one fuse and run!

Things happen. People make mistakes. Computers have glitches. If all of you negative people were as perfect as you think you are, you would have something better to do than write on this blog.

I'm pretty sure the show did not cost tax payers anything--it was sponsored by Quadrant. That means Quadrant paid for it, not us. Did you not notice how many times KING 5 mentioned "sponsored by Quadrant?" Why are you guys so clueless?
My family & I watched from home and it was the best New Year's entertainment we've had in a long time -- so what if there was a glitch. This was more memorable. We laughed so hard. It was priceless.

What should be embarrassing for Seattle is the lack of basic intelligence as seen by the responses on this blog.

Did anyone actually go to school?

Can you even spell cat if I spot you the "c" and the "a"?

Pathetic.

I have never seen anything like that at the Space Needle every year it's great except for this one.

Let us all be thankful no one got hurt. Unlike the Big Lake fireworks show on the 3 of july this last year, when someone was lighting them manual. It is a tough job to set up a display like this. Happy New Year

Life goes on, with or without fireworks. Parts of the city were without power for much of the night and life goes on. Police and fire crews ran their butts off all night because of the "party-goers" and life goes on. Enjoy what you have, look forward to what you will have, and be thankful that all is well in your world (or that you have another year to make it well).

Happy New Year!

Who cares about fireworks.

What about Carnation massacre on Xmas eve?

What about our soldiers in Iraq?

Make the world a better place this year.

Computer glitches happen all the time, mostly due to the user not knowing what they are doing. If you just blame it on Vista, you have never run a Mac. I have seen them hang up and freeze just as much as a PC with windows. But when your software is on 80% of computers, everyone only sees that and forgets about the rest. I think Microsoft should sue Apple for defemation of name over their newer Commercials.

P.S. Happy New Year so stop whining about it, these things happen.

Wow, it was something to scratch your head at but fireworks are still beautiful none the less.
As part of a movie production crew, you never know we are there when all goes well but when something goes wrong we are the ones to fix it. Whatever the problem was they managed to fire the rest by hand. Good job guys. I would recommend downgrading to XP or OS X next year.

In the land of Bill Gates, computers and hi tech savey we had to reboot 2008 because of a computer glitch. We'll be REMEMBERED for sure!.

I didn't see what happened but if they really rebooted the computer a couple of times, either the people running the computer were clueless about the application or the Microsoft Windows crashed underneath the application. But I also know that on Windows, people will reboot the computer for any kind of error just because it's so common that a reboot fixes problems so it still could have been just an application crash and not a Windows problem. Odds are that it was Microsoft Windows failing though.

I surely would not have wanted to be anybody involved at that moment. Horror could be the only word to describe it. But then again, there is no way in the world I would relay on a toy OS like Windows for such a timing critical and publicly visible application. Just too many intermingled DLL's and apps to worry about instead of a thin OS layer available in UNIX/Linux systems. Think of the NY City cabs with Windows where they left the whole OS under the application and a crash left passengers with access to the entire OS, preloaded apps, and filesystem. And that included any files which may have credit card information. And I don't know of anybody who would say that Windows is a rock solid and reliable OS. Rebooting is still the standard reaction to problems for a reason.

Quadrant Homes
More House- Less Fireworks

Get a Life, People.... It's not that big of a deal to make such a fuzz over...!

Most of the comments seem to run along the lines of "no big deal; got a good laugh; so what, it's free". I agree there are more important things in life these days, but that must have cost taxpayers something in the six-figure range. For that kind of OUR money, the city of Seattle (high tech capital of the world) should have required a backup plan just a bit more sophisticated than some kind of manual system. Did they run out of matches??

Dear Seattle-ites:

If a glitched fireworks display is all you have to complain about - then you need to "get a life". Surf the net for world (and Carnation, WA murder) news and you'll quickly realize how incredibly fortunate YOU are.

In case you didn't notice, the world didn't come to an end just because this happened. Life is what YOU make it -- not a result of botched fireworks.

Get off your pity party and start being thankful for all your blessings!!!!!

BTW - our mid-life group of friends thought it was one of the best shows ever - definitely worth the wait - a memorable event for years to come. =)

I thought the five "on-air" proposals that were shown were WONDERFUL! THAT is what New Year's and new beginnings are all about- I also applaud the pyrotechnicians for their work in trying to make a spectacular show and I hope they can look past all the cr*ppy comments posted here and look forward to 2009! Good job KING5 crew for a great broadcast!

Wow that was embarrassing.

So, I shoot shows also and I use a Mac. I have looked at some of the firing systems that are out there and the single most depressing thing I have seen is that they run windows. I use both OS's on a daily basis and I can say that nothing makes me happier than to see this year ushered in with Seattle having the frustration that I have every day when I have to use a windows machine. Due to M$fTs proprietary nature and closed stance, getting programs to work that do not have a large developmental budget is a nightmare.

The sad truth is that M$FT is a marketing company and not a technical company, they don't care if another company's equipment does not work with their product and they do not care about users that use products that do not work with their product. It's all about me in redmond.

So Seattle, you made your millions on Redmond. Perhaps 2008 is the year that you will witness what these toadstool millionaires have been selling to make those millions.

Perhaps 2008 is the year the majority of Seattle moves to a Mac or Linux? Wouldn't that be nice!

I do see some good out of this, it might at least make the pyrotechnics community or at least Pyrospectaculars wizen up to using appropriate OS's for mission critical operations.

A bunch of people seem to be telling us that it was no big deal. It's already a big deal that we waste hundreds of thousands of dollars to celebrate what amounts to putting up a new wall calendar. I mean, it's a date change. So the fact that the we are literally lighting thousands... no hundreds of thousands of dollars on fire above a streat that has homeless people walking along it looking for the nights meal... at least we could get it right.

Next time come to Vegas where the real new year celebration is. We had fireworks coming out of the stratosphere (space needle look a like) and on top of 7 casinos all at the same time! It was just fabulous.

only in Seattle would a conversation over a mishap with a fireworks display digress to an argument over computer operating systems.

please!

Uhm... King5 Fan you are a F'in idiot...

"Due to M$fTs proprietary nature and closed stance, getting programs to work that do not have a large developmental budget is a nightmare.

The sad truth is that M$FT is a marketing company and not a technical company, they don't care if another company's equipment does not work with their product and they do not care about users that use products that do not work with their product. It's all about me in redmond."

Are you saying the Mac isn't proprietary? If so, then why is it that I can't install Mac OS on any computer that isn't branded by Apple? Microsoft is a marketing company? WTF are you smoking? They make Software which runs over 90% of user's systems. Microsoft is NOT a marketing company, leave that to the Apple Fanboys w/ their old and tired 'Hello, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC' commercials.

I was hoping there would be more talk about what happened since I missed the display. Since computers crash all the time, why is this such a big deal? I'm really surprised this kind of thing doesn't happen more often.

Thanks to a few posts, it sounds like it was still a great display. crash or no crash.

I wonder... yes things do happen, this was ebarrassing to say the least! But with the glitch in the bus tunnel, I wonder if Spectacular, bought a piece of hardware that was the same breed as the one that closed the bus tunnel, recall the tunnel opened then closed then opened then closed, this was frustrating and confused the hell outta the communters, I wonder if Vista is to blame as well as the hardware? He did say it was a Windows, which one?? Do not download SP2 for XP Pro, I've been saying this for quite some time now, and I get calls, and I ask did you D/L SP2?? So I rolled back plenty of this crap to SP1 on XP.

I can't believe how much noise is being made over essentially this:

people had to wait a whole 6 minutes for some entertainment.

Sheesh. You'd think that we'd mark the end of a year by celebrating, or at least reflecting on, the things we've accomplished as a people. Instead, we've become a population who is "stunned" by the briefest pause in our diet of distraction.

Get some perspective, people.

Watching the fireworks last night was cool until it all stopped. I look forward to the fireworks every year and last night I could't beleive my eyes. Well better luck next year.

Folks, get a life. Mistakes do happen. It was the best comedy show on any channel at that time. The way I look at it, the mistakes happened in 2007 and in 2008 they got the fireworks off (or at least the best way possible considering the circumstances).2008 is slated to be the best Year Yet!! Happy New Year everyone!

Not angry, also enjoyed a good laugh. Took the bus down to the needle and got to visit Lower Queen Anne with my wife, something we haven't done in a while. Fireworks failing to fire was not that big of a deal............that being said;

The excuses and excusing is a bit much. Is anyone ever held accountable anymore? Who the heck is in charge of that operation? You all have heard the saying "the show must go on" and when you have an event that is so hyped up and has become such a civic trademark any professional worthy of the title has layers of back up in place. When the program failed, they should have gone straight to a manual fire from the trailer, when that was obviously not working (many mortars were obviously not getting their signal) they should have gone to a voice orchestrated crew of operators, placed near the various banks manually firing the charges. If for some reason his crew was not able to get the charges to fire with a battery sitting next to them, a switchboard in their lap and a wire running to the charge, the man in charge should be booted from the industry. At that point, you do not want someone that inept placing tnt on your 200' landmark above thousands of people...just from a safety standpoint.

The successful execution of the show obviously did not mean enough to them to guarantee they were going to get it right. Regardless of the scale of the show, I'd really like to hear a good explanation from this guy, why simply, he couldn’t get spark to powder. Bottom line, the excuses have to stop. I hear the theme of the show was “A Tribute to Hollywood”. Maybe he can blame the writers strike?

I was there, it started when a trucken sonics mascott, "Noodles The Needle" was tasered by the police. He then fell into the linux based control system, that also operates the metro bus tunnel and is used to create Vista in building 10087 in Redmond as well as the iBlender and the IWaffle Iron. Won't have this problem next year as the Space Needle is being moved to Oklaohama via the South Lake Union Train.

What I thought was more interesting than any of this was how KOMO reported the blunder at the needle, then how the "streets exploded..." KING didn't really seem to mention, at least in bold type, that there was some violence in the streets...KOMO didn't sponsor the event, so of course their coverage is a little more hyped...and BTW, all this talk about the City of Sea wasting money...didn't the Space Needle hire the fireworks folks? The Space Needle is a private family corporation.

Rating: 4-F's! Fireworks-Fizzle-Fiasco-Funny! I enjoyed the Suspense! Actually was more entertaining then if everything went off just perfect..sure kept Me Up waiting to hear what went wrong? Happy New Year Seattle..Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! YES it was pretty HAPPY!!! IT GAVE ALOT OF PEOPLE A LAUGH (one way or another)

What's disappointing is all of the complaining about what happened. The display at the needle has been a tradition which a lot of people work hard to set up. Something goes wrong once, and people go off the deep end. Instead of whining about the people, the computer, etc. be thankful you lived to see it and that you have a warm home and computer from which to complain.

It's a new year. Why are you wasting the time grousing?

Was a great show ... and the only reason it compromised is because the same company has done an outstanding show year after year. This kind of display in smaller town would be embraced.

I have so much sympathy for the show team -- have been in that situation of "expiration" in front of a live audience and the pressure you put on yourself (not to mention those in the audience who hold you to task) is more of a punishment than anyone else can inflict on you. When the delay happened I just kept saying "poor team" over and over.

Like others, was MORE concerned about the rush of sirens and wondered why that was happening.

THANKS, Quadrant, for stepping up to the plate and sponsoring. It was a window of time to hang with friends and family and that's what's most important.

And to the pyro team ... happy to buy ya'al a drink today if it will help in any way. I definitely appreciate all your prep time, setup, hard work, and thinking-on-feet to keep the show going when it counted!

We laughed so hard we cried. Also we taped the unedited rebroadcast at 3am on KONG just so we'd always have a copy. Also we're pretty sure John Curly was drunk. He was a laugh riot. Our favorite line was "leave room for the holy spirit" when a newly engaged couple started making out a bit too much. Also we were surprised to find a giant "f-bomb" not edited out of the rebroadcast. Awesome job KING 5!

I agree with Marilyn... The suspense and the HD aerial views of the needle without fireworks added to the entertainment value! A good Laugh to start 2008! Can't believe they had no backup. Oh, and as tech support would tell you, just get another 4 Gigs of RAM, that solves all Vista issues! :)
Happy New Year Y'all, now shut off the 'puter and go outside and play!

Welcome to 2008 where Seattle will continue to suck, what better way to ring in the New Year than to show you exactly what it will be like here.

Tyrone (above 10:18) said:
...Since computers crash all the time, why is this such a big deal?

No, computers don't crash all the time..except if you're using Windows. The 200+ Linux units (replaced Win) don't crash.
My New Years resolution for 2008 is to get as many people off Win and discover what others know.
Accept mediocrity..become mediocre!

You know what? Eight of us have been getting together for about 18 years every New Year's Eve. We used to stay up until the wee hours of the morning--as we all got older, it's become more difficult to stay awake until midnight. We joked about that fact--moved from the game table to the TV at 11:30 PM--took at peak at how old Dick Clark would look this year--then switched to watch our favorite show at the Space Needle. We were amazed at the happenings, yes--disappointed--felt sorry for all involved---prayed no one was getting hurt. Then . . . you know what? It woke us all up---we discussed our thoughts on what went wrong--thanked the Lord no one was hurt---and actually visited until about 1:30 AM. It was a wonderful evening---one we'll always remember and talk about for years to come. Will we tune into the Space Needle next year? You bet! Life goes on---the best thing we can all do is not drag the baggage of last year into this new year. It happened, it's over---let's learn from our "mistakes" and be better in 2008. Happy New Year Brad and Laurie---you guys are the best!

Figures, Microsoft issue of course,,

If your job is going to be seen and scrutinized around the city and country I can only imagine the amount of pressure you'd be under. I also can't imagine not double and triple checking everything to make sure there are no problems. A corrupted file? How could this not have been checked to make sure the show was even going to run, in proper sequence?

If you're doing fireworks in your back yard no one cares if you mess stuff up. If you're going to do it professionally and charge a whole lot of money for it you should at least be held responsible when you completely mess it up and then offer a very poor excuse for it.

Also, if that was the whole show we saw, just broken in pieces, it was very disappointing. I think maybe it's time to switch to another company. Bad job all around.

Did I say Brad and Laurie?? Sorry Dennis and Joyce--YOU guys are the best. See, I told you I was up way past my bedtime! King 5 still rules!!!!!

Last night's firework show was an absolute disgrace to the city of Seattle. Again. The past two New Year's firework shows at the Needle were absolutely TERRIBLE, especially the 2006-2007 one but at least they went off correctly. You'd think that with the what had to be substantial sum of money that is being paid to the company that sets up the show they would get it right. The city should definitely get its money back.
Our city is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the country with our poor New Years fireworks shows, and now shows that don't work hardly at all.
I saw a posting on here of a former fireworks technician saying "its really hard up there placing fireworks in the wind and rain and blah blah blah" I don't care what you have to deal with. Get it right! Maybe you don't live in or are from Seattle like I am, but having a good show means a whole lot to those who are.
I hope the city NEVER hires that company ever again and it is my New Years wish that we get a fireworks show that works correctly next year and that is actually a good show, hopefully the exact opposite of the dismal 2006-2007 show.
I bet the KING 5 reporter that kissed the other reporter already has his severance package. And I feel really bad for Joyce Taylor and Dennis Bounds, having to try to fill the time that should have been the show. That has to be one of the hardest parts of being a newscaster. But how could Joyce say: "That was an exciting show, admit it" It was not an exciting show with fireworks going off from only one side of the Needle. Stop trying to sugar coat everything.

Reading these comments make me SO proud that tomorrow is my last day in Seattle.

I have never seen so many ignorant statements in one place. I suppose this is an overall view of the people who live here. Thank God after tomorrow, I won't be one of them.

Good riddance.

OK, for the last time, the city did NOT pay for the fireworks! The Space Needle did and they are a private co. Stop saying things like, "I hope the city NEVER hires that company ever again.." or that this wasted "OUR" money. Sheesh.

LOL, turns out the system was a Mac. Sorry guys.

Yes MS is a marketing company and since marketing is all about image you would think the Redmond developers could actually make a reliable OS. So sad.

We waited all night for the fireworks show, but at least we were nice and warm in my office where I have a bird's eye view of the Needle. I do believe this is an embarassment to Seattle, but it really came down to poor planning! What happened to the back up plan? Manually just doesn't cut it. REDO the show or get our money back for the city! Happy New Years to all.

What...no commment from the Mac group? I have been reading these comments with total unbelief....what a bunch of losers. (I suppose for most of them to read this I should spell it loosers :)...can anyone spell on these blogs?)

A fiasco that has probably established Seattle as one of, if not the only, major city in history to botch its New Year's Eve celebration. Glitches occur, for sure, but that's why a professional always has a backup solution. What a way to start 2008!!

I wish everyone at king tv a Happy New YEAR and everything will be better next year.

Next time the computer won't Send, scratch a match: duh?

As everyone seems to agree, the glitch was not an earth-shattering event, nor an omen for the new year.
It was, however, embarrassing for the Capitol of Computer Technology that the computer technology failed. It was also inexcusable that there was obviously no workable backup for the computer technology in use, except to finish the show manually. This is one show that absolutely should not fail. Properly prepared and with redundant systems in place, it would not have.

Having said that, and despite the show failure, I do believe we all can move on and proceed happily with the new year.

That's all I'm sayin'.

The fireworks display looked disastrous, absolutely chaotic and grossly amateurish. I was simultaneously annoyed, embarrassed and angered with how the King-5 newscasters kept trying to put a "happy face" on that mess. They couldn't have been looking at the same show by how they were describing it. Why couldn't any of them been objective enough to state the obvious--like reporting news? I stayed up to watch the fireworks and had to turn it off mid-way. Pyro Spectaculars OWES Seattle a fireworks show now; they shouldn't be paid for their humiliation.

Checked in from the East Coast to see the show. OK so there was a glitch, calm down - all in all it was a great show. It also gave some great view shots of the city. I am shocked that they did not have a back up system in place though. One mistake in 14 years of this isn't bad so give the folks a break. Seattle is still a spectacular place and the video proved it with glitches and all. Happiest of New Years To Everyone in Seattle!

I love how people are taking this opportunity to bash Windows because it's a cheap shot. Happy New Year's everyone and hopefully you'll get a life in 2008!

Oh. My. God. Check out Stanton Simon's comment at 1/1/08, 2:47AM. "Some of us paid good money for this terrible disappointment." Um, no, Stanton honey child, you paid $350 to have dinner on a boat around midnight, so spare everyone your whiny entitlement b*tch attitude regarding the fireworks. On the plus side, your moaning makes everyone else look reasonable by comparison.

What was up with the anchors Meg Coyle and Chris Warren kissing???

Its ok to have a problem with the fireworks. I just wish someone would invent a new name for it other than "glitch". By the way, next year lets just dispense with the whole show and instead have all those people standing behind the anchors hold sparklers plus a few minutes of Meg Coyle getting her mouth explored by an associates wandering tongue at the stroke of midnight. That was worth the glitch. You go girl..!!

People need to RELAX. It was a beautiful display even with the computer glitches. Computers are not perfect. Things happen. Some of the comments here are just ridiculous!! Tens of millions of people don't get to see ANY fireworks in their area, so let's be thankful for what we did have!!!

Happy New Year!!!! Hopefully this year will bring less world turmoil, more kindness to others and good health for all!!

And I have to agree with another poster who mentioned the danger involved with pyrotechnics. The men and women who set up and run the displays do so in a not-so-safe environment. Good point!

If a not perfect fireworks display can ruin peoples' day, it's very sad.

Hey M&M,
for like the third time Meg Coyle and Chris Warren are married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody buy them a mac......

Actually, the best part of the TV coverage was the anchors. Admit it. Someone said John Curley looked drunk. I don't know, he's kind of a goofball in everyday on-air life but I have to admit he seemed to be having a reeeeeaaallll goooood time last night. Watching Joyce and Dennis do a bit of unrehearsed fill time was a hoot. I've been watching KING TV's coverage of this event for years and I have to say it was the most fun, out of control trainwreck of a broadcast I've ever seen. Not the sterile now-this-and-now-that type of coverage like you see on those awful parades and such.. I hope it happens again next year.

It was NOT a beautiful show. It sucked. Pyro Spectaculars should be fire and never asked back. Seattle needs its money back.
Joyce Taylor is an idiot. It was NOT an exciting show and I do NOT have to agree with her. Tell her to shut up her mouth.
I am going to put 3 sparklers on the Space Needle for next years display, and it will be better than this year's. Tell all your friends that if they want crappy shows for lots of money, call Pyro Spectaculars.
On the bright side, how long has it been since we saw a reporter frenching his coworker? Can you say lawsuit? Har har.

How dare people be upset that the event was a complete failure? As the great Gene Kranz once said, "Failure is always an option". In order to be a great city, Seattle must learn to embrace and even praise its failures. We should celebrate failure! Remember, as long as you try, or at least half-ass it, or maybe even just show up, you are a WINNER! There are no losers! Together we can trivialize success and excellency, and embrace mediocrity!

Also, if you don't agree with me then you should just SHUT UP and GET OVER IT because I'm righteous and justified and I live in the smartest city in the world!

PS. Haha, it must have been a MAC or Lunix because a command line guy was playing D&D in his mom's basement. Vista might be buggy, bloated, unstable, expensive, a multi-year and multi-billion dollar waste, and the biggest failure in company history, but at least they tried! Microsoft rules forever!

Meg Coyle and MICHAEL KING are married - not Chris Warren. Meg & Michael were kissing on air. Chris wasn't even there.

Bet they were using the new Mac OS to run the show this year...that thing is buggy as hell...

Kind of reminded me of Clark Griswald.

How embassasing for you Americans. You really do need to take a trip down under to see how it's done :)

Here, watch and learn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgBAZXpVl-E

what bunch of losers :)

lol uh happy new year?

Good start to the year..

Sign of things to come maybe??

I bet they spent 15 trillion dollars trying to get it right. I mean even the Canadians went off on time, how hard could it be.

My dad said the funniest thing when the fireworks stopped.

"Pretty Cheap Conehead"

I watched the NYC ball drop into obscurity behind a sign or something and then watched Seattle's fireworks. On some years I turn the sound off for part of the fireworks display. Last night’s program for Seattle got a chuckle from me for the glitches but the fireworks were still beautiful. Did you notice the ones that looked liked rockets out of the 50’s movies? Neat also were the puffs that shot into the air.

Perhaps the computer got cold. The glitches were for a firework’s display, no one was injured. Be thankful instead. Did you notice how beautifully the smoked moved off to the side in still motion? Wonderful! Look for beauty, it often comes in quietly and softly.

lol urm Huston we have a problem.

That was the most successful fizzle I have ever seen.

Happy 2008

what a bunch of whiners.As far as I am concerned they should save their fireworks for the 4th of july. This is just another reason for a bunch of drunks to get together and cause trouble. I am glad it fizzled.

"computer glitches can't be helped" You must be using WINDOWS

Windoze is Windoze... point is if your business is depending on it you need a backup plan. Any type of computer requires backup and redundancies. Hey, it was WAY more interesting the way it played out anyhow... if it was perfect without a glitch, who would even remember it by now? And watching the King5 crew improvise was PRICELESS! Hey, it was funny, forget the embarrassment in the world arena. You know what the say about people who can't take a joke.

Isn't it about time to axe the music driven show and just listen to the booms and pops of the fireworks exploding, along with a huge crowd of real live people singing "Auld Lang Syne" all over Seattle?

What a bad omen. On top of the news that King County, no shock, may have put taxpayers at great risk by making investments in a crashing Real Estate market, Rasing minimum wage to aid illegal spick vermin and embracing more laws that violate the rights of Washington citizens...yes, the failed fire works are a bad start and a bad bode on this lousy state.

Sure the fireworks were somewhat disappointing this year, and they should have had a back up plan, sometimes people don't think things through all the way. I'm sure everyones made a stupid mistake before. Anyways why would you be embarrassed about the situation. I seriously don't believe that a disappointing fireworks show will seriously scar the name of Seattle. This city has so many artistic assets is shouldn't even matter. Also New Years is not about the fireworks, it's a holiday to spend with your friends and family. If you're really upset about the fireworks, and you left a comment making it seem like it ruined your evening, maybe you should get your priorities straight. Anyways think, someone sacrificed their New Year with their family to make you happy. So be thankful regardless of whether or not it went the way you want.

WASHINGTON IS NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF WHINEY BABIES!!! THAT IS THE DISGRACE OF THIS AREA. PEOPLE ARE SO INTERESTED IN COMPLAINING AND POINTING FINGERS BECAUSE THEIR OWN LIVES ARE SOOOOO SCREWED UP INSTEAD OF JUST EXCEPTING THE FACT THAT THINGS HAPPEN... LAUGH IT OFF AND SAY "GOOD JOB AND HAPPY NEW YEAR" FROM A 43 YEAR WASHINGTON NATIVE P.S. SO NEXT TIME YOU POINT A FINGER...POINT IT AT YOURSELF FIRST!!!

KING's reporting of this, underscoring the irony of a computer malfunction in a "high tech" city and "home of Microsoft" is ironic in itself.

If we weren't so uncritically obsessed with thinking of ourselves as, and lapping up being being told (by ourselves and especially by local media outlets), that we are this erudite, supereducated, highly technically sophisticated elite among urban population centers, maybe we wouldn't be so aghast at failing to live up to that contrived standard on occasions such as this when reality asserts ourselves and we are exposed as the petty, self-absorbed, simpleminded, humorless, vain, passive-aggressive snots we are, whose collective inability to deal with the complexities of day-to-day living is mind-numbing and perpetuates a culture of denial, projection and pretty much every self-serving defense mechanism in the book.

I mean, apropos of nothing...

I felt so embarassed when I watched this!! Dennis Bounds and Joyce Taylor did an incredile job "saving face" for Seattle. Congratulations to the couple that got engaged behind them! This will be a great story for them to share with their grandchildren!

I guess it is "par for the course" for Seattle over the past several years with the leadership of both Greg Nickels and Ron Sims. Ha!!! I hope the taxpayers of King County won't be financially responsible for this fiasco!!!

Boo to the bad mouthers. It was a great show and took hours of prep time. I loved it. It lasted longer this way. Wasn't it great to see the ferry stopped so passengers could watch?

I was out so recorded this, and just got around to watching it. This is the best King5 program I have ever seen. I was crying of laughter! In a good way. I loved everything from Dan and Joyce filling time, to the reporters smoothching in the needle, to John Curley (you sit in front me courtside at the Storm games John, with your wife and kids). Always a fun guy.

Typically the needle event is ho-hum, pretty, watch it once. This was truly memorable, and many of us will laugh over this for years to come. I also liked the end where the guys were proposing, and seeing the girls reaction. Cried again, in a different way.

I have to agree with Big D when he says "it was the most fun, out of control trainwreck of a broadcast I've ever seen". And to the people that said that said "John was drunk", who cares. Everyone else was. Who are you to judge.

To the King5 crew, you did a great job. I wouldn't have wanted to start my new days any other way, than have a big smile on my face. You guys rock!

That's what I'm saying... much more interesting the way it all worked out, otherwise same ol' same ol' boring New Years! Thanks for a memorable evening K5!!

Pony wrote 5:07 PM...

"Windoze is Windoze... point is if your business is depending on it you need a backup plan. Any type of computer requires backup and redundancies. Hey, it was WAY more interesting the way it played out anyhow... if it was perfect without a glitch, who would even remember it by now? And watching the King5 crew improvise was PRICELESS! Hey, it was funny, forget the embarrassment in the world arena. You know what they say about people who can't take a joke."

I don't understand why there are so many negative comments. It was still a good show & it was (for the majority) free! So what. A few glitches in how many years? If the city decided not to have New Years At the Needle you Nay Sayers would really cause a stink! Give me a break & appreciate what you get! No City is perfect, but Seattle is still better than most! Koodos to the Space Needle Corporation & The City Of Seattle!

It was a BUST, but a funny one. Regretful that it was so embarassing and Lame. But nothing was as lame as King- 5 Denis Bounds and Denise reading from their notebooks during the show! Waht the heck was that? Okay, Megan Coyle's (love her) husband was MORE LAME than any of the crappy fireworks, Denise's perma-phony grin or Denis' scripted banter. But really- who cares?Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

So, the pyrotechnician previously employed by Pyro Spectacular mentioned in this blog that the show was run on a Windows PC.

That doesn't matter. All else being equal, this show would have crashed on a Mac... or on Linux... Or on BSD... etc.

Usually a serious hardware defect is required to get the BSoD on an NT-based OS (NT4, 2000, XP, Vista). This kind of defect would crash the same system running any other OS (provided it supported the piece of hardware that went awry).

Microsoft is a popular target for peoples' hatred, mostly because everyone has used a Windows PC, and has encountered some frustration with it or another... But a lack of understanding led them to believe that Microsoft was responsible for the program they were using, crashing.

Almost definitely, Windows had absolutely no responsibility in this crash (assuming 2k or later). An individual program crashing is the fault of the programmer(s)