Macworld Expo 2010 was somewhat of a disappointment. Besides seeing the active and innovative exhibitors in the mobile developers section and hearing Kevin Smith wax eloquently about dicks and fucking and how life has changed so much from the days of Clerks, the whole show was a bit of a disappointment. While there were plenty of new and some established vendors, a lot of those present came with barebones stuff. Very few teams set up splashy large booths with free stuff, colorful demos, contests, and free stuff. It was quite boring making the rounds that I was tired even before I made it halfway through the area.
What was also lacking was any new products that made you say wow and have you take out your wallet right on the spot. Even if there were, most of the companies did not have the goods to sell. So what is the point of coming? The last booth I walked into was Textrec or something like that. These guys were completely incompetent in terms of going out to greet people. They had so many products to show: iPhone, iTouch cases, almost every other phone and camera and device they had a case for. They even had some of these products in packaging hanging on some racks. Well, when I finally got someone’s attention about a Leica case that would fit my Panasonic LX3, the guy finally explained that they were not selling anything at their booth. I could already tell, but I needed to ask just to see how incompetent they were at communicating.
Well, I did see some cool stuff. Like gamesalad.com which lets users create their own games and upload them, as well as market them. And there was the phone app that integrates so many features on it. I am glad I tested the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio model. That sets the bar for headphones of today. Awesome sound! And Blue Microphone’s mic that plugs into the iPhone!
Will I come next year? Maybe. Who knows what the industry will be like. Who knows what gadget I’ll be using next year. In the meantime, I’m content with what I have and glad I didn’t spend much more than lunch and a cup of coffee.
Archive for category Uncategorized
Macworld Expo 2010
Feb 13
Macworld Expo 2010 was somewhat of a disappointment. Besides seeing the active and innovative exhibitors in the mobile developers section and hearing Kevin Smith wax eloquently about dicks and fucking and how life has changed so much from the days of Clerks, the whole show was a bit of a disappointment. While there were plenty of new and some established vendors, a lot of those present came with barebones stuff. Very few teams set up splashy large booths with free stuff, colorful demos, contests, and free stuff. It was quite boring making the rounds that I was tired even before I made it halfway through the area.
What was also lacking was any new products that made you say wow and have you take out your wallet right on the spot. Even if there were, most of the companies did not have the goods to sell. So what is the point of coming? The last booth I walked into was Textrec or something like that. These guys were completely incompetent in terms of going out to greet people. They had so many products to show: iPhone, iTouch cases, almost every other phone and camera and device they had a case for. They even had some of these products in packaging hanging on some racks. Well, when I finally got someone’s attention about a Leica case that would fit my Panasonic LX3, the guy finally explained that they were not selling anything at their booth. I could already tell, but I needed to ask just to see how incompetent they were at communicating.
Well, I did see some cool stuff. Like gamesalad.com which lets users create their own games and upload them, as well as market them. And there was the phone app that integrates so many features on it. I am glad I tested the Beats by Dr. Dre Studio model. That sets the bar for headphones of today. Awesome sound! And Blue Microphone’s mic that plugs into the iPhone!
Will I come next year? Maybe. Who knows what the industry will be like. Who knows what gadget I’ll be using next year. In the meantime, I’m content with what I have and glad I didn’t spend much more than lunch and a cup of coffee.
From AoIT
This school year feels like it’s going too fast for my taste. I agreed to teach within the Academy of Information Technology and help to develop the program in the years to come. With my knowledge of video production and interest in all things technology, I thought I could manage teaching the Media Production class this Fall.
I have been given a very bright group of students. They are bright-eyed, savvy, and curious. Midway through the school year, I feel like I’m bumbling my way, making mistakes, feeling unprepared, and always thinking how I could improve my teaching.
The most challenging aspect is that I am finding myself at my limits in my own experience and expertise with the software. I hope to improve over time, but I need to learn and have time to expand my repertoire much faster. The students learn so much quicker, and I welcome them teaching me. I only wish I had the time to take my own knowledge of what can be done with the tools and come up with more meaningful projects that would fulfill the original vision of AoIT – using technology to make the world better in some way, empower young people to communicate something meaningful, and foster innovation and creativity. I think we will get there, but right now it feels like taking two steps back for every step we go forward.
Back in Chinatown
Jul 3
My wife got off from work unexpectedly early and I went to pick her up without my ritual cup of morning coffee. Still groggy from sleep I thought it would be good to have breakfast at Dol Ho the old dim sum place we used to go when we lived in Chinatown.
It’s definitely a dive but the food is decent and the service laid back so you feel at home. Best of all our breakfast was only $7. You will probably have a hard time topping $10 for 2 people.
It’s a great place to start the day. And from Chinatown you can easily go anywhere in the City.
Now I need some coffee.
Hello world!
Feb 10
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