Events

A Week in Cuba and the Gear I Carried

Events, Travel

A Week in Cuba and the Gear I Carried

I spent last week in Havana Cuba touring the city, listening to lectures, and doing some good as we visited with Havana’s Jewish community and shared the medical supplies we’d brought. While there, certain key pieces of tech came in rather handy; I thought I would run down just a few of them. First and foremost, my Canon T3i DSLR and iPad were great for taking and manipulating pictures on the fly. Using the two devices in tandem let me take pictures like this one from Hemingway’s house. And this one from his garden. And this one of his typewriter….

Craft Brews, Pairings, & Inspiration at the Great American Beer Festival

Events, Yum Log

Craft Brews, Pairings, & Inspiration at the Great American Beer Festival

125 members of the media along with a score of craft-brewers and homebrewing elite met at noon Friday, inside Denver’s Grand Hyatt Pinnacle Club Peak Ballroom on the 38th floor for a Great American Beer Festival working media luncheon consisting of a five-course pairing luncheon and briefing. The theme was “homebrewing and its connection to the craft brewing community”, and the idea was to “highlight a few commercial beers that were inspired by their homebrewing roots.” Are you a homebrewer who has ever considered going pro? This luncheon was all about people like you! all photos by Kevin Stanford It’s easy…

Did Amazon's Kindle Announcements Out-Apple Apple?

Editorials, Events

Did Amazon’s Kindle Announcements Out-Apple Apple?

My day job is in client facing sales and service, so I spend a great deal of time making sure I present my message correctly. First, we establish the basic facts. Then there’s a discussion of what they mean, implications, risks, etc. Finally, these all lead to the conclusion and (ideally) the implementation of whatever solution we think is best. While my presentations are far, far less flashy than a big tech announcement, I still like to see how companies hype up their products, especially since that showmanship does overlap with my own skills and job needs. Normally, Apple announcement…

Join Us for the Apple iPhone 5 Press Event!

Events

Join Us for the Apple iPhone 5 Press Event!

Are you ready to see the end of all the rumors and speculation regarding the newest iPhone? We are, too! Let’s get something straight, although we do our best not to report on rumors, it doesn’t mean we don’t read them. We have, and we’ve gotten more and more excited. Sure it does seem like pretty much everything that needs to be known about the new iPhone has already been leaked, but that doesn’t guarantee the rumors are correct and, even if they are, it doesn’t make us any less excited for the announcements and that One more thing…! And…

Hyundai Takes Us up the Mountain to Discover the New Santa Fe!

Events, Vehicles & Gear

Hyundai Takes Us up the Mountain to Discover the New Santa Fe!

If you really want people to experience a new SUV, what is the best way? How about taking them up a mountainous location at about 8500 feet elevation! And if you are looking to engage with media beyond the typical automotive press, what better way than to bring in people heavily engaged in social media such as Chip Chick, GeekDad and of course, Gear Diary! That is exactly what Hyundai did to introduce their new 2013 Santa Fe. After a week of normal work with the traditional automotive press, they brought in nearly two dozen bloggers whose sites range from…

Experience the Newport Jazz Festival Live Via Streaming Video!

Events, Music Diary

Experience the Newport Jazz Festival Live Via Streaming Video!

Two years ago it was a big deal when the revered Newport Jazz Festival gave listeners worldwide a chance to feel a part of things by streaming some of the audio from the festival. This weekend they are taking it a step further, with a full 16 hours of live streaming video from the festival! This weekend, NPR Music and our partners WBGO and WGBH are presenting 16 hours of live video webcasting from the 2012 Newport Jazz Festival. For your convenience, here’s a breakdown of what you’ll see online and hear on WBGO. Everything is subject to change, as…

Great American Beer Festival in Denver Colorado

Events

Get Your Tickets for the Great American Beer Festival!

If you have a love for hops and tasty craft-brewed adult beverages, then no doubt you’ve heard of The Great American Beer Festival, an event put on by the Brewer’s Association which has become the largest and best known of its kind. The Great American Beer Festival is the premier U.S. beer festival and competition. Each year, GABF represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served, in the format of a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF brings together the brewers and beers that make the U.S. the world’s greatest brewing nation. This event showcases the diverse…

"Sound Matters" As DTS Completes Acquisition of SRS Labs

Events, News & Features

“Sound Matters” As DTS Completes Acquisition of SRS Labs

Sound Matters! That was the central message offered by DTS CEO John Kirchner during a Press call on DTS completing the acquisition of SRS Labs. This deal paves the way to offer “best in class” audio solutions. As he put it, We are very well positioned through a combination of the technologies in pre and post-processing to deliver the solutions that our customers want and need. This positioning is especially true in the areas of mobile, connected TV and automotive audio as there are “significant opportunities to enhance audio in those areas”. It is difficult to get quality, convenience and…

GearFest Gear Chat Part 4, Google Apps - Yay or Nay?

Events, Gear Bits

GearFest Gear Chat Part 4, Google Apps – Yay or Nay?

This was a sweet thought, a search mega-player committed to doing things in a kind, open and customer-friendly manner. But we all know it isn’t the case. No, Google is just a money-making machine and just as Health Insurance Companies make their money by saying “No” to sick people and reimbursing physicians at a rate of pennies on the dollar, Google makes the bulk of their cash by giving you seemingly free services and then using the personally data they rake in to make money. (Yes, I know, the video below is hosted on YouTube… what are you going to…

GearFest GearChat Part 3, iPad Apps, Judie's Question and More...

Events, Gear Bits

GearFest GearChat Part 3, iPad Apps, Judie’s Question and More…

In part 3 of our GearFest Gear Chat Judie asks “What is your one favorite iPad app?” A ridiculous question? Yup. But she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she got an answer from each of us. We then took a look at how many apps we currently have on our iPads. And, how many books, how many songs etc. In all, during this chat we dug a bit more deeply into exactly how we each use our iPads. And, yeah, the bickering got a bit more intense this time through. 🙂

Dark Knight Rises Film Review

Events, Reviews

Dark Knight Rises Film Review

This conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s film trilogy gives audiences an amazing swan song for the Caped Crusader that features constant surprises, character reveals, and compelling closure all set in the tumultuous city of Gotham.

GearFest GearChat #2, All About iPad Apps

Events

GearFest GearChat #2, All About iPad Apps

In Part 2 of our GearFest Gear Chat we take a look at some of the apps we use and love. Check the bottom of the post for links to each Gmail Get it. Documents to Go Get it. Blogsy Get it. Bento 4 Get it. Type on PDF Get it. Pages Get it. IA Writer Get it. Elements Get it. Scanner Pro Get it. TouchRetouch HD Get it! And since we mention how much more we are now using our iPads to take pictures… here are some of my favorite camera apps! Photogene Get it! ColorSplash for iPad Get…

GearFest GearChat #1, Tablet or Notebook? Which One When?

Events, Gear Bits

GearFest GearChat #1, Tablet or Notebook? Which One When?

While together this past weekend the editors took some time out to talk tech. We’ll share the conversation/s over the next few days. Each of us brought a tablet, a notebook and at least one smartphone along with us. Two used the tablet almost exclusively while the others traded off between them fairly evenly. In this first one we talk about when and how we choose to use one or the other. Has your tablet become a primary productivity tool for you? Let us know in the comments.

GoFurther with Ford Trend Conference 2012, My Experience

Events, Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

GoFurther with Ford Trend Conference 2012, My Experience

Last week I had the opportunity to be among 250 guests brought to Dearborn, Michigan by Ford; we spent 2 1/2 days seeing what they’re up to, learning a bit about their philosophy and, of course, checking out some of their latest vehicles. Usually, when attending such a junket, you’d expect to find one or two really good nuggets, a few sessions that were quite good, and a few duds. You’d also expect to have a few logistical glitches along the way. Having now had a bit of time to digest everything that we saw and did over those days,…

My Day at the Ford Testing Track

Events, Vehicles & Gear

My Day at the Ford Testing Track

I’ve spent the last three days with Ford in Michigan. We learned about their green tech, their company philosophy, and much more. The complete writeup is on the way, but I wanted to get this post and video up now before I leave. Why? Because I got to spend the morning with Ford at their test track driving some of their newest vehicles. There’s the Raptor, which was awesome off-road. Then there was the Interceptor. It is super-fast and a lot of fun to drive. Finally I got to take a Mustang GT out on the course. I had fun,…

Samsung's First 4G LTE Windows Phone, the Focus 2, Will Be $49.99 at AT&T

Events, News & Features

Samsung’s First 4G LTE Windows Phone, the Focus 2, Will Be $49.99 at AT&T

Samsung wasn’t content to let HTC hog all the new device announcements this morning; they, along with AT&T have announced the Focus 2. This is Samsung’s first 4G LTE Windows Phone, and AT&T’s third. The Focus 2 will be “an affordable smartphone that will be available beginning May 20 in pure white for $49.99 (with a two-year service agreement). Featuring a 4” Super AMOLED display and front-facing VGA camera, the Focus 2 is sure to grab your attention.” You can read more about the Samsung Focus 2 on the Windows Phone Blog. You can pick yours up for $50 on May 20th at…