I am finally soaking in Twitter for all its worth. I talked about this a few weeks ago but I am really seeing the benefits now. All I have to do is open my Twitter account and start reading.
I follow about 380 people who tell me all that I need to know on a second-by-second basis about politics, current events, business, technology, health, food, theater, fashion, economics, music, pop culture, the arts, city news, publishing, and entertainment. Continue reading
The world of tech likes to party. Every month, or sometimes every week, there is some event that industry people can attend to see new products, socialize, drink, eat, and go home with a bag of goodies.
The gdgt event last night, smack in the middle of Silicon Alley in New York City, was a little different. This one was targeted to the consumer. Thousands of people showed up to walk through the exhibit hall at The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street. Manufacturers and app developers had their new introductions on display to get first hand customer reactions and to start generating sales. FYI, gdgt, a company that dropped its vowels, is a blog where you can get reviews from people who actually have the product you’re looking for. They run live events all around the country as a means to get the innovative companies to interact with the public.
Last night was my first time attending as a blogger. I am usually a PR person pitching product myself. I wanted to find new, exciting products to tell you about. One of the most interesting pieces of information that I picked up is that AARP is becoming a sponsor of some of these events. Robin Raskin of Living In Digital Times told me that AARP is expressing more interest in technology. It all makes sense to me but I will let you know about any services they develop involving innovation.
Here are some of the innovations I saw last night that might interest you.
1) iRobot Roomba 790 with Command Center
2) iPieces from Pressman, a host of new games from Pressman Toys
Ryan Block & Veronica Belmont
Thirty years ago, my client at Coleco, Barbara Wruck Belmont, called to tell me she was pregnant. “Guess what?” I said. “So am I.”
We both screamed in delight. Not only were we pregnant at the same time but we were also going to share a lifetime of experiences. The business relationship only lasted a few more years but our friendship is still going strong.
We both raised sensational looking daughters who turned out to be geeks. My daughter Whitney is very well known in the field of UX–User Experience–and Barbara’s daughter is the famous Internet personality, Veronica Belmont.
Barbara just emailed me from Hartford, CT, that Veronica just got engaged to long time boyfriend Ryan Block, Founder of gdgt. I am presently touring in Croatia but my thoughts bounced back 30 years ago when we made Whitney and Veronica hold hands for a photo op. As we snapped their picture we told our daughters we would all be friends forever.
I now have the pleasure of publicly wishing my dear friend Barbara a hearty congratulations and wishing the newly engaged couple the best of everything.
Eliot and I are thrilled for all of you.
For those who don’t know Veronica and Ryan, here are brief bios.
Veronica is a technology and gaming-centric video host based out of San Francisco. Currently her projects include Tekzilla (a weekly tech help and how-to show on Revision3.com), and The Sword and Laser, a science fiction and fantasy podcast and community, co-hosted with Tom Merritt. She has also written for Slate, DoubleX, MaximumPC and PC Gamer, and was the original host of Qore on the PlayStation Network.
Veronica initially made her mark as a producer and on-air talent for CNET Networks (now CBS Interactive). She worked on such shows as Buzz Out Loud, MP3 Insider, Crave, and Prizefight. In 2007 she left CNET to host the eclectic video show Mahalo Daily, which was named one of the top new podcasts in 2008 on iTunes.
Ryan Block is co-founder of gdgt, a consumer electronics media startup (funded by True Ventures, Spark Capital, and Betaworks, among others). He was also former editor / editor emeritus of Engadget, a web magazine and network of sites focused on obsessive coverage of consumer electronics and technology.
As a technology critic and commentator, he has been quoted by the BBC, Business Week, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, and The Wall St. Journal. Ryan also appeared on such networks as the BBC, CNN, NPR, PRI, and G4. He was also named one of Forbes’s 2007 Web Celeb 25.
DigiDame 