Puppy Love
Last week, Mark and Karen brought home a pair of English Springer Spaniels2 named Winnie and CJ. The brother and sister pair have been winning hearts and soiling carpets ever since. They're a bit mischievous, but they're still cute.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 @ 16:48 » 
Comments
Bay State Is #1
Although the market for new jobs is still tight, a recent study3 by the Milkin Institute4 concluded that Massachusetts is the top state for technology-oriented business. Work is still needed to maintain its ranking, but the forecast should remain strong for a real "Massachusetts Miracle5" in the immediate future.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 @ 12:50 » Comments
Very Interesting
This article6 is a little old (it was written back in December), but I haven't heard anything about it since. cMarket7, a Boston startup, was faced with the prospect of hiring several American programmers at an average salary of $80,000 per year, plus $5,000 to $10,000 in additional benefits. However, outsourcing the same positions to Indian programmers would cost $40,000 each. When faced with these numbers, the executives at cMarket decided to try something different. Rather than send the new jobs overseas, they advertised them in the Boston Globe at $45,000, figuring that the premium was worth having the programmers on site. The idea has since paid off, with two of the four programmers now employed full-time at standard American salaries (cMarket did not want to lose them to the marketplace). If this idea catches hold, perhaps American companies can realize the same cost savings of outsourcing, while vetting job candidates face-to-face before making more permanent decisions. It has the potential to remove some luster from the idea of outsourcing and curb the exodus of jobs to overseas markets where they command lower salaries. To paraphrase an old adage, "a salary saved is a salary earned."
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 @ 10:34 » Comments
Criminal Mastermind
One man at CeBIT8 was apparently so enamored by a Siemens9 prototype phone that he couldn't wait to get his hands on one, so he stole10 it. Only problem is, this particular phone was being used to showcase new GPS technologies. When Siemens representatives realized the phone was missing, they were able to send it a series of hidden messages, which allowed them to pin down the phone's location to within 40 meters. After they were presented with that information, the local police were able to apprehend the thief.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 @ 09:54 » Comments
Say It Ain't So!
Since moving out of the bullpen, Derek Lowe has been one of Boston's best pitchers. Now it looks like he may be leaving11 at the end of the season. Apparently Boston's recent contract extension offer was, in Lowe's own words, "too low." Saddened as I am, I guess it's not very surprising. With the acquisition of Curt Schilling in the off-season, there was bound to be a shake-up in the starting rotation. It just seems to me that Lowe has been more consistent and less expensive than Pedro Martinez, who appears to thrive on drama and controversy as well (much like Manny Ramirez).
Tuesday, March 30, 2004 @ 10:15 » Comments
Someone's Keeping Secrets
Go figure. I didn't know that Terrence12 played basketball at Kennesaw State13. Looks like he's pretty good14, though.
Monday, March 29, 2004 @ 17:00 » Comments
And So It Begins
It isn't even Opening Day yet and we're already knee-deep in Red Sox / Yankees talk. Not that I'm complaining, of course. Joe Torre was touring Japan15 with several members of the Yankees squad in a run-up to their season opener against the Devil Rays, when he was peppered with questions about Grady Little's decision to leave Pedro Martinez on the mound back in Game 7 of the ALCS. Speaking about the series, Torre went on to recount the following story:
Coming down in the elevator in the hotel in Boston, this gentlemen got on with his wife and recognized me. He says, "You Joe Torre?" I said, "Yes, I am." He says, "We're going to beat you tonight." I said, "Well, I hope not." I said, "I hope it's a good game."
You could see he was thinking of something, and he says to me, "You know, if it came to the choice of beating the Yankees or capturing Saddam Hussein, I think I'd pick beating the Yankees." Now, I know that was passion right there.
Damn straight.
Monday, March 29, 2004 @ 11:10 » Comments
NEC Looks to the Future
NEC duo-phone and duo-pc
NEC16's Resonantware showcase17 has some pretty cool new concepts. While these flights of fancy are sometimes just that, NEC's approach lends some weight to the possibility that these products may reach consumer hands someday.
My personal favorites are the duo-pc and duo-phone, umm, duo. Both sides of these hinged devices appear to be touch-screen displays. If you're using the duo-phone as a phone (how novel!), the lower display would show a keypad. The duo-pc would work the same way (showing a keyboard, of course) ... but it could also be held, and read, like a magazine or stood, fully opened, on a desktop as a large monitor. Does it get better? The two devices work together, so the duo-phone could be used to control the duo-pc as a mouse or a second input surface. So when can I get one?!
Thursday, March 25, 2004 @ 14:50 » Comments
eHomeUpgrade
I stumbled upon eHomeUpgrade18 a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love. I spent a good bit of time poring over the archives, catching up on all kinds of news that I was sorely, sadly, and unknowingly missing out on. The site's scope and quality earned it an immediate spot among the Favorites listed to the right and catapulted it into a select group of sites that I make a point of reading daily. When I saw yesterday's request for guest bloggers, I immediately sent Alexander Grundner, the Site Editor and Producer, a note and expressed my interest in helping out. He just wrote back and accepted my offer to contribute to the site!
This is an amazing development and I'm honored to join the likes of Om Malik19 in this role. Om is well-known for his personal website, GigaOm20, and has worked with Red Herring and Forbes.com, among other publications and media outlets. I'm humbled to be considered in the same breath as Om and thrilled about the opportunity to reach a wider audience of like-minded people. I hope to get them as fired up as we are about this topic, while hopefully helping to clarify what it all means. We'll see how things unfold, but you should be seeing my name on a byline in the very near future.
Friday, March 19, 2004 @ 16:16 » Comments
Johnnie Walker Journey of Taste
On par with the debate that we attended last year, Terrence and I caught Johnnie Walker's Journey of Taste21 event last night in Boston. After an informational video on the history of the brand, a company ambassador gave a short presentation long on tastings. Starting with a sample of Johnnie Walker Black, she led us through a selection of scotch whiskeys that provided a taste of the liquor's various building blocks (e.g. vanilla, smoke) and then concluded the evening with a second sample of JWB that we could savor with our newfound knowledge of and appreciation for the mixology behind the brand. I'm still not quite sure how I ended up on the VIP list for these events, but I'm looking forward to the next one!
Friday, March 19, 2004 @ 15:57 » Comments
Boston Red Sox Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
Was anyone else excited to see the Red Sox22 sporting kelly green jerseys23 yesterday? Although they've worn green caps in the past, this was the first time they went all the way. If you ask me, it was a great idea and I just ordered one24 on for myself!
Thursday, March 18, 2004 @ 16:20 » Comments
Caught on Tape
I consider myself an independent, in that I will vote for the candidate who I believe is best suited for the position at stake. Unfortunately, good candidates are few and far between. I loathe "politics as usual" and wish that someday we could move beyond Democrat, Republican, Green Party, whoever and just do what's smart, right, and moral. When politicians get caught lying on video25, though, it's time for good people to speak up and demand change.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 @ 17:18 » Comments
Krups Draft Dispenser
Krups26, a company best known for its coffee machines, is about to launch a product intended for a very different kind of beverage. Their new Beertender27 is an impressive stainless steel appliance that will look attractive on any countertop and will hold four liters of beer in a specially designed container. I imagine that if they sell enough of these, sales of their coffee and espresso machines will be driven up by the same consumers, who may need an extra jolt the morning after entertaining guests!
Monday, March 15, 2004 @ 17:26 » Comments
Sync Magazine
Ziff Davis28 is getting ready to release Sync29 this summer. If you sign up now, they'll send you the first issue for free and offer you a two-year subscription for $19.97 ... not such a bad deal. And if anyone can pull off a monthly like this, I'm putting my money on the company behind PC Magazine30, eWeek31, and ExtremeTech32. Ziff Davis is also well known for books like Hacking TiVo33 and events like DigitalLife34.
Monday, March 08, 2004 @ 15:32 » Comments
Monday Morning Links
A couple of interesting links today via WashingtonPost.com e-mail alerts. First off, my college roommate's company has filed for a $75 million IPO35. Not a bad way to start your week! One of the founders, Matthew Pittinsky, wrote a book that I read years ago called The Wired Tower36, which discusses how technology is affecting education. It seems like he has continued to put the ideas into practice over the years at Blackboard37.
There was another blurb about how my favorite entrepreneur, Richard Branson, is entering the battle38 for digital music dominance with his Virgin brand. I read his autobiography, Losing My Virginity39, in Brazil and couldn't put it down! In the book, he discusses the history of Virgin, from his first venture selling used school books to his legal victory over British Airways. Along the way, he recounts lots of personal history, including some colorful tidbits about how he lost his first wife and, on occasion, nearly lost his own life.
Monday, March 08, 2004 @ 11:54 » Comments
Shifting Allegiance
Although I'm a fan of Gizmodo40, it was the editorial style of Peter Rojas41 that I most enjoyed. That being said, his recent move to Engadget42 may prompt a shift in allegiance. It's difficult to say how this development will affect either site in the long run, but for the time being Engadget has supplanted Gizmodo in my list of favorites. Perhaps as things shake out a bit each site will ultimately complement the other ... or at least one can hope!
Friday, March 05, 2004 @ 18:43 » Comments
Saint Patrick's Day
March brings my favorite holiday, Saint Patrick's Day43, and there's no better place to celebrate than Boston (aka West Dublin). From the Harpoon Brewery Saint Patrick's Festival44 (and Colum Cille45) to the parade46 in Southie, you don't need the luck of the Irish to find something you'll enjoy. I've been getting ready for a few weeks now, grooming a new goatee and making plans with friends to hit my favorite events. So if you see me out in Boston this month, grab a Guinness and we'll toast Saint Paddy. Sláinte!
Thursday, March 04, 2004 @ 17:07 » Comments
No more Gizmodo?
I couldn't figure out why my favorite website, Gizmodo47, has barely been updated since last Wednesday, but I just gained some insight from a comment over at 02564.net48. It looks like Peter Rojas49 is leaving Gizmodo to work on a new site called Engadget50. I'm not quite sure what that means for the future of either site, though, since there isn't a lot of additional information floating about just yet.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004 @ 03:10 » Comments
Secret Identities
Superman51 and Clark Kent. Batman52 and Bruce Wayne. Michael53 and Janet54 Jackson. What do these pairs all have in common? Why, they are in fact one and the same person.
I've recently come to the conclusion that the same could be said of Dooce55 and Mimi Smartypants56. Consider the following:
- Both are a bit anti-establishment;
- Both have an achingly funny sarcastic sense of humor;
- Both refer to the human anatomy with unusual frequency;
- Both are new mothers;
- Both post cutesy pictures of their daughters;
- Both dote on their daughters ad infinitum; and,
- Both daughters have four-letter names ending in the letter a.
Ok, that last one might be a stretch, but keep in mind that neither of these women have been spotted on the same blog, at the same time.
I rest my case.
Monday, March 01, 2004 @ 01:02 » Comments
Read previous entries in the Archives »
