Veronica Belmont » out and about

Playing The Go Game

Veronica — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:09:06 +0000

Despite the cold and the rain (check out my awesome rain boots, huh?) I set out to visit the HQ for the Go Game, a company that specializes in creating team building events and get-togethers. From their website:

The Go Game stages technology-fueled, creative games and activities for team building, marketing programs, sales training and just pure fun. Based in San Francisco, we stage unique, interactive events and scavenger hunts for groups of 3 to 10,000 players anywhere in the world

Joined by some of my friends, including my endlessly patient partner-in-crime Ryan Block, we traveled around the Mission district of San Francisco, completing quests and finding clues. Check out the video to see who was victorious!

For more of my Cruzearati videos, head over to YouTube or follow them on Twitter!

Chiptunes with 8-Bit Band ‘The Glowing Stars’

Veronica — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:53:31 +0000

The Glowing Stars are a relatively new band in the 8-bit scene, but they’ve already played a huge show with Anamanaguchi and Peelander-Z at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco! Oh, and they totally rocked it, too. In this episode of Tech Unexpected, I went down to their practice space to talk to them about how they create their video game-inspired tracks, and we even get some samples from Terry Cruze to make a brand new piece of music!

Here’s part of their performance from DNA Lounge!

If you want to download the song we (ok… they) made, called Cruzeratta, click here! They’re also on Twitter too.

For more videos, head over to Cruzearati.com, and follow the Twitter account here.

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3D Laser Backpack at UC Berkeley

Veronica — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:20:50 +0000

Professor Avideh Zakhor and her team at UC Berkeley have created an incredible backpack that creates 3D models of the space it’s in, using multiple lasers and cameras. This has really far-reaching uses, including video games, augmented reality, and interior modeling and design. Check out her page for more info.

For more videos, head over to Cruzearati.com, and follow the Twitter account here.

Cruzearati coverage of SXSW Interactive: Accelerator and Plutopia

Veronica — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:13:46 +0000

SXSW may just have finished, but we’re still cranking out the videos of everything we filmed over the past week. Phew! Two of the main events that we covered, the annual SXSW Accelerator (Presented by Microsoft BizSpark) and the very unique Plutopia event, are below.

Keep your eyes here and on Cruze-arati.com to see more videos, on Twitter as well!

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Fun with geocaching!

Veronica — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:24:23 +0000

My life has become consumed by a new hobby lately, and it’s called geocaching. In my latest Tech Unexpected video, I get a lesson from Lee Van Der Bokke, who has found more geocaches (over 50,000!) than anyone else in the world.

Here are the details for the Cruzin’ Cache that I’ve hidden (tip: it’s not where we put it in the video, we wanted to make it a little tougher), and make sure that you scan the QR codes inside to share with us on Twitter when you’ve located it! Good luck, and happy hunting!

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Catch me at SXSW!

Veronica — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:02:02 +0000

Another year, another SXSW Interactive! This is probably my busiest SXSW ever, but here’s a rundown of the events and companies I’ll be covering for Cruzearati:

ScreenBurn
SXSW ScreenBurn is the video game element of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival that merges the new media, music, film and video game industries all in one place. ScreenBurn connects independent developers, publishers, consumers, digital media professionals, and internet trend-setters and taste-makers from all around the world who attend SXSW.

SXSW Accelerator
A live audience, as well as a panel of expert judges will discover advancements in music related technologies. The best part? Product demonstrations by the most ambitious talents in the world with the most creative new ideas to change it. A glimpse of the industry’s future awaits, with a guided tour by emcees Brad King and David Hyman. We are grateful to them, as well as to our sponsors: Microsoft BizSpark, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, IBM, .CO, and Turner Broadcasting System.

Plutopia
To be held in Austin on Monday, March 14th, 2011, the event will be thoughtfully positioned as a well-crafted link between SXSW Interactive, Film and Music. Furthering our mission and intent to create unique “sense events,” this year’s extravaganza will include interactive installations, performances by world-renowned musicians / artists, talks, art exhibits, compelling projections, DJs, demonstrations, performance art, robots, projections, gaming fun, locally produced, artisanal food and beverages, and much more.

And finally, of course, I’ll be at the gdgt Live in Austin party on Monday night as well. Come say hi, get some great swag, and get hands-on time with tons of technology vendors.

I’ll be tweeting and posting video clips of everything, so stay tuned to my Twitter page and Cruze-arati.com!

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The Amazing Brooklyn Mobile

Veronica — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:53:15 +0000

Though it was freezing cold and in between snowstorms, I still managed to make my way to Brooklyn, NY to track down the Brooklyn Mobile, an amazing art project/social commentary/ridiculously fun video recorder on wheels.

What I love about this is that it gets people – old people, young people, people of all races and backgrounds – to stop for a moment and tell the world what they’re thinking. Folks have used it for everything from promoting their company to talking about politics or the weather. It’s all about exercising your free speech and making yourself heard.

From their YouTube Page:

Brooklyn Mobile is a internet videobooth. You can find it moving around in the downtown Brooklyn area. Mostly around Jay St, Fulton Mall, Livingston, Atlantic, Flatbush, etc but occasionally we travel further.

If you run into them, let me know! Tweet us @Cruzearati and send us the link to your video! They also do special events, so you can hire them to come to your next birthday party or wedding.

Here are also some photos from the (freezing) day, and check out more videos over at Cruze-arati.com!

LG Speed Texting World Cup

Veronica — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:57:30 +0000

On one of my recent NYC trips, I drove over to Gotham Hall to watch the LG Speed Texting World Cup! I consider myself a pretty fast typer on the iPhone ( bad autocorrects and all) but these competitors blow everyone out of the water. I say they have an advantage using phones with keyboards, but I’m biased.

I don’t want to spoil the ending for you too much, so check out my latest episode of Tech Unexpected for Cruze-arati.com. See what all the other Cruzearatis are up to on Twitter too!

And this should go without saying, but never text and drive at the same time!

Let me know on Twitter what kind of phone/keyboard you would use in a competition! Just use the hashtag #cruzearati.

Getting a look at the Looxcie

Veronica — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:38:55 +0000

There’s no shortage of ways to capture video clips these days: smart phones, Flip cameras, dSLRs… they can all take good quality video that can easily be uploaded to YouTube or Facebook to share with your friends and family. The downside? It’s an active process. You have to concentrate on getting the shot you want, instead of actually enjoying the moment you’re trying to capture.

On this episode of Tech Unexpected, I take a look at the Looxcie Wearable Camcorder. It sits on your ear like a Bluetooth headset (which technically, it is), and you can use your iPhone or Android device as a remote control to record and play the videos, and to trim the clips and send them off into the Internet aether once you’re done.

Is this something you would want to use? What would you use it to capture? I can also see it being very useful to record concerts or sporting events. At $199, is this something you would integrate into your tech collection?

If you do get one, show it off! Just take a video with your Looxcie camera, upload it to YouTube and tweet us the link to @Cruzearati with the hashtag #LooxcieHere.

Oh, and P.S: When I told Devo she could be internet famous “too,” I was referring to her becoming famous like Mr. Littlejeans. He’s extremely famous on the internet.

Travel essentials

Veronica — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:49:31 +0000

I travel more than anyone I know. This is not bragging; it’s gotten to the point where I’m relating more to the 50-something male business travelers I share the airports and hotel bars with than peers my own age.

One thing makes traveling a cinch for me: technology. There are a few essential apps and tools that I use daily that make life so much easier for me. Without them, I’d be utterly and completely lost.

TripIt
I use TripIt for everything. Flights, hotels, rental cars, car services, etc. If there’s a confirmation email associated with my trip, it gets forwarded to plans@TripIt.com and instantly added to my itinerary. Then, I just pull up the information on my iPhone, and I’ll never forget where the hotel is or what flight number I’m on. I use the Pro account (which has a $60 yearly fee) to keep track of all my frequent flier miles and to alert me to any changes in my itinerary.

FlightTrack Pro
This $9.99 iPhone app works with data from TripIt Pro, and has saved my ass more times than I can count. I typically know a flight is delayed or cancelled before the crew does (well… It seems that way, anyhow). I can use it to cross-reference SeatGuru, find alternate flights, and give me up-to-the-second gate information. A must-have for the frequent traveler.

Expensify
This handy app works on the iPhone and iPad, and allows me to put together expense reports quickly and easily. Using my iPhone, I can take pictures of my receipts, add them to a new or existing expense report, and mail them off to their intended recipient. The only downside is that you need a data connection to work on your reports.

TaxiMagic and Uber
Need a ride to the airport, but don’t know the local cab companies? Try TaxiMagic. In some places, like SF, you can book and pay for Luxor Cabs using the app directly. Otherwise, it lists the local cab companies in your area and helps you to call them from the app. Uber is only available in SF (AFAIK) but this town car booking system is the most reliable and comfortable way to travel. It’s more spendy, at 1.5x the price of normal cabs, but sometimes it’s worth it!

Dropbox and EverNote
I use these apps to sync my data across multiple devices, but I use them differently. Dropbox is mainly for sharing documents (in my case, VO files and scripts) while Evernote I use to keep track of ideas and business cards when I’m on the road. It’s my virtual Rolodex! Instead of taking cards, I snap a photo and upload it to my business cards notebook. Then, once it’s indexed, I can search and access that info from anywhere.

MyLink from OnStar
If I feel like maybe I forgot to lock my car after leaving it at the airport, I use the OnStar app to remotely lock Terry Cruze. You can also see the cars specs, remotely turn it on and off, and get roadside assistance. Now, if only they had an app for turning off the oven…

3G iPad
First I felt kind of guilty buying the 3G version. Then I felt even more guilty paying the $14.99 a month data plan. But after two months of using it, I don’t feel that way anymore! You’d be amazed by how many hotels still charge an arm and a leg for Wifi, and how many coffee shops don’t offer it at all anymore. This 3G tablet has been great for emailing and blogging on the go. Also, it means I don’t have to lug my laptop around, which is a big plus. I actually wrote this post on my iPad on the way home from Portland last night.

Kindle 2
Yes! Even with the iPad, I insist on bringing the Kindle with me on every trip. Why, you ask? The battery life is forever, the screen is much easier to look at after long periods, and it’s smaller.

What are your travel essentials? Anything you can’t live without when you’re on the road?

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My stop at TechShop!

Veronica — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:47:33 +0000

A few weeks ago, I “cruzed” on down (sorry, it was too easy to pass up) to Menlo Park to visit TechShop, an awesome space where inventors and innovators come together to cook up some really great ideas. You know how everyone whines about it being the future, and “where is my jetpack?” and all that? Well, we got your jetpack right here, baby!

Check out the video below, and head over to Cruze-arati.com for all the videos from my friends! Here are some photos from the shoot on Flickr as well.

Let me know what cool places you think we should check out on a future episode! Email them to submit@cruze-arati.com or send us a Twitter reply at @cruzearati!

Dragon*Con 2010

Veronica — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:20:26 +0000

Dragon*Con is coming up on us very quickly! So if you’re planning to head to Atlanta, GA from September 3-6 (16 days away!) make sure you check out some of the panels that I’ll be on. Plus, there will be a pretty big TWiT / Sword and Laser crossover meetup that’s in the works for Saturday the 4th, from 6pm-8pm, at the Westin’s Sun Dial Bar.

My schedule:

Title: Podcasting Track Kick Off
Description: Join some of your favorite podcasters as we launch our fifth year as part of Dragon*Con.
Time: Fri 01:00 pm Location: 204 – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

——————-
Title: It’s All In the Game
Description: This panel will discuss how to break into and be successful in the burgeoning gaming market.
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong (Ed – huh??) – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

——————-
Title: Podcasts and Marketing to the Masses
Description: The trailblazers of podcast marketing discuss what has worked, what hasn’t, and what’s next.
Time: Sat 02:30 pm Location: 204 – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

——————-
Title: The Sword and Laser – Live!
Description: Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt bring their podcast about all things Sci-Fi and Fantasy back to Dragon*Con with a special guest.
Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Crystal Ballroom – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel

*photo by Roger Chang, L-R: Len Peralta, Tom Merritt, me, Felicia Day @ Dragon*Con 2009

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Oh, you know, just playing tennis with Maria Sharapova…

Veronica — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:31:43 +0000

As I mentioned a few weekends ago, I was invited by Sony Ericsson and the WTA Tour to spend the morning hitting a few tennis balls around and chatting gadgets with Maria Sharapova. This is the highlight reel of that day, and I have to admit; my high school coach would not be amused with how my tennis form has deteriorated over the last 10 years!

Maria was great, and we talked all about how hard it is to stay in touch with your friends in family when you’re on the road (something I can definitely relate to as well). Now that I’ve got some new outfits to wear, I’m more inclined to get back out on the court and practice some more too!

All in all, it was a really fun day, although my thighs and shoulders were pretty sore for about a week afterwards. That girl is in shape!! Check out some more photos from the day below (including some pictures from my interview with Ana Ivanovic), and make sure you visit Maria on Facebook too!

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Comic-Con 2010

Veronica — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:04:01 +0000

I’m going to be hosting the RiffTrax panel again this year at Comic-Con in San Diego, so if you’re going to the conference, make sure you carve some time out to come see us Friday night! Here are the details:

RIFFTRAX LIVE!

Friday July 23rd
7PM to 8PM
Room 6DE

Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (RiffTrax.com, Mystery Science Theater 3000) return to Comic-Con to perform another live, hilarious riff to a classic short! The panel is hosted by Veronica Belmont (host of Tekzilla on Revision3 and Qore on the PlayStation Network). Join the riffers for fun, laughs, and the latest news from RiffTrax.com, the site where MST3K-style humor meets mainstream movies, TV shows and vintage shorts. At RiffTrax.com they don’t make movies, they make them funny!

In case you missed it, I actually performed with the guys on a short last year, which is available up on their website here. Can’t wait to see everyone at the Con!!

UPDATE:

I’m also speaking on the Geek Girls Exist! panel:

The panel consists of women who represent different aspects of the geek culture and who have embraced their geekiness in their personal and/or professional lives. I will moderate the panel to discuss topics such as “when did you realize you were a geek,” “when did you decide to embrace it,” “what would you offer aspiring young females in your profession/interest,” as well as encourage anecdotes about embarrassing moments when their “geek got in the way.”

DETAILS:

The panel will be held Thursday July 22 from 5:30pm-6:30pm in Room 8.

Check out the amazing list of panelists (so far):

Morgan Romine founder of Ubisoft’s all-girl gaming team The Frag Dolls
Bonnie Burton author of You Can Draw Star Wars and Girls Against Girls
Marian Call musician inspired by Firefly/Serenity and Battlestar Galactica with her album “Got to Fly”
Sarah Kuhn author of One Con Glory
Jill Pantozzi writer for MTV Splash Page, Newsarama, Has Boobs Reads Comics blog, and Heartless Doll
Veronica Belmont technology and gaming-centric video host of Qore and Tekzilla
Kiala Kazebee writer for io9, the SFWeekly, GeekWeek, and featured extra in Felicia Day’s The Guild

Back from Japan!

Veronica — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:24:21 +0000

Whew, that was a big trip! I went with the Qore team to Japan for two weeks for shoots, and we travelled from Osaka to Kyoto to Tokyo on a whirlwind tour of the country. This was my fourth time in Japan, but it definitely the most comprehensive (and exhausting!) trip I’ve probably ever taken!

I can’t tell you too much about the developer interviews that we did, but I’ve posted TONS of photos from the culture piece that we shot. From snow monkeys to toilets, we covered some really random and awesome stuff.

I can’t believe how much news I missed around here, too. I didn’t even know HP bought Palm until yesterday. /facepalm.

Anyhow, happy to be home! Keep your eyes open for Japan content on Qore in upcoming months, and in the meantime check out the trailer for the new episode, out today!

Introducing Qore!

The Great “Mr. Fancy Pants” Duel

Veronica — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:59:44 +0000

Doesn’t this totally remind you of the rap battle from 8 Mile? No?

The amazing beatboxer Kid Beyond (who I first heard at w00tstock back in the fall) did a damn good job going up against Jonathan Coulton and his ZenDrum, but in the end I’ve gotta give it to JoCo. I’m a sucker for Beyoncé.

The rest of the show, by the way, was also great. Although, Paul and Storm let me down a little, with only a 12 minute long version of The Captain’s Wife’s Lament. DEJECTED ARRR!!!

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Anything but “gloomy” with The Gloomers

Veronica — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:39:30 +0000

I had the distinct honor of hanging out with the team from The Gloomers and Jetset Studios this week, while I was there recording voiceover for a very special guest role in their upcoming holiday episode! I can’t tell you too much more about it (since we want it to be a surprise), but in the meantime check out their Friday the 13th show below!

I loved doing the voice-acting for a character, hopefully I can work with them again sometime. The Gloomers are also on Facebook, so if you like what you see become a fan.

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French food à la truck

Veronica — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:31:30 +0000

Daniel Delaney from VendrTV was kind enough to invite me on the show, and I was thrilled to be able to try Spencer On The Go, a French food truck that patrols the SoMa district of San Francisco.

Now, I’ve become somewhat more adventurous in my eating habits in the past few years, but I’ve never tried escargot before. It did not go well. However, everything else we sampled was delicious, albeit guilt-inducing.

VendrTV is great, and they’ve found a nice niche by focusing on the very-trendy food carts and trucks that are showing up in major cities all over the country. Also check out his episodes with Gary Vaynerchuk and Dave Morin, who visited my favorite coffee spot in San Francisco, Blue Bottle!

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RiffTrax LIVE: Plan 9 from Outer Space

Veronica — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:18:16 +0000

In case you didn’t hear the news from Comic-Con, I’m going to be hosting the RiffTrax LIVE event on August 20th! Now, this is way bigger than just the typical internet streaming event: it’s going to be broadcast to over 400 movie theaters across the country! The guys will be riffing on the classic Ed Wood film Plan 9 from Outer Space (thought by many people to be one of the worst films ever made). In addition, the wonderful Jonathan Coulton will be performing, along with a special segment by Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka of Something Awful.

We’re going to be recording the show in Nashville, TN, but unfortunately that theater has already sold out. So make sure you get tickets while you can from the website!

In other news, the RiffTrax panel at Comic-Con was a blast. Not only did the guys do a live riff of a video short called “Shake Hands with Danger,” but we also had the crowd plead their case for the next full-length RiffTrax feature! The selection was for one of my favorite bad movies, Dragon Wars.

By the way, here are all my pictures from Comic-Con. I got to meet so many awesome people (like Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy), that was probably the most fun I’ve ever had a convention. Although, Tom and I are heading to Dragon*Con in September, so that might come close… more on that one coming soon.

June Gloom Ghost Hunt

Veronica — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Back around the 13th of this month, you may have noticed me tweeting about going on a ghost hunt in Southern California. I never had a chance to explain what that was all about, so I received a lot of “WTF are you talking about?!” responses. My friend George Ruiz decided (apparently with the help of the Bui Brothers, who weren’t able to join us) to get together a bunch of bloggers and web video friends together for a trip to a “haunted” house. Now, I love ghost stories (even if I hate horror movies) and I’ve always wanted to check out a place that was supposedly haunted.

With the help of Team FISCH, a group of ghost hunters and paranormal experts, we went into the house in small groups (there were probably 30 of us all together). While I wasn’t on his team, Sean Bonner definitely had the best ghost hunting kit. My group was only equipped with video cameras and the gizmos that FISCH allowed us to hold. Here’s the video I took of my team’s trip inside:

June Gloom Ghost Hunt from Veronica Belmont on Vimeo.

And here are some photos:

You can also listen to some of the EVPs recorded on our run on Team FISCH’s Ning page, using the audio player at the bottom left of the page, and see all the tweets we posted during the evening. Now, while we didn’t see anything, there were points where I definitely felt the room get colder, and the hair on my arms stood straight up! I guess you can call me “ghost agnostic.” No matter what you believe, it was a lot of fun!

Thanks to Sasha Friedenberg for editing together my totally spooky video.

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