Veronica Belmont
tech.gadgets.video.geekculture.gaming.kittens.
Congrats, Tom!
May 14th
My dear friend Tom Merritt had his last day with CBS Interactive today, and I was honored to be a part of the roast that accompanied his exit! Tom and I started at CNET (now CBSi) around the same time when I was but a lowly intern, and he has always been a great friend and mentor to me (OK, now I’m starting to sound like he’s dead). If it weren’t for his support, I probably wouldn’t have taken a lot of the opportunities that have come my way. He’s always been one of my favorite sounding boards and, frankly, moral compasses.
Anyhow! Tom is moving along to the TWiT Network, where he’ll be hosting a show (among other things, I’m sure) called Tech News Today. I can’t wait to check it out, and I know Leo will give him a good home (now I’m starting to sound like he’s a stray dog).
We’ll still be doing Sword and Laser, of course, and you’ll be seeing more from that in the near future as well. We’re really trying to do more episodes than once a month, and now that Tom has more free time I think we’ll be able to make it happen!
Congrats, Tom!
Back from Japan!
May 11th
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!
Mr. Littlejeans’s 15 Minutes
Apr 20th
The cat known as Mr. Littlejeans is having his little furry moment in the sun. It all started with a photo I took of him, comfortably relaxing on Ryan’s lap. Ryan was having a difficult time finding a comfortable position on the couch for iPad typing, when inspiration suddenly hit…
Since then, LJ has been on TWiT, Lifehacker, MacLife, OS X Daily and several other blogs. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also include him on my own.
Update: Laughing Squid has us too! Thanks Scott!
How relevant is computer engineer Barbie?
Mar 5th
Growing up, I was not a Barbie girl. This most likely stems from two reasons: I was a tomboy, and both of my parents worked for toy companies. Therefore (and yes, I’m only bragging a little bit here), I had no lack of toys, dolls, gizmos and games to keep me busy.
Barbie sat on the periphery; a known entity, but not one I was very interested in getting to know better. I was aware of her spectacular outfits and handsome boyfriend Ken, but at the end of the day I was far more interested in my Crash Test Dummies set or my Micro Machines.
My interest in technology, I feel very strongly, was incubated in part because I grew up in a house that encouraged it. I was allowed to tinker with my toys (usually destroying rather than enhancing) and to spend hours playing with my Nintendo or Game Boy. Kids are always going to make their own decisions about what they like or don’t like (and clearly not all of them have the advantage of a surplus of toys around the house), but I believe that one of the main reasons more girls don’t become interested in technology and IT is because they’re taught (or shown) that this is the realm of the boys.
Now, getting back to Barbie. More >
