The V2Venture Competition at SXSW V2V enabled early-stage startups to pitch their products and/or services to industry experts and investors. Ten applications particularly impressed me.
Two entrepreneurs at a four-day educational event for startups demonstrated hardware and software solutions that aim to help living-on-their-own seniors stay safe and healthy.
“On October 20, 2000, they pulled the plug,” explained motivational speaker John Bates. “We had lost $80 million and when you do that, they come in, usually with security guards, lock you out and you have nothing. I was so embarrassed, so crushed, I thought I was going to die,” he explained. But, Bates survived the bursting of the internet bubble and today, as founder/CEO of ExecutiveSpeakingSuccess.com, he teaches executives all over the world how to pitch to obtain funding and achieve other objectives. And, he’s good with a light saber.
I was a Dungeon Master before being a Dungeon Master was cool. When I saw that n-Space was developing a video game with a Dungeon Master Mode set in a Dungeons and Dragons universe, I had to check it out.
When I thought about attending the Electronic Entertainment Exposition – E3 – held at the Los Angeles Convention Center June 16-18, I wanted to find games about building things up, not just games about blowing things up. When my daughter was young, we would stay up all night sometimes playing Sim City. No shooting or hand grenades were involved. That’s the kind of game I was looking for. I found two good examples distributed by the German company Daedalic Entertainment: ‘Bounty Train’ and ‘Valhalla Hills’. Both titles are still in development but look promising.
As I was interviewing the 3 Queens of 3 Queens Media, a young man ran up and interrupted us. “Hey,” he yelled, “You’re all gonna be famous. Kanye just took your picture!” Kanye West, whom I’m told is somehow related to the Kardashians, was in attendance at E3. I’m still waiting for the fame to hit.
There is a problem with selfies and grammar. “Selfies”, for those of you over the age of 75, are self-portraits taken with a cell phone, usually with an arm extended or more recently with an attachment for extending one’s reach called a selfie-stick. When one takes a picture of one’s self, then, certainly, “selfie” would be…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Even in this era of crowdfunding, getting financial backing has never been easy for artists, and that includes the newest generation of video filmmakers. At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas in April, three video professionals with time in the trenches shared what they’ve learned at a…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) At this year’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, the annual Las Vegas conclave of television, radio, internet and supporting industries, Amy DeLouise set an aggressive goal for her presentation titled: “A Producer’s Guide to Everything That Matters.” Everything? Maybe not, but DeLouise, an award-winning video- and multi-media producer, came pretty…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show 2015, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, surrounded by every video camera made, virtual sets, lighting equipment, online streaming hardware and software platforms, they didn’t forget that it all begins with writing. In “Self-Editing Basics: The Tools You Need to Improve Your Writing,”…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Drones were everywhere at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas this year. No, not male honeybees or parasitic loafers, but unmanned aircraft remotely or programmatically controlled. More specifically, drones with cameras attached. You could gain knowledge about drones at numerous vendor booths (many with cages for flying…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Day One of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, April 13, began with a pep rally in the Westgate Hotel next to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The conclave of television, radio, internet and supporting industries attracted 100,000 people to Vegas. But the attendees did have a few things to…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) It’s not often a technical manual can deliver an epiphany. That is what happened for me as I dove intoThe Filmmaker’s Guide to Digital Imaging by Blain Brown. I go way back with cameras and film. I shot 8mm movies, developed my own 35mm film and watched as images appeared on paper…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Can you learn to be funny? The folks at Flappers University believe you can, and having spent a day at their “Intro to Comedy Intensive” class, I’m inclined to agree. This class, to prepare you to do stand-up comedy, is just one of a dozen courses offered at Flappers University, a…
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) In preparation for announcements at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show April 11-15, computer software company Adobe Systems previewed its new and enhanced Creative Cloud product line to the press. And it shared Candy. Candy is one of a series of products and upgrades designed to unify the individual and group…
Legendary Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks passed away last month. The Cubs, Ernie Banks, Hank Sauer, Ron Santo and others played a big part in my young life. I would often sit next to a floor model radio we had in our apartment behind my dad’s Chicago dry cleaning store and listen to the games. But, when I heard about Banks’ passing, I thought of my mother.
It was a long time ago when Margaret and I first started our intergalactic journey, but it seems like yesterday. The force was with us.
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) The Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival is a brand new event that took place in early October on the Las Vegas Strip. It featured an impressive list of stars including Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Blake Shelton, his wife Miranda Lambert, and Jason Aldean. Organizers promise it will be an annual…
How do you feel on a Monday morning at work? The poster below was a group creation. The size of the type indicates the relative number of people who responded and the words they used to describe their Mondays. If you’re not feeling like this on Monday, do something about it. Poster courtesy of maptia.com.
