Edward Venturanza

Apple Introduces iPad

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:04:17 -0500

I do not like it.

I'm Still Alive

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:41:10 -0500

This is proof of life. Small, but proof nonetheless.

Once Upon a Time I Was a Sneakerhead (Updated)

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 14:33:55 -0500

When I graduated from college I spent a good deal of my paychecks on collecting sneakers. In particular, I became obsessed with Nike Dunk SB's. My brother turned me on to them when he got the Supreme SB's when they dropped back in September 2003. Later that same week he sold them at a 125% profit. I became amazed with a subculture that was so fanatical to the point that sneaker colorways and designs were regarded as high art.

New MTV.com Site Launch

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:53:50 -0500

MTV online has just flipped with switch on the new HTML version of the flagship site after going nine months with an all-Flash version. One of the main issues with the Flash one was usability complaints from lots of users. One thing I've observed when watching my friends use the site is the all too common confusion over whether or not a video they chose was actually being loaded... and where... Auto-playing of video was also removed to help sort things out.

Give the new site a whirl!

NicE!

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:31:17 -0500

The weather's been gorgeous lately here in NY. I always feel a little reborn when spring is in the air... Aaaaaahhh beach time's coming on strong! Yes, I'm into the beach now ever since my trip to Boracay, Philippines... gooooooooorrrrrrgeous.

Super Bowl Sunday

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:12:42 -0500

Today is Super Bowl X. No, don't mean 'X' as the Roman numeral but rather the variable. I'm not going to pose as if I know which edition of the Super Bowl this one is going to be off the top of my head. I'm no football afficianado. But, don't get me wrong, football is one of the sports that I can watch from beginning to end with the same attention I'd pay to the dying secods of a tied fourth quarter basketball game. There's an almost Jack Bauer sense of urgency to get those 10 yards in four downs. It's great, exciting entertainmant. Let's just hope both the Bears and Colts play with at least half the determination of Bauer and make the game more memorable than what Madison Ave. will try to force feed us.

The Cost of Monoculture

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 13:12:39 -0500

Here's the intro of Gen Kanai's blog entry that had me pretty much riveted during my lunch hour:

What would you say if I told you that there was a nation that was at the forefront of technology, an early adopter of ecommerce, leading the world in 3G mobile adoption, in wireless broadband, in wired broadband adoption, as well as in citizen-driven media. Sounds like an amazing place, right? Technology utopia?
Wrong.

This nation is also a unique monoculture where 99.9% of all the computer users are on Microsoft Windows. This nation is a place where Apple Macintosh users cannot bank online, make any purchases online, or interact with any of the nation's e-government sites online. In fact, Linux users, Mozilla Firefox users and Opera users are also banned from any of these types of transactions because all encrypted communications online in this nation must be done with Active X controls.

Where is this nation?

South Korea.

Please Read More

Wiimotes? Don't Have Any. PS3's? How Many Do You Want?

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:03:01 -0500

The Wii is fun. Very fun. Kids love it. Adults are swinging away in front of the TV while laughing stitches into their stomachs. Even the ladies, usually video game-averse, are asking to break out the Wii Sports Bowling game. Fun, fun, fun to be had by everyone. In fact, the only thing limiting the throughput of fun is the number of Wii Remotes, Wiimotes, you have at any given time. Folks are fighting over the next turn to play one Super Monkey Ball's fifty party games. So, over the past couple of days, while I've been off from work, I've been trying to get two additional controllers to max out to the four the Wii allows at a time. To my amazement I couldn't find one at the local Toys R Us, Target, or Wal-Mart. Further flooring me was the fact that at a Wal-Mart and Gamestop upstate by Woodbury Commns they had absolutely no Wiimotes but a few Playstation 3s. These once blue-hot consoles can now be found at more and more retailers just sitting there like lumps of coal. How ironic. The PS3 I tried to camp out to buy, that once sold at a considerable mark-up at E-Bay, that Sony was airlifting like food to the Sudan was sitting there like neglected Christmas leftovers. I guess everyone's been having far more fun with the Wii… Wii want Wii.

Google vs. Yahoo Tennis Tourney

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:16:39 -0500

While reading about the TestNG testing framework, I came across this blog entry from its creator: Google vs. Yahoo Tennis Tournament. It's good to see that two fierce competitors can still find the time and good sportsmanship to engage in some doubles action. Tennis is a great outlet to vent your frustrations with an ad buying system...

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 23:39:26 -0500

Part PS3 backlash, part nostalgia. I grabbed a Wii today at the Times Square Toys R Us. As it turns out it happened to be one of several thousand. Along the line Nintendonians were giving away Wii skullcaps, baseball hats, DVD's, and wristbands. Between my brother and myself we copped all of them.

Unfortunately, the whole experience hasn't been all rosy. My first attempt to connect to the internet via the Wii resulted in a firmware update that corrupted its ability to connect at all. The only remedy was a replacement Wii that was shipped to me via UPS 2nd Day Air. Supposedly, the replacement one is new, since the Wii's too new to have refurbs. I'd like to believe it, but there's no guarantee. Other than that we've had no problems. Screen burn-in does not seem to be a problem on our Pioneer plasma, remotes haven't become ingrained in the furniture, and we haven't broken our arms... yet.

Sun Opens Up Java

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:56:31 -0500

Sun finally launched Java into open source orbit.

PlayStation 3 Launch Camp Out

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:19:44 -0500

List of things to bring:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. Skullcap
3. Tarp/Tent
4. Blanket
5. Chair
6. iPod
7. Donuts to feed fellow PS3 hounds
8. Piss bottle for the van
9. Credit card
10. Baseball bat to start looting and rioting if after 12 hours of waiting I don't get one...

Don't Touch Me There - A Comedy

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:32:07 -0500

Last night I was treated to an entertaining hour or so of good, wholesome, family-friendly comedy at Mo Pitkins hosted by Don't Touch Me There. Highlights included Anne Frank in Sex in the City, songs with title like "Thank You for Sticking it in Me" and "I'm a Brunette But My Bush is Blonde" and a Brooklyn ninja's special relationship with pornographic videos. Their next show is Thursday, September 21st.

Mac Pro: Looks and Brains and Cheap!?

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:57:42 -0500

Businessweek ran a cost/performance comparison between the new Mac Pro desktop and a Dell Precision Workstation. The Mac Pro comes out on top! Read More

Game On!

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 17:47:08 -0500

Super Saturday is back! Today marks the opening day for much of the world's soccer leagues. The English Premier League kicked off its season with all but about 4-6 teams playing today. The team I've sworn undying allegience to, Arsenal, managed to save a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. While Henry turned out to be a little impotent, 17-year old Theo Walcott showed his skill with a draw salvaging cross to Gilberto. Now I need to find some way to get the new Arsenal jersey...