This week in tech: Some of my thoughts on Macworld and CES

January is a favorite time of year for me. Two big events every year create all kinds of excitement with product announcements, technology visions and some pie-in-the-sky dreaming. Of course the two shows are Macworld and CES. This year's Macworld in my view was a bust, but carried plenty of...

Slot car racing a 35 year old basement tradition at the Starks

Over the years the collection has grown to over a hundred different types from manufacturers such as Aurora AFX, Tyco and Life-Like.

HP dv5t laptop review: The first place to look for value and performance

Worthy of the HP name. A home run. Some minor quibbles, but so much to like I highly recommend it.

Laptop buying guide: seeking out the best deals, brands and features

With all this talk of deflation I can't help but think the laptop market is a prime example. Moore's law dictates that the the number of transistors that can be inexpensively placed on a transistor doubles every 2 years. What does that mean for you and me? Well, between the moribund...

What will happen to online ad spending in 2009?

Online ad spending is a $24B industry. It's predicted to grow by 75% over the next 5 years. It's no wonder with the shift in media to the Web. But is this business recession proof? I think not. Any industry is impacted especially when consumers dramatically slow spending. The...
PS3 Home

Sony PS3 ‘Home’ beta early impressions: watch yourself slack at the mall with other virtual slackers

As for the value of walking around aimlessly, disco dancing in a plaza with strangers, or waiting in virtual lines, well that's something you can assess.

Chris Anderson on the “Freemium” business model

I had the opportunity to hear Chris Anderson speak today. He is the author of the book and concept, "The Long Tail". He spoke about his latest analysis of evolving business models. In his new exploration, he looks at how one can build a business offering basic services for free...

Holiday gift idea: the best non-Apple MP3 players

For those that love music, an MP3 player is a perfect gift idea, and like a lot of electronics have dropped in price significantly this year. Most people think of the iPod and iTunes when it comes to music, movies, podcasts and Internet radio. It's true, that Apple is...

BlackBerry Storm Early Impressions – RIM Gets in the Touchscreen Game with Strong Player

I'm a diehard BlackBerry fan, no doubt. I'm only on my second (the BlackBerry 8700 running on the AT&T network), but anxious to get the...