Tag: events

Events by Joe WilcoxJan 4, 201511:25 am

Why I Don’t Attend CES

Consumer Electronics Show officially starts on January 6, but, as is customary, evening-the-night-before keynote kicks off the trade show, on what I call Day 0. Not that many vendors wait, and for good reasons. CES is such a cacophony of product announcements early is the only way to assure news coverage. Hehe, if any.

I haven’t flown to Las Vegas since 2008 and, yes, celebrate my seventh year kicking CES to the curb. It’s not worth my time or money. The news value is null. (Although I might feel differently if writing for a high-traffic tech blog where geek readers can’t get enough information fast enough about the next, new thing. Audience matters. Write for it.) The press meetings rarely yield meaningful relationships, because you’re just one of many reporters that vendors grope for attention (CES 2014 official number of news media attendees: 6,575). Deals are made at the show, and for the companies or venture capitalists making them there is huge value rarely seen behind the mayhem. But I’m no rainmaker, just a lowly journalist.

Events by Joe WilcoxJul 12, 20124:27 pm

Nerd Wear

Comic-Con 2012 bags.

Living by Joe WilcoxMay 11, 20078:44 pm

No Class, No Reunion

My 30-year high school reunion will take place this year—if it hasn’t already. But, sigh, I have no high school where to return. During my junior and senior years, my mom moved the family from the town where I grew up to Maine’s second-largest city in the south. While other kids wallowed in the memories, I walked the hallowed halls like an odd duck. I was a stranger among strangers. I left my memories and friends 300 miles away, in the town where I was born and there the school system that educated me. No memories. No prom. No graduation parties. No fun.

I regularly cut classes in the new school, which was quite unusual for me. I had bulked up on extra classes through junior year and was one-quarter credit shy of graduation going into my senior year. I only needed to sustain grades for college.

Events by Joe WilcoxApr 18, 20078:06 pm

Cherry Blossom Festival Parade 2007

On Saturday, my daughter, sister, and I Metroed downtown for Washington’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. My wife stayed home sick. I brought along the Canon 20D and Canon EF 135mm f/2 USM lens, which performed as well as the previous weekend’s cherry blossom watch. The prime lens continues to delight.

This was our first Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, which had a strong military presence. I’ve got nothing against the service, but the parade of uniforms reminded that America is at war and diminished the event’s meaning. I expected a lot more processions related to Japanese culture. Rather, there were more uniforms and representatives of commercial interests, such as Target. No doubt reflective of American society right now—the military and capitalists—I expected more Japanese cultural fare.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 4, 200611:59 am

Labor Day Parade 2006

This morning, Kensington, Md., held its annual Labor Day parade, which was my first real-world test of the Nikon D200. I love the camera, but some kinks remain.

I snapped 380 pictures, on 4GB and 2GB memory cards. I chucked 110 pictures; many images were blurry. I’m finding that Program mode consistently favors ISO over shutter speed, even when set to Auto ISO. The best shots came later in the parade, when the sun shone and I switched to Shutter Priority at 1/500 sec.

Events by Joe WilcoxAug 19, 20067:34 pm

More County Fair Adventures

Today, my wife, daughter, her friend, and I drove up to Gaithersburg, Md., for the annual county fair. We had no drama this year—last year I watched an old geezer dose off at the steering wheel (I thought he croaked, but he hadn’t).

This year’s lesson was one of gullibility around costs. For 2005, the county fair admission fee increased quite a bit, to $7 per person. I called my wife, while standing in line with my daughter and two friends, asking if she thought we shouldn’t pay and go home. The fair justified the higher fee because of the new free parking (there was a cost other years). I grudgingly accepted the reason.

Society by Joe WilcoxFeb 11, 20068:55 pm

‘Live 8’ or Death

Two Saturdays ago, the family hauled off to Tysons Corner Center, so that my wife could shop at the New Balance store and my daughter at the Sketchers there. On a giant flat-panel monitor at the back of the Sketchers played Live 8, particularly Richard Ashcroft’s performance, with Coldplay, of The Verve staple “Bittersweet Symphony”.

The performance stuck with me, as did vague memories of Live 8, which I mostly missed. I certainly shouldn’t have overlooked the concert as much as I did. During summer 2005, I struggled through some logistical problems at work, which greatly distracted from many things that should have been greater priority. Events like Live 8 come `round maybe once in 20 years, if Live AID is any indication.