Praying for an iPad at Web 2.0 Expo!

Yesterday, I attended the three day long web 2.0 Expo Conference at Moscone Center West in San Francisco. With my free Expo pass, not only did I have free reign to the Sponsored Sessions, I had access to the more than 70 exhibitors which included big wig sponsors such as Adobe and Cisco to non-profits such as Give@Asia. Adobe had all day demos of their product lineup.

Adobe presenter, Paul Trani showed off the Adobe Flash Builder 4 to the 60+ curious onlookers. I’m not a flasher (I just couldn’t resist) and don’t know how to write code from scratch. But given the fact that you can extract a Photoshop (and other Creative Suite tools) image from your desktop and use the software’s various custom templates and applications, the steps looked pretty straightforward. Trani transformed his static Photoshop generated image into a mobile flash game of a floating creature eating other aliens. I’ve used Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design and Final Cut Pro and I’ve taken a basic web design class. So I had a pretty basic understanding but uhhh, just don’t test me on it!

Free I-Pad prizes were all the rage at some of the booths such as “How Do You.com” booth which was rigged with a RED video camera aimed at your face the minute you step up to the plate, so to speak. RED is a 10lb mother of digital video cameras that cinematographers used to shoot feature films and documentaries. I’ve never seen one before but it was a beast rigged with all the heavy duty accoutrements. Wow. Give me RED over a new car any day.

To celebrate the 25 year old .com era (yup, quarter of a century old folks), the friendly Utah based marketing team invited anyone who was brave enough to face the RED to briefly explain how and/or why the .com era has changed his or life. Everyone received a free t-shirt. They’re also automatically entered to win a free iPad. If you’re camera shy, you can just write or email in your entry. But wait there’s more. They’re giving away 1st, 2nd and 3rd cash prizes as well. All videos and text entries will be judged by popular vote and/or official judges. The contest runs until August 31. Of course, I didn’t hesitate to advertise my mug online and pitch myself. Crossing my fingers. Check out my You Tube interview with Manager Supervisor, Jeremy Tippetts for more details.

And kudos to Account Supervisor, Brooke Knutsan and Video Producer John Williams for running a smooth ship.

Just around the corner another exhibitor called website magazine also had a contest for a free iPad. Just drop your business card and wait for a sign from God. But you do get something in the meantime. One year free subscription to their print and online “magazine for website success” - the cover’s subtitle. The publisher is based in Chicago and their May issue features interesting articles about SEO in the hot topic world of social media, the editorial effects of Google Analytics (with detailed how-to steps), and e-commerce. Hmmmmm. This is good digesting.

After walking around the Expo, picking up flyers, and looking for freebies ( I have no shame), I visited the Launch Pad contest where startups pitched their services and or/or products to the audience, fielding questions from a panel of three experts. Winner are picked based on the applaud o-meter. I interviewed the winner, Adam Blum of Cupertino based Rhomobile before he quickly headed back to the South Bay. No time for basking in the glory. He’s got to get back to the salt mine! I’m working on that post next so stay tuned!

Alzheimer's hits again

I just found out that actor Sean Connery, who passed away last October, died of complications due to Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's debilitates cognitive function. The cause of his death hit me three-fold: He was my mother's favorite movie star, they are both in their 90s, and she too has Alzheimer's. According to a recent AARP feature story , I was shocked that the great jazz singer Tony Bennett has Alzheimer's. Tony was also another idol of my mom. She would always perk up whenever she heard his infamous "I left my heart in San Francisco" ballad. Photo by Dyna Lopez In 2017, one year after his diagnosis, my mom, brother, and I watched him for the first time performing in San Francisco to a packed audience amongst a sea of silver-haired ladies. He was 90 at the time and did not disappoint. He belted out hit after hit and showed no signs of the debilitating disease. She sang along to a melody that was unfamiliar to my brother and me. My brother asked her, ...

Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

It is refreshing to write about a non-political and lighthearted review of a local cultural annual event. Yes, I'm "taking a well deserved break from politics", my boyfriend Paul chimed. To give you some context, when I do watch television or go online, I primarily watch news and the current political climate. The balmy weather was the perfect backdrop for the two day 36th annual Japanese spring celebration known as Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend. I've seen the banner line the streets of Cupertino last month but decided to attend by invitation of my friend Miyuki who was performing the traditional tea ceremony. It was the perfect lazy Sunday to visit Miyuki and watch her craft at the Quinlan Community Center. I also had a chance to see my other ex-coworker, Maki, who also participated in the tea ceremony. I've seen tea ceremonies on television but never live so I was really excited to see Miyuki in action. A woman was narrating the entire ...

Interview This! 48 Hour Film Project - San Francisco Style

So who the heck are these filmmakers who paid to get their one-weekend-produced film on the big screen? And in this economy? The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) in San Francisco is an annual homage to quickie film making where producers have only two days to create a film out of scratch. When I first heard of 48HFP, I thought these people were bananas. Film production is an unpredictable, challenging and expensive hobby. Why go through the torture, stress and looming deadline and not get paid for it? Uhhhh, can you say out loud P-A-S-S-I-O-N? You can't put a price tag on creative drive and entrepreneurial spirit. Directors, Producers, Writers, Editors, Sound Engineers and Actors from 70 teams showcased their pride and joy during the five day screenfest. These are some of their stories from the June 30 premiere screening that was held at Landmark Lumiere Theater. But wait! Come back for more. I'll upload another feature video this we...

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