IBC 2017: VR, Big Data and Other Trends

Posted by on Sep 29, 2017 IBC 2017, Amsterdam. That should have been the dateline. But the night before I was supposed to leave, I checked my passport. Surely it hadn’t expired. Arghh…it had. After an hour of checking on a quick renewal, I cut my losses and canceled. (Thank you, Expedia travel insurance.) So no Schiphol Airport or time at the RAI Convention Center. Too bad. But live and learn. And you can still learn,...
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Pitch to the Press: 8 Tips from RVA TechJam

Posted by on Aug 11, 2017 How to pitch news to the press. That was the topic of a panel on the final day of Tech/Jam week (July 24-28) in Richmond, Virginia. (Venue: the historic Main Street Station.) Moderated by local news anchor Juan Conde, the panel consisted of four practicing journalists. As the former editor of a trade journal, I like hearing from those in the trenches and thought the advice delivered on this...
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An Early DOCSIS Memoir: Roads Taken and Not

Posted by on Jul 7, 2017 Most engineers have other things to do than write. Those who have the time and skill to draft their own conference papers or help marketing with white papers are rare finds. Fewer still are able – or willing – to shift from tech writing to historical narrative. But that’s what we see in Robert Cruickshank’s self-published e-book, The Souls of DOCSIS. Part industry history and part personal...
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NAB 2017: UHD, IP and Workflows

Posted by on May 19, 2017 The week after my trip to San Diego, I flew west again. Once in Las Vegas, I checked in to Circus Circus. Cheap and within walking distance of the Convention Center. And not without some aging charm. From my window, I had a good view of the dome that caps the hotel’s amusement park. A few days is long enough to take the pulse of an industry. It was also enough time to catch up with clients, both...
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Sales, San Diego and a Hat Tip to Zig Ziglar

Posted by on Apr 28, 2017 Credentialed professionals tend to disdain those in sales. (Having grown up in an academic family, I’m somewhat familiar with this syndrome.) Salespersons often defend their role by talking about how everyone sells something. A lot rides on the terms. I like how one old sales pro defined them. “I have always said that everyone is in sales,” wrote motivational speaker and celebrated sales...
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