John Sciacca Writes...

Features, Reviews and a Blog by John Sciacca
Random Thoughts (Blog)
Random Thoughts (Blog)
Random Thoughts (Blog)
New = Sweet Deal! Old = Suck it, Trebek!
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 5:30 PM |
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There is a frequent phenomena in business where by we focus all or much of our attentions on attracting NEW business through offers and promotions and discounts and deals. Things like, "Sign up today and get a free this!" But, what if you signed up yesterday? Or last month? Or a year or two ago? What do these "rewards" for new Johnny-come-lately-customers say to our existing, loyal and faithful client base? Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Read Full Post »Breaking Rule #1 of Beer Club...
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 3:50 PM |
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So, I’ve been getting into craft beers pretty hardcore lately and I’ve found there’s really a lot to love. (Here’s my recent rundown of 6 IPAs and my Super Bowl 2012 7 beer taste off.)
"Never Tweet While Drinking at a Brewpub...
Posted on February 28, 2012 at 12:10 AM |
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...because you may end up having to write a guest blog for John Sciacca.”
Verily, these words are true! So, I have a guest blog for you today, this one from one of my oldest and only remaining high school friends. (Come back to us, Pierre… Return from the Dark Side!)
So, I...
Read Full Post »Survivor: One World - Total Dysfunction
Posted on February 23, 2012 at 1:20 PM |
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My plan was not to blog this season of Survivor, but I have goaded so many people into watching against their will that now I feel a bit obligated to at least cover a few episodes... Blarg! (Also, and unrelated, this happens to be my 600th blog post. So, thanks for reading!)
The second episode (Day 4) begins with a recap of where we are…Fancy boy, Colton feels alienated in his alpha-male tribe, the strong boys have an alliance ...
Read Full Post »Help! Remote Control Programming 201
Posted on February 22, 2012 at 6:05 PM |
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Several years ago, a new company burst onto the scene with a completely new take on the solution to making smart remote controls more smart and a lot less complicated. That company was Harmony. (I can recall being at Harmony’s first press conference. It was basically just company founder and CEO, Bryan McLeod, and I in this small room at CEDIA. I had done one of the first reviews on Harmony’s remote at that point and he asked me for any tips about giving press confe...
Read Full Post »iPad3: 19 Wishes, Wants and Predictions
Posted on February 21, 2012 at 6:30 AM |
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We’re about to come into March, and that means that CES is long finished and thoroughly digested and that the tech world is now turning its collective attention deficit gaze to the next big thing. And a good chunk of the tech world is hoping that that NEXT big thing is will be a new version of the iPad.
While Apple keeps all announcements extremely close to the vest, they do have a bit of predictability in their product launc...
Read Full Post »What does your writing say about you?
Posted on February 21, 2012 at 12:35 AM |
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Came in to work this morning and found the usual pile of mail in my stack to go through. A couple of checks (Yes!), a Dell computer ad (Dude, NOT getting another Dell!), some bills (Boo!), the usual junk stuff and then a postcard.
The postcard has a nice, thick cardstock feel and a catchy, with a really clean design and an eye-grabbing big headline: “What is your company worth?”
...
Read Full Post »39 Days, 18 People, 1 Survivor!
Posted on February 16, 2012 at 2:35 PM |
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So, new season of my favorite TV reality show started last night: Survivor One World. And so far this season seems to have all the classic ingredients of a big heaping bowl of Suvivor Sundae goodness! The big twist this year is that they are divided into two tribes – men vs women – living on one beach together. Traditionally groups are complete...
Read Full Post »"Like getting raped by a pine tree..."
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 2:55 PM |
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Look. I could make up some song-and-dance about how I wanted to do something different, or say that the last beer review went over so well, or whatever, but let’s be honest: I enjoyed drinking that last batch of beer and was in the mood to drink some more craft beers. That’s really all there is to it…
So I headed down to Lowe’s Foods and took advantage of their mix-and-match 6-pack deal; for $9.99 you can grab an a...
Read Full Post »Pushed off the Episode I fence
Posted on February 13, 2012 at 4:55 PM |
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As you likely know Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace was re-released to theaters this past Friday. In addition to little bits cut back in – identical to the recent Blu-ray release from what I’ve read – the big news is that this release is the first Star Wars film to be released in 3D. (I’m going to avoid the obvious, long-hanging Jar Jar in 3D jokes here.) And I have been straddling the fence about whether to pony up and go see this or not....
Read Full Post »10 Reasons why Sonos is great; 1 way to make it greater!
Posted on February 9, 2012 at 4:10 PM |
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Without a doubt, there is *a lot* to love about Sonos’ incredibly innovative audio distribution system. Sonos definitely turned the traditional rack-filled-with-stacks-of-black-boxes and single-point control location on its head with its system that is wireless and decentralized. It’s one of those systems that as you start describing it to people, and telling them all the things that it can do and all of the features that it has, YOU start getting as excited as they...
Read Full Post »Super Bowl 2012 Ads: Winners & Losers
Posted on February 7, 2012 at 3:50 PM |
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I can remember watching TV with my grandfather many years ago. And watching TV with my grandfather usually meant sitting in his very dark, wood-paneled den, him smoking cigarettes just as fast as he could light them, and me sitting there being very quiet and basically giving the illusion that my grandfather was alone watching TV. So we’re watching something and after some ad he says, “That was a terrible ad! Terrible!”
&...
Read Full Post »Super Tasting: Beer Bowl 2012
Posted on February 7, 2012 at 12:00 AM |
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There are really only two sporting events that I enjoy watching religiously. The first is the Masters golf tournament. As a former golf professional, there are no grounds more sacred than the hallowed turf at Augusta National. (I’m reminded of a comment a former pro I worked with said. “Augusta is so beautiful, I wouldn’t even think of spitting my tobacco out on the ground there. I carry up cup with me.")
The second is ...
Read Full Post »What's in a name? And who are these guys?
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 2:50 PM |
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Quick: Name a luxury automobile. Maybe you thought of Bentley, or Rolls Royce, or something sportier like Aston Martin or Ferrari. Now, name a high-end watch. You probably thought of Rolex or maybe Breitling or Patek Philippe or Cartier. How about a luxury kitchen appliance? There’s Viking, Sub-Zero, Thermador or Wolf… Maybe even a high-end wine or liquor. You’ve got Dom P,
Read Full Post »DVD CCA 1, Kaleidescape and Innovation 0
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 1:10 PM |
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“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. B...
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