Julio Ojeda-Zapata: Tech writer. Nerd. Boricua.

Brian Lalor and Paul DeBettignies got these great shots of yours...

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:20:00 -0400

Brian Lalor and Paul DeBettignies got these great shots of yours truly on the Ignite Minneapolis 2012 stage Thursday night (and gave me permission to repost them). Thanks!

Last night I presented at Ignite Minneapolis 2012 and I was...

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:55:00 -0400

Last night I presented at Ignite Minneapolis 2012 and I was scared shitless.

Public speaking has never been my favorite activity and it used to cause me quite a bit of stage fright. I got over (most of) it after writing a couple of books that resulted in lots of speaking engagements.

Ignite, though, is a challenging kind of speaking gig. It is structured, with a limit of 20 slides displayed for 15 seconds each for a talk that lasts five minutes, and not a second longer.

This requires preparation to ensure the remarks for each slide fit within the time allotted, and rehearsal so the timing is right and the delivery sounds reasonably smooth and natural.

I don’t normally do much practicing for speaking engagements, but for my Ignite talk I rehearsed a lot.

(My pal Patrick Rhone, who also presented at Ignite, went over his remarks just a couple of times the night before and went on to present flawlessly. I hate him. No I don’t, his preso was great.)

Even so, I was frightened out of my mind. All my irrational fear of public speaking came flooding back. Walking towards the podium when my turn came up, I felt a bit like I was marching to my execution. (It didn’t help that I had a head cold with a scratchy throat.)

And then … something clicked and I was off. I guess all that practicing paid off because I whizzed almost effortlessly through my presentation (about the AeroPress coffee maker). At least, it looks that way on the video replay; I have only a hazy recollection of the actual event.

My talk seemed to be well received, judging from feedback at the scene and on Twitter.

I am glad I did this. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone, do something that at the time feels like a terrible mistake, score a dopamine reward, and gain priceless life experience.

To quote from Jerry Maguire: “That’s how you become great. Hang your balls out there.”

The video above has all 20 Ignite Minneapolis 2012 presenters. Scrub to 2:14:37 for my preso. Patrick’s presentation is at the 44:25 mark.

KARE 11, the Twin Cities’ NBC affiliate, invited me to...

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:02:00 -0400

KARE 11, the Twin Cities’ NBC affiliate, invited me to demo compact speaker systems on its early-morning show with Kim Insley and Tim McNiff.

All of the devices are intended to work with phones and tablets but have interesting variations. Here’s a related blog post.

I made another guest appearance on on TWiT’s Tech News...

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:00:00 -0400

I made another guest appearance on on TWiT’s Tech News Today, which is always a thrill.

From the show notes: “Chrome is the most popular browser? But Google is anticompetitive, cable companies join hands to help you wirelessly, and more.”

I am honored whenever I am invited to co-host an episode of the...

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:45:00 -0400

I am honored whenever I am invited to co-host an episode of the Minnov8 Gang Podcast alongside its four regular hosts. I did so again today.

Steve, Graeme, Phil, Tim and I talked Facebook IPO, Comcast broadband-data caps … and gadgets, gadgets, gadgets.

My Sunday column about travel tech figured prominently into the conversation.

In the artwork for the episode’s blog post, Steve Borsch has fun with one of the tech products I used on a recent trip – ScottEVest’s travel vest.

Yes, I do like it, though it has its drawbacks.

Why did Target boot Amazon’s Kindle e-book readers and...

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:30:00 -0400

Why did Target boot Amazon’s Kindle e-book readers and related products from its stores? I discuss this with WCCO-AM’s John Hines. (Scrub to the 9:45 mark.)

I am flattered and honored that my alma mater, St. John’s...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:00:00 -0400

I am flattered and honored that my alma mater, St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., saw fit to include me in a “I am a Johnnie” collage in the campus’ Sexton Commons, along with the likes of polar explorer Paul Schurke and former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger. This made my day. Thanks.

WCCO-AM’s Moose Miller, filling in for Esmee Murphy,...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:15:00 -0400

WCCO-AM’s Moose Miller, filling in for Esmee Murphy, quizzes me on how smartphones are increasingly being used as digital wallets for mobile transactions. I also talk about a few of my favorite phone and tablet apps.

John Hines of WCCO-AM quizzes me about cell phones. We discuss...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:58:00 -0400

John Hines of WCCO-AM quizzes me about cell phones. We discuss how the federal goverment got the top U.S. wireless carriers to agree on a joint database for remotely disabling stolen handsets. We also talk about how the feds want to discourage the use of cell phones while driving.

My friend, Patrick Rhone, a St. Paul-based technology...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:47:00 -0400

My friend, Patrick Rhone, a St. Paul-based technology consultant, has achieved Web-based superstardom for one of his side projects, the Minimal Mac blog.

The Apple-enthusiast site, spare in appearance, is dedicated to the idea that simplicity is power. The famed blog has spawned an equally popular podcast, co-hosted by England-based Myke Hurley, dubbed Enough.

Now “Enough” is also the title of Patrick’s new book, a petite white volume that begs to be picked up and perused because its physical design is so irresistible. (It’s available in e-book form, too; so is Patrick’s book, “Keeping It Straight.”)

“Enough” is a fine read for those trying to find balance – their center – in a complicated and cacophonous world. The book poses the question, “What is enough”?

“I’m convinced that a successful life is largely driven by balance and moderation,” Rhone writes. “Not too much of anything. Not too little either.

“Just enough.”

In a collection of essays Patrick tapped out with index fingers on an iPad screen and thumbs on an iPhone, he explains how he applies this philosophy in a wide range of life areas: Technology, relationships (online and offline), family (including wife Bethany and daughter Beatrix), business, personal productivity and more.

What belongs in his life? And what should be eradicated, permanently or temporarily? How and why? “Having clarity of purpose and intention helps me to eliminate needless items from my life and keep such things from entering in the first place,” Patrick writes.

My favorite essay, given my own obsession with practical technology considerations, is the one on that difficult-to-tame electronic beast known as e-mail.

Patrick reminds me that my inbox must be treated as a “sacred space” with only the worthiest of messages allowed to stay there, and that I should treat the inboxes of others as sacred, as well.

The essay segues elegantly into e-mail-management tips and tricks that are making a difference in my heavy electronic-mail usage.

Patrick describes other sacred spaces in his life, and how and why they remain so. He sets you on a path to identify and nurture your sacred spaces, too. For that reason alone, you will want to check out this book.

“Enough” is available in paperback, Kindle format for use with an Amazon e-book reader or app, and in EPUB format suitable for reading on computers and tablets. An Apple iBookstore version is coming soon.

Get details at enoughbook.com.

I talk Mountain Lion, Windows 8 and the latest Ultrabooks on CNN...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:20:00 -0400

I talk Mountain Lion, Windows 8 and the latest Ultrabooks on CNN En Español. I show off the Dell XPS 13 (with Windows 8 on it) and HP Envy 14 Spectre.

I discuss Apple’s just-released third-generation iPad in...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:05:00 -0400

I discuss Apple’s just-released third-generation iPad in its various permutations with WCCO-AM’s Esmee Murphy.

In what has become a yearly tradition, the Twin Cities’...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:52:00 -0500

In what has become a yearly tradition, the Twin Cities’ Fox 9 News interviews me about Apple’s latest iPad on the day it is unveiled.

Here are the Fox 9 segments on the iPad 2 and the original iPad.

Last October I was a speaker at the Minnesota Interactive...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:03:00 -0500

Last October I was a speaker at the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA) Summit, which was an honor given this yearly event’s prominence in the Twin Cities. My topic: “Apple’s iPad in the Work World.”

My Puerto Rico pal Rafy Mediavilla recently had me on his...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:55:00 -0500

My Puerto Rico pal Rafy Mediavilla recently had me on his Criticologos film-criticism Web-radio show to discuss 3D cinema, including the recently released 3D version of the execrable ”Star Wars Chapter I: The Phantom Menace.” Note: This is in Spanish.

I did another guest-hosting stint on the always-awesome Minnov8...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:48:00 -0500

I did another guest-hosting stint on the always-awesome Minnov8 Gang Podcast today. Topics included Pinterest, the Path-privacy snafu and, of course, OS X Mountain Lion.

Talkin' tech (again) with Karin!

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Karin Housley - Feb. 18 - Pt. 1 Julio Ojeda-Zapata (mp3)

I never have more fun as a tech writer than when I’m talkin’ tech with Karin Housley on her KLBB radio show. Scrub to 16:25. Thanks for having me on again, Karin. I’m honored to be your “radio-show boyfriend.”

Today I demonstrated several offbeat tech products on KARE 11,...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:03:00 -0500

Today I demonstrated several offbeat tech products on KARE 11, the Twin Cities NBC affiliate. Watch until the end for the dramatic TV-studio flight (and crash) of the RC helicopter. Here’s a related post.

I staged a hard-drive bonfire to test ioSafe’s claim that...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

I staged a hard-drive bonfire to test ioSafe’s claim that its Solo External hard drive is “fireproof.” That’s St. Paul Pioneer Press outdoors editor David Orrick doing the honors as I film.

How rugged IS ioSafe’s Rugged Portable hard drive? St....

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

How rugged IS ioSafe’s Rugged Portable hard drive? St. Paul Pioneer Press photographer Ben Garvin and I had fun filming this wacky video for which I will garner NO acting awards.