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Note: This account is no longer active.
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About gadgetman2001
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Epinions.com ID:
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gadgetman2001
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Location:
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Los Angeles, CA
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Member Since:
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Feb 05 '01
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Favorite Websites:
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MacSurfer
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The Onion
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SlashDot
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Gadgetman2001 is a writer, gadget freak and useability expert based in Los Angeles, California.
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Activity Summary
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Reviews Written: 4
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Member Visits: 153
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Total Visits: 5,620
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About gadgetman2001
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Many people think that technology is making our lives more complicated and less human. My approach has always been to appreciate and seek out technology that is just the opposite -- I look for tools that makes our lives a little more interesting, a little more fun and maybe even a little easier.
I got my start in technology in 1990 working for The Voyager Company, a group that pioneered the technologies of interactive CD-ROM and interactive laserdiscs. They also produced the highly-acclaimed Criterion Collection of classic films on laserdisc (and now DVD). The key to The Voyager Company's success was that they considered themselves publishers above all else -- for them content is, was and will always be king.
After that I got into publishing at the short-lived but well regarded magazine "Buzz". While I took away many fond memories of celebrity-filled parties, I mostly gained an appreciation for high-quality editorial content, and the constant battle it must fight against the "evil" forces of advertising and commercialisation. Of course, I was in the Advertorial department, so I was equally loved and hated by all.
Then this thing called "the Web" started to come up in technology circles, and the more I heard about it the more I knew I had to get on it and discover it for myself. The first time I connected to "the Net" I didn't even have a web browser -- but it didn't matter, I had the feeling of being tapped into an enormous network of intelligence and resources. While I haven't exactly become a "dot com millionaire" I do think the resources offered by the web have enriched my life and others tremendously. And as we approach a decade into the mass phenomenon called "the Web" I think we haven't even begun to scratch it's true potential.
After Buzz magazine, I worked for a company that produced public-access touchscreen kiosks, a great idea, at least before before the era of cheap PCs and affordable Internet access. Though the company was less than successful, it did introduce me to the principles of "user centered design". This involves creating applications that operated from the users point of view -- putting technology in the service of human beings and not vice versa.
I took this experience and applied it at NetZero, where I led the team that produced NetZero's award-winning website which serves as the hub between NetZero, it's 3-million+ users and NetZero's advertisers, partners and investors.
Next I joined an international Internet consultancy where I've been an Information Architect on projects ranging from a business-to-business portal in Latin America to a clothing, merchandise and community site for the "MTV" generation.
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