When I read Paul Flanigan’s column in the November rAVe DS [Digital Signage], I realized that I too had learned some things this year. Like Paul, I learned that some businesses are more people centered than we treat them. I also learned that technology, oddly enough, may be able to help open up that human […]

I am not sure if it is the holiday season, a busy schedule or something completely different, but my mind has been very scattered over the past few weeks. As such, I thought the only way I could write a column this month is if I embraced that scattered mind, and wrote a column that […]

Several weeks ago I had a visit from my Draper rep, David Trapani. We got into a discussion about the products that Draper has for high ambient environment situations. I asked David how can he determine when we should use a special screen product. David took out his light meter and we started taking some […]

I am going to put the truth out there right from the start. I went into an evaluation of a product completely biased. I totally believed that within two days of using a Microsoft Surface, I would be able to declare it was junk, and happily go back to my iPad. I guess the best […]

I like to modest, but every now and again, I have to say “I told you so.”  Earlier this year, I wrote about how the WWE Network was taking the first step into the future of Television, and how we consume our entertainment. Now, a much bigger company, HBO has joined the fray.  Today, HBO […]

How many of you are still walking into your site surveys with a bag full of tools? You have your light meter, your SPL meter and, most importantly, your clipboard. Just please tell me that you don’t have a pocket protector. While all those tools served us very well in the past, and have their […]

For years, I have been touting the advantages of getting your AV equipment on the network. I think I was one of the first people to use RoomView, certainly one of the first amongst the colleagues I regularly speak with. Yet, all this time I was missing out on a huge benefit of RoomView and […]

When thinking of selling digital signage to the K-12 market, many integrators would simply walk away. We all know the budget struggles of public schools, therefore we know that there is not excess money to spend on what may be seen as frivolous. Yet, there are some things you may not know, particularly if your […]

This month’s column is a little bit different from others in the past. I some ways, I am not ever writing about AV or education. Instead, I am writing about something that is near and dear to all tech manager’s hearts, and I am assuming everyone who does work of any type: management. How do […]

MOOCS, class capture, blended learning and flipped classrooms are all the buzz in today’s higher education tech world. Several factors drive these changes in technology and pedagogy. Some institutions are trying to find ways to cut costs, others are trying to figure out ways to make some extra money and many are simply trying to […]

Recently, I wrote about how integrators should consider providing their technical staff as a service to institutions.  I used a couple of examples of when higher ed, in particular, is in need of extra staffing.  In that column, I mentioned that we have turn over, like any other workplace. Yikes, I may have jinxed myself. […]

The past few columns of mine on digital signage have had a similar theme — particularly, finding and understanding the small niche uses of digital signage. I also had a more subtle theme of making a digital sign worth the investment. The days of having a digital sign simply for “making announcements” has passed. Finally, […]

Last month in my column, The Dog Days of Summer, I wrote about a project we did in one of our classrooms. The title of the column spoke a bit about what June and early July is for us in the education world — a bit snoozy. Our budgets don’t start until July 1st, so […]

A few months ago I wrote a column, and a subsequent blog post about how manufacturers don’t reach out to technology managers. It is all still right here on the rAVe site if you need to get caught up.  I called out the manufacturers and blamed them for not being the best possible salesman.  I […]

As a technology person, I love to peak at installed technology whenever I get a chance. However, most of the time it is not the technology that intrigues me, but rather the USE of the technology. Personally, I believe that is what a lot of salespeople miss. Why is the technology being used in the […]

As I sit down to write this column for July, I expected to be overflowing with excitement and interest from InfoComm. I am on a bit of an InfoComm hiatus, having not attended for three years. Yet, I am struck that there does not seem to be any HUGE news out of the show this […]

Control Concepts and BMA Software Solutions are providing Technology Managers with an interesting opportunity this year at InfoComm.  On Tuesday evening, they are holding a special event at Gordon Biersch restaurant.  I recently spoke with Steve Greenblatt of Control Concepts about the event.  Steve describes the event as a hybrid event of networking and professional […]

All of us have lost someone important to us. It is a very difficult time, soothed only by close friends, family and memories of the person we have lost. The funeral industry sometimes feels like a taboo subject, but in fact, is huge business in this country. Funeral homes, whether privately owned, or corporately owned […]

As you are walking the cavernous hallways of the Las Vegas Convention Center this year, and you hear a voice whisper “build it and they will use it,” don’t worry, others are hearing the same voice. The amazing gadgets we see at InfoComm and other tradeshows and in publications, are so exciting, they get us […]

Digital signage has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. In order to be successful in a digital signage business, and perhaps, to keep their current business running integrators need to see these changes and act on them. There should be no surprises here, this publication, along with industry experts have been talking for […]

Hello to the rAVe World! I am told that many of the readers of this publication are manufacturers reps and integrators. That is good, because I am calling all of you out right here, right now. You may want to do some homework before reading any further. I wrote a blog about this in April, […]

If you have heard any of my podcasts, or read my columns, you know that a pet peeve of mine has been the lack of contact we have with sales reps.  This topic came up again a few weeks ago and sparked my interest.  I have always been able to understand that I work at […]

If you have been dealing with digital signage over the past decade, you are well versed in the idea that content is king. If that is the case, then why is it so darn hard to figure out good content? These questions were circling around my mind over the past few months as I got […]

If you have been reading my blogs, my columns or my tweets you are well aware that I have been closely watching the progress and evolution of the WWE Network.  You will also know that this is not about being a fan of WWE or wrestling, at all, but rather looking at viewing television in […]

In September, I wrote about the struggle I sometimes feel when thinking about whether to develop a strong relationship with a vendor/manufacturer or to play the field. I decided to revisit that topic after some recent experiences, and some recent news. One of the major reasons I questioned whether we would stay with a certain […]

The concept of “digital signage” continues to grow in exponential ways. The concept of a digital board replacing a traditional sign is almost a given. We see them everywhere, and they don’t stick out to us quite as much as they used to. Now, the buzzwords have to do with interactivity, as well as the […]

The landscape of cable television continues to change at a dizzying pace. In previous blogs, I have written about both the WWE Network and the striking down of the net neutrality rules. Since then, Comcast has purchased Time Warner Cable and, according to the New York Times, reached a deal with Netflix to deliver its […]

Several years ago, I was approached by the Dean of Faculty’s office to install a digital “poster board.” They had a little extra money in the year’s budget and wanted to use it to show off the great work of our students and faculty. They also wanted to make a bit of a splash, so […]

It has been about 18 months since the AV world was officially introduced to 4K. Many of us in the AV industry take major changes like 4K with a grain of salt. I think it tends to be because we have seen technologies (think 3D) have a groundswell, and then fall flat. So, we are […]

Let me tell you a story and see if it sounds familiar.   I was sitting in a meeting the other day and our network administrators were going on and on about security.  You can not put this on the network, you can not use your regular username and password for that.  We can not […]

As we begin 2014, there is always the temptation to write about predictions for the industry. I think that has been done very well by others, so I won’t take that route. Rather, I want to take a moment and think about how we prepare for the future. While is fun to think about the […]

Just days after I blogged about how the WWE is going to be the first 24/7 live internet only Premium Channel, an appeals court has struck down the net neutrality rules. Once again, networking, IT and AV are all intertwined. First of all, what are the net neutrality rules? If you have 10 minutes or […]