Julio Ojeda-Zapata's Blog, page 7

I’ve set my reading goal for the year: 200

I love to read and I’ve lately been disgusted with myself for not doing more of it.

I am talking about reading books, specifically, and I’ve been feeling tortured about the backlogof unread volumes in my bookcases.

So, this year, I vowed to get caught up. What’s more, I set a goal for myself of reading 200 books this year.

That’s a tall order, but doable. I am easily able to getthrough a thick novel within a day or two if it is a really good one, so I’m more than capable of meeting my goal...

One of the best decisions we ever made

As a palm tree-worshipping Puerto Rican, I am not crazy aboutMinnesota winters … but this bitter season doessometimes trigger fondmemories.

It was during a deep-freezeJanuarythat my wife, sonand I moved into our current St. Paul home,which turned out to be one of the best decisions of our lives.

“That was five years ago,right?” I asked my wife today.

“No, dear,” she replied, “Seven.”

Wow. Time flies when you’re having fun.

We had no idea what to expect when we moved into our house. We had n...

I find my favorite childhood sci-fi novels

Book day was perhaps my happiest time in grade school, when I was so awkward and shy I was all but unable to make friends. Books were my buddies.

On book day, boxfuls of Scholastic Corporation volumes arrived to much rejoicing all around. The tomesI had painstakinglyselected and ordered were at lastin my possession, often with profound effects that linger to this day.

This is how I learned to love books … and certain books in particular.

I have from time to time searched for these treasured...

Just a few words about ‘Force Awakens’

I just got back from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (on my birthday, no less) and I’m unprepared to render a final verdict.

I have to let this one percolate for a while, as with other films that feature treasured pop-culture icons like“Star Trek” and Superman. In fact, I will need to go see the new “Star Wars” movie at least once more, maybe twice.

I am a bit crestfallen, though, at how little “Force Awakens” thrilled me to my core on an initial viewing.

The reason for this is pretty clear....

Apple and Android Pay, meet Ojezap Pay

I made another of my periodic guest-host appearances on the Minnov8 Gang Podcast with Tim Elliott, Graeme Thickins, Phil Wilson and Steve Borsch … who, as per usual, are a bunch ofweisenheimers.

Rumors of a Target mobile-payment systemled to tongue-in-cheek speculation about “Ojezap Pay” featuring yours truly:

Apple Pay, AndroidPay, Samsung Pay, Walmart Pay, CurrentC (and more long-standing mobile payment platforms like PayPal & their apps) are all jockeying for position to become the mobil...

Having a blast writing all about ‘Star Wars’

With a certain little movie called “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hitting theaters this week, I’ve been doing a bit of “Star Wars”-related news coverage.

First, I wrote about local“costumers” who show upat charity andpublicity events dressed as “Star Wars” characters.

Here are some of them at a First Avenue dance party:

I also shot some video:

Second, I covered a “Star Wars”-themed wedding, and used that as an excuse to write about other such weddings.

Here’s video of Thursday’s wedding:

...

I talked tech with the Kaplans (Shop Girls)

Allison Kaplan, my former Pioneer Press colleague and the host of Shop Girls, had me on the show (as she tends to do this time of year) so we could talk tech for the holidays.

I made a couple of dynamite discoveries while I was there.

First, Allison’s mother, Harmony, is now her co-host. Cool! Second,Harmony is the radio program’s tech guru of sorts with a regular segment on the latest in the tech world. Even cooler!

Naturally, I had to high-five my fellow tech journalist.

The post I talke...

Google Cardboard is a hit on WCCO show

In what has become holiday tradition, I was again a guest on the WCCO Sunday Morning news programwith Esme Murphy to talk about tech gifts for the holidays.

Esme was most fascinated by Google Cardboard, the simple virtual-reality goggles that serve as holders for a smartphone in order to viewVR videos and photos.

Esme during the segment checked out a virtual-reality photoof the Pioneer Press’ new digs. I used Google’s new Cardboard Camera app to take the photo (which I unfortunately cannot...

Social Print Studio a classy print service

Instagram photos are onlineconstructs that, usually, aren’t meant to be printed out.

Sometimes, though, you want to frame such square pictures, or tobestow printsupon others.A host of print-to-orderservices have cropped up for such occasions.

Most such services leaveme underwhelmed, at least based on ascrutiny of their sites, but there’s one exception. It’s a service so compelling I felt duty-boundto use it post-haste.

It’s calledSocial Print Studio (formerly Printstagram).

I turned to Soci...