From the Editor

During the Great Depression in 1930s America,it was not uncommon for a down-and-out person to hop on a freight train and travel from town...

Here's a quick look at what I observed at EXPO 2008.

During my recent tour of the always-popular coal mine exhibit at Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry, I was reminded of the canary in...

I bought a new mobile phone the other day and, technically speaking, Im already behind the times. As much as I try to stay...

I often worry that the on-demand media lifestyle to which many of us have grown accustomed will have a long-term negative impact on our...

For the first time in my eight-year term as editor of this magazine, I have finally gotten my hands dirty like a true custom...

As the editor of a magazine representing this industry, one of my biggest frustrations in the past eight years has been the general lack...

At the recent CEDIA Management Conference, a record 260 attendees converged on San Diego to discuss employee recruitment and retention and many other business...

My topic this month should be the slowing economy and the effect that it is having on the custom installation business. Instead, Ill save...

The recent green movement has made environmentally friendly practices in the home and work world trendy again. For an individual, a family, or even...

A litmus test, as anyone who has ever taken a middle school science class knows, is a common indicator used to test materials for...

CEDIA EXPO was bursting at the seams again this year at Denver’s Colorado Convention Center, with media servers, 1080p video products, speaker innovations, and...

I am having a problem with one of my contractors. I probably should fire the guy, but I really want him to do this...

I can almost hear the Beach Boys singing …and well have fun, fun, fun, til our daddy takes the T-bird away, through the sound...

This industry that we all refer to as custom is changing all the time, and often not for the better. What began as a...

I have never been a big fan of change. I practically lived in the same place for 18 years growing up. I attended one...

When I initially read the press release about Planar Systems acquisition of Runco International last month, the first thing I thought was, Weve just...

Theres a beta fish named Logo living in the art department of this magazines midtown Manhattan office. If there was ever a metaphor for...

Love him or hate him, Robert Moses is considered one of the greatest urban planners of the 20th century. The master builder was instrumental...

Do you run a growing, thriving company, or have you become a lifestyle business? Dont know what I mean? According to 2007 CEDIA Management...

Pre-Game Coverage: As I begin this column, Im sitting in the American Airlines terminal at New Yorks Kennedy Airport waiting to board my flight...

As a custom installation professional, do you ever get the feeling that youre being used? For instance, isnt it your company that manufacturers call...

Do you have a competitor who consistently gives you trouble even though you know that youre better? Whats your sales pitch? How do you...

Many readers will consider this sacrilege, but I have decided to do something extreme. Im going to unplug my subwoofer and put it in...

Sometimes, its a wonder how our business survives at all. The other day I was watching a ballgame when a commercial for one of...

There we were, my wife and I, ready to sit down, relax, and watch a good movie from the comforts of home. Our daughter...

Pop quiz: Who are Robert Zimmerman and Elliott Adnopoz and what links them together in rock and roll history? Thats the kind of fun...

In the 1979 movie, Being There, a simple gardener named Chance, has never set foot outside the gates of the estate where he works....

Most people recharge their inner spirituality at a local church, synagogue, or mosque. For me, an event organized by SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt usually...

Failure is much more endearing than success. That thought occurred to me the other night after watching New York illusionist David Blaine perform his...

It was the buzz of the show, but it wasnt a new company launch or revolutionary new product release that had everyone talking at...

A diminutive, yet muscular, man walked out on stage, took off his black sports coat, hung it over a chair and said, I was...

Youll have to excuse me this month if my column lacks its usual snap and insightfulness, but Im in the midst of an exercise...

There is nothing like the first time you see high-definition video on a large screen. Once youve experienced that thrill, its hard to go...

Music can take us on a journey back to a place and time that may have been buried deep in our memory. Nothing but...

Admit it now, youre going to miss Indianapolis next year when CEDIA EXPO moves to Denver. No? Not even a little bit? Wait…I see...

Its official Im becoming a video snob. If its not in HD, I really dont want to watch it. Whereas I was once your...

I know that you love the work that you do. Its doubtful that you got into this business because someone twisted your arm. Your...

We all have some inner well from which we draw the passion for what we do, especially in the custom installation business. Almost every...

There are many defining moments in life, with some much more dramatic than others. Last month at the 2005 CEDIA Management Conference, it didn’t...