My Brand Extension

So I create this brand called "The High-Tech Texan" back in 2001. I research every bit of technology I can, test and review thousands of products, host a tech-oriented radio program on Houston's biggest talk radio station and provide sound bites and appearances to TV stations about the latest technology news and gadgets. Now what?

The geniuses at our station want me to talk even more! About other things. So starting Monday, March 2, at 9:00am CT, we invite you to tune in and WATCH "The Michael Garfield Show." Or as I like to call it, "The World According To Garf."

I actually tried this once before on our station a few years ago. Did the Mon-Fri thing for about 8-9 months before station management (one again those geniuses) brought in a syndicated morning show. I fell back to my technology schtick on Saturday afternoons and have been quite comfy with my 3 hour work week. Now I go the office 6 days a week for you.

While we continue to figure out exactly which direction to take the show, no doubt we will discuss local issues (upcoming mayoral and gubernatorial elections; T-Mac is a whiny baby), daily news (which company let go 10,000 employees today?; how far did your stocks fall today?), pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and yes, maybe just a little tech. But we will be leaning on you to contribute.

We will lean on the web and email to get listener comments and feedback but also utilize my tried-and-true live videoconference. Using omNovia's web conferencing service, you can see what's going in our studio but also everyone else logging on with a webcam. But please keep your clothes on and brush your hair.

Online social networking is en fuego now and I will be all over Facebook and Twitter to start. Make sure to add me as your Facebook "friend" and join "The World According To Garf" group. Twitter users can follow me here. And you never know what you may WIN (I know, a cheesy way to get listeners and fans but so what).

And if the show is not enough, check out my brand new website here. The team at JDCommerce did an incredible job of building this new site with an updated look packed with features like videos, links, blog, downloads, email newsletter and a quick way to listen and watch my shows online. The site was created in just a matter of weeks to coincide with the new show. There is no reason why JDCommerce can't do the same for you.

So welcome to my new worlds, both real and virtual. Won't you be my neighbor (and "friend")?

Big Week, Bigger Weekend, Huge Upcoming Schedule

The digital TV conversion did not happen as planned this week, Facebook went nuts on its Terms of Service and backed down to public backlash and my work schedule is about to get a lot busier.

First, here is the video from the on-air marriage proposal we did last week on my show. At last check, my cousin Daniel Schwartz and his fiance Perelle Solomon are still engaged. That's always good news.

We are debuting a new videoconferencing partner on my show this Saturday. omNovia will provide the interactive service that allows you to log on, watch and participate during my radio show. Fire up your webcam as you will be able to see us and we can see you for a unique perspective that brings people and content together. This Houston-based company does a great job of webinars and more. LOG ON HERE FOR THE LIVE VIDEOCONFERENCE DURING MY SHOW - SATURDAYS, 11a-2p CDT.

And speaking of my Saturday show, my 3-hour work week will soon be expanding to a whopping 13 hours. The 9-5-0 announced changes this week to its lineup and your boy will soon be hosting a weekday 9a-11a show.

It will be issue-driven like most daily talk shows - but oh so different. We start at 9am when most people arrive at their offices so business, economy and financial news will certainly be covered. "Local" will always lead so the current Stanford Financial Group news would be an example of Topic A. We'll also keep an eye on the stock market throughout the show (depending if the market is in positive numbers by our start date!).

I am not abandoning technology topics though the discussions will focus on larger stories like the recent Facebook flap. My Saturday show will still be the main outlet for technology Q&A.

Feel free to contribute your thoughts as we put together the show theme. We want you tuning in each morning from your office, car and/or home.

See you on the radio.

Day 1 at CES is ovah

Loooong day in Vegas. This show can kill ya. Miles and miles of aisles in the LV Convention Center. I spent almost 7 hours in that cavernous place and barely scratched the surface of seeing and meeting all the exhibiting companies.

A few trends I noticed:

• The economy is cutting in to the attendance; both exhibitors and attendees. Traffic near the convention center was smoother than in years past. People traffic in the aisles seemed lighter. There was much less press releases and media folks in the press room.


• Thin is in. LG, Sony, Panasonic and other companies rolled out some razor thin LCD TVs it was hard to take photos of them from the side. They are expensive but very sexy.


• Wireless continues to cut those cords. Wireless power charging, wireless auto Internet, wireless home door locks. We don't like cables but these new wireless devices to come down in price before they take off.


• Green is good. Companies are now touting their lower watt-usage on TVs and other appliances. Still not sure exactly how much one can save on watching a TV that consumes 125 watts vs. 185 but it could be a sharp marketing move.
  

I haven't seen anything that is absolutely a must-have or killer device. But I did have some awesome tortellini Thursday night that I will remember for quite a while.

If you are my FaceBook friend you should be seeing some of the photos I have been uploading from the show. If you aren't; come on...let's be BFF!

Still Waiting For Rain In Ft. Bend County

How cool would it be for a false alarm? I'll take it along with all of the jokes of media hype and no realization of a hurricane. But I know it is coming.

Power is still here so I've got Internet access at home. Powered down my computers and unplugged them along with all but one TV. Working on my laptop and WiFi now. Trying to find one of my 8 HBO channels that is showing "Entourage" so I can keep my mind off this Ike coverage.

Had a few rain drops around 3pm but nothing but wind in Sugar Land/Missouri City. The kids are surprisingly not stir carzy yet despite me unplugging the Xbox, Wii and PS3. Trying to teach them what a board game is. Helloooo?? Monopoly? Sorry? Life? Welcome to the 70's.

Getting a lot of updates and weather maps online right now. I can't tell you how impressed I am with FaceBook - I am such a fanboy now. I am updating that more frequently than blogs. Social networking is officially here and FACEBOOK is its name. Forget MySpace, Twitter and everything else. This is the here and now.