Vincent Ferrari

I am a sunglass addict. I readily admit this. I used to buy cheapo deluxe sunglasses, but got more and more into higher end brands (Bollé and Maui Jim, for example).

My first pair of Maui Jim sunglasses got busted when I left them sitting on an end table in my living room and Patches knocked a pile of picture frames over onto them. Buh bye! They shattered like nobody’s business. $180 sunglasses down the tubes.

My second pair was in my jacket pocket at the Audience Conference in November. I picked up my jacket along with my camera equipment when I was leaving and they must’ve fallen out. Guess what? I never recovered them. Another $180 down the drain.

Right now I’m wearing a pair of Bollé Anacondas. They were significantly cheaper, and if I do happen to smash them or leave them behind at a conference, at least I can take comfort in the fact that they weren’t $180!

In the future, I’m going to try and buy cheap wholesale sunglasses, though. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a few dozen pairs knowing the invariably bad luck that follows me every time I buy a pair!

I am a sunglass addict. I readily admit this. I used to buy cheapo deluxe sunglasses, but got more and more into higher end brands (Bollé and Maui Jim, for example).

My first pair of Maui Jim sunglasses got busted when I left them sitting on an end table in my living room and Patches knocked a pile of picture frames over onto them. Buh bye! They shattered like nobody’s business. $180 sunglasses down the tubes.

My second pair was in my jacket pocket at the Audience Conference in November. I picked up my jacket along with my camera equipment when I was leaving and they must’ve fallen out. Guess what? I never recovered them. Another $180 down the drain.

Right now I’m wearing a pair of Bollé Anacondas. They were significantly cheaper, and if I do happen to smash them or leave them behind at a conference, at least I can take comfort in the fact that they weren’t $180!

In the future, I’m going to try and buy cheap wholesale sunglasses, though. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a few dozen pairs knowing the invariably bad luck that follows me every time I buy a pair!

I was with my old insurance company from 2000-2004. In that time I was paying $6,000 a year for car insurance.

No, I’m not kidding.

I also didn’t know better.

One day, I shopped around, and good God was I stunned that another company could cut my premium down to $2,800 a year!

In the end, though, I learned the lesson you need to learn with insurance companies: never assume you’re getting the right price. In fact, the best way to do business with them is to assume you’re not getting a good deal and shop for other insurers continuously. With the advent of the internet, that’s gotten much easier and you can use a service like NetQuote to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible. The best part of services like NetQuote is that they don’t just look through tiny little local insurers, but they hit the big guys. I know that’s not in fashion, but the reality is the big guys can often save you tons of money over the little guys when it comes to car insurance.

Either way: learn from my mistake and don’t settle for what you have. There may not be a tremendously better deal out there, but it never hurts to look.

I was with my old insurance company from 2000-2004. In that time I was paying $6,000 a year for car insurance.

No, I’m not kidding.

I also didn’t know better.

One day, I shopped around, and good God was I stunned that another company could cut my premium down to $2,800 a year!

In the end, though, I learned the lesson you need to learn with insurance companies: never assume you’re getting the right price. In fact, the best way to do business with them is to assume you’re not getting a good deal and shop for other insurers continuously. With the advent of the internet, that’s gotten much easier and you can use a service like NetQuote to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible. The best part of services like NetQuote is that they don’t just look through tiny little local insurers, but they hit the big guys. I know that’s not in fashion, but the reality is the big guys can often save you tons of money over the little guys when it comes to car insurance.

Either way: learn from my mistake and don’t settle for what you have. There may not be a tremendously better deal out there, but it never hurts to look.

When my grandmother in West Virginia died, it took us 2-3 days to clean up the house, or at least get everything organized into piles for what was staying and what was being sold with the estate. One of the things that struck everyone was the sheer volume of glass art my grandmother had accumulated over the years. She had everything from clowns, to paper weights, to ash trays, to flowers all scattered about the house.

When I was first turned on to White Walls, the stuff there reminded me of her collection (extensive as it was), and she even had a piece very similar to the one below (only it wasn’t as colorful; it was blue with white enamel on it).

White Walls has some great original hand made artwork, and while it’s easy to dismiss, there really isn’t anything as unique or interesting as a one of a kind glass piece. The prices at White Walls are $100 lower than the list price at the moment for all the pieces they have available, so if you’ve ever wanted to own a unique conversation piece to spice up your decor a bit, this might be the time to take the plunge.

Oh, and don’t forget. This stuff is all hand-made, so when you do get yours, it will be unique and no one will ever get the exact same piece again. When the Joneses decide they want to keep up with you, they’ll have to settle for something else!

When my grandmother in West Virginia died, it took us 2-3 days to clean up the house, or at least get everything organized into piles for what was staying and what was being sold with the estate. One of the things that struck everyone was the sheer volume of glass art my grandmother had accumulated over the years. She had everything from clowns, to paper weights, to ash trays, to flowers all scattered about the house.

When I was first turned on to White Walls, the stuff there reminded me of her collection (extensive as it was), and she even had a piece very similar to the one below (only it wasn’t as colorful; it was blue with white enamel on it).

White Walls has some great original hand made artwork, and while it’s easy to dismiss, there really isn’t anything as unique or interesting as a one of a kind glass piece. The prices at White Walls are $100 lower than the list price at the moment for all the pieces they have available, so if you’ve ever wanted to own a unique conversation piece to spice up your decor a bit, this might be the time to take the plunge.

Oh, and don’t forget. This stuff is all hand-made, so when you do get yours, it will be unique and no one will ever get the exact same piece again. When the Joneses decide they want to keep up with you, they’ll have to settle for something else!

I had the “pleasure” of bumping into Daniel Brusilovsky when I was Producer for the Apple Phone Show. At the time, he was being touted by Robert Scoble as the next bright kid in Silicon Valley and someone who was going to rule the world. It was hard to argue; the kid had connections all over the valley due to his “friendship” with Robert Scoble and other “elites.” He had a podcast at the time called Apple Universe, which he asked me to be on. Figuring why the hell not, I agree. We set a date and a time and I never hear from him. I wait for hours and he never appears. Turns out the “prodigy” of Silicon Valley had school work he had to get done and didn’t feel the need to inform an interviewee of such a fact.

His excuse was equally lame. He explained to me that school was his priority and he had to drop everything when he needed to do something for school. That’s cool, but that doesn’t explain away why you didn’t have the decency to do the right thing about our interview which I was left hanging for. The “prodigy” who understood everything and was brilliant and talented was now taking the “I’m just a kid” defense.

Fine. His lame-ass excuse not withstanding, I forgave him. No need to hold a grudge.

As time moved on, more and more of the tech world got to know the vunderkind and his name became synonymous with the wonder that is tech for young people. In fact, two years ago he made the astonishing discovery that if you buy a domain and install WordPress on it, the idiots in the tech media will call you a brilliant entrepreneur. Brusilovsky was again touted as a great prodigy because he figured out how to install WordPress, give out accounts, and call it a business. He also had an associated conference of the same name. How could he fail! He’s a prodigy! Oh yeah, and all his friends from the valley promoted it for him free of charge. Damn straight the kid had people attend. Any monkey would attend a conference if you got enough heavy hitters behind it.

Of course, the WordPress install got bogged down, and eventually hacked because it wasn’t maintained properly. On top of it, Brusilovsky was caught flat-out lying about the uptake of his new “venture.” When the whole thing started collape, Brusilovsky and his supporters yet again dragged out the “he’s just a kid. What did you do at 17?” defense. Well, probably not as much as him, but then again I didn’t have bloggers who get thousands of comments on every post every day and hang on my every word telling me how I great I was because I toasted a hotpocket.

But that’s me.

Now Brusilovsky is in trouble again, and this time it’s pretty damn serious.

On Monday evening I received a phone call from someone I trust who told me that one of our interns had asked for compensation in exchange for a blog post. Specifically, this intern had allegedly asked for a Macbook Air in exchange for a post about a startup.

After an investigation we determined that the allegation was true. In fact, on at least one other occasion this intern was almost certainly given a computer in exchange for a post.

The intern in question has admitted to some of the allegations, and has denied others. We suspended this person while we were sorting through exactly what happened. When it became clear yesterday that there was no question that this person had requested, and in one case taken, compensation for a post, the intern was terminated.

Ooof… That sounds bad with a capital B. Kid gives up a cushy job at Tech Crunch for an attempt at securing himself a MacBook Air? How long before the prodigy trots out the “I’m just a kid” defense?

Answer: not long.

In some way or another, a line was crossed that should have never been. At this time, I do not want to go into details, but I will publicly say that I am truly sorry to my family, friends, TechCrunch, and especially the tech community. Since 2006 when I first got into the internet, I have felt comfortable, and working at TechCrunch has made this experience even better. TechCrunch is not to blame for any of this — TechCrunch has given me the opportunity of a life time. I can never say thank you enough for TechCrunch for the amazing last nine months I’ve had.

This is the first day of the next learning stage for me. Yes, I am young, but from here, I can only learn more. To my family, friends, colleagues and especially, TechCrunch, I am sorry. I am taking this entire experience, learning and moving on.

For those who have messaged me with your thoughts — thank you. At this point, I’d like to take some time to myself after the Teens in Tech Conference, to focus on school, and enjoy being a teenager. I’ve invited Michael and my friends from TechCrunch to come the conference as well.

In some way or another a line was crossed? Wow, he really is a prodigy. That’s right along with how the government points out, when they eff up, how “mistakes were made,” not how “we made mistakes.” But he’s careful to remind everyone that, in fact, he’s just a teenager.

Really, Daniel? Because from what everyone says about you when you do right, you’re a prodigy; someone who’s so smart we all pale in comparison and someone who’s huge success is due to his massive knowledge.

In reality? You are just a kid, but in this case, right and wrong are still pretty damn obvious. You crossed a line, you screwed up, and you blew a great opportunity. “In some way or another, a line was crossed.” No Daniel, you crossed a line and it wasn’t because you’re a kid or because you didn’t know better. It’s because you got greedy and sought to use the power you had to better yourself materially. I refuse to believe that you didn’t know that was wrong, so stop playing the dumb kid game.

You failed.

The true measure of our life is not our failures, but what we learn from them, so make sure you stop with the “I’m a kid” crap, take responsibility, and get yourself all squeaky clean as soon as possible because frankly, from what I’ve seen of your time as a prodigy, I’m not all that impressed.

I had the “pleasure” of bumping into Daniel Brusilovsky when I was Producer for the Apple Phone Show. At the time, he was being touted by Robert Scoble as the next bright kid in Silicon Valley and someone who was going to rule the world. It was hard to argue; the kid had connections all over the valley due to his “friendship” with Robert Scoble and other “elites.” He had a podcast at the time called Apple Universe, which he asked me to be on. Figuring why the hell not, I agree. We set a date and a time and I never hear from him. I wait for hours and he never appears. Turns out the “prodigy” of Silicon Valley had school work he had to get done and didn’t feel the need to inform an interviewee of such a fact.

His excuse was equally lame. He explained to me that school was his priority and he had to drop everything when he needed to do something for school. That’s cool, but that doesn’t explain away why you didn’t have the decency to do the right thing about our interview which I was left hanging for. The “prodigy” who understood everything and was brilliant and talented was now taking the “I’m just a kid” defense.

Fine. His lame-ass excuse not withstanding, I forgave him. No need to hold a grudge.

As time moved on, more and more of the tech world got to know the vunderkind and his name became synonymous with the wonder that is tech for young people. In fact, two years ago he made the astonishing discovery that if you buy a domain and install WordPress on it, the idiots in the tech media will call you a brilliant entrepreneur. Brusilovsky was again touted as a great prodigy because he figured out how to install WordPress, give out accounts, and call it a business. He also had an associated conference of the same name. How could he fail! He’s a prodigy! Oh yeah, and all his friends from the valley promoted it for him free of charge. Damn straight the kid had people attend. Any monkey would attend a conference if you got enough heavy hitters behind it.

Of course, the WordPress install got bogged down, and eventually hacked because it wasn’t maintained properly. On top of it, Brusilovsky was caught flat-out lying about the uptake of his new “venture.” When the whole thing started collape, Brusilovsky and his supporters yet again dragged out the “he’s just a kid. What did you do at 17?” defense. Well, probably not as much as him, but then again I didn’t have bloggers who get thousands of comments on every post every day and hang on my every word telling me how I great I was because I toasted a hotpocket.

But that’s me.

Now Brusilovsky is in trouble again, and this time it’s pretty damn serious.

On Monday evening I received a phone call from someone I trust who told me that one of our interns had asked for compensation in exchange for a blog post. Specifically, this intern had allegedly asked for a Macbook Air in exchange for a post about a startup.

After an investigation we determined that the allegation was true. In fact, on at least one other occasion this intern was almost certainly given a computer in exchange for a post.

The intern in question has admitted to some of the allegations, and has denied others. We suspended this person while we were sorting through exactly what happened. When it became clear yesterday that there was no question that this person had requested, and in one case taken, compensation for a post, the intern was terminated.

Ooof… That sounds bad with a capital B. Kid gives up a cushy job at Tech Crunch for an attempt at securing himself a MacBook Air? How long before the prodigy trots out the “I’m just a kid” defense?

Answer: not long.

In some way or another, a line was crossed that should have never been. At this time, I do not want to go into details, but I will publicly say that I am truly sorry to my family, friends, TechCrunch, and especially the tech community. Since 2006 when I first got into the internet, I have felt comfortable, and working at TechCrunch has made this experience even better. TechCrunch is not to blame for any of this — TechCrunch has given me the opportunity of a life time. I can never say thank you enough for TechCrunch for the amazing last nine months I’ve had.

This is the first day of the next learning stage for me. Yes, I am young, but from here, I can only learn more. To my family, friends, colleagues and especially, TechCrunch, I am sorry. I am taking this entire experience, learning and moving on.

For those who have messaged me with your thoughts — thank you. At this point, I’d like to take some time to myself after the Teens in Tech Conference, to focus on school, and enjoy being a teenager. I’ve invited Michael and my friends from TechCrunch to come the conference as well.

In some way or another a line was crossed? Wow, he really is a prodigy. That’s right along with how the government points out, when they eff up, how “mistakes were made,” not how “we made mistakes.” But he’s careful to remind everyone that, in fact, he’s just a teenager.

Really, Daniel? Because from what everyone says about you when you do right, you’re a prodigy; someone who’s so smart we all pale in comparison and someone who’s huge success is due to his massive knowledge.

In reality? You are just a kid, but in this case, right and wrong are still pretty damn obvious. You crossed a line, you screwed up, and you blew a great opportunity. “In some way or another, a line was crossed.” No Daniel, you crossed a line and it wasn’t because you’re a kid or because you didn’t know better. It’s because you got greedy and sought to use the power you had to better yourself materially. I refuse to believe that you didn’t know that was wrong, so stop playing the dumb kid game.

You failed.

The true measure of our life is not our failures, but what we learn from them, so make sure you stop with the “I’m a kid” crap, take responsibility, and get yourself all squeaky clean as soon as possible because frankly, from what I’ve seen of your time as a prodigy, I’m not all that impressed.

If you’re looking for Web Hosting or domains in the UK, there’s a great company you need to check out. Their name is Discount Domains and they offer everything from domain registration for as low as £9.99 to web hosting as low as £49.99 per year!

If you’re not sure about how to put your site together, they offer a Site Builder, Web Design services, search engine submission, e-marketing consulting, and more. Plus, if you want to make a few extra bucks, you can join their reseller program and make a commission on each domain registration.

Discount Domains is a one-stop shop if you need anything from a new domain to a place to host it, so if you’re on the lookout for a good deal in the UK on all your web-related services, check them out, and tell them Vincenzo sent you!

If you’re looking for Web Hosting or domains in the UK, there’s a great company you need to check out. Their name is Discount Domains and they offer everything from domain registration for as low as £9.99 to web hosting as low as £49.99 per year!

If you’re not sure about how to put your site together, they offer a Site Builder, Web Design services, search engine submission, e-marketing consulting, and more. Plus, if you want to make a few extra bucks, you can join their reseller program and make a commission on each domain registration.

Discount Domains is a one-stop shop if you need anything from a new domain to a place to host it, so if you’re on the lookout for a good deal in the UK on all your web-related services, check them out, and tell them Vincenzo sent you!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Vacation Rental.org presents…

UNITARD!!!

The truth about vacations is a simple one. We often immediately jump to a travel site and start looking for a hotel once we decide we’re going on vacation. In reality, though, you could very easily go to a site that offers vacation rental properties and treat yourself to something slightly more luxurious than a hotel.

For example, look at what $225 a night can get you right in the heart of Manhattan. Do you really think you can get a hotel in Manhattan on that level for that price? (Rhetorical question, of course. You can’t).

Granted, UNITARD is a character in a vacation rental commercial, but in reality, he should be running around New York City on a regular basis because there are a lot of people overpaying like crazy to stay in cramped rooms. I just hope that Unitard grabs you before your next big mistake, er, vacation!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Vacation Rental.org presents…

UNITARD!!!

The truth about vacations is a simple one. We often immediately jump to a travel site and start looking for a hotel once we decide we’re going on vacation. In reality, though, you could very easily go to a site that offers vacation rental properties and treat yourself to something slightly more luxurious than a hotel.

For example, look at what $225 a night can get you right in the heart of Manhattan. Do you really think you can get a hotel in Manhattan on that level for that price? (Rhetorical question, of course. You can’t).

Granted, UNITARD is a character in a vacation rental commercial, but in reality, he should be running around New York City on a regular basis because there are a lot of people overpaying like crazy to stay in cramped rooms. I just hope that Unitard grabs you before your next big mistake, er, vacation!

Here’s Kesha performing her smash hit, Tik Tok:

Now here’s Stalker Patti from the Opie and Anthony show, with some production help, doing the same song…

It’s astonishing what you can do in studio these days.

Now I’m not taking away from Kesha, and the song is catchy as hell, but you have to admit… Someone with literally no talent and a good producer made a damn good attempt at doing the same song.

Oh yeah, and did I mention Patti’s version took 2 hours to produce?

Yeah.

Exactly.

Here’s Kesha performing her smash hit, Tik Tok:

Now here’s Stalker Patti from the Opie and Anthony show, with some production help, doing the same song…

It’s astonishing what you can do in studio these days.

Now I’m not taking away from Kesha, and the song is catchy as hell, but you have to admit… Someone with literally no talent and a good producer made a damn good attempt at doing the same song.

Oh yeah, and did I mention Patti’s version took 2 hours to produce?

Yeah.

Exactly.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees the uselessness of these idiots in the glass boxes at the subway stations…

It was several years ago and I was returning home when I noticed a strange Asian man was hovering around me and then followed me off the train. I was concerned and went up to a booth attendant and told him that someone was following me. He looked at me blankly and asked what did I wanted him to do. I looked back at him in disbelief. “I don’t know, maybe call the cops?” I thought to myself. I didn’t bother to continue talking with the useless booth attendant.

This wouldn’t be so galling if the TWU (The Transit Worker’s Union) wasn’t so intent on positioning its members as the first line of defense in the subway system every time they want to close a booth or the union wants a raise. In fact, most of them are useless in any kind of emergency.

Just ask Maria Besedina.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees the uselessness of these idiots in the glass boxes at the subway stations…

It was several years ago and I was returning home when I noticed a strange Asian man was hovering around me and then followed me off the train. I was concerned and went up to a booth attendant and told him that someone was following me. He looked at me blankly and asked what did I wanted him to do. I looked back at him in disbelief. “I don’t know, maybe call the cops?” I thought to myself. I didn’t bother to continue talking with the useless booth attendant.

This wouldn’t be so galling if the TWU (The Transit Worker’s Union) wasn’t so intent on positioning its members as the first line of defense in the subway system every time they want to close a booth or the union wants a raise. In fact, most of them are useless in any kind of emergency.

Just ask Maria Besedina.