Ben Long

Call it the iMartini Hour. You know we like to sit around, shoes off, sipping cocktails with our our good friends Chris Breen and Ben Long, talking about things that start with with a lowercase i. In case you hadn't heard, there's this device called the iPhone. Some guy (Steve... something) unveiled something about a new one just this week. Well, turns out iChris and iBen specialize in the thing...Super-specialize, actually, in that they teach a super-session at Macworld Expo all about the iPhone. So we sync our brains to theirs this week, and learn a thing or two about how to enhance our iPhone experience.

From now until June 15, these are the hottest tips you need. Read more » 

This week, we discuss Deke's second-most used application, iTunes. It's true, whenever he needs a break, our graphics guru spends copious amounts of time organizing his vast music collection. And with our favorite Macworld folk on hand, Chris Breen and Ben Long, we thought it the perfect time to dig into the peculiar behaviors of Apple's music-wrangling, phone-syncing, photo-storing, app-harvesting, video-playing hydra.

Here are the iTunes highlights (or, how Chris and Ben point out the obvious): Read more » 

This week on the iMartini Hour, the iDeke and I bring you a discussion of none other than the iPad. Neither Deke nor I have yet succumbed to the temptation of purchasing this tablet full of magic, (although not for lack of trying on my part). So we sit down with Chris Breen---Senior Editor at Macworld Magazine---and Ben Long---who you've met before, but has since written an infamous article on why the iPad isn't for him (Also available as a dramatic reading)---to figure out how badly, or not, we might need this device in our lives. And geek-gadget inspired hilarity ensues in the process.

So over a wee dram of whiskey, we basically perpetrate our first ever gadget-inspired show: Read more » 

Hey gang,

We're running a teensy weensy bit behind on today's Martini Hour post. Technical difficulties, blah blah. It's forthcoming and junk.

In the meanwhile I wanted you to know, when this episode does hit the stands, you'll like it. Cuz we have something really terrific in store. This is one of my favorite shows ever. And for a change it has nothing to do with CS5 or Photoshop or Illustrator or anything Adobe. Much as we love them and that (seriously, big love), we decided to devote this week's show to Apple and its much ballyhooed iPad. And---if you'll forgive me the rather obvious visual analogy---we're turning this particular hot topic on its head.

Read more » 

Despite his mismatched socks, we still trust this week's guest, photographer and author Ben Long, to be our resident expert on travel and photography, and doing the two well together. In the time I've known him, Ben has taught photography in Florence, been on assignment in Africa, and ridden his motorcycle numerous times across the Great American Southwest. I think Deke actually met him on a cruise ship. The guy is everywhere. This week's show is full of terrific tips for shooting on the road---whether you're just driving up the road to your favorite watering hole, hiking out in the wilderness, or traveling to exotic lands in search of interesting local beverages.

Here are the key areas to think about next time you're headed out on the open road: Read more »