A couple of months ago, Source Interlink Media purchased Sound & Vision magazine. This probably meant next to nothing to most of you, but was actually fairly dramatic news within the A/V publishing industry because Source Interlink Media also happens to own another enthusiast pub known as Home Theater.

At the time of the sale, many people – myself included – speculated that there was just no way that they wou...

Thank you.

It’s such a simple thing to say, but one that a lot of people find it difficult to muster.

So, thank you…

I started this little journey/descent into madness a little over three years ago with a rather uninspired first post about coming home fro...

As a general rule, I think most everything that I write is brilliant. (There. I said it.)

Yes, of course, when I think about it rationally and logically I realize that that certainly isn’t the case, and that much of what I put out – while hopefully entertaining and at least with moderately correct punctuation and grammar usage – is merely just fair or decent and only occasionally rising to the blandest-of-bland adjective...

I recently re-watched an old Twilight Zone episode from Season 1 titled “What You Need.” In it, an old street peddler happens to know the exact thing that people “need” to help their lives in some way. He gives one guy a pair of scissors and the guy wanders around wondering what the scissors are for…until his scarf gets caught in an eleva...

"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. [Sciaccas] are known to do that." ―Han Solo

So, this publisher – Custom Retailer – is having a little contest. And, well, I’ve entered. And if there is anything you know about me, it is that I don’t take well to losing…

(Catchy title, right? It’s totally true, but we’ll get to that in just a bit...)

So, I got into a little Twitter tete-a-tete yesterday with someone who *strongly* feels that my blogging on a certain reality TV show as of late “may cross the fine line between inspiration and imitation.”

After some back-and-forth, this person tweeted “and with all due respect, when I say ...

Came in to work this morning and found the usual pile of mail in my stack to go through. A couple of checks (Yes!), a Dell computer ad (Dude, NOT getting another Dell!), some bills (Boo!), the usual junk stuff and then a postcard.

The postcard has a nice, thick cardstock feel and a catchy, with a really clean design and an eye-grabbing big headline: “What is your company worth?”

...

I posted a story days ago about finding that thing which motivates you to do whatever it is that you do. Is it for the money? Is it for the recognition? Is it for some semblance of prestige? Or maybe it's to have some amazing experience.

I started counting down the best experiences that have been op...

After I started typing part two of this, I realized that the number 2 and 1 items had a lot more story that I still wanted to tell. Recalling these experiences has helped me to relive some great memories, so instead of burying you with one giant 3000 word mega-post, I decided to give the final two items their own room to stretch their legs a...

Earlier this week I shared the first half of some of the greatest experiences that this whole writing gig has opened up for me so far. If you haven’t read it yet, take a moment to do so now. If you are more of a, “Dammit, man! Just give me the bullet!” kind of gal, or just have a really crappy short-term memory, then I̵...

“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.” – Tony Montana, Scarface

Yesterday I talked about how my motivation for writing has changed over the years. First it was really for the th...

No matter what you do or what you’re doing, there is generally some motivational item that keeps you going and helps you to see it through to the end. That motivation can be the high-level life stuff like, "Get a paycheck, pay my mortgage, keep my house." Or it can be smaller stuff like, "this stupid little bit of $.07 worth of Chinese plastic will make my daughter smile, therefore I'll spend $5.95 on it." Or it can be more base-level, "I like feeling good, scotch makes m...

As a “journalist” (I have to quote that because, well, Jeremy G hasn’t actually blessed me officially with the title yet. I think there is a ring-kissing involved and maybe a sword tap on each shoulder. Something.) part of the CEDIA life is covering different events. Stop one at the show is the press room to get your press credentials. This year, mine looked like this:

While I by no means consider myself an authority on the matter, I think it probably is safe to say that if you are reading my blog, that I have had more stories published than you have. Besides the 500+ blog posts I've put up here, I have had somewhere around 250 reviews, features, columns, blogs and miscellaneous other blurbs that have been published – and paid for – in a variety of different outlets both print and electronic over the past 12 years. And, as ...

My brother, Adam, generously gifted me an iPad2 several months ago. I had been wanting -- and wanting -- an iPad for a while, but when the launch of the 2 was imminent, I decided to hold off. Then when it came out, our local Best Buy didn't have them in stock, and blah, blah he finally got one for me, himself, and my parents and his wife's parents. Based on usage by not only me but Dana and Lauryn, it is seriously one of the best presents I've ever received. (Also awesom...

According to The Wiki, “An expert (also called cognoscente) is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study.”

“This is a story of blog meets world. The blog, John Sciacca Writes, grew up believing that it would never truly be happy until the day it met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to depressing chick rock and a total mis-reading of many of its Top 10 Movies. The one, you, from wherever, did not share this belief. Since the proliferation of other blogs and twe...

I’ve been resistant to being any more social network-ey than I already am. Beyond my blog’s NetworkedBlogs page -- which I mainly keep to allow people to Follow Me -- I don’t really have anything to do with Facebook. (Honestly, it seems like the only people that want to “Friend” me are people I’ve never even met, talked to or have any idea they ex...

It’s almost midnight as I start this. I've plowed my way through the majority of a bottle of Cabernet, Dana is out of town with Lauryn leaving me alone to my own devices and I’ve spent the better part of the evening listening to music that is achingly depressing. (My current drug of choice is Avril Lavigne’s, Goodbye. “Goodbye my love. I can’t hide what has come. I have to go. And leave you alone. But always know, that I love you so. I love you so....

I often regale you with the tales of spam related items that appear in my AOL inbox. The offers to help struggling Nigerian heirs move millions from their country or to save supposed long-lost friends from street-side muggings in London. But I occasionally get REAL offers as well. And I’m not talking about “real” offers to enhance performance in bed, or magically add both length AND girth or other pharmaceuticals from that 21st Century Wild West Apothecary kno...