TDL Profile: Jake Walden

For singer-songwriter Jake Walden, technology wasn't always a friend. He didn't get his own computer until the age of 25. In just a few years though, Jake has not only joined the online masses, but he's using twitter, facebook, and youtube to self-promote his music, and it's working. Two of his songs were recently featured on ABC primetime shows, and his fans are helping contribute and create unique music videos of their own to his music.

Jake talks about his music, the renaissance of singer-songwriters, and how technology helps him connect to fans:

Comedian Dan Nainan's Adventure from Intel to Apple Ad

For five years, Dan Nainan worked at Intel, doing tech demos for the highest ranks at the company, including Andy Grove and Paul Otellini. In fact over time, Dan developed a reputation for his Andy Grove impression, and the next thing you know, this silicon valley techy was hit with the performance bug. Fast forward a few years, and the one-time Intel demo guy finds himself face-to-face with John Hodgman and Justin Long as he appears in an Apple TV ad with "Mac and PC."

In this TDL Profile, Dan talks about his journey, and gives us the most info we'll probably ever know about the workings of an Apple ad shoot, as well as why he became a comedian, and how his tech know-how gives him a leg-up  on other comedians:

TDL Profile: Photographer Tyler Shields

Tyler Shields has followed an improbable road to photography. He left Jacksonville, and headed to LA like so many others hoping to make a career in the entertainment industry. After working on music videos though, quite by chance, Tyler found his calling in photography. Today he mixes photos with "video portraits" to create intriguing and provocative glimpses at Hollywood's young stars as they're rarely seen.

I talked to Tyler about his approach to photography, why he ends up in so many of his own works, and his army of Macs making it all possible:

Interview with Star Trek Tribute Band Warp 11

We have Star Trek on the brain today, getting ready to kickoff Star Trek Saturday tomorrow. So it was only natural that we talk to two members of Warp11, the country's premier Star Trek tribute band. (Any other bands want to vie for the title? They will clean the floor with you!) Warp 11 mixes clever and uber-geeky references to the show (mostly The Original Series, and Next Generation) along with sex and drugs. Make no mistake, this is a rock band, through and through, that happens to be made up of some of the biggest Star Trek fans.

They also happen to be playing at MacWorld this year, so what a perfect way to show the mindmeld of Apple fans and Star Trek fans. Here's Captain Karl Miller, and Chief Science Officer Kiki Stockhammer, from Warp 11: