News - Silicon Valley Talk

Part II: The Robots Are Coming!

Hello Everyone,This article is Part II of my series covering Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the robotic future that’s headed our way. As I mentioned in my prior article, by no means do I assert to be an expert in the field. I’m just someone who took interest in the subject many years ago. I’ve read most articles written by high-profile originators, such as the Brookings Institute, McKinsey Global Institute, World Economic Forum, along with many other t..

Welcome to Silicon Valley Talk!

Hello Everyone,We finally did it … we’ve converted Silicon Valley Local Magazine to Silicon Valley Talk. We’re going to have a lot of interviews and commentary coming your way … I’ll also be sharing my personal experiences on some of the following topics in the near future.Retirement:How much do you really need to retire? I say a couple should have a minimum of $5 Million by age 55 … I’ll share with you how to get there. Are you fortunate enough to work (o..

Funny & Funnier

Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to see Jason Alexander, better known as George Costanza of the hit TV series Seinfeld … followed by Arsenio Hall the next night. Alexander portrayed the much-loved character George Costanza from the hit show Seinfeld, universally and ironically referred to as "the show about nothing," a series that continues to entertain audiences every day. Alexander has starred on Broadway, in hit films like Pretty Woman and S..

Mall of America

Hello Everyone, Just recently over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend my wife and I visited friends in Minneapolis Minnesota. The good news it didn’t snow … the bad news, it was downright cold. However, it was very warm inside the largest mall in the country, the Mall of America located in Bloomington, Minnesota just 10 miles from downtown Minneapolis. It’s always been on our list to spend the busiest shopping day of the year inside the biggest mall in the..

Minneapolis / St. Paul Airport

Order, Eat & Go! I recently returned from a business trip … while at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport I thought I’d grab a bite to eat since I had a few hours. After making my way to the restaurants in Concourse G I noticed that you can order food and drink from tablets. How cool is that? Every seat and every bar space you can check the news online, check your email, play games, get flight updates and you can also place your food and drink order on tabl..

Is Your Job Next?

Let’s go back in time a bit when I first started writing this article. About a year ago, I was in line at Starbucks and struck up a great conversation with a first-year college student. He was attending San Jose City College taking general courses. He shared with me some of the pain his family went through during the Great Recession. He told me he didn’t want to be in the same position as his parents when future recessions come around, struggling at an ..

U2 Rocks 50,000 at Levi’s Stadium!

To the 50,000 fans who filled Levi’s Stadium to capacity on May 17, this was not merely another concert.U2 started the concert on the smaller stage closer to the audience in a more intimate setting. They started out by performing songs prior to the Joshua Tree Album release. During the song “Pride in the Name of Love” which is a song about Dr. Martin Luther King jr’s assassination a large screen displayed the words to his “I Have a Dream” speech. When th..

Derek Carr Comments

Hello Everyone, I want to invite you to read our exclusive interview with Oakland Raiders Star Quarterback Derek Carr and Bay Area Nonprofits. Our interview focused on Derek’s relationship with Valley Children’s Healthcare. Valley Children’s Healthcare is committed to providing high-quality healthcare services to children, regardless of their ability to pay, and to continuously improve the health and wellbeing of children. To read the interview in full pl..

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Getaway Tour

My long wait was over, one of my favorite bands of all time rocked their way into the Oracle Arena recently. The Red Hot Chili Peppers with their lead man and bassist Flea (Michael Balzary), vocalist Anthony Kiedis, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. The Arena was nearly filled to capacity on a Sunday night … Flea opened the show with a few words to the audience “Thank you for having us the last 35 (expletive) years,” Flea said. “We didn’t..

Spend The Night With Billy Crystal Tour

Actor and comedian Billy Crystal brought his show “Spend the Night With Billy Crystal,” to San Jose’s Center For Preforming Arts Theater recently. It was a nice blend of standup and storytelling along with film clips you may not have seen before. Crystal was joined by comedian/actress Bonnie Hunt who facilitated the interview portion of the show. You can tell a lot of what they did was simply improvised on the spot which gave him freedom to tell a lot of ..

Brad Garrett: Offending America One City at a Time

My wife and I recently went to Thunder Valley Resort Casino to see one of favorite comedians. Best known for his role on the Emmy award-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Brad Garrett performed at Thunder Valley’s Pano Concert Hall. With a 2,000-seat concert capacity, Pano Hall is the perfect venue for mainline entertainment with a more intimate setting. Located inside the casino, seating is comfortable, aisles are spacious, and with a raised platfor..

Maroon 5 On the Road

The wait was finally over. I’ve been looking forward to seeing Maroon 5 perform for some time now. The setting was a jam-packed Oracle Arena in Oakland.It’s hard to believe that these guys started out as an alternative-rock band with the name of “Kara’s Flowers in the mid-nineties, when front man Adam Levine and the guys were in high-school. Soon after the turn of the century, Maroon 5 was formed, releasing their album “Songs About Jane.” When these guy..

Carrie Underwood The Storyteller Tour Stories In The Round

On Saturday September 10, Carrie Underwood brought her Storyteller Tour to the SAP Center in San Jose. We made the decision to go the day before. At the end of the concert, my wife and I both agreed that Carrie Underwood is one heck of a singer and one heck of a superstar. Underwood opened her show with her hit, “Renegade Runaway”, then moving into “Last Name” and Something’ Bad” followed by “Undo It.” “Good Girl” then her latest hit “Church Bells.” ..

Culture Club: Great 80’s Pop!

Hello Everyone,If you missed Boy George and his Culture Club band at the Mountain Winery this year, then I can honestly, say you missed one heck of a show. Drummer Jon Moss took to the stage to get the evening started at the Mountain Winery. Sitting behind a plexiglass wall on drums he got the crowd on their feet with the Club’s trademark beat of “Church of the Poison Mind” … I don’t think anyone in the venue sat down the entire evening. As the beat got ..

Steve Martin & Martin Short An Evening You Will Forget The Rest Of Your Life With The Steep Canyon Rangers

A few years ago, my wife and I took a half day off to make the drive to Thunder Valley Resort Casino to see Grand Funk Railroad and Foreigner in concert. We had dinner reservations at their “High Steaks” restaurant. However, traffic was so bad; it took us over 5 hours to make the drive. Of course we had to cancel our dinner reservation and showed up 10 minutes prior to the concert. I said I’d never do that on a Friday again. As they say, never say neve..

Barenaked Ladies 2016 Last Summer on Earth Tour

Since their early days in the 1990s, BNL has been pretty much known for their hilarious humor and fun songs. Even though their founding member Steven Page is no longer with them, you would never know the difference. Co-Founder and singer Ed Robertson is one heck of a front man. BNL really knows how to have fun on stage as the Mountain Winery audience was amazed. Even before BNL took the stage at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga this warm summer evening, t..