Recommended
Food, Podcasts, Blogs, Education, and more


These are are places I've either been to, tried, or graduated from and have good things to say. I like these so much,
that I recommend that others try them too if given the chase. Most of my recommendations are either from the web,
or local places in Salem, Massachusetts, that I have visited and I like very much. Click on the category to expand it.

Blogs

Presentation Zen - A great blog on the do's and don'ts when it comes to presentation of materials, both visual and non visual. There are also links and recommendations for further reading on the topic of presentations on the website.

Engadget - If you are in the IT sector and you don't know of Engadget, you are probably living under a rock. Engadget is the news blog for all new technologies of all kinds. This blog is seriously the blog to bookmark and add to your RSS reader if you are into technology.

Engadget Mobile - This is the mobile version of Engadget that deals with everything regarding your mobile life: cell phones, carrier news, PDAs, connectivity cards, and much more.

TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog. This is a sister blog to Engadget, and it deals with all news about Apple.

Joystiq - This is a sister blog to Engadget, and it deals with all news about gaming (PC, Console, Handheld).

PSP Fanboy - This is the blog for all news on Sony's PSP.

OSNews - News, Reviews and Previews of all types of Operating Systems (free, commercial, open source, closed source, mobile, server, desktop)

TechDirt - A blog dedicated to the abuses of technology.

InfoSyncWorld - News and Information about mobile devices (laptops, phones, pdas)

Mobile Burn - Also news and Information about mobile devices.

Howard Chui - Also news, reviews and information about mobile phones (North American Focus)

Forums

HowardForums - HowardForums (HoFo) is the forum counterpart to Howardchui.com. Even though these forums have a North American focus, they are an excellent source for news, information, reviews and conversation for anything and everything about mobile phones. The community is unparalleled!

Prepaid GSM - Prepaid GSM is the forum counterpart to the Prepaid GSM site that gives you information an all prepaid GSM and UMTS offers around the globe. This is a good place to visit if you are going abroad and you are looking around for a good prepaid SIM to use while on your trip. They also have information on a few satellite phone providers (in case you have that kind of cash).

MacOS X Forums - One of the two best Apple forums on the net! If you require Apple related help, information, or just want to chat about these topics, visit one of these two forms.

Macfora - Also one of the two best Apple forums on the net.

Podcasts (Educational)

Innovative Language Learning (JapanesePod101) - This is the first language learning podcast that I ever listened to. It is not only educational but entertaining. Very worth while listening to if you are interested in learning the Japanese language. Their website has a premium subscriber area where you can download transcript PDFs, grammar notes, and additional vocabulary.
In addition to JapanesePod, they also offer Spanish, Italian and Korean as established, on-going classes. There are also Survival Phrases classes for 12 languages, great for travellers.

ChinesePod - ChinesePod is the original language learning podcast (as far as I know). It also has a premium subscriber area. In addition to Chinese, they offer on-going classes in Spanish.

Radio Lingua Network - The radio lingua network offers many language instruction podcasts such as Coffee Break Spanish and Coffee Break French. They also have one minute and daily phrases lessons for languages such as Irish, Polish, Russian and Norwegian - just to name a few

German podacst.de - Completely free German language podcast.

Learn Italian Pod - Spanish language learning podcast. Offers offers premium subscription area.

Ta Falado - Brasilian Portuguese for speakers of Spanish - Pretty cool!

Digital Classroom Podcast - Podcast focusing on classroom technology, for those of us instructional technology geeks.

Educause Podcasts - Educause has many podcasts dealing with education, including audio recordings of conferences.

LISten - LISNews Podcast, all about the library world

Podcasts (Greek)

Vrypan|net|radio - [audio] Focusing on News and Technology in Greek. Features podsafe music. [audio]

Weekend Geeks - [audio] Focusing on Technology news, in Greek.

Digital Era - [audio] General interest podcast in Greek. Features podsafe music.

CinemaCast - [audio] Podcast with movie reviews and cinematic news, in Greek

Metablogging.gr - [audio] Discussion of the Greek blogosphere

Nysteri - [audio] - Greek Podcast focusing on technology and medical issues

Milaraki.com - [audio] A bit rough around the edges, but it has potential. Deals with Apple news.

Themos Podcast - [audio] Physics and Tech themed podcast

Griniaris Podcast - [audio] General topics podcast

Podcasts (Video Games)

G4 X-Play - [video] Game reviews from G4's dynamic duo: Adam Sessler, and Morgan Webb. I give them a 5...our of 5!

1Up ListenUP - [audio] Weekly podcast about video games

1UP Retronauts - [audio] Classic Video Game goodness!

Rebel FM - [audio] The kid's table of 1UP shows. Still pretty darn good!

Joystiq - [audio] Joystiq.com's video game podcast. The hosts take a little getting used to, but after a few podcasts, you will wonder how you listened to game podcasts without them.

IGN Retrocity - [audio] Another podcast about retro games. I especially like the 8-bit music.

Podcasts (Technology)

Cellphone Junkie - [audio] Weekly podcast about cell phones and mobile technology. Focusing on North America.

TCPJ unlocked - [audio] A weekly podcast about mobile phones and technology - generally with specific weekly topics

MacFormat This Week - [audio] A Weekly podcast brought to you by the good folks at MacFormat (UK). It's about 30 minutes in length, and quite informative to listen to. Check for it on iTunes

Engadget - [audio] A weekly general technology podcast

Engadget Mobile - [audio] A weekly podcast, all about mobile phones and technologies

Engadget HD - [audio] A weekly podcast from the EngadgetHD crew. Very informative if you are interested in HD video and television

TWiT - [audio] This week in Tech. This is a pretty humorous general technology podcast

MacCast - [audio] A weekly mac related podcast

1SRC - [audio] Podcast dedicated to Palm OS based devices. It is pretty informative, but I tend to think that Palm is dying a slow death - as a techie I like to listen though.

Podcasts (News)

Tagesschau - [audio & video] Daily News, in German

NPR Fresh Air - [audio] Podcast of NPR's Fresh Air radio program

NPR This American Life - [audio] Podcast of NPR's This American Life radio program

NPR On Point - [audio] Podcast of WBUR's (NPR affiliate) On Point with Tom Ashbrook

Food in Salem, MA

AJ King Bakery - Simply the best Bread and Pastry I've ever had! If you are in Salem, you must try them!

Asahi - Great Japanese food. The Hibbachi is a must try.

NY Essex Pizza - This is the best pizza place in Salem! Located in the Salem Mall.

Finz - Simply great seafood in Salem. They also have a great lounge to just relax and have a drink.

BeerWorks - Great american food, and great microbrew beer!

Taste of Asia - The best asian fusion restaurant in Salem!

Rockafellas- Great american food with an awesome atmosphere. It used to be a bank, the vault is still intact!

Pamplemousse - I don't even know how to classify this store, but it does have nice beer and wine!

The Upper Crust - In the ever evolving 'best pizza' hunt in salem, this is the current best (yet expensive) pizza place in salem

NY Essex Pizzeria - This is my second favorite pizza place in Salem. It's more affordable compared to the Upper Crust and they have more traditional pizza offerings. It's located on Essex Street, near the Peabody Essex Museum




Food Elsewhere

Trader Joe's - Some people might call it the Hippie supermarket. I call it the best darned supermarket I've ever shopped at!

Sakkio - Japanese fast food restaurant chain. I've eaten at three locations in the greater boston area, and all of them area good!

Goodys - A Greek chain of fast food restaurants. Whenever I go to Greece I must have Goody's at least once! The food they have is typical fast food: burgers and fries. They do have a Greek-Italian flair to their menu with Past and Pita sandwiches, but at it's core it's a burger joint. Some times, the quality in some restaurants is not stellar, but more often than not, I've been satisfied with their quality.

Pita Pan - Same as Goody's, however this fast food chain is more traditional in it's menu offerings: Souvlaki, Gyro, Pita, french fries, and more. This is also another fast food place that I must visit at least once when visiting Greece, generally when I go to the Village Center in Pireas.

Places to Visit in Salem, MA

Peabody Essex Museum - I know that people think that Art Museums are boring. Do me a favor and visit the Peabody Essex Museum! You really won't regret it! I also know that most people come to Salem to see the 'witch' stuff, but this is something you can't miss! At the very least, you need to see the Yin Yu Tang house, the house of an actual merchant that did business with people from Salem. It was brought over and reassembled exactly the way it was in China!

Maritime National Historic Site - Again, most people come to Salem to see the witch stuff, but people fail to realize that Salem, MA has rich Maritime history! The national historic site, operated by the National Park Service. It includes the Friendship, an exact replica of one of the merchant ships that sailed out of Salem, the Customs house, and many other historical buildings in the area.

Education

UMass Boston College of Management - This is where I got my MBA and MS in Information Technology. They are in the top 50 Business Schools in the USA, which is no surprise to anyone who has ever taken a class offered by this college! They also offer a great undergrad program, and a MS in Accounting. If you live in the area, and are thinking of getting an MBA, MSA or MSIT, have a look!

UMass Boston College of Education [Instructional Design Program] - This is where I am getting my graduate certificate in Instructional Design. The courses and the faculty are unlike any other program I have studied in. They have kept me interested and challenged all throughout. There are many great points about the program but the one thing that does stand out to me is the diversity of the students. Students in the Instructional Design Program at UMass Boston come from all walks of life, vary greatly in age and have many different perspectives that they bring to the table - all of which enhance classroom learning, and for a purely selfish reason - this diversity allows you to increase your network of professional contacts to areas other than your field of practice! The programs I graduated from ranked 58th in North America for the MBA and 29th globally for the MSIT!

UMass Boston Department of Computer Science - I got my BA in Computer Science from here. It is quite a rigorous program at all levels. They offer BA/BS, MS, and PhD programs. The MS focuses on Software Development, while the PhD currently has faculty highly focused on Databases, Data Mining, and Networks.

New Horizons Training - I've taken a few work related courses with New Horizons. Excellent, clean facilities. A good hands-on experience with technologies you might not have immediate access to.

Social Bookmarking

Del.icio.us - My own shared bookmarks.

Del.icio.us - Word related bookmarks, mostly about educational technologies.

Digg - I don't often digg news items, so when I digg something, it's made an impression.

Stumble Upon - This is an unusual service, it's like channel surfing on the internet.

Sync - I don't often use sync.gr, but I do follow a number of Greek blogs.