Meet a geek: Neha Tiwari

“Meet a Geek” is a pilot project of series of Interviews with cool geeks of the Interwebs. In the first interview (which I’m planning to do every month), I have the pleasure of talking with Neha Tiwari. Neha is San Francisco based geek,blogger, producer and host at Revision 3.

Davor: When did you first start working with computers and technology in general?

Neha: Well, my first computer was a hand me down from my uncle–I remember it running DOS and having the lovely yellow & black color interface color scheme. The only game on there was a Pro Golf game–which I played even though, honestly, I am not into golf!

Davor: Your first paid job was for CNET News.com, how did you like working there and what exactly was your job?

Neha:I loved working at CNET . My manager, Harry Fuller, was supportive and an inspiration for what I would hope to end up as in my career. The team at CNET News.com was smart, savvy and very friendly. While there, I was an Associate Producer that basically reported on a vast array of tech–from videogames to green innovations. I couldn’t ask for a better first paying gig!

Davor: I couldn’t help but notice that some really cool people left CNET in a really short period of time and continued their careers elsewhere. What motived you to quit your job at CNET and continue at Revision 3?

Neha: Well, I actually did not quit, but my department was closed. I know that a lot of people left, but I think that this media space is so small that everyone cycles through different companies. It’s good to keep it fresh and challenging.

Davor: Do you only do video editing at Revision 3, or are you also producing?

Neha: It’s actually reversed! I do mostly segment producing, but also edit some of my stuff as well.

Davor: What other geeky stuff you like?

Neha: Oh man…what don’t I like! For starters, I have loved comic books since I was a child…and comic book conventions. Marvel has to be my favorite, but I was a DC fan growing up. Favorite hero? Spiderman, hands down! I also love learning about technology and how it all comes together. Plus, social networking is something that I love to research and experiment with.

Davor: … and non-geeky?

Neha: Hmm…non-geeky. Maybe socializing [offline], snowboarding, and reading the latest and greatest on the NY Times bestseller list.

Davor: What do you think about girls in the new media these days, do they really know their onions, or they are just there because they look attractive? (I am referring to female hosts of various new media shows).

Neha: Great question. The representation of women in media is a topic that I am very passionate about. Sure, women will always be judged on looks in media [look at CNN, for example], but that’s not to say that there is much more to them. It truly is just an exterior—honestly, come walk into Revision 3, and you will see that most of us “on-air” ladies don’t even wear makeup or do our hair when we aren’t on set. With personality, I really do think there is a fine balance between being likable on camera and a so-called “ditz.” I have met people who don’t seem to be genuine, or not really into what they are talking about. Luckily, I don’t work with anyone like that; from Sarah Lane to Veronica Belmont, these girls know and love the stuff they cover. My style is to always make sure that I truly believe in what I am producing. I won’t do it otherwise.

Davor: Can you tell me about the future projects you’ll be working on at Revision 3 or maybe some place else?

Neha: There are some things in the pipes, that are releasing very, very soon. I am pretty excited about them and can’t wait till they launch!

Davor: Star Wars or Star Trek?

Neha: This question isn’t fair. It’s like Sophie’s choice, and I can’t choose! I will tell you that I am a Star Trek TNG/DS9 girl, and that I love the “old” Star Wars films. I also think that Episode III isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.

Davor: In the end, I just have to ask you, are you single? (wait, someone is knocking on the window… oh, it’s Spiderman… :laughs:)

Neha: Ha. Well I like to keep my dating life pretty private…there is a reason it isn’t on my Facebook! But yes, I am pretty much single. Thanks for making this g33k squirm!

Davor: Neha, thank you very much for the Interview

Neha: You are very welcome. Thanks for asking such thoughtful questions!!

More about Neha Tiwari at: http://nehatiwari.com

All material published with exclusive permission.

net4mac – Social network service for Mac users

net4mac is a brand new social networking service on the interwebs. Just when you think that there can’t be any more social networking services, a new one comes up and surprises you. net4mac is a bit different and it’s solely for Mac users. If you want to register an account, you can’t do it from the web browser as you usually would. Instead, you have to download standalone Mac OS X application that is kind of like a small web browser and then you will be able to register and use all features. This is good in my opinion because only Mac users can register. The bad thing is that the application works only on Tiger and Leopard but not on Panther.

When you install the application, you will be prompted to fill in your profile on where you will be asked about the Mac hardware you own and some personal info. It’s kind of annoying so you can skip it and finish it later after you explore the whole thing. Upon registration procedure, you should look for some friends and join user groups that interest you. The usual features include: events (which looks like iCal), Chat, and Classified Listings where you can sell or buy mac related things by posting an ad which other people can see.

So what’s good about net4mac? Well, I spent two days testing it and apart from mac os x only application that I really love, I haven’t found anything that would take net4mac out of other social networking services. On the contrary, it has less features then Facebook or Myspace and it can’t be compared to Linkedin. net4mac should be for all Mac only professionals and enthusiasts, but I can’t see a single thing to justify that. There is plenty of room for improvements, and I want to believe that the team behind net4mac will realize that, and add some more features to it’s service.

Mac Tech magazine

Mac Tech magazine is great! I took one year subscription and received my first issue on Thursday.