Category: Uncategorized

I’ve been thinking about how this is turning into the summer of transitions for me.  My awesome roommate Paul Marino is heading off for the Great White North to seek his machinima fame and fortune.  And I’m leaving my cool Financial District apartment at the end of August, after more than three years there. Most…

I’m still looking for a short-term roommate for my super-sweet two-bedroom apartment on Ann Street in the Financial District of Manhattan. It’s available from July 1 to August 31.  Definitely large enough for a couple, or someone who needs a space to work out of.  Comes fully equipped with bed, dresser, desk, and wardrobe. I…

My awesome roommate Paul is sadly moving off to the Great White North to seek his fame and fortune with a game developer up in Canada.  So I am looking for a short-term roommate to share my fabulous, spacious two-bedroom apartment from July 1 to August 31. It’s located on Ann St in the Financial…

I finally got around to redesigning the banner for this blog.  I used as the central image a picture I took of the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Park last spring.  Hopefully the tagline better captures the somewhat grab-bag of topics I write about.

Cindy and I finally got to see the NY-based Japanese pop band "Happy Fun Smile" at the Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom) festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens today.  They played a fun set of okinawan traditional pop and Japanese chindonya, all of it high energy and highly entertaining for a packed crowd of garden visitors. …

FYI, if you have been trying to reach me through my Earthlink email address and it has been bouncing, I am aware of the problem and calling them now.  You can reach me at rik@rikomatic.com. Sorry for the inconvenience. UPDATE 4:30PM: Ok, the tech support folks tell me that it’s resolved.  Please email me at…

I got news that my buddy jazz trombonist J. Walter Hawkes was featured on the NPR show "Studio 360" a couple of days ago, talking about the near fatal accident that transformed him into a jazz musician.  Here’s the direct link to the audio stream (or just click on the image). There’s also a much…

My favorite radio program "This American Life" has made the transition from radio to television with a new program on Showtime.  "Reality Check" the first episode, which has two of my favorite stories, is available for a limited time for free online.  It’s great just seeing the nerdy host Ira Glass sitting in a desk,…

I just saw "300" with some friends at the local IMAX theater.  In a nutshell, it’s what a blockbuster film should be: awe-inspiring and richly entertaining. It’s primarily a war movie, and the film delivers action that is relentless, thrilling and hyper-stylized. I found the use of CGI and blue screen in the film nearly…

At the New York Comic Con a couple of weeks ago, I ran into my friend David Alan Mack, who has a job that sounds much cooler than it probably is in real life — he writes Star Trek novels.  David was there to promote a couple of his new books, which by no coincidence…