Valleywag: natali del conte

Natali Del Conte the adorable face of CBS-CNET synergy

Jackson West — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:40:00 PDT

Never mind corporate meatballs like Neil Ashe and Quincy Smith — how's perky CNET correspondent Natali Del Conte faring in the wake of CBS Interactive's acquisition? Well! In an appearance on today's Early Show with Harry Smith, she sported a new 'do and explained the intricacies of different hands-free options for California drivers now banned from holding a cell phone to their ears. The best part is watching Smith stumble a bit trying to understand Bluetooth, pick himself back up by casually noting his experience as a helicopter passenger, then stumbling again over "those map things" before telling viewers to visit earlyshow.cbs.com — which is not a valid URL. Which makes us think that maybe Del Conte would make a better host than the guy who made his name doing standups for A&E Biography. Harry may be a perfect stand-in for the confused-old-man audience CBS currently has. But Natali represents the future audience CBS hoped it was buying.

"FUCK IT, WE'LL DO IT LIVE! THIS THING SUCKS!"

Jackson West — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:00:00 PDT

A reader who watched a recent episode of Cranky Geeks thought the ring on Natali Del Conte's finger meant she got hitched. An instant message to the perky, petite host of CNET TV's Loaded, shown here preparing for a show, confirmed what we already knew, since the ring is on the right hand, not the left. Can you suggest a better headline? Do so in the comments. The best one will become the new headline. Yesterday's winner: "How can I insult this guy's architecture in 140 characters or less?" by oaktowner. (Photo by Andrew Mager)

"No, I am not Julia Allison."

Jackson West — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Natali Del Conte looking more Fashion Week than Internet Week in a black dress and pearls, speaking at the New York Media Information Exchange Group meetup. Can you suggest a better caption? Do so in the comments. The best one will become the new headline. Yesterday's winner: 26footjasontaylor for "IMPEACH BALLMER. 12 GALAXIES FOR ZEGNOTRONIC ROCKET FUTURE. MSNBC: HARDBALL. MEXELOTRELLIS. HASTERPONIC LESBIANS. VISTA SP1." (Photo by Alexa)

CBS, meet your new anchorwoman

Owen Thomas — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:40:00 PDT

CNET TV personality Natali Del Conte has recorded outtakes from her Loaded Web-video show. The highlight: Del Conte's reinterpretation of Flashdance. This makes us think of an obvious synergy play, now that CBS is buying CNET. CNET hired Del Conte and moved her to New York specifically to get her airtime talking about gadgets on the major broadcast networks. CBS, last I checked, is a major broadcast network. If CBS is serious about reversing its news division's aging demographics, CBS should move Loaded from the Web to primetime. Heck, Katie Couric's not doing so well in the anchor seat. Les Moonves, why not give Natali a spin?

Natali Del Conte schools Fox News

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:00:00 PDT

Check out Natali Del Conte on Fox News. Del Conte not only makes her geeky solution to finding a hard-to-find Wii seem simple — "just Google Wii Tracker" — she also advises viewers to buy Wiis bundled with games and then just return the games. Sneaky sneak.

CNET lays off 120, 10 percent of U.S. workforce

Owen Thomas — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:20:00 PDT

Newly former CNET employee Robert Balousek reports that he was one of 120 U.S. employees laid off by CNET, the online tech publisher. On Wall Street, the company is trying to fend off a takeover attempt by hedge fund Jana Partners. On the Web, the company is trying to stay vaguely relevant as a swarm of tech blogs silence whatever buzz it once had. The good news: CNET TV personality Natali Del Conte is still employed, which means there's some modicum of sense left at headquarters. Witnesses to the carnage, drop us a line. (Photo by Terry Chay)

Natali Del Conte even hotter when she speaks Spanish

Owen Thomas — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:00:32 PDT

Really, we didn't think it was possible, but CNET editor Natali Del Conte is even more adorable en español. The bilingual TV personality is anchoring a deal between CNET and Univision, the Hispanic TV channel. "My Spanish-speaking family is WAY more impressed with this than anything else I've ever done," Del Conte told me. "Univision is all they've got so it's a big deal. My mom called me all weepy after she saw it and went, 'Oh my baby! She's speaking Spanish on TV!' My sister said, 'You would think we don't have English-speaking parents!' :)" 32 million U.S. residents speak Spanish at home. Somehow, I don't think they're tuning in to Michael Arrington for the latest on technology.

PodShow said to lay off 20 out of 60-plus employees

Owen Thomas — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:20:45 PDT

PodShow, the San Francisco-based online-video network best known for launching the career of CNET's Natali Del Conte, is laying off about 20 employees, or as much as 30 percent of its staff. "There are no secrets, only information you don't yet have," is the slogan for former MTV VJ Adam Curry's podcast. Curry, a PodShow cofounder, didn't show up to deliver information about the firings; we're told he left that to middle managers.

"Entourage" star promises to use Microsoft, honest

Paul Boutin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:20:37 PST

CNET's supertelegenic Natali Del Conte got a Microsoft-sponsored visit from Entourage star Jeremy Piven to talk up Office Live Workspaces. But as Natali said in an email: "They don't use Workspaces. Microsoft just got them to say that they will. I don't understand why Microsoft would have such a non sequitur way to promote this product. The product is good. Why bother with this nonsense?"

Indeed, Office Live Workspaces makes Google Docs look like Google 20 Percent of Microsoft Office. It even works on a Mac, so the Entourage guys need only fire up Firefox to use it. If Natali — who since January has appeared on CNBC , The CW, Fox Business News, ABC, Reuters, WNBC, and BBC TV twice before I stopped counting — likes it, what further celebrity endorsement do you need?

Don't make her beg -- Natali wants a new website

Owen Thomas — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:08:23 PST

I've been too much of a gentleman to say anything. But Natali Del Conte's website hasn't been doing the CNET editor and TV personality justice. It was such a relief to get an email from her admitting it was "ugly" and announcing a contest to give her website a facelift. Do you have what it takes to give Natali a makeover? The winner gets $100 and "mad props." The guidelines:

Use one of the two photos above.
"I would like to get rid of this aquatic-looking color scheme. Perhaps something a bit more gender-neutral. Even a gray scale would be nice," says Del Conte.

To submit an entry, leave a link to your design in the comments before February 29, when Del Conte will pick a winner.

CNET, under pressure from activist investors ...

Owen Thomas — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:18:57 PST

CNET, under pressure from activist investors trying to win board seats, has posted strong numbers, with revenues of $125.5 million, up 11 percent in the fourth quarter compared to last year. This quarter's revenues are expected to rise 2 to 7 percent. We think that's unduly pessimistic: Natali Del Conte's show just launched. [PaidContent]

Natali Del Conte debuts "Loaded" on CNET

Owen Thomas — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:44:25 PST

The last time I got loaded with Natali Del Conte, it was at Moose's in San Francisco, and alcohol was involved. So I had to ask: For her new online-video show for CNET, Loaded, will the videoblogger drink on camera, as Kevin Rose does on Diggnation? "I'm not ruling it out," says Del Conte. Good! Because her debut episode, while slickly produced, had way too many screenshots. I watch Web pages get loaded all day long as it is.

Ohmigod, shoes -- attached to women, even

Owen Thomas — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:09:14 PST

How laden with pulchritude was the floor of Moose's last Friday, when we sent off Natali Del Conte? Check the shoes. What's even sexier? The stock options attached to some of this mod-shod squad. For you shoe fetishists out there, who wore what:

From left to right:

Rachel Lewin, student and girlfriend of Jordan Golson, in cherry red
BusinessWeek columnist, author, and Valley fox Sarah Lacy in reddish brown
Splunk VP Christina Noren in strapless black with engineer-hot hexagonal heels
CNET senior editor Natali Del Conte in black strapped heels
StyleDiary founder Patricia Handschiegel in blue boots

Oh, and the schlumpy guy in black Rockports and jeans behind them? That would be me. Jealous?

Crunchies post-party photos

Paul Boutin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:23:48 PST

While the rest of the shutterbugs are off slacking, Duncan Riley commits an act of journalism and quick-posts photos from Friday night's Crunchies party. Too bad I'm in half of them. Helpful hint, Duncan: Most readers prefer photos of pretty girls. If you hit Page Down a few times you'll get to soon-to-be-all-over-national-TV CNET reporter Natali Del Conte flashing that Britneyesque — and I mean that in the best possible way — smile of hers just before leaving for New York City. Lots and lots more photos at Helluvajob. That's Lane Hartwell's camera in the left of this shot, and I saw Brian Solis snapping away, too, so there'll be more pix over the weekend.

The Valley turns out for Natali

Owen Thomas — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:00:31 PST

There's been an incredible turnout here at Moose's to send off Natali Del Conte, the LCD-screen talent CNET plucked away from PodShow to be its newest TV star. Sarah Lacy, the BusinessWeek columnist, is here with a copy of her new Web 2.0 histoire, Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good, an advance reader copy of which I exclusively rubbed up against my chest. For a prolonged time. I can't tell you what's in it, but the book felt good, people. Paul Boutin is handing out sunglasses, and Patricia Handschiegel of StyleDiary is dishing out fashion advice. Next up: We're sending Del Conte and Lacy off to the Crunchies in a limo, because that's how Valleywag rolls.

Natali Del Conte at Mooses

Owen Thomas — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:11:19 PST

So far at Natali Del Conte's going-away party: A VC (Stewart Alsop of Alsop Louie, pictured with Del Conte), two CEOs, a French startup guy, a stealth founder, a stats geek, a videoblogger, and some friends of Natali (who just happen to be really hot.) Brian Solis of Bub.blico.us is taking my picture as I type this. And Rafe Needleman of CNET just walked in. Come on over to Moose's and join the crowd.

At the end of this week's rope

Paul Boutin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:09:55 PST

Steve Jobs ate our week. Pup reporter Jordan Golson (pictured) flew out from Boston, crashed on our couches, and banged out a series of hit posts around the pointlessly-but-prettily thin MacBook Air. Some cruel CNET editor set a curfew on our going-away party for video vixen Natali Del Conte by ordering her to cover the Crunchies awards tonight. Fearless forecast: Once the awards finish at 9, there'll be more afterparties than we can hit — no, that's not true. We're pros. We'll hit 'em all for you. (Photo by brykmantra)

So long and thanks for all the fashion advice

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:30:43 PST

NATALI DEL CONTE — I'm busy getting ramped up here at CNET TV but over the break, Owen and Paul asked me to post about what it's been like to be a woman in Silicon Valley. So here's my take. I don't dare speak for all women, but I can speak for myself. And don't worry, I wouldn't dare say anything as banal as "men don't take me seriously because I'm pretty." I can't imagine a more boring sentiment. I will say this though: Since transitioning from print to video, I do receive just as many viewer emails about my hair, makeup, and clothes as I do about tech news:

"The lipstick you wore in Episode 104 was not your color."

My mother begs to differ with you.

"You look pregnant in the dress from Episode 52. Are you expecting?"

Ouch!

"Why don't you just wear T-shirts to blend in more with the geeks, like Cali Lewis or Amanda Congdon?"

Why should I have to?

"Where did you get that black blouse with the flap collar?"

Macy's.

Also, John Dvorak told me not to say my age on TeXtra, because I was getting too close to 30. I don't have a complex about turning 30 and I'm not about to let that Cranky Geek give me one! I'll be 30 in 8 months, John, so there.

I don't take the comments about my appearance too seriously, but I do find them amusing. I have thought a lot about why the tech community has such strong opinions about what I should look like. It has something to do with ownership. It took a lot of patience and hard work to get the industry to take me seriously and now that they have, they feel a sense of all-around entitlement to me.

I accept that but I'm still going to wear red lipstick from time to time. I am a Latina after all. I will, however, shy away from the A-line dresses because I can't say the pregnancy comment didn't leave its mark.

I'm heading to New York on Monday and I'm starting feel a little heartbreak for leaving this place. I don't know how or when, but I'll be back.

Editor's note: Natali and I are at Moose's for her going-away party. Join us!

Tonight at Moose's: Goodbye Natali, Hello Patricia

Paul Boutin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:00:06 PST

CNET video star Natali Del Conte and StyleDiary fashionista Patricia Handschiegel will be at Valleywag Friday at Moose's after work today. It's Natali's send-off to her new TV gig in New York City. Patricia is up from Los Angeles. Drinking starts at 4 p.m. and runs through at least 9 at Moose's in North Beach (don't try this at home — we're journalists.) The Valleywag limo will whisk Natali away to cover the Crunchies awards at 7 sharp, after which drinking and crying escalates in earnest.

Got something to add to the calendar? Send it to calendar@valleywag.com.

Valleywag Friday at Moose's: Say bye to Natali

Paul Boutin — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:00:14 PST

This week's Valleywag Friday at Moose's in North Beach doubles as a going-away party for CNET's new TV star Natali Del Conte. She moves to New York next week. Be sure to dress rock-star, because StyleDiary.net entrepreneuse Patricia Handschiegel will roll in from Los Angeles with her posse. Natali has to leave at 7 p.m. sharp, so don't be late. Drinking and crying will carry on until closing time. Gossip and handbag advice for all!

Lindsay Campbell leaves Wallstrip

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:01:05 PST

Wallstrip host and sometimes actress Lindsay Campbell will soon leave the CBS Interactive online stock-talk podcast. This after CBS acquired the show in May 2007. But don't worry, fans, Campbell is headed for another CBS Web-video production straightaway. Something called Moblogic.tv.

We wonder why the Eye doesn't just speed things up and put Campbell in front of a real camera, as CNET has wisely done with new on-air editor Natali Del Conte. But take heart, Lindsay, at least you're not Veronica Belmont, stuck hamming it up for the likes of Jason Calacanis.

Don't miss Natali's going-away party next Friday

Paul Boutin — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:53:01 PST

TeXtra videoblogger Natali Del Conte leaves San Francisco for New York City next week. She'll become a regular TV face for CNET, appearing on mainstream TV as a tech expert not afraid to say Amazon's Kindle looks like a 1980's PC. Valleywag's weekly happy hour at Moose's — it's been a hit since we started in December — will double as Natali's going-away party next Friday the 18th. Drinking and crying starts at 4 pm and carries on until the place closes. Dress code is "rockstar," whatever that means to you.

Natali Del Conte surfaces at CES

Paul Boutin — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:20:38 PST

Senior editor! Natali Del Conte's first posts from CES lack the excitement of the show floor, but they do have, well, Natali. Here's another, and another. Suggestion to NDC: Get out in the crowd and give your viewers a you-are-there feeling. Is Calacanis there? Ask him one question — doesn't matter what — and let the camera roll.

"Good Morning America" contributor to fill Natali Del Conte's sparkly shoes

Paul Boutin — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:00:21 PST

Becky Worley, shown here on ABC's GMA, will replace the supercali-telegenic, expialidocious Natali Del Conte as host of PodShow's near-daily TeXtra program. "Blondes are not traditionally asked to explain the use of nano-photolithography in computer processors," writes Worley, whose video resume includes stints at the Travel Channel, ZDTV and Yahoo Tech. Becky, for what it's worth, I'm a balding middle-aged brunette male and no one asks me to explain nano-photolithography, either.

Natali Del Conte wraps it up

Paul Boutin — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:19:04 PST

TeXtra episode 110 is the last for Natali Del Conte. Starting in January she'll be doing TV for CNET from New York, wrecking our plans to turn the videogenic journalist into a gossip reporter. Besides showing a nifty Google Maps feature (we didn't know about it, either) Natali throws us a going-away scream in the final credits. Hope they let you do that on Good Morning America.

Fake Bono draws real pitches

Paul Boutin — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:59:38 PST

I finally got the story behind Bono's alleged appearance at the Demo tradeshow last year. MindTouch cofounder Aaron Fulkerson recruited the singer from a U2 tribute band — Pavel Sfera from San Diego-area Desire — to walk around the show floor and do his shtick for laughs. Sfera, shown here with telejourno Natali Del Conte, turned out even better than the real thing: He ad-libbed monologues about Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu and Jesus all over the place. Because of the real Bono's role at Elevation Partners, and oh just maybe an oversized sense of their own importance, Demo attendees believed what they wanted to believe: Saint Paul of Clontarf had come by their show to check out their startup! Fulkerson had to hustle Sfera out of the show after founders began excitedly pitching him. "I've got a cure for hunger," one gushed. It involved Web page markup technology. (Photo by Brian Solis, I think)

The sad dating life of Silicon Valley bloggers revealed

Nicholas Carlson — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:30:19 PST

Don't be surprised by the way Pop Snap TV's Sarah Meyers badgers VentureBeat's Eric Eldon. "Are you a blogger?" she asks. "Do you like to blog? Are you into writing on your blog about technology? Are you a geek? Geeky geek geek." This happens all the time, people. So does heartbreak. Which is I'm sure what one very special correspondent felt when CNET videoblogger Natali Del Conte told Wired's Aaron Rowe, "I think you're like one of my only matches."

That was the week that wasn't

Paul Boutin — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:15:36 PST

Wow, and we thought last week sucked. Googler Larry Page is marrying the Chiclet-toothed Lucy Southworth tomorrow, but no one has posted photos of the lucky couple yet, so as far as we're concerned, it didn't happen. The week's other near-misses that were nonetheless hits:

TechCrunch honcho Michael Arrington tried to fan some flameage by threatening "war" on Facebook for hiring away one of his techies. His post divided Valley tech workers into two camps: Those who got the joke and found it hilarious, and those who thought Arrington was totally serious and found it hilarious.
Some girl broke up with her boyfriend on Facebook, then had her Flickr account hacked — or did she?
Ultravideogenic Natali Del Conte is leaving us for New York City to become CNET's go-to gal for national TV in January. Just when she'd started hanging out with losers like us! Hurrah for you, Natali, but YOU MAKE BUNNY CRY.

For LiveJournal, Six Aparting is such sweet sorrow

Owen Thomas — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:01:03 PST

Users of LiveJournal call it "defriending." As terrible as it sounds, defriending's not really that bad; it just means you're bored with someone and don't want to hear about their issues anymore. Or share yours with them. That, in essence, is what Six Apart, the San Francisco-based blog-software company, has decided to do with LiveJournal, the online community it acquired from Brad Fitzpatrick in 2005. Andrew Anker, Six Apart's vice president of ~~chopping the company into little bits for convenient and lucrative disposition~~ corporate development, orchestrated the sale of LiveJournal to Sup, a Russian media company which already runs a localized version of the site. With the sale, Anker and the rest of Six Apart's team are letting LiveJournal know, as gently as they can, that they're just not interested in its problems.

Anker, LiveJournal founder Fitzpatrick, Sup CEO Andrew Paulson and some of his Russian engineers, a passel of Six Aparters, and one slightly bewildered goat held a bash at 111 Minna to celebrate the split. Also there: Fitzpatrick's omnipresent ex, Pownce engineer Leah Culver. Culver was in good spirits, though, despite the rumor Fitzpatrick's seeing someone in Russia. She too has a new beau, Justin.tv's Kyle Vogt. We're just waiting for the inevitable Leahcast.

Culver wasn't the only camera-friendly type there. Natali Del Conte, CNET's newly hired TV personality, stole the spotlight with a sparkling appearance just as I was leaving 111 Minna.

Natali Del Conte heads for New York

Owen Thomas — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:54:28 PST

We've always known Natali Del Conte, the host of Podshow's TeXtra, was destined for a bigger stage. And she's found one in a new gig at CNET — in New York City. In addition to online video for CNET, she'll be making the rounds of television shows like Good Morning America to explain gadgets and websites to the masses. Broadcast television viewed by millions, not a podcast downloaded by hundreds, is still the proper ambition of anyone with killer looks and a telegenic personality. We doubt Del Conte's stay at CNET will be any longer than Soledad O"Brien's stint on The Site. Give Natali a year and she'll have pushed out notorious nobody Julia Allison as Fox TV's token brunette. Sucks for us, Natali, but hurray for you.

TeXtra outtakes -- the 5-second version

Paul Boutin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:22:28 PST

>

If Natali Del Conte and the bulldog pups had a fight, who would win? We all would. This being Thanksgiving Day, I give thanks to Keri Walker at Apple for sending me the copy of iLife I used to edit and post this video. Apple has truly, deeply changed my life and annoyed the hell out of my neighbors, beginning with this clip. There will be oh so many more.

Factoid flubs it again -- and again and again

Paul Boutin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:23:49 PST

Watching TeXtra host Natali Del Conte make mistakes is more fun than watching most telecasters get it right. Here's Volume 2 of NDC Bloopers. No armpit farts this time, but the scream at 1:21 is going into my next remix. After the jump, a bunch of Natali stats perfect for starting a Wikipedia page — just saying.

Her sister Linzi's nickname for Natali: "Factoid." After lunch with her yesterday, we totally get that.
Natali was on Romper Room in 1984, same year she was Little Miss Pathfinder in Fremont, CA.
She's part Puerto Rican, part Hawaiian, and part Italian.
Linzi, a Redken-trained stylist, does her hair for the show. Wardobe? No, that's Natali.
Master's degree in sociology from USC '04 with an emphasis in (duh) mass media.
Natali writes her own scripts. Unlike some other videobloggers we could name.
I didn't ask if she has a bf or a gf or anything.
Natali and Jason Calacanis's bulldogs never appear on the same Web page, because scientific theory says the resulting cute overload might cause the universe to collapse and flip over into an ass-backwards version of reality. Another theory states that this has already happened.

Fake Steve Jobs gets down with San Francisco's filthiest hacks

Owen Thomas — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:00:09 PST

The dirty secret behind last night's book-tour party for Dan Lyons, the man behind the Fake Steve Jobs blog? Rumor is it almost didn't happen, thanks to a little tiff over who was going to rep him. Flack fight! After the jump, the real battle over Fake Steve.

Here's the back story. Marc Bodnick, a cofounder of Elevation Partners, the private-equity firm behind Forbes, where Lyons has a day job, suggested plugged-in matchmaker Brooke Hammerling to make high-level introductions in the Valley. This move, insiders say, confounded Lyons's publisher, Da Capo Press, which had its own PR operation, and momentarily threw plans for the party out of joint. Hammerling vehemently denies there was any friction. Da Capo ended up handling press for Lyons's book tour, and Hammerling and the book publisher threw a joint party at Frisson, the restaurant part-owned by Facebook board member Peter Thiel.

Thiel, alas, didn't show, but San Francisco's tech press corps turned out in droves, and in the case of videoblogger Natali Del Conte, kickass boots. Also crowding the joint: a bevy of Lyons's Forbes colleagues, past and present, and backers from Elevation Partners. Digg board member Brett Bullington no-commented his way through the evening. An unusually buttoned-up Hammerling, when she wasn't schmoozing, was ringing up copies of Options for Lyons to sign.

Natali Del Conte crisis narrowly averted

Paul Boutin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:01:10 PDT

Oh, my, God that dress. Some cruel Internet bug caused the hyper-videogenic Natali Del Conte's TeXtra clips to go dark over the weekend. We're happy to report that they're back in all their far-hotter-than-certain-other-videobloggers-we-could-name glory. Navigating PodShow's overbuilt interface to find and play the clips is way harder than YouTube, locking out all but the most hardcore of fanboys. Free Natali! And her wardrobe!

Natali Del Conte makes a cute mistake

Tim Faulkner — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:44:25 PDT

What is more appealing to the predominantly male tech audience than a hot girl talking tech in a video podcast? A hot girl making silly mistakes, of course. Grown men love to ogle hot girls making silly mistakes. "Oops, she's so cute." We're not saying it's good, or right, or proper. We're just saying that at the request of her Web admirers, former TechCrunch writer Natali Del Conte, host of PodShow's Textra, took a break from her vacation to satisfy their prepubescent desires with the above blooper reel. While Del Conte has failed to catch on like other vlog hotties, this video, devoid of useful content, will surely provide a minor bump to her usual traffic. As well as producing other minor bumps.

Vlog Hot: Techbabes Heat 1

Chris Mohney — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:45:20 PST

Now let's get into the serious stuff of nerdy fap-dreams — the geek girls. Or at least the girls who appear in video blogs on tech-friendly subjects. In this round, choose from Natali Del Conte, Iria Gallardo, Erin McNamara, Kristin Reilly, Irina Slutsky, and Karina Stenquist. Vote after the jump, minions.

If you can't see the voting mechanism below, we can't help you. We don't know how it works either. You might try turning off firewalls and turning on cookies. Note that you can now vote more than once! And why not? You should be able to vote once per day in any of these polls, showing true devotion to your favorite vlogger by suborning the more casual, ephemeral love showered on her or his opponents. Again, if you have technical problems with that, don't call us. For amusement only, far as you're concerned.

New concepts in podcasting: Paychecks

dtweney — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:32:09 PST

Former MTV VJ Adam Curry has pulled down some serious money for his podcast network, PodShow. And he's spending the dough on talent: 500 podcasters are receiving "upfront money" to produce audio and video for the network, Curry said earlier this week on Leo LaPorte's podcast, This Week in Tech. "Upfront money" is apparently Curry's term for "paycheck," a novel concept in the notoriously unprofitable world of podcasting. Curry's hires include former TechCrunch reporter and Cranky Geeks commentator Natali del Conte. Natali's video show, called Tech Check, will start in a few weeks. Because what the world really needs is another female tech commentator known for her looks. An all-star Natali del Conte photo gallery, after the jump.

(Party photos from Natali's own post on Google's holiday party)