I’ve run websites with millions of monthly visitors, built mobile apps with hundreds of thousands of downloads, created online learning communities with over half a million registered users, and eaten a 24-oz peppercorn steak in one glorious sitting.

I’ve led product management, spoken internationally at conferences all over the world, blogged for over a decade, and built my own CMS. I live in Vancouver, Canada, play ice hockey, and subscribe to the VentureBeat statement of ethics.

FOR PR REPS:
I primarily cover Apple for VentureBeat. In addition, I also cover greentech and marketing technology.

As a PR pro, you’re totally aware that my inbox is totally flooded. If I don’t answer, it’s not because I’m rude, hate you, or just plain evil. At least, generally not. Short is most definitely sweet, and please keep pitches to my beats, unless we know each other.

stories by John Koetsier

Google has 5 of the 6 most popular apps in America (and more crazy data from ComScore)

ComScore's massive report also includes data on the top web properties, the battle for search dominance between Google and Bing, and smartphone market share, among other things.

PHP developers: Zend Server 6 goes freemium to entice you to part with your cold hard cash

Zend has a problem. While there are five million PHP developers around the globe, only some small fraction of them pay Zend for its server and IDE tools for making PHP sites faster, better, and more debuggable.

Finally! A fitness tracker that actually knows what you’re doing

Self-quantification is awesome in theory, but the data and record-keeping, frankly, suck. Which is why I'm pretty pumped about the Amiigo fitness bracelet.

Opera hits a big milestone — 300M monthly users — and decides to swap out its core browser engine for WebKit

Which essentially means that everyone is using WebKit except for Microsoft and Firefox. And that the fat lady is not singing for the end of Opera's improbable browser journey.

Startup Act 3.0 would permit 75,000 immigrant founders to come to the U.S. for 3 years

Getting technical and entrepreneurial talent into the U.S. may be a lot easier very soon if a bipartisan group of senators manage to get the Startup Act 3.0 passed. Unfortunately, versions 1.0 and 2.0 died slow and silent deaths.

Silicon Valley salaries: Developers make big bank in 2012 (infographic)

The smart, social, mobile, and above all digital world we're building is the new industrial revolution, and the bricklayers and grease monkeys of this era are Ruby developers and database administrators.

Pinfluencer adds Zappos to client list, powers 250 million Pinterest impressions, and doubles revenue per pin

According to Pinfluencer, the average campaign on its platform boosts brand website page visits per pin by 400 percent, doubles the pageviews per pin, and boosts revenue per pin by 50 percent, from $0.14 to $0.21.

Greentech state of the union boost: Obama proposes using oil and gas money to fund green energy

President Barack Obama's state of the union address focused on innovation, jobs, education, health-care ... and green technology.

‘Black Girls Hack’ breaking out at SXSW to host #blackhack Hollywood

You may not see huge numbers of black founders or developers -- especially those with double-X chromosomes -- in Silicon Valley. That's something that Black Girls Hack is aiming to fix.

Wall Street says ‘meh’ to Tim Cook’s fireside chat as Apple stock falls another $11 a share

"I'm very proud that we're out front, that we're changing people's lives, that we're doing what's right and just in moving the ball forward," Cook said today. "I don't mean to gush, but it's how I feel."

Apple stores are ‘Prozac,’ Tim Cook says (and we’re adding 30 more this year)

"If I ever feel I'm dropping down from an excitement level, I go in a store … it's like a Prozak," Cook said. "It's a feeling like no other."

Cheap iPhone? It’s not in Apple’s religion

Apple CEO Tim Cook poured cold water on the cheap iPhone rumors today at Goldman Sachs' Technology and Internet conference in San Francisco. Sort of.

‘Apple is the center of innovation,’ says CEO Tim Cook

Speaking at Goldman Sachs' Technology and Internet conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company was the "center of innovation."

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaking live at Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference

The Apple CEO has a lot to say to investors. His company's stock has been ravaged by Wall Street in the past year, causing the company's valuation to drop over $200 billion in the last half-year.

Amazon, Apple, and yes, Victoria’s Secret dominate the mobile shopping satisfaction ratings

Mick Jagger can't get no satisfaction, but apparently a lot of 14-year-old boys can. So too, fortunately, can Apple, Amazon, QVC, and NewEgg clients.

Apple updates iOS to fix 3G problems for iPhone 4S in Europe (now, what about us?)

Apple has updated iOS 6 to fix 3G connectivity problems for iPhone 4S users in Europe. I'm wondering, however, if Apple has a bigger problem.

Paragon CEO: We want to support our app users, but ‘Apple says we can’t’

You probably don't know that you can spend $180, $350, or even $1,000 on an iPhone app. What you don't want to know is that your purchase of even the most expensive app doesn't guarantee you'll be able to use it for years to come.

Law firm for Edison, Wright brothers, and Alexander Graham Bell now suing Facebook over like buttons

"I wouldn't have filed the case if we didn't feel very confident in our position," Melsheimer told me this morning as he was stepping off an airplane in Dallas. "This was a case that I liked, our firm liked, and I think we have a reasonable chance of winning."