Xbox Live avatars of the not-so-rich-and-famous
The guys at one of our favorite video game blogs, Joystiq, have put together a gallery of what they call "NXE Avatars of the Rich and Famous." The NXE stands for New Xbox Experience, also known as the big new dashboard update for the console, which we previewed this week. The gallery takes pictures of real-life people and contrasts them with virtual doppelgangers produced with the new Xbox avatar system.
We assume the gallery was put together with tongue firmly in cheek, since the people profiled would be totally unknown outside of the relatively cloistered world of the video game industry. To show you just how far down the ladder they went, even I was included.
Which one is the real Dan?
Former CNETer Veronica Belmont.
Newsweek's N'Gai Croal.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
Former radio DJ turned
journalist Dan Ackerman grew up in the Bronx and now lives in
Manhattan. He’s covered music, technology, and video games for
more than 10 years. His latest album, Tales Out of Night School
is available now. 
Joseph Kaminski,
when not juggling the dual demands of parenthood and HD gaming, is a
life-long Manhattanite and can be found testing the latest tech in
CNET’s Lab. 
Julie Rivera grew up
and currently resides in Brooklyn. When she's not deejaying,
bartending, or fixing gadgets for friends on the outside, you'll find
her testing, troubleshooting and developing benchmarks for laptops in
the "fish bowl" known as CNET Labs. 
Scott Stein, CNET's
newest laptops editor, was born in Queens and grew up a Long Islander -
and is now raising a kid in NYC. In addition to covering games and
tech, writing screenplays, and performing improv in seedy downtown
establishments, he's also a die-hard, season-ticket-holding Jets fan.
