The iPad

"Are there any women in Apple marketing?" asked Brooke Hammerling, founder of Brew Media Relations, in The New York Times. "The first impression of every single woman I've spoken to is that it's cringe-inducing. It indicates to me that there wasn't a lot of testing or feedback." -PR Newser

My thoughts EXACTLY. Next version of the iPod Shuffle will be even smaller and called the iPon. Keep it coming Apple. (I love your stuff but come on here!)

Some more thoughts on the new Apple darling:

• Thoughts on the iPad, Colin Nagy
• Frantic Steve Jobs Stays Up All Night Designing Apple Tablet, The Onion (OK this isn't real but HILARIOUS)
• Print Media's Big Tablet Let Down, Valleywag
  

And even more brilliant, Mad TV spoofed on the same thinking 2 years ago.

My thoughts on the Foursquare v. Yelp debate happening

Wanted: Wireless

Photo Courtesy of the login page when I was at the Ace Hotel.

Having an actual office space, I get spoiled by the constant wireless access. The office with a land line. A place I know I can always access my addictions to Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. (I kid)

We had today off for the national holiday, but I still had some things I needed to get done. I ventured out to find a wireless spot and a space to sit and hack through some documents and do some personal work. (ie finally manage my budget from the New Year---heyo)

You think by now, it'd be easier to find a wireless spot, OR places that are less busy would advertise a bit more. Removing the normal Starbucks from the plan, I checked out the great list from Open Wifi NYC-it's a lifesaver and if you check it out on an iPhone, you get a pretty decent experience. I also used my handy Yelp iPhone app for wireless spots when I was walking.

First stop: Roast Bean Coffee. Wireless is free. Coffee is decent and they have power outlets. I only left because a crazy looking woman sat next to me with pink eye shadow all over her face and kept asking me why my shoes weren't heeled. Time to go!

Next stop: Ace Hotel. The darling of the NYC startup community now, a few people were here and it was around the corner. This place is like the library at college during finals. Stake your claim on your seat and you expect it's yours all day. That happened, and I had to get up. Ugh. I like you Ace Hotel but boy has your popularity affected the rise in the crowds. (I blame Charlie and his tweeting that he's always there.)

Last stop (and where I'm writing this now): Gregory's Coffee. It was a nice walk down Park Avenue anyway so I didn't even mind. The space is pretty big too and I may have found my spot for when I need to get out for a bit.

Mind you that I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee for the day, my search for wireless is finally over. I've enjoyed my coffee and the nice weather NY is having right now and I've gotten a ton of work done.

There's got to be more wireless places (that are fun and comfortable to sit in) than the list that's running now.

Where are your favorite wireless spots in the city? Has someone already aggregated a list I'm missing? Leave in the comments.

A Moment of Happiness

I'm not a fashion blogger. I don't ever post about red carpet fashion or any of that stuff. But watching the Golden Globes tonight, Julia Roberts just made me smile. She was happy, having fun-possibly drunk but hey!

When I think about what I strive for every day, I strive for being comfortable and confident and giving off this type of happiness in a look. I strive to be a woman who is proud of who she is and what she's doing. I got this feeling from Julia tonight watching it. Heck, if she can wear a simple black dress that you could probably pick up at Nordstrom tomorrow and look better than half of the gowns in Hollywood, you rock it.

So, that's it. A small break in the normal posting but had to put it out there.

Photo courtesy of PopSugar.

Social Media & Currency

Tasti D-Lite may be first to realize that a Foursquare check-in has monetary value, but this won’t be the last time we’ll see social media be treated as a currency. The exchange of goods for check-ins is a natural progression that combines technology, business, and social media awareness. This type of transaction will become commonplace in the coming months and years ahead.
-5 Ways Foursquare is Changing the World, Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable

A few cool things (in my book at least)

Quick wrap of links to check out, things to do, stuff to read, blah blah blah...

1. NYClothingDrive.org- a door-to-door charity clothing drive. David Fraga and Eric Friedman with help from the gang at TechiesGiveBack and Wearable Collections will come to YOU and pick up your unused clothes, recycle them and give them back to charity. AWESOME.
2. For all the PR folks that read my blog, check out PressLift. They just launched at the New York Tech Meetup last night. It's basically the next step in making press releases (and PR pros lives) easier. I owe it a longer post, but for now go check it out here.
3. Digital DUMBO #12, the ONE YEAR (crazy!) anniversary invite is OUT. RSVP here. Sponsored by my former employer Carrot Creative.
   
4. Caroline McCarthy's supremely fabulous post in response to the ridiculous Vanity Fair article about "twilebrity"
5. NY Times Article: Bob Barker, Whale Pale. Just click it. If only for the amazing title.

I enabled the "Ask" function on my Tumblr.(AKA the blog I cheat on this with-follow me there for the ridiculous stuff I find on the Internetz) I don't really know how much I'll answer on it, but if you have dying questions you want to ask me, go here and ask away. I'm also curious as to what else Tumblr rolls out with the Messages section.

What I've Read This Morning: January 5th, 2010

Pitching a Product, Without Showing It- The New York Times
Special K commercials sell the diet plan without actually showing a box of the cereal...and it works!

CONFIRMED: Beyoncé Sings For Gaddafi’s Son on New Year’s - Mediaite
Rachel Sklar beats the Post on reporting this gem about the Bootylicious singer giving a private performance to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Facebook Turns to the Crowd to Eradicate Offensive Content - Mashable
Facebook has a terror squad of folks patroling the social network for all things evil and offensive. The goal: "purge Facebook of nudity, drugs, violence, and spam."

Word That Move You... - FitSugar
"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
— Andy Warhol

Sleep-it'll do a woman good

I really love Arianna Huffington. Always have. She (alongside Glamour's always stunning Cindi Leive) have collaborated on a HuffPo piece encouraging the busy women of the world to get more sleep this 2010.

My favorite quote from the post, amazingly titled "Women, It's Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally":

A nation of sleepy women is even less capable of greatness. Consider the fact that sleep deprivation is a strategy many cults are fond of: They force prospective members to stay awake for extended periods, up for all hours because doing so physically alters their subjects' decision-making ability and makes them more open to persuasion. Ladies, the choice is ours. Do we want to be empowered women taking charge of our lives -- or do we want to be cult members, dragging ourselves around like zombies and going along with everyone else's crummy ideas?

Yelp Kicks Butt

Yelp Kicks Butt is back! Click on the image to check out all of the awesome gym discounts around the city and help kick off your New Years resolutions with some friends. I'm planning on getting the Chelsea Piers Day Pass (went to the batting cages recently, so fun. PLUS I can finally jump into the foam pit off the trampoline!)

Who's with me?

Happy 2010!

In the tradition of posting resolutions for the new year, I've listed mine below. While there are tons of these lists, and not everyone cares, (if you don't, move on :) ) I like putting these goals out in public. I feel a bit more pressure to work on them. While some are vague as I'd like to keep some things private, it provides a nice picture.

Tech Detox: Turn off the phone more. I'm glued to my iPhone and I don't like it. I said it the other night how refreshing it was to speak with someone who wasn't on Twitter our Foursquare. Speaking with those people brings me back to normal and enjoy everything. Detox from the electronics and take a few hours each day to just unplug, not check Twitter, not check-in to Foursquare and actually ENJOY the life that I live in this city.

Travel: I have THREE weddings this year. One in Rye, New York; one in Rhode Island (I'm a bridesmaid) and one in New Orleans. While all three require me to leave Manhattan, I still want to take a few more trips for myself. On the list:

• San Francisco---I haven't been back since I moved in September of 2008. That needs to change.
• Los Angeles/Orange County---My best friend lives there. Every time I go I return with a smile on my face.
• TBD---I'm looking to go to a warm beach somewhere. Destination: unknown. I'm going to figure it out.
  

Fitness: The normal "lose 10 lbs" "be healthier"---it's a goal everyone sets. I ran a half marathon last August and it was the best feeling in the world. I find out this Tuesday if I'm running the Half this year but I'm training no matter what. If I don't get picked in the random lottery, I'm going to run the Woman's Marathon in April. I got the Nike + sensor (see my Nike mini avatar above, thank you very much) So, to make more specific goals:

• Run 2-3 times per week
• Hit the gym 4-5 times per week
• Swim (at my gym) 2 times per week to help keep my sanity and workout
• Set more long term fitness goals (ie---the Rockin' the OC Half marathon in June)

Cook/Become more domestic: If you know me, you know I don't cook. I don't like it. I want to. So, I'd like to cook more and try more home style meals. Living with Martha Stewart (aka my sister) should help, but I want to expand my cooking styles and cook at least one crazy type meal per week.

Spend more time with friends: 2009 was crazy. New job and a lot more opportunities also meant less time for friends. That will change. Priorities are back and I'll be back in my groove of seeing people more.

Last but not least, Happy Me Time: Spend more time on myself, get more manicures, take time to run and clear my head and relax when I have time. Do what I want to do. Whether that's see a movie by myself, explore a museum or just take a walk. These times are important.

While I have my individual tactics to getting the above done, share in the comments if you have any additional pointers!

Here's to 2010!