July’s [ LI ]

My montly list of best ofs and eceteras.

Best site: http://www.marmitesqueezy.com/ Live in London and Marmite becomes a variable for why there is a pond that separates us.

Drama, Turtle, E: I’m giving out a drama to DMHj for his ride up the Wachuset in 90+ heat this month…his pursuit to prove he’s not as old as he thinks he is lives on. Beautifully shaven legs and all.

Best iPod Morning Shuffle: Has to go to The National rock block.

Jayner’s LOL: Matties's Mom

Followed by the exchange:

“What do you Wiffiti?”

“ I wish my friends knew my name”

See: What do you Wiffiti?

Fran of the month: (because I need a place to record this stuff)

Growing tired of replacing her kitchen screen, and fuming from the idea that a squirrel would get the better of her (it’s like Bill Murray v. the groundhog in Martha Stewart’s world – no exaggeration), Fran decided that she would trap the devious squirrel and move him to another neighborhood. I scoffed at this plan, as the undercurrents had surely not been thought through – clearly there were egos at play. But she forged on. Within 48 hours she had caught 9 squirrels. NINE. Despite my, enough already, you are getting greedy – you are the step-mother nature and this will not end well – she hmmphed and said "well, we’ll see.”

And then she caught a skunk.

That put an end to operation critter-transplant.

Me and My iPod

Ever feel like technology is effing with you? Personal gadgets know what you are thinking in some sort of AI gone awry episode?

I am convinced that my iPod is in tune (no pun intended) with my moods and mental ticks. To test this, I’ve switched it from my NPR podcast to music shuffle when I get out of the T each morning. Since I am on my way to work, it’s the magic 8-ball for how my day will go.

I have been very impressed with how many times it has decided that Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor is an appropriate album to pick from. A highlight also included The Magnetic Fields, I Need a New Heart (which makes me do the snoopy dance inside).

This morning, however, it convinced me that it is somehow sucking in my mental vibes while sitting in my pocket. It played a rock block of The National. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you until I admit the following: I have a mad crush on a boy. (The kind where it's an anomoly to not be thinking about him.) And just the other night we were talking about The National. And last night I was planning on getting him one of their albums but got caught at work until after 10pm. So imagine my “Holy Cow” this morning.

I mean really, imagine it.

Not one song – TWO.

I’m just saying.

Ignorance is Relative

Tonight I took a walk with one of my best friends. He had finally read my blog and wanted to know more. Besides wanting to know more about blogging itself (and suggesting that he start a blog to tell people not to read mine - cheeky boy) he specifically wanted to discuss my Second Life post. He was confused. The conversation went something like this:

"I didn't get it."

"What do you mean you didn't get it?"

"I didn't get it."

"Like you didn't get what I wrote, or you didn't get the concept."

"The concept - I didn't understand what it was. I didn't get it."

What followed was me explaining Second Life and my post on programs that encourage a virtual life and every sentence or so he saying:

"But it's not real..."

"Right. [Moving on with explanation] And then they..."

"But it's not real."

"Right. So it...".

"But it's not real."

"Right, still they participate because to them it is real..."

"But it's not."

God love him in his ignorance of the vast nature and wonder of the digital landscape. I do appreciate his firm stance in reality.

Look Ma - I'm famous!

What's funny to me is actually being a participant in a viral marketing campaign without actively thinking it up (hey, this is what I try to do for a living.)

So Jayners, because who else would put me on YouTube - decided her birthday evening would be a great time to make this little ditty to promote Wiffiti: What do you Wiffiti?

I should mention here that not only is Wiffiti cool it's the wave of billboards coming to your neighborhood...and also if my boss-boss is reading this - we should get one for the lobby (her name is Joan, once you watch the video you'll understand how excellent this is).

In any case - check out Wiffiti and check out me in the starring role of LocaModa's PSA.

Dinner with the boys

One way to learn the cool stuff is to go to dinner with your homeys...ok, really your programmers. This is what I learned:

There is this thing called Second Life,"a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents." According to its website it is inhabited by 340,141 people from around the globe. People actually put up hard cash to "build" what they want and at some point sell it -- like thousands of dollars worth of property and digitally created possessions -- which they then some how sell on eBay (still unclear about this, but it seems their virtual currency, the linden dollar can somehow be exchanged for real currency).

The fact that people are shelling out a whole lot of money to live in an imaginary place, and buy imaginary things is blowing my mind. Apparently there was even a case of one avatar creating gangs to go rob the other virtual peeps...and when Second Life deleted their account they sued them...in the REAL WORLD. Confused? Yea, me too.

Second learned thing:
There are people who create a virtual airport in their living room and help fly in other virtual people...who are virtually flying planes. They go home and literally help others get to their "airport"...or go home and spend hours flying to...say..Denver.

Not sure where all this time comes from, but are you kidding? Sitting in your living room telling someone else that airstrip 2 is ready for landing....and not referring to porn? Don't follow. Are we that jaded by the real world that we need to create such elaborate fantasies?? And who in their right mind would WANT to be a traffic controller on their downtime!

Still nothing but love for the boys.

iBaseball

SI reports this week that Rockies first baseman, Todd Helton, uses his iPod to review his hits from his eight major league seasons. He sorts them by month, opposing team, type of hit and pitcher. He says he watches the appropriate clips before a game as a way to remember how a pitcher pitched him, and to get himself in the zone by watching successsful at bats.

Helton's teammates are now picking up the system and having the video coordinators load up their iPods with clips - and management is beginning to get in the habit of downloading video on potential draft picks. (We're not far off from a time where every employer will have its own, private podcasting system).

It's interesting that athletes are often the ones whose use of technology pushes it into new directions. (And yes, the irony is not lost on me given their push of science as well).

The Reinvention of Self
So everyone talks about reinventing themselves at one moment or another…but what about a re-branding. Here’s where I’m at. I don’t know where I’m at. I don’t even really know how I got here. It’s one thing to come that realization and quite another to do something about it – so epiphany – what if I do something about that..what if I REBRAND myself. Instead of Elisa or E…what if I become Cybele. Would people look at me differently? Would I look at myself differently?

Part of the problem of reinventing yourself is the reinvention always involves some amount of baggage…what if I did away with that by changing my personal company. Here’s what Cybele means, here’s her tagline here’s her methodology, here I am. Would I be better able to accept and get behind her?? OK, I know we’re talking in Sybil tones here…and yes, Cybele is close in name to that – but let that go and think about it. To think of yourself as a new company – well, it’s kinda freeing. I mean on a daily basis I think about how to offer companies a new brand – how to re-launch themselves into the marketplace. But despite the fact that I do this on a daily basis – I rarely apply it to me.

It just got me thinking…what would that re-launch be? How would it be communicated? What ROI would it offer? I’m just saying…I’m good at what I do in the workplace…perhaps I need to apply that thinking into my personal life?