Palm Pre

The Palm Pre seems like a pretty cool phone. It is trying to give the iPhone and the Android operating system phones, G1 and G2, a run for their money. It has a touch screen, full keyboard, and is supposed to work seamlessly with Facebook and all the Google life applications (Gmail, Google Reader, Google Calendar, etc.). Aside from one part of the phone being sharp enough to cut cheese (see video above) the phone seems great.

Recently, I saw an ad for the Pre while watching hulu.com and I realized that Palm is also doing a really brilliant job of marketing the phone. See the commercial below.



The ad is about a phone that optimizes your uses of the internet and media anywhere you are. The voice over talks about that. The actress using the phone shows us that. But, to me, the most compelling part of the ad is the way that it calls to mind the dancing prisoner meme. See the video below.



These videos have been around for a while now. The dancing men are prisoners in the Philippines. The people who run the prison consider the dancing to be part of the rehabilitation process, but it has also become a viral video craze as well as a a draw for tourists, who can go an watch in person, and they have also become a draw for tourists, who can go an watch in person.

There are too many similarities between the Pre ad and the dancing prisoner videos to be unintentional. And it is, in fact, a brilliant meme to conjure up in people's minds to say: Palm is back and we understand you and Web 2.0. If you understand the reference it shows Palm is savvy and has its finger on the pulse. But it is also a striking and amusing image if you aren't familiar with the phenomena. It works on both levels, but screams to those in the know: this is the phone for you.

This ad is a great example of why companies and especially market researchers should pay attention to memes.

Man-taloons

I saw a guy waiting for the bus the other day. He was wearing a style of shorts that I've been seeing around for a while now: long tight jeans that have been converted to at the knee cuts off. I was suddenly struck by the fact that these shorts really look like pantaloons. Granted, our founding fathers seem to be wearing a silky variety, but you can't tell me there isn't a resemblance.



Then it came to me: pantaloons + hipster dude jeans = man-taloons.

Best blog post I've read in a long while

I read the blog Jezebel on a regular basis. I don't read all their posts, but the blog does such a good job of covering gossip and gossip that I sometimes get frustrated with other magazines or blogs for being behind the time and/or misinformed.

They do decidedly unsnarky red carpet coverage and a very thoughtful attitude towards fashion. Below is a particularly good example.

"So, I adore Dior and all that, but once years ago in Vogue I read this story about Galliano in which someone - maybe a Sykes - described him as "a wood sprite," and the evidence seems to have been his applying some kind of expensive mask in an airplane bathroom during descent. What do you think of Tinsley Mortimer's Park Avenue girl gone very slightly downtown?" ~ by Sadie

This just tickles me.

Watching Television

Last Sunday I wasn't feeling so well. Perhaps I was all "Revolutionary Spirited-Out," a mild case of food poisoning or battling off a little flu; who knows. I read for a while but was feeling nauseous, so the words were sort of swimming on the page. So, obviously, I spent the day watching the entire first season of The L Word.

It isn't deep, but, good lord, is it entertaining. You can just consume it like popcorn. It is full of beautiful people with very dramatic love lives, which is the perfect recipe for dishy, soapy goodness. Jenny and Shane are totally the best characters.

I woke up feeling a million times better. I swear television marathons are better than chicken soup at getting you back on your feet. Perhaps the miraculous recovery is just the bed rest, or perhaps it is the body's reaction to its own sloth. Whatever it is, I highly recommend gluttonous consumption of television for quick healing of what ails ya.

Hard Times

I have spent a fair amount of time over the last few months bemoaning the economy and its impact on my life over the last few months. But maybe I was missing the point.

On the way to work last week, I caught an interview Terry Gross did with Linguist, Geoff Nunberg.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104869163

He made a really interesting point about how in folk music from the Great Depression they talked about "hard times" not bubbles bursting and the bad economy. Our (my) fascination with figuring out how to blame and what went wrong has been a distraction from how it currently feels to live and work in this country. These are hard times!

The uncertainty is hard. The cuts are hard. The layoffs are hard. And that, as simple as it sounds, gives you a much better idea of what to DO next, after all that happens. Of course, it is important to figure out what went wrong to ensure that it doesn't happen again, but for us, as individuals, and for me it is way more important to feel how this all feels and then figure out how to proceed. Fretting about credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligations and rating agencies just keeps me up at night, it doesn't make any of this any easier.

It'd be neat to have someone to blame, but once we've expressed our righteous outrage, then what?

These times are hard, which means we examine our situation, streamline our lives and hunker down and get to work. It may seem like semantics, but I've found this shift really empowering and focusing. What a different our words make?!?

New Apartment

After 2 months of searching for a more modest housing situation (necessitated by the big work hours/salary reduction), I found a new place. The upside is that it is uncannily similar to my last studio, just miniature. The layout is basically the same as the other studio. It has lots of built-in storage and little charming details. It even has the same windows. In some ways it is an upgrade from the previous studio, despite being smaller. Improvements include:
-Bathroom sink has one tap instead of individual taps for hot and cold. This makes comfortable face washing much easier.
-It still has hardwood floors, but not every apartment in the building has hardwood floors. This sucks for those who don't have nice floors, but it means I don't have to hear the creaks and squeaks that result from upstairs tenants going about their daily routines.
-Larger windows = more light
-No roommates needed
-Walking distance from Albatross Pub

There are a few things that I'm adjusting to about the studio as well.
-My very large windows look out to the backs of 3 large apartment complexes, making curtains a big must.
-Being politely (usually) panhandled every time I enter or leave my house
-Loud public arguments in the parking lots of the 3 apartment buildings
-Putting rent checks into a heavy, locked safe

None of this is a huge adjustment. I grew up in the mission, after all. In many ways this new place, wrinkles and all, is more age appropriate. I am not yet a proper yuppie, so the Gourmet Ghetto is not yet for me. This new studio is in a grittier area but that is about right.

Interior photos coming soon.

Red Flag Keywords When Hunting For Housing In Berkeley

All I do these days is check out Craigslist. I'm similtaneously looking for part time work and housing. The housing search, especially, is often creepy and hilarious. Here are some of today's highlights.

"The Vegi. House"

Healthy Community Cooperative Home

coop

Single room for rent in Phi Delta Theta fraternity house