Welcome to the inaugural episode of My Favorite Thing On The Internet Right Now!
I really need to start watching this show.
3 years ago
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Flying Frontier
I can't believe this is my 300th post on my beloved little blog! I wanted to make it somewhat special & it just so happens to coincide with the end of my mini vacay to Colorado, but I have some footage & photos to edit and way too much to talk about before bedtime (have to go back to work tomorrow!) so this post will be about my first experience flying Frontier Airlines. (But I have a feeling it won't be my last.)
It all started a few weeks ago on Travelocity (The only way I differentiate between all those discount travel sites is by spokesperson, and I'm quite a fan of the Roaming Gnome) when I was looking to book a flight from Florida to Colorado for a much-needed four-day vacay. Most all of the options herded me to some random airport in between, subtracting a significant amount of time and enjoyability from my trip. But then I discovered a direct flight from FLL to DIA & back. It was roughly $240 roundtrip (only about $20 more than my other options) so to get the most out of my wallet & my weekend I went out on a limb and booked it.
They only had one desk at Ft. Lauderdale, but the wait wasn't long at all. It's a little annoying that they charge an extra $15 for each checked bag, but I know most of the other airlines are doing that these days. There isn't much schedule flexibility; I was on the single flight from FLL to DIA that day. I left a little after three, but since I gained two hours crossing time zones, landed in Denver a little before five (we were about 30 minutes early based on the original ETA).
The interior reminds me a lot of Jet Blue; big, comfy leather seats with lots of legroom. There are also mini LCD screens installed in the back of each seat for individual entertainment, but UNLIKE Jet Blue, you have to pay $6 to take advantage of it. That didn't really bother me since even though I was technically on vacation, I took my trusty pink notebook along to brainstorm ideas for a project I had been briefed on the day before. The staff and beverage service were typical; and you could enhance your snacking experience for a couple extra bucks. And I know this would probably happen with any airline, but I was a little disheartened to see my pretty pink Samsonite suitcase marred with black streaks and scratches when it came around the carousel. *Tear*
On the return flight back to Ft. Lauderdale today, I noticed a few more details. The brand's tagline is "A whole different animal" and according to their website,
"With the help of some advertising genius types...Each of our "spokesanimals" has a unique and entertaining personality. Today there are more than 50 different animal photographs prominently displayed on our tails."
Today, my flight's featured creature was "LJ the baby Lynx." Not only was he wrapped around the tail of the plane, but there was a picture of him at the entrance of the plane, and the flight attendant made special mention of him before her standard safety speech. I think it's an interesting differentiator from other airlines and makes me feel a little bit like I'm flying off to have some kind of wild adventure. Or possibly like I'm on an airline owned & operated by National Geographic.
Interestingly, I noticed that the average age of the other passengers (not to mention flight attendants) was pretty old. However, it was skewed by the screaming infant in the seat directly behind me. So we already have first class with their little curtain, so when are we going to get a child class complete with soundproof barrier? I was eventually able to block it out with the help of my iTunes. I slept for pretty much all of the flight back. It's weird to be unconscious for that long between two complete strangers.
It just occurred to me that this review would probably benefit more people if I posted it on Yelp...
It all started a few weeks ago on Travelocity (The only way I differentiate between all those discount travel sites is by spokesperson, and I'm quite a fan of the Roaming Gnome) when I was looking to book a flight from Florida to Colorado for a much-needed four-day vacay. Most all of the options herded me to some random airport in between, subtracting a significant amount of time and enjoyability from my trip. But then I discovered a direct flight from FLL to DIA & back. It was roughly $240 roundtrip (only about $20 more than my other options) so to get the most out of my wallet & my weekend I went out on a limb and booked it.
They only had one desk at Ft. Lauderdale, but the wait wasn't long at all. It's a little annoying that they charge an extra $15 for each checked bag, but I know most of the other airlines are doing that these days. There isn't much schedule flexibility; I was on the single flight from FLL to DIA that day. I left a little after three, but since I gained two hours crossing time zones, landed in Denver a little before five (we were about 30 minutes early based on the original ETA).
The interior reminds me a lot of Jet Blue; big, comfy leather seats with lots of legroom. There are also mini LCD screens installed in the back of each seat for individual entertainment, but UNLIKE Jet Blue, you have to pay $6 to take advantage of it. That didn't really bother me since even though I was technically on vacation, I took my trusty pink notebook along to brainstorm ideas for a project I had been briefed on the day before. The staff and beverage service were typical; and you could enhance your snacking experience for a couple extra bucks. And I know this would probably happen with any airline, but I was a little disheartened to see my pretty pink Samsonite suitcase marred with black streaks and scratches when it came around the carousel. *Tear*
On the return flight back to Ft. Lauderdale today, I noticed a few more details. The brand's tagline is "A whole different animal" and according to their website,
"With the help of some advertising genius types...Each of our "spokesanimals" has a unique and entertaining personality. Today there are more than 50 different animal photographs prominently displayed on our tails."
Today, my flight's featured creature was "LJ the baby Lynx." Not only was he wrapped around the tail of the plane, but there was a picture of him at the entrance of the plane, and the flight attendant made special mention of him before her standard safety speech. I think it's an interesting differentiator from other airlines and makes me feel a little bit like I'm flying off to have some kind of wild adventure. Or possibly like I'm on an airline owned & operated by National Geographic.
Interestingly, I noticed that the average age of the other passengers (not to mention flight attendants) was pretty old. However, it was skewed by the screaming infant in the seat directly behind me. So we already have first class with their little curtain, so when are we going to get a child class complete with soundproof barrier? I was eventually able to block it out with the help of my iTunes. I slept for pretty much all of the flight back. It's weird to be unconscious for that long between two complete strangers.
It just occurred to me that this review would probably benefit more people if I posted it on Yelp...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
D-9 Debriefing
My friend and I really didn't know what to think when we stepped out of the theater after seeing District 9 tonight. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what I experienced. The best way I can describe it is like watching a more cinematic two hour game of Halo.
A Halo game at which I'm not behind the controls because although I would love to be a gamer, I particularly suck at the ones in which you have to navigate and shoot with two different controls, especially when they are inverted. Why?! It's complicated enough as it is! Now I have to remember that when I aim the joystick down that I am actually looking up? My ex-boyfriend and his frat brothers took full advantage of this fact and delighted in repeatedly running me over, ambushing and sniping me. The best I could do was memorize where the turrets were, attempt to reach them and make it rain bullets! And I still rarely ended up with a positive kill score. (If we were playing Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers, it would be a different story. Oh yes.)
Anyways, I don't really get into ARG (Alternative Reality Games) but I heard the one promoting District 9 was decent. They scattered stuff all over the web, which appeared to come from several different "sources." (I think they recently aggregated them at D-9.com since the movie is out now).
They even arrived in full force at Comic Con to warn/inform people.
I don't this ARG was as widespread or as popular as the one for The Dark Knight (which won the Grand Prix in the Cyber Lions category at Cannes this year), but hey, I went to see the movie so at least some part of it worked on me.
I still don't know exactly what to think of the movie. It left me with more questions than answers, which I suspect was it's intention. It was definitely unlike any other movie I've ever seen. Weird how movies are becoming more like video games, whether subtly like this one or blatantly like Gamer, which I will probably end up seeing thanks to all the action and explosions I've seen in the trailers.
Afterthought: I found this screen junkies review online which states that the original intention of this movie WAS actually supposed to an adaptation of Halo. Hmmm...
A Halo game at which I'm not behind the controls because although I would love to be a gamer, I particularly suck at the ones in which you have to navigate and shoot with two different controls, especially when they are inverted. Why?! It's complicated enough as it is! Now I have to remember that when I aim the joystick down that I am actually looking up? My ex-boyfriend and his frat brothers took full advantage of this fact and delighted in repeatedly running me over, ambushing and sniping me. The best I could do was memorize where the turrets were, attempt to reach them and make it rain bullets! And I still rarely ended up with a positive kill score. (If we were playing Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers, it would be a different story. Oh yes.)
Anyways, I don't really get into ARG (Alternative Reality Games) but I heard the one promoting District 9 was decent. They scattered stuff all over the web, which appeared to come from several different "sources." (I think they recently aggregated them at D-9.com since the movie is out now).
They even arrived in full force at Comic Con to warn/inform people.
I don't this ARG was as widespread or as popular as the one for The Dark Knight (which won the Grand Prix in the Cyber Lions category at Cannes this year), but hey, I went to see the movie so at least some part of it worked on me.
I still don't know exactly what to think of the movie. It left me with more questions than answers, which I suspect was it's intention. It was definitely unlike any other movie I've ever seen. Weird how movies are becoming more like video games, whether subtly like this one or blatantly like Gamer, which I will probably end up seeing thanks to all the action and explosions I've seen in the trailers.
Afterthought: I found this screen junkies review online which states that the original intention of this movie WAS actually supposed to an adaptation of Halo. Hmmm...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Meet Luna
I wish I had time to post more than once a week, but as one of my CD's said today, I'm "batting 1,000" as in I'm working like crazy. I worked on all four of our different clients this week, but I loved every minute of it. However, working isn't the only thing I did this week...
Meet Luna! I adopted her from the Humane Society of Greater Miami on Tuesday. (I finally made up my mind after a brief bout of puppy fever hit the office.) She's slightly less than a year old and from what I can tell she's part Russian Blue and some other domestic longhair, like a Maine Coon. So she's pretty international.
I used to know so much more about cats when I was little, but I do know she is really chill but can be affectionate or playful and loves a good belly rub. I can't wait to get a good picture of her and submit it to I can haz cheezburger with a brilliant caption.
And I've officially crossed off #6 on my Ten Things to do Before I'm 30 list! One down, 9 to go!
Oh yea and a Happy 27th Anniversary to the parentals!
Meet Luna! I adopted her from the Humane Society of Greater Miami on Tuesday. (I finally made up my mind after a brief bout of puppy fever hit the office.) She's slightly less than a year old and from what I can tell she's part Russian Blue and some other domestic longhair, like a Maine Coon. So she's pretty international.
I used to know so much more about cats when I was little, but I do know she is really chill but can be affectionate or playful and loves a good belly rub. I can't wait to get a good picture of her and submit it to I can haz cheezburger with a brilliant caption.
And I've officially crossed off #6 on my Ten Things to do Before I'm 30 list! One down, 9 to go!
Oh yea and a Happy 27th Anniversary to the parentals!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Madness
...is the one word that pretty much sums up my whole life right now, but mostly in a good way. I've been averaging 60-something hours a week at the agency on at least five different clients and my weekends have been and are being booked solid. I'm actually at the agency right now. It's so different with no one here. It's raining like crazy and I rode my bike here so I have to wait for it to stop before I can go home and eat some dinner.
Anyways, yesterday a bunch of us dressed up in our best retro skits, suits & ties to honor the third season of Mad Men, which premiers tomorrow night on AMC! It was swell, and we hit up a piano bar here on Lincoln afterwards where I may have had one too many martinis. But hey, it's not like i could drink beer dressed up like that!
I also saw this link tweeted a few times today. Fastcompany has this interesting little slideshow paralleling real life advertising in the 60's to what Sterling-Cooper references on the show. LOVE that beetle campaign by DDB that revolutionized creative advertising!
And don't forget to take the Quiz on AMC's website to find out which character you are! I discovered my inner Betty Draper.
Anyways, yesterday a bunch of us dressed up in our best retro skits, suits & ties to honor the third season of Mad Men, which premiers tomorrow night on AMC! It was swell, and we hit up a piano bar here on Lincoln afterwards where I may have had one too many martinis. But hey, it's not like i could drink beer dressed up like that!
I also saw this link tweeted a few times today. Fastcompany has this interesting little slideshow paralleling real life advertising in the 60's to what Sterling-Cooper references on the show. LOVE that beetle campaign by DDB that revolutionized creative advertising!
And don't forget to take the Quiz on AMC's website to find out which character you are! I discovered my inner Betty Draper.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Converse Creatures
I've been listening to last.fm at work lately, and noticed these strange interactive banners for Converse kept popping up. I remember them partially because they are bizarre, and partially because my group and I had a similar concept when we were in Boulder for a quarter. It was super late and we were going insane from like, our twentieth round of concepts and we ended comping up an Olympacha; a ridiculous combinition Cheetah and Olympic Pole Vaulter.
They're memorable, mildly entertaining and convey the idea of customization quite well. I think I would be more likely to make pair for someone else since I barely wear the pink and black all-stars that I have at home. (Mostly because I think living in Florida so long has made my feet claustrophobic in anything but flip flops).
They're memorable, mildly entertaining and convey the idea of customization quite well. I think I would be more likely to make pair for someone else since I barely wear the pink and black all-stars that I have at home. (Mostly because I think living in Florida so long has made my feet claustrophobic in anything but flip flops).
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Douchebook
I really, really hate this commercial I keep seeing on TV for Verizon's mini notebook things. You know, the one where this dude is sitting on a dock or something and this chick sits next to him to inquire about his worthless little device and he keeps finishing her sentences. I mean, this thing screams "toolbag." Why get something cool like an iPhone when you can carry around a whole mini computer? I have way too much other crap I need to carry around in my purse.
The best part is at the end of the commercial when the chick starts saying something like "I'm..." and then he cuts her off with "Amazed? Jealous? Wanna be me right now?" and then she smirks and says "getting one." I guess Verizon is trying to appeal to the Douchebag market with this one. If I was her, I would smack him upside the head with that little device and then throw them both over the side of that dock and hope that he gets a couple fingers clipped off by a mutant lobster. Good luck using your stupid mini keyboard after that! Ha!
(I would have posted the commercial here, but apparently the entire internet has deemed it unworthy of being posted anywhere.) Oh, and not to mention it looks like they are totally trying to rip off Apple with their attempt at design.
The best part is at the end of the commercial when the chick starts saying something like "I'm..." and then he cuts her off with "Amazed? Jealous? Wanna be me right now?" and then she smirks and says "getting one." I guess Verizon is trying to appeal to the Douchebag market with this one. If I was her, I would smack him upside the head with that little device and then throw them both over the side of that dock and hope that he gets a couple fingers clipped off by a mutant lobster. Good luck using your stupid mini keyboard after that! Ha!
(I would have posted the commercial here, but apparently the entire internet has deemed it unworthy of being posted anywhere.) Oh, and not to mention it looks like they are totally trying to rip off Apple with their attempt at design.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
In Memory of Sevenmir
So I got a random link from one of my old ad school friends through iChat a few weeks ago. I would expect this friend to send me a random link, so I clicked it, and it took me to a site where it asked me to enter my screenname and password for my profile to be compared to my friend's. In hindsight, I have no idea why I actually entered my password, but I did and this little bar graph type thing showed up and said that his profile beat mine. I thought the whole thing was a little weird, but didn't think much about it until people started IMing me asking me what this link was that I was sending them. CRAP! I was like "Umm, I didn't send you a link, but whatever it is, don't click on it."
So now it's a couple weeks later and when I got home from work and tried to log onto iChat, it was telling me to enter my password, instead of just starting automatically. I entered it probably 3,000 different times and tried for over an hour to salvage my beloved screenname, sevenmir. I never thought I would be attached to something that's not even tangible! I created that alias at least 8 years ago based on my high school jersey number and my name. I didn't realize how much I take being instantly connected to everyone I know for granted. I was so pissed at first, but I got over it and my new online alias is now 'mirandomology.' I decided to make a clean & consistent break and changed my twitter name to the same thing, and am considering changing the name of this blog, too.
I guess it was probably time to switch it up a little bit. My old screenname was cluttered with tons of people that I hadn't talked to in ages and thankfully I was able to retrieve some of my recent work peeps' screennames from my address book.
Anyways, I'm not the only one who got hacked - it's happened to at least five other Miami Ad School kids that I know of, so far. I wonder where it started and what the point of it is. It's not like you're going to gain any valuable info like social security or credit card numbers through AIM or iChat. Curse you, evil virus-maker man! May you be attacked by a 1,000 rabid chipmunks!
Whatevs. I'm sure sevenmir is in screenname Heaven...
So now it's a couple weeks later and when I got home from work and tried to log onto iChat, it was telling me to enter my password, instead of just starting automatically. I entered it probably 3,000 different times and tried for over an hour to salvage my beloved screenname, sevenmir. I never thought I would be attached to something that's not even tangible! I created that alias at least 8 years ago based on my high school jersey number and my name. I didn't realize how much I take being instantly connected to everyone I know for granted. I was so pissed at first, but I got over it and my new online alias is now 'mirandomology.' I decided to make a clean & consistent break and changed my twitter name to the same thing, and am considering changing the name of this blog, too.
I guess it was probably time to switch it up a little bit. My old screenname was cluttered with tons of people that I hadn't talked to in ages and thankfully I was able to retrieve some of my recent work peeps' screennames from my address book.
Anyways, I'm not the only one who got hacked - it's happened to at least five other Miami Ad School kids that I know of, so far. I wonder where it started and what the point of it is. It's not like you're going to gain any valuable info like social security or credit card numbers through AIM or iChat. Curse you, evil virus-maker man! May you be attacked by a 1,000 rabid chipmunks!
Whatevs. I'm sure sevenmir is in screenname Heaven...
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Upgrade
I love working in advertising, especially at an interactive agency. We get to find out about all the coolest stuff before it goes mainstream. I think we make up a lot of the innovators & early adopters according to the new product life cycle (and I thought I wouldn't use any of the stuff from my marketing classes anymore on the creative side - lol). Maybe because generally we're paid to create and promote the next big idea(s)...
Anyways, I am officially switching from YouTube to Vimeo for all of my video uploading and sharing needs. Youtube has become like MySpace for me, too overwhelmed and underdesigned by the masses. Plus, they're really pissing me off with all their copyright claims!
Vimeo has a way simpler & cleaner design (and bonus points for hybrid wordage: video + me = vimeo). The only trade-off is that your videos take longer to process and you're limited to 500 MB per week (unless you purchase the premium membership). I'll stick with the free version for now. Here's a couple videos I made from this past weekend partying at the W hotel & the Gansevoort with Christy & the girls and then a quick clip from the agency pub crawl in Key West yesterday!
Oh yea, and Happy Birthday Dad! (My sister and I bought him a case of his favorite candy, but I think his favorite gift was me getting a job and getting off his payroll - lol)
Anyways, I am officially switching from YouTube to Vimeo for all of my video uploading and sharing needs. Youtube has become like MySpace for me, too overwhelmed and underdesigned by the masses. Plus, they're really pissing me off with all their copyright claims!
Vimeo has a way simpler & cleaner design (and bonus points for hybrid wordage: video + me = vimeo). The only trade-off is that your videos take longer to process and you're limited to 500 MB per week (unless you purchase the premium membership). I'll stick with the free version for now. Here's a couple videos I made from this past weekend partying at the W hotel & the Gansevoort with Christy & the girls and then a quick clip from the agency pub crawl in Key West yesterday!
Random Bull Riding from Miranda Peterson on Vimeo.
I've Got A Feeling... from Miranda Peterson on Vimeo.
Oh yea, and Happy Birthday Dad! (My sister and I bought him a case of his favorite candy, but I think his favorite gift was me getting a job and getting off his payroll - lol)
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