Pogue on “PR Parasites”

I came across David Pogue’s NYT post from a week or so back on the downside of being a tech writer.  Interesting read if like me, you’re in the PR industry.  David comments on a Gizmodo posting that is focused on the “PR parasites eager to suck away precious time.”  I work with a number of passionate, intelligent PR practicioners that truly want to aid and partner with reporters – not waste their time.  So I can’t say I agree with the description although I enjoy the alliteration…

The comment thread at the bottom is the most interesting by far…it starts to get pretty darn nasty.

What the Heck is Going On w/ My Favorite Airline?!

C’mon JetBlue, baby! Work it out!!

 JetBlue’s recent issues have been well publicized and some think this could lead to the airlines eventual demise.  I certainly hope not.  As someone who is not a big fan of flying the friendly skies–JetBlue has always been my saving grace:  Nice flight attendants, little delays, TV’s at every seat–what can beat that!?

I can’t say that I would be so supportive of True Blue if I had been one of the poor, closterphobic passengers forced to sit on a plane for 8 hours. One can only hope that whatever caused JetBlue to be unable to prevent the infuriating delays and hundreds of cancelled flights stemming from a Valentines Day snowstorm in New York will be righted and forgotten through JetBlue’s apologies and the creation of a customer bill of rights that promises vouchers to fliers who encounter delays.

David Neeleman, founder and chief executive, described the crisis as “a huge bump in the road” but said JetBlue would move past it.

 Note to readers:

A colleague of mine was chatting with a JetBlue staffer yesterday at the airport about their recent problems and he mentioned that in the next two weeks the airline will substantially reduce domestic and international ticket prices in a goodwill effort to win back customer loyalty. So if you wanted to take that trip but tickets were too expensive keep your eyes on JetBlue in the coming weeks, their prices should hit rock bottom.

Let’s Give Em’ Something to Blog About…How About Love?

Happy belated Valentines Day to everyone. To be honest–I love chocolates and romance and all that jazz–but I have a hard time grasping the obsession with Valentines Day.  Do you realize thereare nearly 100,000 photos tagged Valentine on Flickr??

 I realize that it may be sacreligious as a girl to even whisper this… but I THINK VALENTINES DAY IS LAME.  In my humble opinion, there is nothing romantic about Hallmark ,Russell Stover, Whitmans, Godiva Chocolatiers, 1.800.Flowers and Korbel Champagne capitalizing on the tale of Saint Valentine.  Not to mention 2/14 becomes an absolute torture chamber for the unattached.  If you ask me it’s just cruel.  Plus, wouldn’t you rather get flowers on a random day than on a day that your significant other feels obligated to send them? (I’m not complaining hunny–i mean my roses were very very pretty)–but you get what I’m saying…

More later 🙂

Speaking of Crazy High Heels…

Thanks for the tip on this one blondie 🙂 …

Oh Gizmo introduced to me another option for all those sore-footed Short is the New Tall readers out there! 

 Apparently some absolute genius (otherwise known as Marte de Hollander) created convertible high heels.  According to Oh Gizmo the design known as footloose “offers the best of both worlds with adjustable high heels that turn into flats by simply twisting the heel around.”

I’m skeptical.  I’d simply have to try these babies on.  I mean…are they fashionable? Is the heel going to collapse when I’m walking down the street? … That just will not do at all! 

If anyone has tried these out let me know.  Comfort without sarficing style is always a plus in my book.

Anyone Else Have a Case of the Mooondays?

I certainly do.  What are you doing today? Working hard or hardly working?

Either way, if your a sap like me ooohing and ahhhing at these pics from the New York Nerd will brighten your day:

The death of Anna Nicole

The top headline everywhere today is the death of 39 year old Anna Nicole Smith.  The amount of print and broadcast coverage and just overall interest is almost surprising to me considering no one really had much to say about her while she was alive.  It’s all very sad and terribly ironic.

I can’t help but cringe at some of the discussion about Nicole: her deceased son, the fatherless (pending a paternity test) child that she left behind, the endless talk about who gets the money, the drugs (her own mother said she looked “wasted” in her last interview).

When asked what Anna Nicole should be remembered for no one could come up with much of answer.

One can only help that she’ll be remembered for something more than tragedy.

Rosie’s rant on Anna prior to her death:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid285859616/bclid294430730/bctid489236467

Annas mother in 2006…

High Heels and Rocket Science?!

Jenn Abelson from the Globe (Boston.com) reported today that a New England firm, working with an MIT-trained rocket scientist, unveiled inserts that supposedly make high heels almost as easy to wear as sensible shoes.

Maybe this isn’t a huge deal for everyone…but frankly, I’m 5’2 (actually more like 5’1 and 1/2–but let’s call it 5’2) and high heels give me a confident boost—so humor me :). 

What’s perhaps most intriguing to me about this article is the fact that rocket scientists are taking time out of their day to work on making… comfortable high heels? With all due respect (and I do truly respect this creation), there have to be a gazillion other things more significant than comfortable shoes that a rocket scientist could be working on.  Am I right or am I right?

Anyway, back to the shoe inserts…the Globe reports that the company, HBN Shoe LLC of Salem, N.H., which markets products under the Insolia brand, “is now selling $9.99 weight-shifting inserts in CVS stores and will roll them out to other outlets this year.”

So there yah go–go get em’ girls!  I basically live in heels.  Short may in fact be the new tall–but 5’2 is a bit too short for my liking.

I’ll wear heels anywhere–even when it’s not the most appropriate or rational choice…my favorite is the cobblestone area in Fanueil Hall where your stilleto heals get stuck constantly…Even better is spikey heels during a full day of strolling around the streets of NYC window shopping.  I always insist, in the name of fashion, that my feet feel great, and I’m only hobbeling along slowely to be sure “I take it all in.” Yah right.

Well now the days of discomfort are coming an end–Halleluiah.

Strangely enough, bringing comfort to high heels  is legitimately rocket science.

Some Food for Thought

Happy Hump Day!  We’re only half way through the work week, it’s a bitter 12 degrees outside and wind chill is below zero!

…I thought everyone may need some food for thought on this lovely Wednesday afternoon. Here goes…

Elizabeth Taylor (born on the same day as me so I like her a lot!)

“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Bette Midler “I never know how much of what I say is true.”

My favorite PR quote from Daniel Boorstin…

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.” 🙂

Paul Valery

“The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.”

 and words to live by…

Philip K. Dick

“Don’t try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night.”More later…ciao

Superbowl Commercials…

Ok I’m such a girl…growing up I admittedly only watched the Superbowl for the commericals and the half time show.  Sad, I know.  The only time I really paid attention was when the Pats were in it. Man did I ever love Drew Bledsoe…

I have since forced myself into enjoying a sport where men run around throwing a strangely shaped ball and giving eachother concussions–especially if that mans name is Tom Brady0–but the commercials are still my favorite part (I’m not really into Prince).

So did anyone else think the Snickers commerical was a little over the top?  I personally think Bud blows everyone out of the water every year, and I don’t even like Bud products!  Remember the frog commercials a few years back?  Now, that was brilliant 🙂

 I guess this is their Superbowl ad that didn’t make it this year:

Imagine a World with no WWW!

Last night around 3:30 PM the unthinkable happened…our office’s Internet went down! 

Even worse…it was not back up until 5:15 PM!!

OK , so I’m purposely making this out to be much more dramatic than it actually was, but the reaction to the Internet being down was almost comical. Suddenly we were all confused and angry, scurrying around the office like chickens running in circles with our heads cut off.

Man, did I feel bad for IT.

 Anyway, the humorous display led me to think about our professions (PR that is) dependence on the Internet.  We are so reliant on the Web that we actually cannot function without it.  It made me realize that I never pick up the phone to pitch a reporter without my basic Web material in front of me… unless their contact information is right in front of me in Vocus, and their most recent article is open, and all the while I’m able to be checking my gmail, my outlook, and responding to a dozen IM’s then I’m rendered useless.  How sad is that?

I know it’s seen as a vice typically if one is unable to multi-task but c’mon…this is out of control.

Now, I was never part of the working world prior to the Web and to be honest, I can’t even fathom it? 

 Are will still at a point where we are progressing and making our lives more simple because of the web, or are we driving ourselves deeper and deeper into information overload?