Lost in the pages of Wired

Wired mag, in all its geeky glory, handed over the reins to JJ Abrams for their May issue. And yes, he is just as much of a mindf*ck in print as he is on TV as the creator of Lost. The issue is dedicated to mystery, puzzles, clues, theories, and more. Grab your magnifying glass and basset hound for this one. There is another layer to this editorial. Abrams has created a cerebral riddle hidden within the pages of the magazine. The prize is unclear, aside from true mastery of codes and patterns. Steven Bevacqua was the first to successful solve the riddle; NY Times walked through the tests that he conducted to discover this hidden website.

This issue is interactivity without the use of technology (All of the clues are within the pages, none on the Wired website). A major strain to the magazine industry has been the shift to digital. This excitement and sense of being part of something within the tangible pages of the magazine pulls the read into the pages at a new level, reading between the lines and noticing details they may normally skim over. It may be a novel gasp of fresh air for print magazines, but if its getting people to turn pages and think critically about text, then its fresh air all the same.

Everyone loves a makeover story

Laura gave me a tutorial on Google Reader and RSS feeds this week, something I should have learned about a year ago. As with most new gadgets, I am overwhelming myself with the opportunities I suddenly have. I already have 11 blogs in my feed. And as I was surfing around looking for blogs to flood my mind with, I realized how sorely neglected and behind my blog has become. Because I always want my posts to burrow deep in your mind and make you think about pop culture in a new way, my posts are a little lengthy. And all the cool kids' blogs are short and snappy. 

So its time for a new format. Something less intimidating, quicker, lighter. One or two paragraphs about anything cool I learned that day. Because in the world of media and the blogosphere, there is something new to discover everyday. My main goal is going to be to post something daily. Something. I'm sure I will still find myself ranting about the societal impact of various pop culture artifacts. But to avoid avoiding writing for the sake of the intimidation of writing 5 paragraphs about the value of quarters in a coin-laundry city, I am going to focus more on content and less on length. 

Ready. Go!

It's Podcastic!

Podcasts are a new exploration for me. I know it may seem outdated in this day and age of technology whizzing by and always something new coming up to outdate the old. But after taking a class last quarter about technology and culture, I’m ready to critical analyzes anything digital to come my way. This week it happens to be podcasts.

I starting looking at podcasts in iTunes to find some new music so that Justin doesn’t have to spoon-feed me all my playlists (although his lists are chocolaty delicious!). I discovered that bowtie-and-tweed NPR has taken some advice from Stacey and Clinton and has been putting out fresh-faced podcasts on pop culture and indie music. NPR’s series “All Songs Considered” has a podcast of live shows with great quality and some interviews mixed in. Yesterday I was in DC with the Ting Tings, listened to She & Him at the Newport Folk Festival during a rainstorm, and was at the Santa Barbara Bowl with Radiohead. All without leaving my cubicle! I explored the NPR podcast website a little more and found a pop culture feed with interviews and commentary on all things bohemian. I always put podcasts in the category of radio, with commentary introducing music. But this idea that I can get my news and gossip told to me while I settle into my desk every morning instead of having to scroll through website is awesome! Embrace the laziness! So after enlisting Justin’s help on some recommendations (there is no hope of me ever finding good music without his guidance) I have a preliminary list of podcasts I shuffle through each day

NPR All Songs Considered Live

NPR Pop Culture

USA Today: Pop Candy

Bands under the Radar

Indie Feed: Big Shed Audio Documentaries

PRI: The Sounds of Young America

I'm drunk on the possibilities that these podcasts hold for me. The biggest set back to having a real job in the that I have to hold my blog-surfing until the evening and inevitably my attention is entranced by Toddlers & Tiaras or Planet Earth. But now I can listen to an interview with the cast of Always Sunny while doing my data entry. These niche radio shows are more informal, relaxed, and less forced than the Clear Channel propaganda of regular fm radio. I feel like I'm listening in on a conversation with my ahead-of-the-curve friends with soothing voices and witty repertoire. I feel less alone in my beige world of paper-pushing because I'm paper-pushing while listening to a report on teaching university courses in Second Life and discovering bands like Miss Li. Multi-tasking like it was truly meant to be!

Justin had a similar take on the podcast listening experience "Podcasts don’t have to adhere to record label mandated playlists. In fact, most of the time, they feature album tracks that don’t get pushed by labels as singles. You can listen to them on your own time, they are portable, and you don’t have to deal with commercials. They seem more personal than internet radio. If I don’t listen to then at work, then in my car."

One of the most surprising discoveries I have made while exploring this new art genre are audio collages. I initially found a Big Shed podcast about an audio producer, Zak Rosen, and his audio collage put together during his study abroad in Spain. I'm still trying to fully understand the format but the basic idea is that one goes about their day (preferably somewhere sweet like Rio de Janeiro), recording all the sounds of the streets and citizens of said sweet location, and cutting it and mixing it down into 10 min of beautiful day-to-day sounds and sayings. Although it seems choppy and a nuisance at first, I realized how oddly interesting and engaging it sounds to not have a visual to create a concrete scene. You can develop the scene as you picture it with the sounds. I think there is some soothing element to the buzz of noise pollution (spoken like a true city girl yes?). I sleep in the dead of winter with my window open so I can be rocked to sleep by the sounds of Lincoln ave, the drunken fights of college kids at the Lincoln Park bars, and the ambulance sirens heading to the Children's Hospital. I am comforted by the movement of people and cars outside. So I guess it should follow suite that I am enjoying drowning out the sounds of the menopausal women in my office with the sounds of chatter and horns. And in general the podcasts make me feel more connected and social (in some digitally-isolated way) to the rest of the world when I can listen to these podcasters talk about all things pop culture and awesome and feel like they are talking to me. I realize this seems sad and desperate to reach out to the world via a podcast feed while sitting in my cubicle cell, but we have to use the technology available to stay connected and informed.

I also loved the guilty pleasure that Justin told me about:

"I also listen to an old man’s podcast, NPR’s Writer’s Almanac, hosted by Garrison Keillor. Its on everyday and features history about that particular day and a poetry reading. Its relaxing for some reason...NPR is way cooler than I thought it was"

I wonder what other odd things people listen to on their iPods. God that sounds like a great social experiment waiting to happen...

Gossip Girl for the Soul

Call it girlie, but I will still make you think….

- Amy Winehouse’s name has started to pop up in the festival lineups for this summer. At first my heart skipped a beat at the chance to hear her seductress voice again but, alas, one must take her track record into consideration. Will she even show up? Will people come just to see her fail in the public spotlight again? I want so badly to believe that her months of gallivanting around the Bahamas topless are going to produce a renewed talent and a new album. I mean, when you think about it, what better therapy is there that returning to your natural state on the beach with ocean and hammocks and pineapples without the threat of social inebriation or conformist clothing? I’m still rooting for you Amy, the state of music needs that refreshingly timeless voice back.

- Elsa Fisher can’t catch a break. With the unfortunately upcoming release of her new movie Confessions of the Shopaholic in the midst of the Recession hurricane, she is being pegged as naïve, ignorant, and uncompassionate to the current fiscal situations of Americans to produce a film that satirizes the excessive spending habits of one NYC chick. But there is so much more to this situation that it doesn’t seem reasonable to boil down the current economic attitude of the country to the gig of one actress. First, perhaps this is actually the PERFECT time for this movie’s release. One prime function of movies is the sense of unreality and escapism that they allow the viewer to fall into. I know that's why I read books and watch movies; to try to feel what the story is giving. So when nobody can afford to buy shoes and purses and things, what is the harm in spend two hours in a dark room, sitting in royally velvet red overstuffed seats and remember what it was like when you could. Most mainstream film genres (romantic comedies in particular) do not claim to be real life, but to use their magic of cinematography to evolve real emotions in viewers. Second, I understand that when an actor signs up for these gigs, they are giving up their image to be the “face of” a project. And unfortunately Isla is feeling the blow of this fact. But we are rational, knowledgeable people and we understand the basics of film. There are hundreds of other people that make a film a reality. Why aren’t the critics looking to Jerry Bruckheimer? To Touchstone Pictures? To Disney? If you’re going to criticize, don’t pinpoint one scapegoat; look at the bigger picture (and everyone that created it). Third, Elsa has been trying to get her big break in US film for years, and much to her credit, she is on her way up. Her breakout roll in Wedding Crashers followed by her marriage to satirist gold Sasha Baron Cohen has picked up her public image as a comedienne. She needed a starring roll to push herself into the category with comedian goddesses like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling. According to Wiki, she has co-written a scrip called “The Groupies” with Amy Poehler. Yes Please! So she got the call from household-name-making Disney to do this silly romcom and took the opportunity to make a solid name for herself. Her intentions did not lie in oblivion to the economic depression, but perhaps to hamper people’s frets of grey skies and empty streets of fifth ave or, hell, just to make people laugh.

- Its official, the love-em-or-hate-em ladies of Sex and the City have all signed on to do a sequel to the epic movie. I won’t hide the fact that I am a S&C fan, but even I have to raise an eyebrow at this move. I always thought the movie was to tie up lose ends and answer long standing questions left at the finale of the show. But really, WHAT is this going to be about? I ask this a current gen Yer. Then I had a thought…what if the audience is shifting. I’m thinking that a story about Samantha’s early retirement at 50 and the other ladies baby-making plans doesn’t quite grab my attention the way their quips of love conquest wins and loses did. But to others, it probably is. What are the thoughts and situations that independent, proven-worthy women work through after their years of gallivanting around the single life? So of course I’m going to go see it at its release in 2010, but will have to take a difference mindset in there with me. And for me, the excitement of a single 20-something’s life and love lies in the premier of He’s just not that into you tonight

Saving the world one globetrotter at a time

The saying goes that you can only truly understand yourself when you see yourself through someone else’s eyes. The same stands true on a global level. The increase in generation Y’s interest in studying and working abroad is not only a great opportunity to see what life is like outside the subdivision fences but also a chance to shine some light on how the US appears in the global field. Last week, Jeffrey Bartholet and Daniel Stone wrote an article in Newsweek about the number of members of Obama’s administration that have lived and worked abroad, including our Commander-in-Chief himself, his roots deeply seeded in an international family tree.

I had the fortunate opportunity to study abroad in London in 2005. Along with plenty of time touring the pubs of Kensington and Chelsea, and poking around the city with a great group of people, I was able to travel and explore the UK, Ireland, and France. But perhaps due to my naivety to international culture and global relations (I was only 19 when I went, without much interest in politics or world news) I lacked the eye and attitude needed to truly embrace and learn from the experience of living abroad. I also clung to my fear of the uncertain when deciding where to study; choosing a country that spoke my language and who’s culture is in line with American. Now, 4 years later and 4 years wiser and 4 years more aware, I watch everyday for an opportunity to arise for me to live abroad again, with some changes. I think a more life-changing experience for me would be set in a culture far difference from what I am used to everyday. London gave me the confidence to know that I can live comfortably on the other side of the ocean from my family and friends, but to truly see the vast range of cultures and values around the world, something outside my comfort zone would be more beneficial.

I may not have a living abroad options in the near future but I will be able to live vicariously and learn through my friends and family that will have that opportunity. When Doc departs for his grand excursion in the Peace Corp, I will be able to go visit him in the South Pacific, see what work he is doing, and get the tour from an expat. My sister is planning her last two years of college around a semester studying sociology in Ghana. I have always said that my dream is to visit Africa, because I see their culture as the most extreme and most difficult to understand and I want so badly to feel what it feels to live so differently from the comforts of home. I plan on visiting her as well to learn from her chance to study culture in the field. Lucky girl!

It is unquestionably true that when you have an international awareness from first-hand experiences interacting with different people and cultures, you come to understand more thoroughly what differences are evident, what ideas are universal and which are cultural. You also have the opportunity from talking with other people, to see what the view of your own culture looks like from the eyes of an outside. And as you develop relationships with these new friends, you discover that their opinions are worth being compassionate towards, no longer veiled in ignorance. These values are exactly what Americans need to better interact in an increasingly global world. The fact that so many politicians that will be representing America in the global ring have these experiences under their belt and in their minds is a refreshing and progressive aspect to our political system. Hopefully the number of students that are open and able to study abroad will continue to increase so as a new generation fills the white house desks, our views will become more and more open to new ideas from around the world.

Identity Crisis

I am becoming just like all the Estelle's in the world. Remember Joey's agent on Friends? Box-dyed hair, blue eyeshadow, voice destroyed by years of chain-smoking and talking too much, and can name every man that Erica Kane has married on All My Children. I am on the road to becoming the next person in line at the grocery store to pick up Soap Opera digest (I actually did once...) During my lunch hour at work, me and a few unnamed co-workers sneak into an abandoned corner of the warehouse where we have pitched an old TV among the boxes of inventory to watch All My Children. It started as a way to relax and escape our cubicles for an hour but now I have trouble missing a day. So my secret is out. Next thing you know I'll be drinking Manhattan's and talking about the good old days when phone's were used for talking and there was no such thing as fug. 

So one of the current AMC plots is that Annie is locked in a mental institute because she killed her brother, kidnapped her daughter, stabbed Erica Kane, and now believes she is her daughter. But the twist is that we don't know if she is really mental or if she's playing her part to avoid going to jail. This is one of the better plots so far this year. The doctor in charge of "curing" Annie has focused her medical research on felons that do just that, fake being insane to avoid doing time in the big house. I understand this is a soap opera and the situations are exaggerated for the Estelle's the world that need that extra dose of drama in their life to get through the day. But, in reality, I don't doubt that there are criminals that do just this. Mental instability cannot be proved, can be debated endlessly, yet is treated as a medical disease that requires treatment. Perpetrated by the desire to avoid going to jail, felons could very well put themselves into a mental state that appears to require medical attention but in reality is an extreme case of fight or flight. 

But the complete focus that must be placed on the brain in order to foul a medical expert with years of experience and research can be tolling on the brain. Could the brain even begin to believe that this mental instability is it's true form? Ironically, Jezebel posted an article about just this. Norah Vincent is an author that voluntarily checked herself into three different types of mental treatment facilities in order to compare and judge the conditions and treatment methods of each one. The experience was so trying on her mentally that she actually began to develop a mental illness from living this experiment. It must also be noted the extent that Norah submerges herself into "research" for her novels. She previously lived as a man for several years for a book she wrote and, as a result, suffered a mental breakdown. This experience was what lead her to this new research. I don't know if I should praise her complete mental devotion to her art or wonder why she would subject herself to such an identity crisis. Twice. 

This could be a social trend due the prevalence of mental illness diagnoses today. This is a type of disease that is intangible. There are no x-rays or medical tests (that I know of - understand I am not a thorough or credible source) to prove if a person has a disease of this nature. This gives people a place in a medical environment to hide from the world and the consequences that go with it. I am NOT disproving the importance or existence of mental health issues, only that it is a new and developing science that some below-the-law people are exploiting. It is a side effect of this new diagnosis that was unanticipated; the ability the "fake" medicine. It sounds like the next plot line of Grey's Anatomy. 

Back in the saddle

Oh I try and I try to keep up with this blog. I feel a sense of responsibility to this project because I have no real responsibility to it. By choice I share all the useless but awesome stories I hear and see. So I'M BACK (again and again). I was watching Jon Stewart last night. After a sorrowful moment in memorium of all the material Bush has given Jon over the years and the realization that this show will have to actually start working for satire once Bush retires, Arianna Huffington was the guest. She is the creator and editor of the Huffington Post. The website pulls links from all news sources and blogs into this tidy site, like a "best of" of the day's headlines and features. After there is caffiene running through my veins in the morning, I log onto the site to get my fill of headlines instead of having to click from CNN to NY Times to the Tribune to Jezebel. So there is my plug. The editors and bloggers on the site just published a book about blogging. Arianna and her sexy Greek accent made blogging seem like the most passionate hobby a person can have. "Blogging is not about perfectionism. Blogging is about intimacy, transparency, and sharing your thoughts the way you share them with a friend." My first thought: I want one! Thought #2: Oh yea....I have one! That line reminded me why I have this blog. Primarily so I can pass on all the pop culture nuances to my friends without wasting their anytime minutes, and also with the slight hope in the back of my heart that I can turn a career out of my mining for absured realizations about this cultural haven we live in.

So to begin again I have one word. Obama. It is amazing to really understand and feel what it means to be proud to be an American. It is a term I used to be too young to understand, followed by too ashamed to feel. But being meer miles away from Grant Park the night Obama was declared our 44th president, being able to hear the eruption of cheers from my window, seeing people smile when they talk about a politican, scrolling through my friends' facebook statuses reminding people to vote, to change. Finally it feels like there is a person to symbolize our country that actually encompasses the values and ideas that Americans want projected onto the world. Change is good.

Next, a topic I would be stupid not to write about. On Tuesday I heard Annie Leibovitz speak at the Chicago Public Library downtown about her new book Annie Leibovitz at Work. Photography is an art that can steal my attention for hours. It's almost meditative for me to follow the clean focused lines, calming to see the monocrom black and white, reassuring that the world can still appear so beautiful. To me, the quality of Annie's photos that sets her appart from other photographers is the surrealism that glitters through the realistic nature of her photos. When I met Annie at the book signing after her talk, I told her that her photos make Hollywood still look glamorous. The lighting, the sharp quality, the glow. Her Vanity Fair portraits makes me believe that somewhere there are ladies and gentlemen that still walk around in diamond incrusted gowns and drap themselves in family jewels. That there are still sassy and sophisticated pin up girls in martini bars somewhere. That rock stars are still invincible. That fairy tales can come true. At the same time, her photos of average Americans show natural beauty in their eyes, their wrinkles, their shape, their stature, their clothes, their story.

Every one of her photos have a story that adds another layer to the photo and the subject. She talked about countless backstories to her photos, about different subjects and genres. She is not a good public speaker. She would try to start talking about a photo then relieve herself back into the pages of the book, reading passages about the photos. I found that very comforting, knowing that she was not at easy in front of the crowd. I think people that thrive being on stage, in the spotlight, eyes burning into them to be very unnatural, very forced. Words that you type out and write down, think about, plan, compare, can be easier to trust than split seconds words that come out of your mouth, that you can't delete. It is a more thoughtful and confident form of communicating your voice. Actually, Annie as a photographer has an even better form of communicating her voice through her art. Visual art can evoke emotions within the viewer that go beyond words, written or spoken. On some level I am jealous that I'm not talented enough to bring forth those emotions in my audience. Yet.

McYoga

Now that I am back in the embracing arms of hatha yoga again, in a room with a view, I can reflect back on the sweaty regiment of bikram yoga.

The stellar reviews on Yelp.com were my only motivation for returning to the studio each week for 90 minutes of perspiring hell. Every time I came home swearing under my breath at the state of my body and mind after class, I wondered what it is that the other hot yogis experience that I don’t. Everyone raved about how energized they felt, how they lost weight, didn't want to each junk food anymore, how it healed old injuries. I felt nothing but dizzy and strung out when I left. The only major difference I noticed was that when I rode my bike home after class my legs were stronger and I could increase the tension on the gears. But when I was expecting a body-altering experience, the bike ride seemed insignificant. I can understand the method to their madness, to sweat out toxins and unclog dirty pores; which is probably more healthy and active that the comparative spa treatment of an $80 facial. But asside from the rebirth of my skin, I didn't feel like the practice knocked my core into an altered state of living.

It’s also disheartening to experience how vastly different the energy of the bikram class is compared to a classic vinyasa or hatha yoga class. One of the building blocks of yoga, as I have learned it, is acceptance. Acceptance of your body’s limitations. Acceptance of your, and others, skill level. Acceptance of an empty mind. Acceptance of calm and quiet running through your body. The bikram yoga classes bring out a person's limits, challenges the body's commitment, brings a competative mindset to the forfront of your practice. The harsh clap that signals a change in pose doesn't allow you to fall into a flow between poses. The monotone, scripted instructions of the instructor doesn't allow for creativity or change from practice to practice. Having attention drawn to you in a negative way when you stop to take a drink of water to prevent yourself from passing out because you did not wait until the point in the class when you are allowed to drink. The demand to push your body past its natural point of resistance, which seems strengthening in theory, is very defeating in actuality when you cannot hold a pose long enough. In traditional yoga classes you are supposed to stay in tune with your body’s needs and pains, to listen and obey your body; not the instructor. There is a stronger feeling of pulling the body into a pose in bikram yoga, as opposed to the feeling of gentle pushing the body into a stronger pose in hatha or vinyasa yoga. The lack of force put on the body and mind of hatha yoga is what lets my mind relax and absorb the practice. I suppose the conclusion of this would be that if you are looking for a different way to push you body physically, a new challenge to face, then bikram yoga is something worth trying, but if you perform yoga for the spirituality of the experience, then bikram is going to be a blast of cold water on your peaceful body. Or hot air.

A brief histroy of bikram shows the conceptual differences between the practice and traditional yoga. Bikram was developed by Bikram Choudhury in LA. It is an exercise of 26 posturses performed in a room heated to 105 degrees guided by a specific dialouge of the bikram certified instructors. The sequence of the 26 postures is copyrighted and the studios are franchised by Bikram. There is intense controversy around the term "yoga" used within the Bikram yoga practice. The acient history of yoga poses, which predated by centuries, the ideas of copyright, franchisment, and capitalist nature of today's society, seems to tarnish the sacred act dedicated to inner growth and awareness, not profit or national acclaim. The documentary "Yoga, Inc." gives more examples and details on how bikram yoga does not follow so many of the teaches and nature of traditional yoga. I have been to my fair share of yoga studios in the last 2 years. I have always admired their low maintenance decor and operation. I envy the teachers that come to class, not because it is their job or because of the money they are making to be there, but because of their love and dedication to the practice, the desire to help other experience what they do in their practice. They are always friendly and happy, calm and open. I would hate to think that if more "McYogas" pop up around the US, the appeal of the profits, of cashing in on people's love for yoga, will overhaul the pure, simple joy that traditional yoga brings.

Ladies No Longer in Waiting

Try as I might, I cannot avoid the inevitable topic that, every 4 years, becomes the dictator of the media, water cooler conversations, magazine covers, and pillow talk all across the USA! USA! USA! Presidential election season is upon us again. But you can take comfort in the fact that I will try to keep this as objective as an election conversation can be. I’m not here to force my un-groomed and less-than-educated political views upon you; I’ll leave that to the professionals. I couldn’t help but write about the topic because how can I possibly analyze the state of our 9/8/08 culture and ignore the baby-kissing presidential beast that has taken over our culture right now? So I’m going to take a lighter, more superficial, approach to the race. Someone has to. Sometimes we need a distraction from the exhausting debates over baby’s mama’s drama, sexism, patriotism, and the population of Alaska. So I am here to discuss the ladies.

When Michelle Obama burst onto the political field a few months ago, she was an outspoken, successful, frank woman first. She was Barak’s wife second. I knew about her Harvard degree and career progression before I knew that she was the mother of two (beautiful and microphone-loving) daughters. Some people that still believe in the sanctity of politicians were dumbfounded by her forthrightness in discussing Barak’s trail of dirty socks (How can he allow her to reveal such behavior! A presidential nominee would NEVER divulge such character flaws!). But the rest of us could relate to the playful banter with our significant others. I’m no worshipper of the house of Doc when talking about him. I’ll joke with my friends about his scruffy nomad beard for the sake of relatability. The outspoken woman is sexy. The outspoken woman is not a woman to be dismissed as a simple pillow-fluffer at the end of the day. The outspoken woman is the backbone and down to earth character that a politician needs to keep things real and fist-tap for support.

But that was then. Months on the campaign trail. Months of criticism over her “anti-American” style. Months of worried campaign managers hoping to avoid another Hillary, pulling Bill’s puppet strings from inside the White House. Who was really in control here? We don’t want a submissive president. So now, watching her speech at the DNC, I see her subsiding into her Jackie O dresses and supportive smiles. Talks of her daughters, family, and her husband. The candid banter of “Barak – He’s just like us!” gone. So where did she go?

I will be honest in saying that I know less about Cindy McCain, partly because my interest leans towards the Obama’s and partly because the woman is so severe looking I have trouble getting past the tight librarian bun and paycheck. She looks so tightly wound and pursed-lipped that I had trouble see her lack of personality as a threat to the White House. But seeing her at the RNC the night of McCain speech, with her hair down, a small smile on her face, even I saw some semblance of pride in how her life brought her to that moment. But that moment of awareness was gone as soon as it came, blinded by talks of her $300,000 getup and private plane. But where did the librarian bun go?

And now there is Sarah Palin. I can’t seem to stop reading about her background and family. I am drawn to her story and I cannot figure out why. My question for her fresh face is where did she come from?

The trend here is the entrance of the woman into the political playing field. Three women are under the torturous microscope of the media and America (mostly because of the media). Hillary, the trailblazer, was the first sign that it is time Washington gave some attention to the political woman. The importance of the first lady has become almost comparable to the importance of the president himself. Hillary showed that the first lady cannot be overlooked, because she may someday be the one you are voting for. It is a new frontier for women in politics and there must be an appealing image to wrangle in the votes, because lets not forget that this is still a political race and it’s all about the votes. Men have had hundreds of years to evolve their persona into what they know Americans can look up to and are comfortable with and are generally willing to let lose on the world as the face of our nation. Navy blue suit, red tie, good orator, uses words like “change” and “hope”, wears an American flag pin. Now the women are at the beginning of their evolution into what America will trust. Michelle came out of the gate a little too strong, Cindy came out with her bun a little too tight. Both are working towards a middle ground. Because who knows which one of them could be next.

So now the transformation from hockey mom to vice presidential nominee for Sarah Palin will begin. What middle ground will she have to conform to? Only time and debates and Karl Roves growling monologues will tell.

I'm a Mac. I'm a desperate PC

There are so many things that seem so extraordinary in theory, but the grandeur falls apart at the seams after execution. Like bottled water or Sarah Palin. Like a collaboration between Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates.

Microsoft kicked off their new ad campaign this week. Bringing out the big guns/dollars with their first commercial featuring the sneaker-wearing Seinfeld and the cheapest richest man Gates at a Payless-esque discount shoe store sharing insight on pleather footwear and the future of edible hardware. First thought: ????? Second thought: Thank Lord Elton John for DVR.  It took a few viewings to piece together what Microsoft was trying to accomplish with this "commercial about nothing".  There were so many levels and angles Microsoft was trying to play in this ad that the end result was a mess of mug shots and wedgies. They are countering the "I'm a mac" commercials with Seinfeld; a cross-generational icon. But Jerry eating a chutto has a tough time proving its hip status up against the oh so cute mac guy, not to mention the "I'm a mac" commercials have been well established for 2 years now. Why start trying now? Trying to a desperate level no less; $300 million on a campaign starring two of the most visible and highest paid members of their industries is no understatement. The approach of the campaign is to show these two moguls as everyday Americans that shop in malls and sign up for retail discount memberships. But two globally discernible faces being normal, like the "Stars; They're Just Like Us!" section of Us Weekly, has a depressing way of making a bike ride seem more fashionable than ordinary.

The official explanation from Microsoft is that this is only a "teaser" for future commercials meant to "engage customers in a conversation and dialogue in a humorous and intriguing way".  I believe that exact quote was used on the set of Seinfeld. Other then a flash of the Microsoft logo at the end of the commercial and the presence of Bill Gates, there is no mention of the company, products, or performance. I got a hold of the second commercial (Is there anything Youtube can't give me?) This one gives us a future of fish with blogs, a small explanation of the duet's adventure, and a pretty witty one liner ("You live in a moon house hoovering over Seattle and I have so many cars I get stuck in my own traffic jams") , it still left me wondering when they were going to sell me something. 

Remember when commercials used to be for products?