318) Do Gooder 6:30 PM

(Screen shot from this morning.)

It may be a little hard to read, but the headline of the banner ad on the right is, "Change your morning for the good'er."

AS IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE TEACHING KIDS PROPER GRAMMAR.

In all seriousness, grammatical errors, especially in published copy, have always been a source of annoyance. I went to a private school from K-8 where we spent hours reciting vowel charts and learning the nuances of Mae Carden's teachings. I'll be the first to admit it wasn't the average American education, but I left with the misguided belief that everyone respected the rules of grammar. Wrong.

The banner ad reminded me of an interesting post on OkCupid's OKTrends blog. Say what you will about online dating, but the site does a fantastic job gathering information from its users and making insightful correlations.

This particular post was about the best questions to ask on a first date, without actually asking the direct question. For example, the best way to determine if your date is religious (without directly asking) is to ask, "Do spelling and grammar mistakes annoy you?"

According to stats from user profiles, if your date answers 'no'—i.e. is okay with bad grammar and spelling—the odds of him or her being at least moderately religious is slightly better than 2:1. I won't go in to whether this is a matter of being more tolerant or less educated...

Along the same vein, last summer the blog analyzed the profile text of half a million user profiles, comparing religion and writing-level. For every one of the faith-based belief systems listed, the people who were the least serious wrote at the highest level.


(Click to view larger, I know it's tiny.)

317) Choose Your Own Ad 6:37 PM

When you watch something on Hulu, there are typically two types of ads that you see. 1) Ads that start playing automatically - you have no choice but to watch. 2) One brand will give the viewer two or three version options from which to choose. The idea is to allow the consumer to self-target by selecting the version that's most relevant (ex - Honda for moms, Honda for young adults, or Honda for the silver foxes).

Today I saw a third type of ad for the first time. I was presented with two ads from which to choose, each from a different brand. One was for Geico, the other for Red Lobster (wish I had grabbed a screen shot). I selected Red Lobster, because if I'm going to have to watch an ad, I'd at least like to drool over incredible, albeit completely inaccurate, food footage. (Side note - having worked with quick service seafood restaurant footage in the past, all I can think is, "Biscuit break! Butter dunk! Tilapia fork!" when I watch.) The above ad is just a representation - it's actually Lobster Fest right now, not Fresh Fish.

This choose-your-own-adventure ad approach is interesting. If you have to watch a commercial, it's nice to at the very least dictate which one you'll see. I don't know the details of Hulu media buys, but essentially someone paid for ad space, but the viewer may or may not end up seeing their spot. I wonder if this game of chance comes at a discounted rate.

316) Street Style 3:07 PM

(Image from PSFK.)

In 2005, Scott Schuman began carrying a digital camera with him around New York, taking pictures of people who caught his eye with their style. He posted them to his simple blog, sometimes with small blurbs.

Today, we see the influence of The Sartorialist on the fashion world. From the legions of street-style blogs started, to the wild popularity of sites like Lookbook.nu and Chictopia, consumer style has become just as celebrated as manicured fashion photography. The attainability, creative crowdsourcing of fashion ideas, and identification with others seen in these photos go a long way.

We even see brands getting in on the consumer-as-stylist approach. Recently launched Uniqlooks and Gap's 1969 Stream let consumers show off their own interpretations and use of brands' pieces.

Of course, this isn't all the Sartorialist's doing. It's a parallel off shoot (is that an oxymoron?) of the democratization of fashion as a whole. As PSFK succinctly puts it, "We can’t help but wonder if the democratization of fashion also involves the ‘Sartorialization’ of fashion retail photography?" That a blog of humble beginnings can now be used as a noun speaks to the power personal initiatives can have.

(A mediocre post after a long day at the office. Self-aware apologies.)

315) Are We All Pervs? 5:44 PM

Ah, the cryptic cell phone post. I wrote yesterday's blurb of an entry while standing in line for an open Absolut bar at the LES Film Festival after party. Hence, brevity.

I've been thinking about open platforms lately. That is, free public communication platforms that allow us to connect with people we don't necessarily know. We all have this innate desire to connect with others (survival tactic), as evidenced by the respective swells in popularity of chat rooms, and Chatroulette upon inception.

Originally, people thought, "Cool! I can meet and talk with someone I don't know." That may sound lame, but in its rosiest and purest form, the idea of getting to know a random someone who might live a totally different life in a different part of the country/world, who could be a potential friend or more than friend is pretty cool. The aspect of serendipity and chance lends some lofty sense of fate, while the exposure to someone outside our world broadens our views.

But inevitably, these open platforms quickly devolve into hubs for child predators, cybersex (does anyone use this term anymore? Sounds so old school), hook up arrangements, and flashes of penis. Which begs the question - are we all just perverts?

Of course, the quick answer is no. But for some reason, these open forums become overwhelmed by pervs, which taints the experience for everyone else. Seemingly, they are the one group that takes the most advantage of these platforms for their purposes.

Here's the challenge. How do we create an open communication platform that doesn't become a pervert's playground? Maybe perverts is too strong a word, but one that doesn't become renowned for its sexual utilization?


(A too funny example. You MUST read the rest of this here.)

314) Meet Up Meaning 7:20 PM

In this day and age - especially this twenty-something age - it can be a little tricky distinguishing a networking meeting with a more social get together. Especially initially.

Liking the latter.

(Yup, cell post.)

313) Copycat Campaign 6:51 PM

(From the Pass on Gas Initiative.)

Question: Do people think that because "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" was hailed in the ad world, and because Apple is such a powerhouse of a company, that using the same basic format - personifying technology in actual people - will lead to success? Are they hoping for some sort of halo effect of brand affinity? Like, hm, this looks like that Apple ad I like, so by association, I like this too.

The original campaign has been discontinued for awhile now, but it lives on through the copycats.

312) Verve and Vigor 8:34 PM

Today Pantone announced their 2011 Color of the Year. As you may recall, Turquoise, the cool color of escapism and vacation waters, took home the title last year.


(Image from Pantone.)

This year, it's Honeysuckle. I always thought Honeysuckle would be a warm honey-yellow color, but apparently it's this reddish pink hue.

However you feel about the color itself (don't like it), Pantone's reasoning for its selection is interesting:

"Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life."

So instead of using escapism to deal with all the bad in 2010, in 2011 we're ready to turn and face conflict and tough times head on. That a color can encapsulate and reflect a proposed cultural shift in attitude is just tops.

311) Feline-Induced Disconnect 9:12 AM

(Image from LOLcats.)

Today, a humorous true story about my harrowing night.

I opened the two doors to my building at 3AM last night, and started climbing the three flights of stairs to my apartment. Around the bottom of the second flight, I began to hear steadying meow-ing from above. A skinny, grey cat sans collar was poking its head through the rails, looking down at me.

I made some of those high-pitched, cute animal sounds as I scooched past it in the hall, but otherwise didn't dwell. I'm much more of a dog person, and didn't like the idea of touching a stray right before bed. It followed me to my door, but I slipped inside and shut out the meow-ing.

I threw my stuff on my bed and changed into bedtime attire. All the while, the mewing continued, steadily and persistently outside my door. It started getting to me, because the next thing I know, I'm opening the door to put out a small dish of milk.

Do you ever have those split-second moments you wish you could take back? This was that moment. As soon as I crack the door open, the cat slips in and races past me into the apartment and under the couch. In my panic to keep whatever might be clinging to the cat out of my room, I turn and slam my bedroom door shut.

With the lock engaged. From the inside.

At this point, it's probably 4AM, and I have several problems on my hands, the weight of which is sinking in as I grip and jiggle the door handle in vain.
1) There's a feral cat in the apartment.
2) I have no access to my keys, phone, computer or wallet, as they're safely locked away in my room. I can't leave the building, or I'll get locked out.
3) My roommate is gone, presumably at her boyfriend's for the night and for most of tomorrow.

After half an hour on my knees, alternating between loving clucks and the most offensive of swear words, a can of tuna, a broom and a towel, I was able to get the cat out of the apartment. While the light in my room stayed cheerfully lit, I curled up on the couch and fell asleep.

With no cell phone, watch, computer, or properly programmed microwave around me, I woke up with no idea what time it was (BIZARRE). I turned on the TV, and the news informed me it was 9AM, too early to start knocking on neighbors' doors, especially on a holiday. I spent one hour reading a random book from my roommate's shelf, and the second hour watching Jerry Springer (we don't have cable) for the first time in years. (Random side note - Steve Wilkos, as in "STEVE! STEVE! STEVE!" has his own show now. It's the exact same format, except instead of passively blocking crazies from killing each other, he provides them with tough love.)

After several failed attempts at knocking on neighbors' doors, I heard the buzzer go off a couple floors below me. I flew down the stairs in time to catch a neighbor in a towel receiving a UPS delivery. He was nice enough to let me look up and contact a locksmith. Thirty minutes later, and I'm back in my room and down $60.

Being completely disconnected and trapped in the apartment for about 8 hours was simultaneously stressful and thought-provoking. It was such a juxtaposition from everyday life - it's so easy to take for granted all the things for which I use my phone and computer. At the same time, it made me think - what would I do if I was disconnected?

310) "Good" Men Still Here 2:27 PM

A friend posted this gem of an WSJ article this morning. It's worth a read through, though I've posted the video version above.

As soon as I started reading the article, I knew I had to write about it today. It deals with something I'm crazy about - the analyzing of cultural shifts as they relate to gender roles and social relationships.

But that's where my positive affirmation ends.

Without getting all ranty, I'm here to stand by men in their mid-twenties. As their female counterpart, I think the article paints an unfair picture of a legion of juvenile undesirables.

Author Kay S. Hymowitz talks about males taking longer to "grow up" due to a cultural delay in marriage (that the average age for females to be married these days is 26 FREAKS me out), an increase in choice of career, a more competitive job economy, and the fact that women do not need men to have a family anymore. The flaw in this argument is that it assumes females, despite our rise in dominance in academia and the job market, still ultimately want the same thing - a family. Why else would we be looking for a "good" man?

The reality is that the increase in choice of career and the competitive job economy are gender-neutral in their effects. This generation of young adults do take their time figuring things out, because we can. Wouldn't you, if you had all these possibilities in front of you? We (men AND women) have broken the mold on acceptable and successful careers. There's no need for some of us to "climb the ladder" as Hymowitz states - we built the ladder and seated ourselves on top of it from the get-go.

"Men are kind of confused about what's expected of them."

"Today's pre-adult male is like an actor in a drama in which he only knows what he shouldn't say. He has to compete in a fierce job market, but he can't act too bossy or self-confident. He should be sensitive but not paternalistic, smart but not cocky. To deepen his predicament, because he is single, his advisers and confidants are generally undomesticated guys just like him."

If that's so, call me a man. Women are just as conflicted about what to become, and how to act. In fact, this whole article could be re-written about females.

Even the pop cultural representations in the article are skewed. What about the hoardes of chick lit out there, celebrating single and sassy young females, the most famous of which kept four New York ladies in a bizarre pre-adulthood for decades? The article also assumes that women don't like video games or Star Wars. I won't even begin to go into all the stats that say otherwise.

I think what got me most was that by bashing men, the article implied that by comparison, women in their mid-twenties know exactly what they want. As a 25 year old female, I can tell you that that couldn't be farther from the truth.

And I like guys who are into Star Wars.

309) Social Reconnaissance 4:43 PM

(Unrelated video from last night's LES film festival. I'm a sucker for stop motion.)

I've been thinking a lot recently about how much you can find out about a near-stranger online. Not in the "privacy is dead" sense, but how completely you can get an idea of a person and what they're like, just by studying their online presence.

Of course, you can easily get the basics from LinkedIn, whatever's left public on the Info tab on Facebook, or a professional blog (given you have a full name and one other piece of identifying info - city, company, etc). But you can also add texture by looking at tweets, personal blog content, Facebook statuses (if public), Flickr and/or Vimeo accounts. You start to get a more rounded out idea of the person.

These days, it's not uncommon for employers to gather some preemptive info on an applicant before an interview. But what about purely social reconnaissance? Is being better informed about someone a good thing? We can screen for crazies, and maybe we'll score a few brownie points by bringing up things that we know they like. Or are our creepy, stalkerish ways simply taking away from the magic of getting to know someone?

And vice versa, does knowing that some people's first encounters with us will be online affect what we put out there? I'm trying to imagine the kind of person someone who's never met me in real life thinks I am, based solely on reading my blog, or following my tweets. Ideally it's an accurate reflection, but researchers will tell you that anyone who knows they're being studied won't act 100% authentically.

308) Just Between Friends 4:50 PM

(Taken earlier tonight.)

Answer from last night's post: no hugs for females. According to the video, all of Heineken's 1 million fans are men. Whether or not that's true (it's not), the brand sends a clear message about its target audience.

I'm sitting and waiting for the LES Film Festival to commence, but I'm determined not to make this a typical cell phone post. Oh shit, it's starting.

[2 hours later.]

Ok, I'm home now. This morning I went to my first PSFK event at the Soho House. Repeat readers of The Plan will know I'm a huge fan of the site, so I was little-girl excited when work gave me the ok to go. I won't go into detail about the event's topic, but if you're interested, check out The Future of Real-Time report here - it's definitely worth reading.

The idea of social media backlash came up during the panel discussion. We live in a sharing culture, where personal information made public is a good thing, and openness on the Internet is celebrated. But now we see signs of people wanting to gain back some exclusivity, at least with regards to certain aspects of their lives. Limited, or personal social networks like Path pop up, along with group communication platforms like Fast Society. These effectively strip away the weak ties that populate social networks, the technology working to instead enhance the strong ones.

Expect to see more of these personal and private social media solutions in the future.

307) Heine Likes 8:38 PM

Heineken released this short video in celebration of reaching 1 million "Likes" on Facebook. To give back to Heineken fans in the offline world, models were released into bars to spread a little love in the form of hugs.

Notice anything missing?

Answer revealed tomorrow.

306) Jump To Tweet 7:42 PM

There have been some major cases of tweet backlash in the news recently. Kenneth Cole got into trouble for his insensitive tweet about Egypt:


(Photo from Jezebel.)

And just today, NYU fellow and now-known douchebag Nir Rosen resigned over several completely cruel jokes he tweeted regarding Lara Logan (because rape is HILARIOUS, no?). His response to the backlash:


(From Mashable.)

Rosen's shame spiral via Twitter can be viewed here. (Actually a fascinating read. To see it all unfold! Though, the most tasteless tweets have been deleted.)

"I, of all people, should know the power of words and the power of social media. In a few minutes of insensitive and sadistic banter meant to childishly provoke a few acquaintances my thoughtless words were seen by many thousands, and hurt many thousands."

(Read the rest of his damage control interview here.)

Without excusing either gentlemen from their actions, most of the tweets that incite a backlash response from the interwebs seem to be the result of just that - a thoughtless joke. In an effort to capitalize on a (inappropriate) situation, and prove how witty and clever they are, both jumped to tweet. In the end, whether this is a manifestation of true ignorance or an ill-judged slip matters little - the quickness with which the Internet records and reacts to it brings immediate repercussions.

So without social media, these tasteless quips wouldn't be made public (the fact that they are made voluntarily public kills me - we really have no one to blame but ourselves), and we would know less about people's insensitivity/true nature. If Twitter and Facebook didn't exist and Rosen said his oh-so-inappropriate comments straight to the brosephs for which they were intended, none of us would be the wiser and he would still be an NYU fellow, for better or worse.

305) Deep Reading 3:23 PM

(Image from PSFK.)


Back in March, PSFK covered Instapaper, a free bookmarking app that allows you to turn overwhelming RSS/Twitter information into a manageable, streamlined chunk of long-form content. Just bookmark a page as "Read Later" (a folder in my own Bookmarks tab that is stuffed full of things I intend to read...someday). Once saved, articles are stripped of their design and presented in plain text, eliminating distractions and enabling "offline" reading via phone, tablet or (gasp) paper.

This results in a couple of things. First, it provides one with a gloriously ad-free experience. In a world chocked (choked?) full of advertising, ad-freeness has become a premium. One look at the proliferation of "Plus" services - Hulu Plus, Pandora One, TiVo in its purest form - that allow us to sideline ads for a fee.

Secondly, and more profoundly, Instapaper encourages what they call "deep reading." It lets us consume content in an offline setting - say, curled up on the sofa with an iPad - as opposed to at our desks in front of a computer. It likens our intake of online content with sit-down, focused reading once enjoyed only with books, and takes us away from RSS skimming.

The idea that tech can bring us back to deep reading is one part counterintuitive, and two parts wonderful.

304) A Take on Love 3:56 PM

(From The Oatmeal.)

As usual, The Oatmeal nails it on the head. For the singles, there's a spectrum of reactions when it comes to Valentine's Day. On one end you have the wallowers who see the day as a cruel reminder of their singledom. And on the other end, there are the eff love, independent woman, love yourself crusaders.

In my first single Vday in awhile, I've been trying to figure out my own take on the holiday. I remembered an old Xanga post that I wrote from 5 years ago (insane!), on this very day:

Overall today was like any other. Except that I ate more chocolate than usual. Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday, no doubt. But that's no reason to bag on it - it's a celebration of love in general. And c'mon, if we all had a special someone, we would all relish this day. And though we don't all have special someones (yet), can't we be happy for those who do?

So in honor of the 14th, here's to my past loves. You probably don't read this, but if you do, know that you are still in my heart. As much as I ignore/bitch/cut ties, I loved you and appreciate everything. I wish you all the best with your new loves. And to my friends - here and afar - I probably say this all the time in here, but I love you all, and am so appreciative of your love for me.

Clearly, I was much more effusive back then.

As corny as it was, some of the sentiment remains. I'm on much better terms with all the past loves, and do hold all of them dearly as big parts of my life. I'm grateful for the love I was lucky enough to have. And while Valentine's Day is a reminder of singleness, it's also a reminder that flying solo right now is a very good thing.

(PS - And just for fun and transparency, a list of all the past crushes that never came to fruition, in no particular order: DL, JD, TL, DT, AI, PL, GR, PD, MK, ES, JE, AM, TG, ET, AC.)

303) Revolution 2.0 4:08 PM

"Freedom is a bless that deserves fighting for it."

We've all just witnessed what social media can do for a revolution. To get around the restrictions of state-run traditional media, Egyptian protesters turned to Twitter, Facebook and Google's Speak2Tweet to organize and mobilize. Which begs the question - would the revolt have been a success sans social media?

So often when we think of social media, we think of frivolous socializing, leaving trivial quips for friends, posting pictures of what we're about to eat. We think a distraction at work, a time-suck. We think of being removed from real life by abbreviated social interactions. But the people of Egypt have just proved that social media can be so much more.

So, how else can we use social media to revolutionize? At its best, what can social media change? In other words, what's next?


(Taken at MoMA this morning.)

302) Accent Appeal 5:28 PM

Tonight I'm coming to you from the David Koch Theater. My friend was able to score $15 student rush tickets in the Orchestra section for the New York City ballet. I've already been scolded for taking a picture on my phone, so clearly I don't belong amidst the upper crust. It's intermission, so thought I'd squeeze in a post.

My friend who is in town for work was commenting on accents today. In general, accents are considered sexy. Ladies, you know what I mean. As soon as we hear a British or Australian accent, it's game over.

And yet, there are certain accents that generally don't fall under the sexy category. (Again, I say generally - to each his own.) Comedian Russall Peters has a bit about how Indian accents can ruin the mood, and don't hold up well in serious situations. Likewise, the Asian accent isn't typically regarded as a panty dropper. So why the disparity between accents?

Asian and Indian accents are considered foreign in the not-from-here, English as a second language way, while the Brits and Aussies enjoy the foreign in an exotic sense. There are also themes of colonization, the dominant colonizers versus the colonized "other."

301) Office Culture 3:21 PM

The office is doing after-work drinks tonight, so I'll made this speedy.

This morning, it struck me how much the recent Silicon Valley real estate grab reminds me of the board game, Risk. Google bought out the building they currently occupy in NY, and are planning to move their LA office to the Binocular Building in Venice. In the other corner, Facebook announced this week that it is taking over the massive Sun Microsystems campus in Menlo Park. Land grab, land grab!

I actually had lunch at the Google NY offices today with two friends from UCLA. I got a little walking tour of one of the floors. These "campuses" that completely flip corporate office culture on its head are increasingly common, increasingly aspirational. Everyone wants to say that they have scooters and dogs running around in their office. Think pods with bean bags instead of chairs. Etc.

300) A Trendless World 7:28 PM

A planner mentor of mine back in California sent me this NPR article titled, "The End Of Trends: If It's Hot, It's Over," by Linton Weeks. The article charts the rise of trends as a, well, trend, and its apparent decline.

Excerpt:

"...for decades trends have been set by a few at the top of the pecking order, may explain why there are fewer and fewer trends. Cable television and the Internet have splintered the mass audience that trend establishers and marketers once lorded over.

The Internet has so fractured us globally that we no longer are looking for mass-culture experiences. So major trends have become splintered mini-trends — which are not really trends at all. Trends only work when there is a growing audience that buys into them. And trends can only reach critical mass if the masses are not too critical.

And with the decline in trends comes a decline in the notion of there being such a thing as pop culture. Marketing companies can no longer take advantage of trends. So maybe the last trend we will see is a trend toward a Trendless World — full of surprise and originality."

I'd never thought of it that way. True, as in many other instances, the Internet has democratized trend setting and spotting. But wouldn't these mini-trends, as the article calls them, just be considered microtrends that may or may not ladder up to a larger macrotrend? For example, the re-invigoration of Polaroid, Holgas and Hipstamatic, boater hats and Oxfords, the re-election of those who held office in the past a la Jerry Brown are all microtrends in photography, fashion and politics, respectively. But they all fall under the macrotrend of nostalgia, a yearning for the familiarity of the past in times of uncertainty.

Anyways, a thought provoking article about a topic that I love, and thus, had to share.

(PS - The big 300! Only 65 more posts to go.)

299) The Secret Lives of Politicians 6:17 PM

(Photos from NYT.)

Today, news broke that New York Congressman Christopher Lee resigned. As the story goes, "Mr. Lee’s decision to step down came after a photo of him without a shirt appeared on Gawker along with e-mail exchanges that reportedly took place between him and a 34-year-old woman from Maryland who had placed a personal notice in the 'women seeking men' section of Craigslist. The woman’s posting complained about the lack of attractive men on the Web site: 'Will someone prove to me not all CL men look like toads?'" (New York Times)

The thought of a Congressman perusing Craigslist during a session or in his office tickles me. Maybe because I think of the site as so low-brow, so everyman-esque. While the married Mr. Lee's indiscretion isn't the worst of its kind - politicians have been caught in strip clubs, gay bars (the loudest anti-gay proponents, of course), with a secret lover in Argentina, and worst, abusing an aide - it raises some thoughts on the secret lives of politicians.

We all do things that we don't want others to know about. Maybe not on the scale of cheating or molestation, but everyone has secret behavior, whether quirky, socially questionable, or just plain weird.

The theory is that politicians shouldn't hide anything from the public. That is, because they are an elected official, there is an expectation of transparency - the public wants to know what it's getting. In a world where everyone has a multi-faceted self - a work self, a home self, a friend self, a lover self, etc, - those in positions of leadership and under the scrutiny of the public eye must turn off certain aspects of themselves. Some better than others.

When scandals like this break, we eat it up. Aside from the national gossip, it's strangely satisfying to see the "mighty" or those with power being brought down to the level of a common cheat, or a Craigslist troller. While an extremely minor offense (one shirtless pic doesn't seem that harmful), Lee's role as a Congressman sets expectations of a higher moral code.

(Mini aside - Have been feeling really uninspired lately, and I'm sure it reflects in recent posts. Need a break in routine, some fresh fodder. It's always tempting to write about what I've been working on at the office, but there are confidentiality issues involved, so I shy away from it. Hopefully this inspiration rut passes soon.

Also, THANK YOU to those who left comments and sent emails regarding the job. It really means a lot. Questions about continuing to write after the 365 days of The Plan are up will be answered soon. Still forming a plan as we speak, er, read.)

I Did It 3:03 PM

Big news.

Yesterday, the agency I've been freelancing with since November offered me a job. Today, I accepted.

I'm officially a planner. Still in my nascent planning phase, but a planner by title nonetheless. That an agency that I've enjoyed so much is willing to invest in my potential as a strategist (and a human being in general) is the best feeling.

The Plan and its readers have been such a huge part of all this. Through daily writing and thinking, it's above all helped me figure out what areas within planning I'm interested in. Every check in and comment has held me to my commitment to the blog, even on days where I don't feel like writing (and there are plenty of those days). So thank you, thank you, thank you.

When I started The Plan back in April, I told myself that in a year's time I would be a planner. Ten months and 67 posts to go, I did it.

(Inspiring crescendo goes here.)

298) Acting As If 2:53 PM

(Mini aside - Ack, I cringe when I read cell phone posts the next day. So last minute, grasping and willy nilly. Apologies.)


(Language NSFW - get those ear buds in.)

At my last agency, one of their tenets was, "Act as if." Meaning, even if you're not sure or confident of what you're doing or saying, act as if. It will get you farther than you can imagine. It's not so much bullshitting your way through things, but having a synthetic air of confidence to mask your uncertainty.

It's amazing how much we act as if in life, if you think about it. Act as if something doesn't bother us, act as if we know where we're going. In addition, there's a whole culture of act as if-ers who believe that, "if we 'act as if' we already have something we want, 'act as if' something is already occurring in our lives (even if it's not), or 'act as if' we know how to do something (even if we don't) -- we create the conditions for it to manifest in our life with greater easy and probability." (Mike Robbins) Remember The Secret? Same idea.

"Acting as if" as a phrase gets a bad rap sometimes. It can be likened to one being delusional, or unrealistic, fraudulent, being something we're not. I've been wondering lately whether in some cases it's just better to admit unsureness, or raise red flags of our own shortcomings in a way that's productive.

But suppose acting as if does really lead you to...if?

297) Reading People 8:26 PM

A cell phone post on a Monday night. Yes, this is happening.

Tonight someone told me that he could tell that I wanted to talk to him just by the way I was hovering and the look in my eyes. When I questioned further, he told me that his people reading skills stem from him being raised with two deaf parents.

How interesting, no?

296) After These Messages 2:12 PM

(The crowd favorite so far.)

Ah, Superbowl Sunday. The day when multi-million dollar television ads are embraced as part of the culture. In yesteryears, brands kept their highly anticipated Superbowl ads under wraps until the big day. But more recently, we're seeing Superbowl spots being teased and leaked online in the week prior. Adfreak explains, "Nowadays many want pre-game Internet buzz to stretch their big investment." Indeed, the site was able to collect 21 teasers and full ads three days ago.

Sure, some still use commercial breaks to refill on chips and guac. But the anticipation that is built up around some of these spots - especially brands with continuing storylines, a la Bud Light's office that brought us "Swear Jar" - are taking on a life of its own and becoming a draw beyond the game itself. Likewise, pre-maturely banned Superbowl ads, like the always classy AshleyMadison.com spot, made their own headlines. (Side note: does anyone remember if/when the Britney Spears Pepsi spot was banned? YouTube said it was, but watching it, I can't imagine why. Were we really in a tizzy over her midriff back then?)

The question is, if you've seen a Superbowl ad online once, is there reason for you to want to see it again on TV during the game? On one hand, some of the ah-ha and reveal is lost. On the other hand, it could reinforce a positive, oh-yeah-that-ad-I-liked sentiment. The next step, it seems, is to give viewers a reason to tune into the ads specifically - maybe the TV version is slightly different than the pre-released online one. Do I even dare to imagine the day that viewership actually increases during commercial breaks? Now that would be a feat.

295) Hotel For Rent 5:18 PM

Quick post before I'm out the door for the night. A friend from UCLA is in town, and he was telling me about his experiences with Air BnB. He has a whole, furnished apartment to himself in the East Village, for way less than he'd spend at a hotel.

The start up has been gaining traction and attention as of late. The basic concept is that home owners or apartment renters put their homes/apartments up for rent for travelers. Air BnB builds a community of renters and rentees, who can leave reviews of their experiences.

For those familiar with CouchSurfing, Air BnB is the for-pay version. They've essentially democratized the hotel market - now anyone can be a hotelier, so to speak. And since the barrier to entry is higher than on CrowdSurfing, the quality of accommodations is taken to a higher level (check you their Top 40 Collection - some of these properties are unbelievable.)

Whether this will have a measurable effect on the hotel industry is yet to be seen. Stay tuned.

294) Tardy to the Party 7:08 PM

(Image from Teach For Us.)

I hate being late. Nothing gives me more anxiety than knowing someone is waiting for me. In New York I'm finding that it's much easier for me to be late. That is, it always takes longer than anticipated to get somewhere via cab, subway or on foot.

Here's a question for New Yorkers: Does NY cause more anxiety over lateness, or give us more leeway? Given that the city runs largely on public transportation, something we have no control over, does it cause higher anxiety (because of said lack of control), or give us more legitimate reasons to be late (again, because of no control).

For example, let's say you get stuck underground on the subway due to train traffic, or weather, whatever. Not only is there nothing you can do about it, but there's usually no way to communicate your situation to the outside world. That would seem like an uber stressful situation, especially when your destination is an important interview or first date. (Versus somewhere like LA, where even in gridlock traffic you feel like you have some semblance of control, and can usually give people a heads up.)

But the other side of the same coin is that knowing we can't do anything about it, people are generally more willing to accept lateness. No one at work bats an eye when employees who live out in Brooklyn come in later than the rest. It's understood that weather and the sheer distance one has to travel is the cause.

Just some thoughts I had today, as I was super late to dinner tonight. It was a stressful day at work, so being tardy definitely didn't help.

293) Playing The Game 6:34 PM

Ack, I forgot to slap a title on yesterday's blog post. My heart stopped because I thought the whole entry hadn't posted. Whew.

Let me preface tonight's Plan post by saying that it's meant to be an analysis and not a rant. Here goes.



Recently I've been having a lot of conversations with friends about The Game. I'm relatively new to the whole real world dating scene, as I was able to maintain steady relationships while I was in LA. While most are familiar with those silly, antiquated "rules" (origin unknown) - wait 3 days before calling, etc, I never fully appreciated the modern Game until now.

The Game is very simple. Those playing strive to maintain control over the situation, often by appearing the most aloof. Here's an example. My friend has been texting this girl he met recently. But every time he sends her a message, it takes her half a day to respond. In turn, he feels obligated to also wait to reply to her messages, so he doesn't appear too eager. It's as if texting back immediately shows that you have nothing else going on in your life, that you're waiting around, hanging on their every text.

Given that we are hardly ever more than 5 yards from our cell phones (can't find the exact stat, but it's something like that), it's unlikely that this girl really is so busy that she needs hours to respond. The deliberate holding off on replying is just part of The Game. Also part of The Game is not having the last word in a conversation (leave them hanging), seeming like you have more plans than you really do - in short, playing hard to get.

Here's the analysis part. Loyal readers will know that I'm a sucker for biological explanations. I like figuring out what from our ancestral past is driving basic current behavior. Social/sexual relations are especially pertinent, since so much is related to the goal of reproducing.

It would seem as though playing The Game would actually deter reproduction from happening. Logically, if everyone was straight forward about what they wanted, or what they were feeling, people would be quicker to meet up, to hook up, etc. So why play The Game?

For females, it makes more sense. The fairer sex, as they call us, wants to find the most fit mate that will stick around when the babies are born. By playing hard to get, she puts the male through a sort of test to see if he perseveres and continues to pursue her. If you've watched any nature show clip where the female bird stands quietly watching the male bird flop around and expose his chest only to have her take off, you know what I'm talking about (see above).

But for males the reason is less clear. In the never ending quest (evolutionarily speaking) to produce as many offspring as possible, it would seem that the faster a man can do the deed, the better. But does playing hard to get make him seem more desirable, more fit to a female, more likely to be chosen? Or did the straight-to-the-point approach fail to work on the modern female, and therefore, men became socialized to appear less available as a work-around?

And where does the "thrill is in the chase" sentiment come into play? That the fun of dating is the pursuit, the synchronized evasion dance. Why is non-evasion equated with less desirability?

Am detecting rantiness, so will end it there. (For the record, The Game is silly, confusing and exhausting.)

292) Le Voyeur 12:44 PM

(Photo from You Are What You Eat.)

Today's Trendcentral post was titled, "Just Curious." It served up a new batch of sites dedicated to revealing our everyday spaces - our refrigerators, closets and work spaces.

I've written about our voyeuristic tendencies in the past. The trend touches so much of our online behavior. We silently browse people's Facebook profiles without leaving a trace behind. We pour over intimate blogs of people we have never met, watch video diaries on YouTube. We look through pictures of what's in peoples' fridges, closets, offices, bags.

The Internet has made peeking in to other people's lives that much easier. Before, we had to rely on shows like Cribs, or True Life on MTV. Indeed, the draw of reality television (The Real World, Big Brother, Real Housewives of [Fill in the Blank]) is the chance to watch someone else in their natural habitat.

But why? I read a blog post awhile ago that pointed to our innate need to belong as the driver behind our voyeurism. We want to see and be reassured that there are other people like us out there. On the other hand, isn't part of the voyeuristic fun catching a glimpse of how those different from us live? Or is it that we love being able to safely invade someone's privacy? What drives us to seek and share all those little details about our lives?

291) Egypt Rising 5:29 PM

I don't have solid proof yet, but I'm convinced that coverage of the goings-on in Egypt was lacking until news broke that Twitter and Facebook had been cut off. As soon as social media went down, the agitated murmurings in mainstream press became a roar. People started paying more attention - like, if Facebook is down (can you imagine?), the situation must be serious.

Some trending graphs across the interwebs.

Google searches:



Blog mentions:



And tweets: