Cuts on the Bias

Stalker Stopper

Loved seeing Obama in those geeky 3D glasses. There could be a market there. And Kelley's mention of Flickr streams did not escape me. She rarely gives a nod to technology so when she does it's worth noting. Here's something I know she will like:  a way to figure out who just started following you on Twitter.

SocialWhois only exits to help you decide if the person following you on Twitter or FriendFeed is a stalker or the guy who sat behind you in that college Bio class you flunked. I could use this if it helped with FaceBook, but so far it doesn't. Nevertheless, for those of you who find it creepy to learn that a random stranger is following you (I'm hoping that's almost all of you), this is your power tool of the week.

Presidents, They're Just Like Us!

Did you watch Obama last night? These speeches tend to be a bit boring and depressing but I like watching them anyway. It's not because I have a major love affair with the President (it's in fact his wife I have a crush on), I think it's partly because I'm getting older and I care, and partly because I feel like President Obama tells it like it is. 

There is a shit storm of events happening right now that all seem important and urgent. It sucks, it's going to take a long time to recover but I'm not gonna jump out my window. As long as you tell me things suck right now, I won't get mad. It's my choice how to deal with the information, and I respect him for delivering the news in a calm straightforward way. There's a way in which this administration is relating to the public that is very real, case in point, their Flickr Stream.

I wrote about this back at election time and it seems the White House staff photographer is actually updating it regularly. There are a variety of photos of the staf, family, Europe trips, Basketball games and this shot of movie night. If anything, you get a sense that life is stressful, times are tough, but there are still moments to smile and enjoy yourself.

Designer data

Hopefully by now you know how much I love visual data. To me it's the fashionable side of math. Google apparently agrees because they just launched a new search feature, "Public Data Search" that takes the reams of numbers collected by the US and puts them into easily understood, possibly beautiful, charts and graphs.

To try this out, go to Google search and type in what data you want followed by a location. For example, I typed in "unemployment rate hawaii". That action delivered a nice blue line on crisp white chart, slightly nautical looking. Clicking on the chart brought me to a page where I could choose other states to compare. I've always been told (mostly by people in Hawaii) that the state's economy trails the US. Turns out this was right--in the past. But the next time this comes up in conversation (it could happen), I now have an orange, blue and white wavy print (Missoni-ish in a minimalist way) proving this is no longer true.

Google's acquisition of GapMinder's Trendalyzer software a few years back makes all this possible. While they are starting off with somewhat boring data, the Google blog claims they will soon add things of more interest like the price of cookies. That's commendable as long as they keep the colors pretty.

Talent Search

 

When they are out of work, some people parade around in silly costumes with dogs on their shoulders, while others reinvent themselves in more notable ways. One of the best ways to take what you've got and get more out of it is to freelance. But freelancing usually requires contacts or referrals, transportation and at least one good interviewing outfit. That is, unless you use Elance.com.

This company has been around for a long time in internet years. They survived the dotcom crash, and kept on improving. If you're looking for talent (web developers, designers, writers, accountants, engineers and lawyers), you can search for people by their specific expertise, then filter the thousands of available talent by how highly they are rated and how much they've earned thru the site. Still not sure who you want? Click on their ratings and read the reviews of people who have paid for their services thru Elance in the past. The site helps you manage the project and the payments.

If you're looking for work, you can list your capabilites, your rate and your resume. When jobs become available, you can bid on the ones that interest you from the comfort of your home without changing out of your jamas. Do this often enough and you'll find a good match. If you don't like companies who's name starts with E, then choose Odesk for the same capabilities. Somewhat less popular, but same business is Guru.com. Those nerd boys like their vowels.

Dog O'day

As Christopher has mentioned before, new companies require all of your attention and a great deal of patience. For those reasons I have been neglecting my beloved blog. This blog, for me, is a moment to sit and vent/share and vent, or all of the above, and I think it's healthy for all parties involved.

Here is my vent of the day-where are her feet?
I know she knows she's stepping on her pant legs, and I know she knows her legs look like they're stuck in those Chinese finger traps. I don't know where her friends were that night and where or why they hid the mirror. Who even makes a feather headpiece for a dog-was it her? Why people, why?

This has GOT to stop

Her name is Lady Ga Ga and she creeps me out like no other.

Hostess with the Mostess

I've always preferred hosting a party rather than attending one. Perhaps it suits my practical planner side: I love plowing through the details of the menu, the music, the invitation, the guest list. I even like figuring out the budget.

But it also may suit my creative director side: I'm big on themes as long as they aren't cheesy. I think long and hard about what I'm going to wear and have no qualms with instructing my guests on the proper attire. I spend as much time on the table settings as I do on the food, and I've never thrown a party without flowers.

Or perhaps it suits my nurturer side: I love dealing with last minute crises and late RSVPers. I delight in matching up two guests and pointing out their common interests. If it rains, I just buy better alcohol and turn up the music.

Alright, so maybe I'm genetically pre-disposed to hosting parties. Imagine how happy I was to find a site dedicated to people like me. Hostess With the Mostess (yes, it's spelled right) is filled with planning tools, instructions, decorating ideas, menus and recipes, themes, and lots of very compelling party purchases. Their tabletops alone are worth a visit.

I know we're in a recession and no one has any money. But that's exactly when we need cool, clever hostesses who create a fun time and make us all forget our troubles. What are you waiting for? It's almost the weekend.

If you build it they will come

Last week the 10th anniversary of Coachella took place. For those who don't know what this is, think of a colorful eclectic concert on a huge polo field in Palm Springs, lots of pot, flowers, glow sticks and beer gardens.

I went to the very first Coachella and it was delightful, no pushing, no bathroom lines, 80 degrees at night with a breeze. I vaguely remember wearing a t-shirt that I made myself, and by made myself I mean chopped it into a bunch of fringe and called it an original. The ladies have really stepped it up since then, and even though I don't personally like what concert go-ers wear, I do love the creativity. Almost EVERY outfit has some sort of American Apparel/Vintage in it, that part gets a little redundant, but aside from that you see home made jewelry, headbands, shoes, dresses, you name it. Its a joy to look at, some sights have a good round up-try here, here and here.

Waiting Game

In an earlier post, I suggested that entrepreneurs need to have a high tolerance for errors. Another trait they need is patience.

I've seen dozens of companies pull the plug on products--declaring them a failure--only to have the same idea surface a year later and be a roaring success. I worked with a company in the 90's that created an online site very similar in concept to FaceBook. After 6 months, they decided it wasn't growing fast enough and scraped it. Ditto a company in 2002 that had a concept similar to Twitter. They gave it about 9 months to succeed, then killed it.

Maybe these ideas were born too soon. Maybe they wouldn't have taken off for years. But when they did, they would have made their founders bail-out size fortunes. Moral of the story: launch, nurture continuously and wait.

Fat to Fit

Spring clothes can only mean one thing: summer is not far off. And with summer comes shorts, tank tops and swim suits which means I have to get serious once again about diet and exercise. I hibernate through winter--slowing down my workouts and adding a few pounds in case the world ends and I need to live off my fat. When summer returns, my winter body needs work.

I thought I'd read every word written on diet and exercise, but Zen Habits found a few new ones.  A recent post on how to go from fat to fit offered several novel motivational tricks for staying on track. For example, "write down the jean size you are going for."  Simple, to the point, can substitute "dress" or "bikini" for "jean." Another suggestion is "find your favorite exercise and own it." It's worth a shot.

I heart NY

It really feels like Spring today, 70 degrees and sunny, Friday-PERFECT. You can also tell it's Spring because it is Gala season in the city. The best of the best come out to host charity galas and wear pretty dresses, sounds pretty perfect to me. Say what you want about socialites, elite, boring, out of touch, but I must say they are hands down the most fun to watch get dressed up and go out (note: the ladies in the picture are actresses not socialites but I just loved their dresses and they're at a gala so it kind of counts). They take risks (Genevieve Jones), they smile (Tinsley Mortimer), and they keep there undies on, bravo! To get the best pics of all these stylemakers go to Park Avenue Peerage, a real look inside all the parties I can only dream about.

Perfect Mistakes

Every week I get email from friends and strangers asking advice about starting a business. I'm happy to help (gratis) because I think everyone should try being an entrepreneur at least once--that is, unless you are a perfectionist.

Why no perfectionists? Because it's impossible to start any type of business without making numerous mistakes, no matter how experienced you are. Kelley's post on how she misjudged Smocks buyers' desire for conservative prints is a good example. I'll add that I forgot to link our PayPal account with our bank account, made a mess of our first Quickbooks balance sheet and provided the wrong bank account number to our merchant services. That's just the errors I made in the accounting part of the business in the first two weeks.

If you start your own business, assume you will screw up. Not once or twice, but repeatedly. If these mistakes upset you and hold you back, I think you may be happier in a supporting role (possibly in accounting). If instead you see each mistake as an opportunity to course correct or fine-tune your original idea, you've got the first necessary ingredient for successful entrepreneurism. The second is patience and I'll deal with that tomorrow.

I'm so bored

Sorry I haven't been posting daily but god am I bored with fashion right now. We're in between seasons and sticking to budgets which means ho hum red carpet events (except for Drew) and stores like Barneys getting a scary S&P rating.

The only real news I've come across happens to do with the aprons we're selling. This isn't a shameless plug, maybe it is, the lines are blurred at this point.

Designing and selling these aprons has given me an opportunity to see what and how women (at this point mostly friends and family) buy. The result, so far, is that women are way more adventurous when it comes to an apron. Maybe it's because they can take it off, it's something they don't have to commit to all night. Or maybe because they are happier when they're entertaining, and they want to show it off. Either way, our beloved style "Jeanne", named after the greatest hostess we know, is sold out. I designed this with Steven Sprouse in mind, didn't think anyone would really like it, I included a bunch of black and white "safe" prints for the ladies that didn't want to get too much attention-I was dead wrong.

I [insert here] Do [insert here]

It's officially Spring. I know because I've packed away my winter clothes and I'm wearing my beloved flip flops again. Spring reminds me of weddings which may be why this Wall Street Journal article on wedding vows caught my eye. I'm not sure why the WSJ cares about wedding vows but apparently they do as long as the process of creating them is efficient and makes money.

The article highlights several web sites that help couples write their marriage vows. My personal favorite-- primarily for the kitsch factor--is InstantVows.com. The site's headline reads: "Need Amazing Wedding Vows? Here's How You can quickly and easily get your hands on warm, loving, proven wedding vows in just 3 1/2 minutes."

Need I point out that this text surely was written by a man?

The Obama Effect

The Huffington Post wrote about this yesterday and I stopped dead in my tracks. Can you believe Hil is wearing a belt? A brooch? Pearls? I'm dying. She's never looked better. Let this be a lesson to you all that it's never too late to change it up.

Easter Redo

Today is Easter Sunday. I failed to notice that until this morning. Perhaps I'm too disconnected from the world around me, but I doubt that. I think the problem is with this particular holiday. It needs to be redesigned.

Easter has several design flaws. First, it has no permanent date like Christmas or New Years. That makes it hard to schedule in advance. Second, its meaning is fragmented. Is it a Christian holiday celebrating Christ's rise from the dead? Is it a children's holiday celebrating chocolate and marshmallow treats? Is it a nature holiday celebrating Spring, rebirth and chirping chicks? Or is is a fashion holiday celebrating the return to sundresses and sandals? Third, Easter has weak icons. Its most prominent visuals are an egg, a rabbit and a cross. Hard to get too excited about that.

If I were hired to redesign Easter, I'd anchor it to April 16. That date would help balance the depression of April 15, tax day. I would define its purpose as a communal celebration of Spring to be celebrated in religious and non-religious ways as long as you wore a new outfit that didn''t include a sweater or boots. Finally, I'd makes its icon a small green leaf, as in "turning over a new" one or nature's symbol of rebirth. Think of the opportunities for jewelry design and serving platters.

Unfortunately, I'm not in charge of reinvigorating Easter and I don't know who is, so it will probably muddle on until it finally reaches the status of Groundhog day and none of us care anymore. Sad, but life evolves and survival of the fittest applies to holidays too.

Smocks!

We had a bit of a birth today. Kelley's and my new online store, Smocks, opened for business.

Smocks sells only one thing: designer inspired aprons. Why aprons--especially from two women who have always had careers and have spent very little time in the kitchen? Because they are functional and fun. Although an entire generation missed out on them in pursuit of "I am woman" status, aprons are miraculous accessories that protect your expensive clothes, reduce dry cleaning bills and (if you choose well) spice up your wardrobe for cheap. Toss a cute apron (preferably one of our Smocks) on your standard black outfit and voila--instant sass with a dash of sexy!

The fun part is in the variety. Good quality aprons cost about the same as good quality T-shirts, but they provide a great deal more drama and style. If you're hosting a party, everyone will know you're the queen bee. If you're making yet another spaghetti dinner, at least you'll look good. The problem has been lack of imagination. Most aprons are either made for men (bib aprons) or for Lucille Ball. We decided to design aprons that could complement clothes by Marc Jacobs, Prada, Zak Posen, Jason Wu. You know, designers from this century.

I'm particularly fond of aprons, and Smocks in particular, because I've run out of good gifts. If you are female and are having a bridal shower, baby shower, Mother's Day celebration, birthday, dinner party, gallery opening, book signing, company launch, Bunco party, spring BBQ, new haircut unveiling, or graduation from anywhere--you're getting a limited edition, made in the USA, so hip it hurts Smock.

In Love with Vista

There, I said it. I'm happily in love with a Microsoft product; one that lately has been synonymous with the word "failure." I no longer consult to anyone at Microsoft, so I'm under no obligation to hype their wares or explain their strategy. I am a lowly user--and one who has a high-end Mac laptop sitting right next to my cheap PC.

I'm in love with Windows Vista because it's whiplash fast and it makes complex, cross application actions easy. Here's an example: Davis sent me photos of our ski trip via gmail. I wanted to download them to my computer and upload them to Facebook. On my mac, I spent 20 minutes fighting with it to download the photos. Apparently they weren't the proper format. wtf? If I send Davis an email saying "pls resend your photos in the proper format" I won't see him for the rest of the day.

On my cheap little Acer PC with Vista, I clicked on one photo, chose "upload" and instantly viewed my "Squaw 09" Picaso web album. Then I clicked on one photo, chose "download" and they promptly copied themselves to Picaso on my computer. One more click and my Facebook friends see what a swell time I had last weekend. In other words, the ads showing a 4 year old doing this are real.

What I've learned about Macs is that they work wonderfully if you never leave the Apple compound. If you use all Apple devices and all Apple software, everything is fine. Vista lets you be a free agent.

My moment of zen

So there's this site curated by Justin Saunders, that really relaxes me. It's a blog actually, no words, just pictures. It's almost like a run-on sentence of images, but brilliantly arranged according to color and theme. The NY Times blog, The Moment, (another favorite) deserves the credit for bringing it to my attention. The combination of products, new photos, graphics, old photos and so on brings to light a whole new way of speaking your mind without yelling it from the roof tops.

Miz Pee

It's happened to all of us. You're in unfamiliar territory and you have got to pee. Quickly. Now. Right away. If you're a guy, this problem is solved by any random large bush or door with "Hombre" on it. No sanitation issues for you--all you have to touch is yourself. Women face a completely different dilemma.

Women seeking a public restroom have to weigh their personal discomfort with risk of death from infectious disease. Unless they are very fit or carry one of those weird penis funnels, women have to place their naked private parts adjacent to a surface previously visited by possibly thousands of other naked private parts. Thankfully, our friends the technologists, feel our pain.

Miz Pee does what you wish all websites did. Identify a simple, widespread problem:  "find a clean public toilet near me right now" and solve it with up-to-date information accessible from your phone. I tested it out in Palo Alto, and it sent me to Peets on Santa Cruz Avenue, giving it a rating of 3 (out of 5) toilet paper rolls. I couldn't check the validity of the review because this Peets burned down last week, but they make great coffee and I'm reasonably sure they clean their toilets regularly.

I don't know if the site owner will be able to sustain its growth because lame online advertisers think the only ads we'd want to see on the site are ones for toilets (how about tampons? sexy underwear? beer?). Help them out by visiting the site and sending its link to your cell phone. If you don't ever need to use it you're either remarkably controlled or wearing Depends.

More Nerd Games

Oh New York, you were sunny and warm yesterday but today you suck. Cold and rainy once again, time for some more indoor game ideas. Wired wrote about the Settlers of Catan this month, this is not the first time I've heard about this game but now for some reason I am compelled to actually buy it and give it a try. Settlers of Catan has been translated into 30 languages and has sold 15 million copies so I'm guessing it's pretty good.

Digital Doodles

Every once in awhile (well, maybe weekly), all my great ideas for new adventures start fighting each other and end up a jumbled mess in my head. When that happens, I doodle. Not mindlessly but with purpose. I put all my ideas on paper, then I connect them with circles and lines until I figure out how they relate to each other. Some may see this as a sign of pending craziness; I think it's the height of sanity.

Apparently, so do several software makers who provide digital means of doing the same thing.  Check out LifeHacker's Five Best Mind-mapping Applications.  MindMeister is the simplest.  Don't worry about finding a collaboration partner--you can pretend to be two people (although, for the record, that is not always sane).

Wanna know what the cool kids are wearing?

Click Here.

Oh and did you see M. Obama in J. Crew again?