Cuts on the Bias

New Sandbox

Technologist have been very busy lately. In a rough equivalent of Fashion Week, tech companies have been strutting their stuff this past week, launching many more new ventures than average. Why now? I'm not sure, but I'm hoping it's because they know the only way out of a bad market downturn is new inventions.

I mentioned one last week: Topsy. Very cool site equivalent to a global uber-gossip with no personal agenda. Another one that could be a game-changer is Wolfram/Alpha. The name is geeky and so is the site, but I dare you to not play with it. Read "a few things to try" in the right-hand column and follow their suggestions. My personal favorites were typing in a given name and typing a series of music notes (eg. a c e d f g).  Boggles the mind what this has the potential to do.

Masterful media

Barack Obama is one mean communication machine. A few days ago, I got an email from him asking for support on health care. Yesterday, I was invited to listen in on a conference call he conducted from Air Force One this morning on the push for health care reform. Joe Biden sent me an email this morning asking for a show of support for Sonia Sotomayor. I'm not so naive to think these men are typing in my email address by hand and thinking "gee, hope Christopher replies quickly." But compared to the communication I got from Bush (nada), I'm feeling pretty special.

Mostly I'm impressed with how extraordinarily well-organized his administration is when it comes to communication. It's a full-court press, use every medium available enslaught. Their branding is superb; their messages are tight and on target; their spokespeople are articulate, gracious and intelligent. Their website is useful. If they only serve as role models to other organizations dependent on outreach, they will have contributed tremendous value.

While the tools may seem overwhelming at first, the process is straightforward:

• Build a stable, well-designed website that either is your business or accurately reflects its essential tenets
• Blog or post regularly in paragraphs to further announce and clarify your opinions, ideals, desires and developments
• Email as needed in sentences to connect with clients, customers and audiences
• Tweet often in phrases and links to identify your expertise, your areas of interest or your immediate observations

There's more out there, but these basics are enough for most businesses. The secret sauce is that everything needs to be linked to other relevant people and places, and structured in a way that's searchable. But that's why we hire the cute guys with the big glasses.

On Top

Time for some tech (and a good news start-up story). A new type of search engine launched yesterday called Topsy. You may be saying "I have no need for a new search engine. I have a perfectly good one already." True, but for reasons you probably don't want to know, Google, Yahoo and others can't really keep up with all the content being added by people using Twitter, Facebook, Digg, et al.

Topsy is different, and the most lucid explanation of what it does can be found right on Topsy's About page:

"Topsy listens to the conversations taking place all the time on the living, social web. This is the rapidly growing, exciting world of Twitter, Blogs, Flickr, Digg, Yelp, Identica and many other communities. People use these communities to share reviews, opinions, messages, comments and discussions about things. Topsy indexes those things. Topsy indexes what people are talking about.

When you search for something on Topsy, such as "free music", it finds snippets of conversations that match what you're looking for. Topsy results are the things people link to, when they're talking about your search terms. Topsy ranks results based on how well they match your search terms, and the influence of the people talking about them."

That's right, Topsy is the world's best gossip. It mills around the globe, paying attention to what everyone is tweeting about, then tells you just the good stuff you want to know about right now.

What's even more interesting about Topsy is how agile and committed its founders are. I first met Vipul Ved Prakash and Gary Iwatani when they were building their last company, Cloudmark. Over the past three years, I watched them tweak and retweak Topsy endlessly, while always looking for the right market "wave" to show up. Less patient and less experienced entrepreneurs would have launched when the product was ready; they chose instead to launch when the market was ready. I hope they are good surfers--this is one monster of a wave.

Mixed Media

What a confounding day. First I'm elated that Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. I'm indifferent about her ethnicity; she could be Martian and I'd be fine, as long as she was female. In this century, no one of good conscience can really believe that it's ok to have the highest court in the US composed of eight men and one woman.

My joy over Sotomayor was quickly dashed, however, by my own beloved state of California's ruling on Prop 8. If you recall, Prop 8 was the result of a odd combination of homophobic Latinos, African Americans and Mormens who rallied together to outlaw gay marriage in the very part of the country that arguably invented it. Today the state supreme court upheld this proposition, prompting all my gay friends and family members to change their Facebook status to "huh?"

What can I say? One step forward in high heels, two mincing steps back into the closet.

Oh, this old thing?

When packing up your life, you stumble upon weird boxes of random notes and receipts, photos stuck in books, pitures of exes, and for me an insane amount of knit ponchos.

I admit to wearing some bad outfits, but why I felt no look was complete without half a grandma blanket on I will never understand. I went through this phase when I was 25 and living in LA-LA!!! I will forgive myself now-but I'm only half way through my closet and I just spotted a black floor length leather Matrix jacket-ugh.

How Not To

Sorry, Kelley, for encroaching on your territory here but I so love the directness of this fashion advice, I had to share.  For most of us, the crucial fashion question is not "how do I look" or "is this stylish." The really important question is "does this make me look fat?"

StyleList.com takes this question and runs with it, showing you "How Not to Look Fat in a Dress," followed by "How Not to Look Fat in a Swimsuit" and "How Not to Look Fat in a Tank Top."

Just when I thought all my crucial fashion questions had been answered, along comes the ultimate advice: "How Not to Look Old." I'm going shopping.

Insuring Simplicity

Speaking of good looking men, I got an email from Barack today. Usually, I get emails from his associates. I'm not sure what their game plan is but they seem to have a routine that rotates email senders. I get lots of emails from David Plouffe and Mitch Stewart, but its rare to hear from the President himself so you know it must be a high priority when he sends something. (It's really rare to hear from Michele so I have to get my fixes at Ms. O).

The email was on health care which has become a high priority to me lately (not because I'm sick but because I had to purchase my own health insurance for the first time in my life and it scared the bejesus out of me). I'm a very healthy person and am reasonably competent when it comes to making major purchases. I can fill out a mortgage application or a car loan without breaking a sweat, but filling out the 40+ pages of the health insurance form nearly brought me to my knees. Now that I have insurance, I live in a perpetual state of fear that I'll lose it. This is not paranoia: the insurance company actually threatened to drop our family because I failed to mention in the 40+ page application that my teenaged daughter once asked her doctor about acne (they claimed this was a case of me failing to disclose a pre-existing condition).

I don't know why health insurance has to be so complicated. If the Obama administration does nothing more than simplify it, I'll be happy. If they actually fix it, I'll be very happy. So help them out: here's the link. Maybe you'll get an email from the president too.

I find his pants a little tight

Chris Pine is cute. But I suspect when he sits down in these pants they nearly split up the back and turn into capris. I love a well tailored suit but I think the gents at GQ have pushed it a little, no?

Waiting Gamely

I'm sitting near the boarding gate at SFO waiting for a flight I hope will depart on time. Normally, I'm not good at waiting, but in airports it's enjoyable. No, I'm not medicated. I love waiting in airports because it's the best way I know for gauging the pulse of the population. At least when it comes to consumer sentiment, I trust what I see and hear in airports far more than what I read online or view on TV.  Here's the scene this morning:

• Desperate patches of pink--we are not a stylish bunch out here, but half a dozen women (mostly mid-age) are wearing varying shades of bright pink, aqua and lavender. Their clothing looks new so I'm guessing these are purchases intended to cheer them or their spouses in the midst of a dulling recession. The elderly male wearing a deep purple fedora is either a very free spirit or a retired pimp.
• Resignation nation--the only way to describe most of the faces around me is "resigned." I don't sense anger or frustration. No ones seems particularly excited to be traveling and no one is socializing. This airport is typically abuzz in the morning but today it could be mistaken for a library.
• Attached--with very few exceptions, all around me are attached to some form of technology including iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or laptop. That's not unusual here, but what is unusual is their body language. It's more relaxed and casual--not the hunched, frentic, "I'm mastering my universe" stance more common to the techno-attached. If I could read minds, I bet I'd hear "shit...no way I'm making that goal," or "maybe I could make a living organizing closets..."

A little pick me up

I'm a sucker for a witty graduation speech, Ellen never fails to make me laugh. Click on the link to watch a short and funny speech at Tulane University.

Google Earthquake

What did we do before Google? I can't remember a day recently when I didn't search for something from this invisible oracle. I'm already content with their services, but they continue to amaze me with "gifts" I least expect and dearly want.

Tonight I learned of the LA earthquake from my daughter who got a text from a friend living there. I jumped online and searched for "earthquake" assuming I'd get the link to the USGS, which is where I usually go for info when the ground beneath me liquefies.   Instead, up pops Google's own earthquake data, tied to Google Earth. I checked out the earthquake location, but quickly wandered off to stare at the undersea typography captured in a zoomed out view of Google Earth. Mesmerizing.

Cable Correction

I needed a day to stop laughing after reading Kelley's last post. I love men, but their powers of observation are limited to sports, food, cars and sex. I don't mind; in fact, I often count on it. But I also believe it's the main reason we have such high levels of ugliness in the technology accessories world.

So here's my plea: would one of you out-of-work entrepreneurial types please redesign computer and electronics accessories to match normal household decor? Start with the cables. I'm not excited by the option to buy cables in dead fish white, 1950's beige or utility uniform blue. LaCie is headed in the right direction with its novel neon colors, but I want my cables to blend in, not scream "look at me!" What about a nice slate tweed print or a soft brown that matches hardwood floors? After you're done with cables, tackle surge protectors.

Once you've created these, please don't assume I'll know where to find them. Make them show up in the first five listings when I search for "attractive cables". Finally, give them better names. I know computer guys like numbers and acronyms, but replace MZQ34pra7 with something slightly more memorable. Do this right and I bet you don't have to look for a new job.

He Said / She Said

Boyfriend jeans have been a debatable trend here in NY for about a year, and yes I have a pair. I have them because I am petite and anything that's supposed to look a little big and rolled up I welcome. Also, they were a gift from a jean company when I was an editor, why not. I wear them around the house, on a plane, recently to Morocco and although I know they don't look sexy or even cute on me I didn't care, so long as they weren't suffocating my skin and pressing on my bladder I was happy.

HOWEVER when packing for a friends bachelorette weekend I was trying to figure out what to pack and my boyfriend says-" How about those denim capris?"

DENIM CAPRIS? I will say this with 100% certainty that I have never owned capris. Capris are Mom pants, my Mom has a few. The fact that he even knows what capris are took me by surprise, but taking it a step further, the fact that in his mind I am wearing denim capris kills me. KILLS ME.

There's no point in trying to explain the trend to him either, what's done is done. I am taking scissors to them immediately an they will be gardening shorts.

Snipi

Another treat for voyeurs!  Check out Snipi, a site and a plug-in that helps you organize your shopping or just look at other users' shopping lists. They have categories for most popular products, top photos, top videos and most active "Snippers" (not sure that's a resume worthy activity but you'll get your 15 mins of fame).

It functions somewhat like Zotero, the plug-in we recommended last year, only more basic. Download Snipi to your browser toolbar. If you see a photo of something you like, drag and drop the image to the toolbar and Snipi saves it to your personal page. What may really make this useful is that your personal page can be accessed thru an iPhone and I assume other mobile devices in the future. It's downsides? It currently works only with FireFox and it seems to optimized for guy stuff like cameras and widescreen TVs.

Be Happy

For those of you with a voyeuristic streak (a trait near and dear to my heart), here's a fascinating article in the Atlantic on the Grant Study, a longitudinal survey that tracked a group of Harvard students starting in 1937 and continuing until they were in their 70's and 80's. The study itself produced volumes of findings, but the article concentrates on what the data says about happiness. The author conveniently sums the most essential findings in one clearly written and informative sentence:

The healthiest, or “mature,” adaptations include altruism, humor, anticipation (looking ahead and planning for future discomfort), suppression (a conscious decision to postpone attention to an impulse or conflict, to be addressed in good time), and sublimation (finding outlets for feelings, like putting aggression into sport, or lust into courtship).

I've read plenty of articles suggesting that giving to others and laughing are keys to long, healthy lives. But planning for pain, controlling your impulses, and taking your anger out on a ball? Those are more often categorized as coping mechanisms, not virtues. The study also emphasizes the profound importance of relationships. The men who had good connections with their siblings lived longer, happier lives than those who didn't. Being one of seven, I believe this, but mainly because siblings identify your vulnerabilities early enough for you to do something about them.

My only disappoint with this study is that it's so narrow. It looks exclusively at men and all those men had the money, brains and ambition to attend Harvard. How applicable their behavior is to the broader population, and in particular to women, I can't say. But I will try to laugh more today and I'll get through my Step class with a greater sense of purpose.

And the winners? Well, the models of course!

As I mentioned before, it's really hard to shine when you're not a model, surrounded by models, at a party celebrating models.

And the biggest loser is...MARC JACOBS!

Please don't hate me for that comment, I love him, I love his clothes but the ladies he dressed for the Met were just...not pretty. It was a party for models so I know it's hard to shine but it's not like these girls are wall flowers-Anne Hathaway, Winona Ryder, Madonna-KATE MOSS! Judge for yourself but there was nothing appealing in any of these get ups.

Where's my maid?

All these gowns and party dresses...I'm in pjs, but I can fantasize. A great way to do that when you don't have a gala to attend is roaming thru the databases at Ancestry.com.  Thanks to very talented programming and a large budget for buying archives, this site has emerged as "the" place to explore the lifestyle of your great, great, great grandfather, or for that matter, anyone remotely related to you.

I've spent dogyears on this site. I found my great, great grandmother's signature on a ship manifest. I discovered our long rumored ties to Ethan Allen (very indirect). I even found an extra marriage none of us knew our grandfather had pulled off in his early years. 

My most interesting find is more general: if you lived before the middle class was invented, you either had a live-in maid or you were one. Time after time, I look at an ancester's census data and see one, two, maybe even four live-in maids. These are not wealthy people--just people with a house and an extra bedroom.

I guess I should be pleased fewer of us are maids or butlers these days, but honestly most of my character flaws would disappear if I had someone waiting on me day and night.

Oh Anne. What happened?

Stay Tuned...

For those of you out there that love/enjoy/hate fashion, tonight is the OSCARS of fashion. The Costume Institute Met Gala is happening as we speak! Each year there's a theme and a host, Anna Wintour invites designers, and designers invite a celeb or friend as their muse. Coincidentally, this years theme is "Models as Muse" which is a bit of a snore compared to old themes like "Anglomania and Poiret" but I will be eagerly waiting the results!! Check back in tomorrow morning for my faves and hates. 

Catchy

For your weekend viewing pleasure, why not rewatch the top 18 viral videos (not viral as in Swine flu, but rather those emailed to you daily by the friend who has too much time on his hands). Visible Measures has listed these videos, labeled as "The Most Watched Viral Videos of All Time." That title seems premature to me unless we are all going to die soon of the aforementioned flu; nevertheless, these are videos watched  at least 100 million times--and that's alot.

As evidence that I may have too much time on my hands, I've seen most of these....repeatedly. But that makes it easy to condense the list to my favs:

Jeff Dunha: Achmed the Dead Terrorist
Evolution of Dance
Charlie Bit my Finger...Again
Soulja Boy: Crank That (can't explain why this made my list and all the other music videos didn't)

Not on Visible Measures list, but top-rated on YouTube, I would also add:
Hahaha
Potter Puppet Pal in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise"
OK, Go Here it Goes Again
and my all time fav way to feel smug and intelligent: Miss Teen USA 2007: South Carolina Answers a Question.