Some viewbot extras…
Posted: March 5, 2012 Filed under: Business, Internet, Techology Leave a comment »YouTubers who enjoyed my story of the digital Bonnie & Clyde couple will be tickled pink by the screengrabs below, that I did not include in the Daily Dot article.
Because, you know, I have a soft spot for females.
(Also, would have made the story way too complicated.)
Now this here, is a real reply girl…
Posted: February 28, 2012 Filed under: Business, Internet, Women | Tags: algorithm, community guidelines, dailydot, Gaming the system, icklenellierose, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, meganspeaks, replygirls, social media, tagging, terms of service, YouTube Leave a comment »I’ve been writing about “reply girls,” this YouTube phenom for those that don’t know, for the last couple of days. Which means I’ve been knee-deep in YouTube drama for that entire time.
Yeah, some of you may make fun of me for what my work has become. You snooty business reporters, activists, gardening bloggers, social media consultants! (I sometimes make fun of myself for not keeping up on what my alderman, or Mayor Emanuel is doing. Don’t give me more shit than I already give myself, please…)
Some part of me respects these ladies for figuring out how to game the system in such a short amount of time. It’s ingenious? And my heart goes out to these ladies, for the amount of cyber abuse they are getting now, just because they were able to effectively highlight this flaw (not just in YouTube, but in human nature).
Nothing sadder than a reply girl in a push-up trying to choke back tears for the third day in a row.
This moment, in my research, made me laugh. (You wouldn’t get it if you didn’t know YouTube.)
Corporations, Companies, and Supporters of SOPA
Posted: January 15, 2012 Filed under: Business, Crime, Fashion, Film, Internet, Media, Sports, Strange, Style, Techology 5 Comments »If this Pastebin document, created by Anonymous members involved in Operation Hiroshima, is to be believed, the following companies lobbied Congress in support of SOPA.
I smell a boycott… and the weird thing about this list is, how are most of these companies affected by online piracy? Especially all these clothing companies…
PetMeds
3M
ABRO Industries, Inc.
Acushnet Company
Adidas America
Bose Coporation
Burberry
CBS Corporation
Chanel USA
Coach
Columbia Sportswear
Dolce & Gabbana
Electronic Arts, Inc. (individuals within have voiced opposition?)
Entertainment Software Association
Verizon/ Sprint 4G Commercial Showdown
Posted: April 20, 2011 Filed under: Business, Commericals, Techology | Tags: 4G, MythBusters, Sprint, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Leave a comment »Now that I mainly watch all my TV through the internet, I am exposed to very few commercials – but because of the way commercials are sold on the internet, I get very familiar with certain advertisements. And yeah, I actually like writing about commercials so expect more on a regular basis. (Someone told me commercials on the internet are just old TV commercials, and if this is true I am very disappointed. I am going to pretend otherwise…you hear that, ad firms? I want you to make ads specifically for me!)
Let’s weigh in on the commercial battle between 4G smartphones not named after fruit. Verizon 4G LTE and HTC EVO Shift 4G appear to be competing for the same market; if you see one during internet programming, you are sure to see the other shortly after. The Verizon commercials are very MythBusters-y with countdowns, a sense of urgency, and the occasional explosion.
Upon watching one of these commercials, one notices a lack of hard data. How many kilobytes were downloaded? How many seconds was that? What are the sizes of these files? What are the 900, feet? I like that Verizon is trying to sell me with science, but if they’re going to do it they can’t half-ass it. Watching the video on youtube reveals white text on the bottom of the screen – for 2 seconds – revealing Verizon’s 4G network is nothing special. Or so say the internet commenters.
Sprint goes with a graphic approach, displaying all the wonderful things people say about the phone to upbeat (and catchy) music and cute but slowly moving robots.
The Sprint commercial would be better with less talking - but they can’t all be car commercials. Sprint doesn’t imply fake claims, mislead me with science rhetoric or prey on my love of MythBusters. After watching the Verizon commercial and becoming irritated by their blatant pandering to my consumer group, the 30 second Sprint commercial actually makes me happy. Sprint gives me bright colors, cheerful music, and friendly feelings towards our future synthetic overlords. What’s not to love!?
Sprint – 1
Verizon – 0
Chicago is a hot-bed for start-ups after all!
Posted: February 9, 2011 Filed under: Business, Chicago | Tags: Chicago, Groupon, New York, new york city, RedEye, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, tech startups Leave a comment »
I want to get on the RedEye boat (Image via Wikipedia)
Tracy Swartz wrote a whole article in the RedEye I can use as ammunition against the New York and San Francisco tech-snobs:
These young up-and-comers said they prefer Chicago to start-up hotbeds such as San Francisco and New York City because office space and payroll are cheaper, talent is easier to find and keep, and top business schools at universities including Northwestern and the University of Chicago are nearby.
The increased recognition has brought benefits. One of the problems Chicago entrepreneurs used to face was little access to funding. West Coast investors now are recognizing that Chicago firms are worth the investment, Rudnick said, and they’re not requiring these companies to move to Silicon Valley.
I am also partial to this article because Tracy highlighted non- Groupon start-ups in a positive light. Hot.
Cigarettes contain Pig Blood
Posted: March 30, 2010 Filed under: Business, Health | Tags: Advocacy, Business, Cigarette, Health, Health care, Pig, quit smoking, quitting smoking, Smoking cessation, Specific Substances, Tobacco, Tobacco industry 4 Comments »
Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife
Dutch researchers have found pig hemoglobin in cigarettes:
The pig’s haemoglobin was found to be a fairly effective filter for cigarettes but this information was not on cigarette labels because the Tobacco industry was not required by law to disclose the ingredients of their products
via Ozcar Guide “Cigarettes Found To Contain Pig’s Blood“
The pig’s hemoglobin blocks toxic chemicals from entering the lungs. That is all fine and dandy, but cigarette companies really should disclose what is in their products. The new health care bill requires all restaurants to make their calorie counts publicly accessible, so why isn’t this the case with cigs? An Aussie Professor says it best:
‘It just puts into hard relief the problem that the tobacco industry is not required to declare the ingredients of cigarettes – they say “that’s our business and a trade secret”.’
via Daily Mail “Warning to religious groups after traces of pigs blood found in cigarette filters“
If you are Jewish, Muslim, or a vegetarian, you now have another reason to quit smoking!
Albany Park begins initiative to display artwork in vacant storefronts
Posted: January 19, 2010 Filed under: Business, Chicago | Tags: Albany Park, Albany Park Chamber of Commerce, Art, Business, going out of business, North River Commission, Public art, recession, UNITE Civic Association, United States, vacant storefronts, Visual arts 2 Comments »
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Following the success of the Pop-Up Art Loop Program and Edgewater Artists in Motion, I decided to stop by the North River Commission (an umbrella group that also includes the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce) here in Albany Park to see if they were engaging in a similar initiative. As luck would have it, they were, and in need of volunteers. I naturally offered to help (public art is one of my favorite things in life), and I spent a day walking along Montrose, the proposed site of Albany Park’s future art walk, documenting vacant storefronts.
How has Albany Park faired this recession, you might ask? There are approximately 25 vacant storefronts along Montrose (a 25 block strip), and that number does not include the burned building on Montrose and Monticello that photographers love shooting. If the NRC uses all of the vacant storefronts to display art, the Albany Park art walk will be more extensive than Edgewater’s, and would hopefully drive some much needed traffic on that avenue. On my walk I saw two empty diners with bored employees just standing around, and one store was boxing up their inventory under a “going out of business” sign.
If you’re interested in helping out with this initiative (or are a local artist that would be interested in displaying their artwork), please contact the North River Commission. UNITE Civic Association is also helping with this project, and go here to read about other neighborhoods in Chicago using vacant storefronts to display art.
Vacant storefronts make great alternative galleries
Posted: December 12, 2009 Filed under: Business, Chicago | Tags: Arts, Chicago, Chicago Reader, Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Edgewater Community Council, Edgewater Development Corporation, free art, Granville, Rae Ann Cecrle, recession 6 Comments »
Edgewater Artists in Motion, photo courtesy of Rae Ann Cecrle
Both the Reader and TimeOut Chicago have written about the Pop-Up Art Loop Program, where artists display their work in vacant storefronts downtown:
The program is as much about helping landlords rent their property as offering artists places to display their work for free in high-traffic areas. Says Tabing, “This is a temporary response to the retail environment because what we’re advocating is the rental of these spaces.”
via Chicago Reader
Tabing tells us Pop-Up Art Loop came together in less than four months. “The initiative started with our chairman, Lou Raizin, [president of] Broadway in Chicago,” Tabing says. “He had read about these initiatives in other cities, and the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs was looking at this program in other neighborhoods,” so the agency’s director of cultural planning, Julie Burros, offered the CLA advice.
via TimeOut Chicago
This is all fine and good, but credit should be given where it is due. Both publications fail to mention Edgewater’s Artists in Motion, an initiative that has been doing the very same exact thing for more than 8 months now. Edgewater Artists in Motion is a joint initiative involving the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, the Edgewater Community Council, and the Edgewater Development Corporation. Rae Ann Cecrle is the brains behind the initiative, and started the program last year in an effort to make the “district more vibrant”, saying ”Edgewater has been hit really bad with the recession”. Cecrle says she just came up with the idea after looking at all the vacant storefronts and reading about gallery closings. Currently, 20 artists are displaying their works in approximately 20 vacant storefronts in Edgewater, for a period of 3 months each.
Displaying the artwork in vacant storefronts is no easy task as each storefront needs to be cleaned and ”we have to be careful of the light and moisture levels to protect the art” says Cecrle, and that does require some investment. Cecrle explained that some artists get co-sponsors to cover the costs. The new building on Granville and Broadway showcases 8 different artists, and Cecrle says “the owner is really happy” with how the storefronts look.
The Edgewater Chamber is throwing a “Holidays Around the World Celebration” today with an art festival showcasing 25 different artists. Look for a tree lighting ceremony and a holiday concert. More information can be found on their website here.
Rae Ann Cercle sits on the Board of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, The Edgewater Development Corp, The Edgewater Community Council, and is Chairman of the SSA26 in Edgewater.
Apple to clean up Chicago el station
Posted: December 4, 2009 Filed under: Business, Chicago | Tags: Advertising, Apple, Chicago Transit Authority, Coca-Cola, CTA, Great Pacific Garbage Patch, North/Clybourn, Red Line Leave a comment »
Image via Wikipedia
It is official. Apple will renovate the North/Clybourn Red Line Stop.
Under the CTA-Apple agreement, Apple is paying to renovate the station exterior, interior and platforms for no more than $3.9 million. The work on this station likely would be completed by Sept. 30, 2010, under the deal, which is “now in the signature process,” according to the CTA.
via Adopt my stop! Apple teams up with CTA to revamp North/Clybourn. What’s next? – RedEye.
What I want to know is: Is it possible to ban large companies from advertising in public spaces? If this is not possible, maybe a ban on “visual pollution”- the ads have to have artistic merit, reviewed by the populace. What kind of world would we live in if the only way large corporations could keep themselves in the public eye was to do public works? Future headlines (if I were The Benevolent Dictator): “Target provides employment and housing for homeless family”, “T- Mobile buys 100 computers for inner city school” or “Coca-Cola cleans up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch“. Would there be a downside to this?
Apple goes underground
Posted: October 26, 2009 Filed under: Business, Chicago | Tags: Apple, Business, CTA, iPhone, KFC, new york city, renovations, San Francisco Leave a comment »
Image via Wikipedia
Am I selling out by showing some love to a big corporation?
A CTA spokeswoman confirmed that the transit authority is in talks with the computer and iPhone behemoth about a deal that could net the cash-strapped CTA as much as $4 million in funding from Apple to pay for an upgrade of the run-down subway station at North and Clybourn.
Through this deal, Apple will have first dibs on all advertisement going up in the renovated station, and considering how attractive Apple ads are, I am having a hard time protesting this development. Apple also has an impressive track record for this kind of thing:
In the past Apple has provided improvements to sidewalks in in front of their stores, and has agreed to heritage preservation of its buildings, mostly in Europe. At the Regent Street (London) store the company paid to restore an intricate tile mosaic on the storefront, while at the SoHo (NYC) store they retained the historic shell of a former U.S. Post Office. At the San Francisco store, Apple’s architects incorporated the subway entrance into the store footprint and enclosed it with glass and stone.
via ifo AppleStore
When you compare KFC’s failed bid to fix our potholes with questionable asphalt and spray painted logos, Apple’s estimated 4 million for renovations makes them look like a saint. Nice try Apple, but I still won’t buy an i-phone….
