Musings -- Get Inside My Head

Wordless Wednesday: OMSI 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:36:00 +0000

When science is hands-on, it's always more fun.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday Zoey

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday Zoey
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Sleep Deprivation

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:29:00 +0000

How timely. This arrived in my inbox this morning from my employer's health benefits program. I write this with sniffling, post-nasal drip, sore throat and body aches. My observations are in red.

Did you know?

People who sleep fewer than 6 hours a night have a 50% increased risk of viral infections and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke (woke up sick)

Sleep allows both the body and the brain to rest and heal. Without enough sleep the brain loses power and an individual will have problems with memory and concentration (and here I've been blaming all that time I was on Zoloft)

Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night and school ages children/teens need at least 9-12 hours of sleep a night to be productive (I am lucky to get 6.5 during the week)

Driving while sleepy can be just as dangerous as driving drunk, since your reaction time are slower when you a sleepy (been there,done that, DO NOT want the t-shirt)

If you're one of the many people who are short on sleep, here are the some tips for getting a better night sleep:

Avoid stimulating activities within two hours of bedtime (does that include bedtime sex?)

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol in the evening (so, no after dinner coffee or wine with dinner?)

Avoid going to bed on a full or empty stomach (I get home at 730, eat dinner about 8, in bed by 10)

Stick to a regular sleep schedule (what counts as regular?)

If you are spending enough time in bed and still wake up tired or feeling sleepy during the day then you could have a sleep disorder that you should discuss with your doctor. Some signs of a sleep disorder are:

You consistently take more than 30 minutes each night to fall asleep

You consistently awaken several times each night and then have trouble falling back to sleep

Your bed partner says that when you sleep, you snore loudly, snort, gasp, make choking sounds or stop breathing for short periods of time while sleeping (no sleep apnea here thank goodness!)

You often feel sleepy during the day, you take frequent naps or you fall asleep at inappropriate times during the day (I thought that was just the sleep deprivation from lack of a good night's sleep)

The good news is my insurance offers an online program to help with your sleep issues. I wonder if I'll ever get around to signing up for it.

Desert sunset after a storm

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:33:00 +0000

Desert sunset after a storm
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

DigitalLA and Digg present Crowd Source to Curation recap

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:58:00 +0000

So last night I had a little bit of a signal fail and wasn't able to live tweet (darn iPhone users :) ), but I did take notes. The hashtag for the event was #Digg4

From Drop Box

From Right to left to right the panelists are:

Laurie Sullivan (@LaurieSullivan) MediaPost Senior Writer. Online Media Daily, and Search Marketing Daily. @MediaPost
Evan Greene, Recording Academy / Grammys (award winning We're All Fans campaign) @TheGrammys
Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg, Urgent Content, Strategic Producer. Urgent Content created and produced Flip Video's campaign for Cisco featuring Lenny Kravitz, Tony Hawk and curated UGC video commercials. (formerly, Producer, Current TV, Viewer Created Content Dept.) - @urgentcontent @faketv
Chas Edwards, Digg. CRO & Publisher. @Digg - @chaznote - social curation at scale
Jean Aw, NOTCOT.com founder. NOTCOT is a digital inspiration bulletin board for graphic designers @notcot
Moderator: Kevin Winston, Digital LA, founder @DigitalLA

How do you make sense of all the content?
Options: Human, algorithms, curation.

Laurie - blend of seaqrch engine (algorithm) and human curation. Each reporter is responsible for determining what is newsworthy.
Evan - aggressive and robust SM platform. Interact with artists, blended approach for topics to tweet about. "We're all fans " - campaign built fully by SM. People did the marketing to each other.

Viewership (of Grammys) went up for the telecast 35% in the teen demo

Kasia - Flip video campaign 15sec shots - people love to share video - facebook community - people "vote" and eventually videos like "David After Dentist" ends up on TV - when before it would have stayed on YouTube

Chas - Digg = personalized "newspaper" - more intimate experience

Community "diggs " content, Digg does not determine what content is.

Jean - notcot is a Visual blog = human curation
Human curation
Visuals
News - What is newsworthy? Newspost everyone is responsible for their content

Curation is a judgement call
Ridley Scott's - Life in a Day- making a movie purely out of UGC - how would you edit something like that?

Fiction vs non-fiction curation -- a question of trust -- for example "Back to the Future" viral tweets

Verification takes time - Are we too busy? Content overload. What / who can you believe? How do you scale trust?
-- accountability (They Are your friends)

Facebook - what do you post that appeals to everyone in your groups?

Algorithms can handle query and "popularity contests" - counting numbers

Page rank, SEO / SEM, Semantics are very hard to program

Incentives I.e. "Facebook like"
- connection
- starts a conversation
- polling
- ownership (who owns what you create, how can you share it? Syndication? )
- intellectual property rights -- who gets compensated for UGC? If users generate and create the content, do they maintain the intellectual copyright to it, or does it become the property of the entity that requested it (i.e. video contests)

Digg - you watch the number get bigger (lol)
We want to post things and have people notice. Human feedback

Social media is about making connections
@oldspice making custom commercials - but he never tells you to buy old spice

UGC
incentive for ugc - contest - people becoming jaded, too many opportunities
Flip campaign - getting your message video out there
Teens watch more YouTube than TV, its how They connect and create community
Fame as an incentive

Q.A.
Big incestuous loop - best quote - re:content production
Popularity contests vs quality content
Massive engagement vs high quality
Ego vs fame -- ego very primal. Fame is more purposeful

For the whole show, you can watch the live stream provided by @techzulu

Live Videos by Ustream

Wordless Wednesday: Josh in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:42:00 +0000

I grabbed this photo from Lancaster Pulse Ministries, the team that Josh went to Haiti with. This is one of the soccer clinic photos.

Wordless Wednesday: Hot gooey goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Hot gooey goodness
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Nothing says summer better than s'mores.

Ingredients

1 large marshmallow
1 graham cracker
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy bar
kabob for roasting marshmallow

Directions

1. Heat the marshmallow over an open flame until it begins to brown and melt.
2. Break the graham cracker in half.
3. Layer graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker.

It's easiest to get the marshmallow off the kabob (or stick if camping) by sliding it off using gentle pressure from the top graham cracker.

His Name is AANG!

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:42:00 +0000

… as in “hang” not as in “hong”. And Sokka is sock-a (who was NOWHERE near as funny nor as concerned with food as he should have been. Jackson Rathbone needs to stick to the Twilight franchise).

Those were just the first few things that grated continuously on my nerves as I sat impatiently through The Last Airbender. I *really* wanted to ~~love~~ like this movie. I adore the series. I have been re-watching it over the last few weeks, and probably know more about it than any other middle-aged mother who’s kids have outgrown the series should.

I sat impatiently because I was waiting for it to get good. I wanted to disbelieve the reviews, it couldn’t be that bad, right? When you have such a beloved series as Avatar:The Last Airbender, you do not rewrite and eff it up!!!

That’s two hours and $20 I will never get back. I can’t believe Nickelodeon signed off on this adaptation. None of Aang’s youthful playfulness is apparent. He’s moody and confused, apparently fighting the need to grieve (which does occur, but is not Aang’s overall attitude). The genuine affection and friendship between three of the five kids trying to save the world is dismally lacking, the scene between Sokka and Yue reminded me of Amidala and Anakin “Oh Ani you’re scaring me!” (Yes, it was that ~~emotionally packed and~~ BAD).

To quote a few other people, it was rushed, the characters and story-line are not developed, you hop from one place to another and if you weren’t aware of the background or watched the series I am sure you would be lost. I was at some points.Well, it was more indignation and muttering under my breath with “he got that wrong and what the hell was he thinking and that didn’t happen and that comes later” … I’m sure you get the idea.

And of COURSE Shyamalan had to insert some twists and plot developments that weren’t in the original story. Hello, Zhao trying to assassinate Zuko? What universe did that happen in?

Momo and Appa did not get enough screen time. They are as integral to the story as any other character. Though I suppose in Book One: Water Appa doesn’t show how protective of Aang he can really be.

Save your money. If you haven’t bought the full DVD set yet, spend it on that.

And so, I leave off my tirade with …

Nickelodeon better reboot this and find another writer/director if they want the Avatar franchise to survive.

Oh, despite his over-acting, Zuko was well cast. You can only fit so much teenage angst, anger, and suffering into one character.

Starbucks has caved

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:45:00 +0000

... to the pressure of free Wi-Fi offered up by places like Panera and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. So now you can get some work done without being a card-carrying member of the Starbucks nation (of which I am one, but only because they are everywhere and I swear they put something in the mochas to make you addicted....) or without that pesky 2-hour limit (and people wonder why I tether...)

Anyway, it's a midafternoon slump, I think I'll go get some Wi-Fi, I mean coffee.

Kindle for Android

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:38:00 +0000

YESSSS!!! Took long enough. And yes I am downloading it this instant. Review to come after I have downloaded some books. You can download it now too using the QR code below.

From the Amazon website:

Shop for books in the Kindle Store optimized for your Android phone

Buy a book from the Kindle Store optimized for your Android phone and get it auto-delivered wirelessly

Search and browse more than 620,000 books, including 109 of 110 New York Times bestsellers. If you are a non-U.S. customer, book availability may vary

Find New York Times® Best Sellers and new releases from $9.99

Get free book samples. Read the beginning of books for free before you decide to buy

Books you purchase can also be read on a Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible mobile devices
Kindle newspapers, magazines and blogs are currently not available on Kindle for Android

Kindle for Android is currently available for customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States

Wordless Wednesday - How Joy Likes to wait in line

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:21:00 +0000

COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlast

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:12:00 +0000

I'm really putting myself out there for this one. I usually only post photos of myself here when I know I look good. Today, you get to see the before and after.

http://cmp.ly/2

Clean up nice, don't I?

I'm ready for my close-up

The "Before" is pre- foundation, gloss, and eye-makeup. I was given a sample of Covergirl's Smoky Shadowblast in Silver Sky to try out (http://cmp.ly/2). Now, I don't get out much to do "smoky eyes", but there was this fundraising dinner theater for Josh's trip to Haiti that I thought I would glam up a bit for.

I really appreciate that the CoverGirl Shadowblast came with instructions on the back of the package on how to create a "smoky eye" and I think I pulled it off. The one bad thing was that towards the end of the night, there was creasing and it looked really bad.

Otherwise I loved it, quick and easy to put on, the applicator fits in a small bag for the inevitable touch-up, and that amazon price is for a pack of 2.

Rdio - false advertising?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:37:00 +0000

I get so hot and bothered by new tech, it's silly sometimes. Like premature ejaculation. There is a new subscription music service on the horizon called Rdio. I signed up for an invite largely based on this photo (and some hype from friends):

See the Nexus One there next to the Blackberry? I wanted to *SQUEE* so badly for a application that launched on both iPhone and Android (OK, and RIM) with the same functionality *at the same time*. I'm not even sure if when I signed up they had the disclaimer

Rdio in your pocket.

With apps for iPhone, and BlackBerry phones, your music goes where you go — even if you're offline.

I wonder if it's just how we read the web these days or if it's user error on my part. I see a picture of three phone platforms, I sign up for an invite. I get the invite a mere two weeks later (or so, nice turn-around! faster than Google Voice and Wave)

I would've appreciated even a simple "Coming Soon" stamp over the Nexus One instead of the implication that it would be ready as soon as I got my invite (translation, who reads the not-so-fine print when the page is more graphic and call-to-action than information).

Luckily, before I finished this blast on false advertising, a few people pointed out this blog post which basically states "It's coming, but we don't know when".

Since I work as a contractor I can't really download it to test at work, and I am hardly ever on my computer at home, so the 3-day trial is wasted on me.

Any Blackberry or iPhone users out there want one of my 10 invites?

Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:03:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I've gotten to the point where eating too much makes me feel sick. and I didn't even eat that much. Went to lunch with a group of friends, had a burger, sweet potato fries (no maple butter though!), and water. I was mostly full with just half the burger and fries, but I pressed on because I didn't want to waste food, and I still felt a *little* hungry.

Now I just feel nauseous, bloated, and ill. And ready for a nap. I didn't think reducing my calorie intake would have such a huge impact on my appetite so quickly.

One Last Obstacle

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:53:00 +0000

Josh is well on his way to Haiti when the overseeing group, GPM, comes back and says that they need Josh's father's signature.

The church is being the go-between. I explain that his father has never had custody. GPM comes back with -- they still need his signature and permission.

What THE heck?! I know they are just covering their financial @$$ from being sued, but how can the non-custodial parent sue? Does he really have any rights in this area?

Wii Fit - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:17:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Well, this morning was a bust. Last night I didn't take my sleep aid, since I was sleepy from 8PM I thought I would have no trouble falling asleep. I should have gone straight to bed. Instead I ate a very healthy spinach salad (under 400 calories) that my sister made (thanks Brit!) and watched a little T.V.

Before the wave of ennui and fatigue hit my goal had been to get home, change, walk Zoe, THEN eat dinner, chill, and go to bed.

So after dinner, I watched both hours of nicktoons Avatar Extras (all the Aang you can get, plus pop-up video-esque trivia).

My alarm is set for 4:45. 15 minutes to wake up, then the proposed schedule is the Wii Fit Challenge from 5:00-5:45, then 30 minutes to get ready for work. I did it yesterday, mostly. Today, I kept hitting snooze and my brain didn't engage until panic mode at 5:45 when I jumped out of bed ... and made sloth-like progress through my shower and dressing. Luckily I was given a ride in to work and slept literally all the way in. Hope I didn't snore.

So, to make up for this morning I am considering eating at my desk and taking advantage of the Bonaventure's indoor track to walk for 30 minutes.

I refuse to beat myself up over perceived failures (fighting my natural Type-A overachiever nature is NOT easy) and just move forward, making better choices today.

Wii Fit - Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:37:00 +0000

So... I've been using this app from fatsecret.com called calorie counter and it's really nifty, and enlightening. I set it up to help me limit my calories to lose one pound a week. Unfortunately I seem to be gaining according to my weigh-ins. I've mentioned before how much I hate my scale. ...
Well, the other cool thing about fatsecret is the community and challenges. Today I did my first day of the Wii Fit challenge. I bought a Wii fit on sale almost 2 years ago and have never used it. Josh bugs/teases/nagged me about it all the time, not that he wants a "hot mama", but for some reason he wants me looking my best when we're in public together.
I digress. The challenge is 45 minutes on your Wii fit daily for six weeks. I did 17. I am not beating myself up 1) because I woke up late 2) it was more aerobic exercise than I've had in a while 3) I'm still motivated to do it again tomorrow.
I know for a fact that I started gaining weight at alarming (to me) rate when I went back to work. A desk job has really increased my bottom line. And frankly, when a size 14 feels snug, it's time to get off my ass and lose some of this weight. Health issues with other family members are also great incentive. I want to be around to be a healthy, active grandparent one of these days in the far future.
So here's to a new challenge, lifestyle changes, and more energy.
~~blogged from my phone.

Photo Friday: Aqua

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:21:00 +0000

My recent trip to Sea World came to mind when I saw this week's photo challenge. We took a lot of pictures and video using a Kodak zi8 and my Nikon d80. This shot came off the Kodak since it was easiest for me to get to. The beluga whale always looks like it has a smile on its face.

Suggested Title: Why I get up at 5 in the morning

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Transit Flicks Video Contest: "Lights…camera…you! The “Transit Flicks” video contest is your chance to show the world what you like best about riding buses and trains in Los Angeles County.

All you have to do is create a brief video – 2 minutes maximum – that explains how transit helps you and encourages others to try it."

I wonder if riding Metrolink counts ... I think some members of the #5ambc should totally do this. A free pass for a year would save a lot of $$$.

Photo Friday: Arranged

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:21:00 +0000

I was going to do a flower arrangement because that's what first popped into my head, but then I couldn't find one that I really liked. Then I thought I would do something completely new, but again was at a loss for a subject. This morning I was making waffles. It turned out that there was 1/4 left from one and the last of the batter only made a 3/4 waffle. I put it on the plate and voila! A Pac-Man like creation "arranged" on the plate. More fun than flowers any way.

Activia Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:39:00 +0000

So, I'm a little tired of IBS, bloating, and generally feeling like crap. Or waking up with a ~~mostly~~ flat tummy and being bloated and uncomfortable by lunch time. I decided to take the Activia Challenge.

I actually started around the 18th or a little before, but I haven't been eating one every day like you're supposed to. Today I signed up on the website (hey, there's a coupon involved). ~~Maybe~~ I will use the tracker. Though the environmental geek in me is wondering "Why isn't there an app for that? Why make me waste paper? Then I have to carry it around" -- because, you know, I don't eat it at the same time every day. Here's to breakfast. And hopefully less IBS crap.

Digestive Tip Of The Day

Exercise regularly and abstain from smoking. While most people know that exercise offers overall health benefits, most people don’t know that it’s good for your digestive tract, too.†

† Source: www.dannonprobioticscenter.com

Unusual May Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:22:00 +0000

It was a dark and stormy. .. day. It rained in L.A. today. Usually it's hot, OK 75-80 degrees F and people are looking forward to swimming pools opening over the Memorial Day weekend. I'm still wearing my winter coat and not overheated at all.

Yes, that is a light dusting of snow on the foothills. Summer, where art thou?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday -- The Washer Women at Ren Fair really know how to give a guy a good time.

Eat well dessert?

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:02:00 +0000

Eat well dessert?
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Since Fresh&Easy doesn't have a dessert line out for "Eat Well" yet, I
took matters into my own hands : -) Lunch was the creamy basil
chicken. Dessert is the no sugar added, gluten free French vanilla
pudding. It even has 4g of protein and only 110 calories. Bon
appetite!

~~blogged from my phone

Chicken curry salad sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Annette) — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:37:00 +0000

Chicken curry salad sandwich
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Yesterday I had lunch at Mendocino Farms with Oakley . Thank goodness I have a foodie for a friend. This sandwich was amazing.

roasted chicken breast with green apples and dried cherries in a light mango curry dressing (no mayo), cucumber, organic farmer's market greens (like a spring mix), cranberry chutney, red pepper compote on curcama hazelnut bread

I had to eat it in two sittings it was so filling. I've never had curcama hazelnut bread before, and I am not a huge fan of hazelnuts, but it worked for this sandwich.

By the way, what is curcama? I couldn't find anything in English that wasn't related to either stress or GI cleansing when I looked it up.

Musings -- Get Inside My Head

Wordless Wednesday: OMSI 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday Zoey

Sleep Deprivation

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Desert sunset after a storm

DigitalLA and Digg present Crowd Source to Curation recap

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Wordless Wednesday: Josh in Haiti

Wordless Wednesday: Hot gooey goodness

His Name is AANG!

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Starbucks has caved

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Kindle for Android

Wordless Wednesday - How Joy Likes to wait in line

COVERGIRL Smoky ShadowBlast

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Rdio - false advertising?

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All A Twitter – by Tee Morris

SQUEEEEE!!!!! Fan-girl fainteth

Star Trek *SQUEEEEE!!!!*

Lunch

One Last Obstacle

Wii Fit - Day 2

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Wii Fit - Day 1

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Photo Friday: Aqua

Suggested Title: Why I get up at 5 in the morning

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Photo Friday: Arranged

Activia Challenge

Unusual May Weather

Eat well dessert?

Chicken curry salad sandwich

Star Trek SQUEEEEE!!!!