I guess it's a little less overt than a facebook update...

It's been awhile...

My attention is elsewhere. I share most of my discoveries and thoughts on our People Ideas & Culture Facebook page. please join us there!

I'm so glad that places like this survive

I have no idea how. But I'm thankful I can still go in and buy a hamentashen for $1.50






Others aren't as fortunate. I bid a fond farewell to the book store where gay pride began...

Family bonding

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Friday the 13th

This is the first time I can remember that we have 2 Friday the 13ths in a row? Both February and March bring us Friday the 13th this year... Jason must be psyched

Windows Live does something cool

http://farecast.live.com/

Of course it's done the usual way: they didn't create the site--they bought it out. But it's still cool and useful.

ADAM in the tents at NY Fashion Week

NYC Rooftop Honey

At the Union Square greenmarket on Saturday I met the "Bee Man" who harvests honey on a rooftop in Manhattan. Good for the threatened bee population; bad for bee stings. The honey is delicious.

Barack's "Body" brands

Barack has a "Body Man" named Reggie Love who watches out for him and his needs, big and small. Now that Barack is president with "the whole world in your hand" as Rev. Joseph Lowery addressed him in the benediction, the small details make all the difference. According to Brian Williams, Regee carries Chapstick, Purell, and several Sharpie pens among other things. I wonder what he carries it in. I looked for images of a man purse, tote or sport bag but haven't yielded anything yet.

Apparently, Barack also recognized value in Reggie's music acumen. [sourced from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/us/politics/27reggie.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin]

After the Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia in April, Mr. Obama borrowed a move from the rapper Jay-Z and mimed brushing off his shoulders, but it was Mr. Love who had uploaded his music to the senator’s iPod in the first place — a silver Nano that he bought the senator for his 46th birthday.

“So I’ve gotten pretty fond of Jay-Z,” Mr. Obama said. “He’s broadened my horizons in the hip-hop world.”

Bush's last minute note to Obama

I'm watching the inauguration and during the anchor banter while the car brigade drove to the ceremony, they mentioned that Bush's last word of "advice" to Obama would reside on a note left in the Oval Office. I can't even imagine what this would say...

Sustainable NYC

Here are two ways I think NYC can salvage our still somewhat decent air and grab new opportunities.

1. We all love buying our christmas tree from the friendly woman with dreadlocks who lives in her pop-up shop with her dog from the day after Thanksgiving til Christmas Eve. But wouldn't she be horrified to see the pile of post-holiday casualties lying on the sidewalk for the trash pick-up?

I think there must be a great business opportunity and a value associated with the wood and/or the pine from these seasonal disposals.
Efficient: There is a definitive window of time that these trees are available for what could be a great next gig so someone could source their assets in a 2-week window.
Retain Value: most people keep their trees in the stands they come with, filled with water, so they remain somewhat fresh and ready for what's next.
Plus, wouldn't it make you feel better and less likely to leave your tree up into the new year?

2. On an excursion to Fat Cat for some ping pong last week, I approached the bar to order a drink and saw that everyone was carrying away multiple cans of cheap beer when Fat Cat offers so much good beer on tap. Of course they were offering a special on cans. That beer special produced so much waste: both the cans and the time wasted collecting and recycling the cans (if they even do). If bars would limit the special prices to beer on tap, they would produce so much less waste. I realize that the time it takes to pull a can from a fridge is much less labor-intensive than pouring a beer from a tap -- so one could argue that they turn a better profit with the disposable container -- but what about the time it takes to take the trash out and then mop up the trail the garbage leaves behind on its way out the door.

Yelp

Yelp is a planner's [not-so-secret] weapon to get consumer insights, real-quick. I used Yelp like crazy to search topics, stores, brands and products during our MAS Bootcamp. I even registered to become a "yelper" to be authentic and be a part of this "yelp community."

A few days ago I was thirsty and thinking of the soda I was introduced to by our Northern European contingency, called Bionade. The company has expanded to the US and I was able to taste it at Suppenkuche in SF's Hayes Valley. I loved it and apparently keep thinking about it.

Wondering where I could find it in NYC, I jumped on to ask my "Yelp Community." Well, no wonder it's such a wealth of insights. People are constantly logged in, waiting for questions, comments -- and what I learned was the mandate to be a "real yelper": the review.

Within 5 minutes, I had 12 comments, none helpful. Here are a few of the comments:

• "Is this like gatorade...only bionic?"
• "Is it biodegradable pomade?"
• "I thought it's read "blonade," which I was assuming was either some coke infused energy drink, or a drink that merely dumbs you down..."

And then the conversation got interrupted when I was asked to write a review. Then a few people commented:

• "no reviews = no respect".
• "when we see the little zero [number of reviews] turn to '1' we'll all come running."

not even 5 minutes later...

"Did it turn? Did it turn?
Nope."

Peer pressured, I did write a review with my limited knowledge of the beverage and still don't know where to buy the soda. All I can hope is that I've gained some respect from the Yelp Community.

Danny, Uncle Jessie, Uncle Joey.. the Olsen Twins

Playing tourist during my bonus days when I couldn't fly back to NYC because of weather conditions, I happened upon the "Full House" houses:

And the famous Orphan Annie's. Many nights ended here. The best banana pancakes.

I love NYC, but for one last time...

As I catch up on the stack of New York Magazines from the beginning of October (I started with the brilliant "Reasons to love New York" issue for obvious reasons) I realized I wanted to reflect on my favorites of San Francisco to revel in a lovely city.

I thought I'd do a top 10 to pay homage to Dave Letterman, to show Pascal that I can rank things and because creating a limit forces me to have a clear point of view.

10. Muni, mainly because it goes underground and above, but also because the system is contingent on the honor system (except when they want to bring in some cash and release the ticket-checkers, many whom you begin to recognize after a day of muni travel.)
9. Ocean beach. Java Beach Cafe makes this beach even better.
8. Fisherman's Wharf. Actually, I hated it, but it fascinated me and I loved how it made me feel like I had stepped into a bad 80s horror film and was frightened, yet laughing, as I wandered through.
7. Boulange. The only franchise I like. They should provide WIFI though.
6. Bar Jules, Cafe Soleil, RNM, Zazi, Magnolia. Sorry, I didn't want to have to choose a favorite restaurant. Here are a few of the ones I really loved.
5. The grilled cheese at the Hog Island Oyster Bar
4. The Ferry Building : the perfect place for "man-on-the-street" interviews
3. Pluots, Boont Amber Ale, California Chardonnay (who knew chardonnay was good?)
2. Happening upon things like 826 Valencia on my favorite street in SF: Valencia Street (and its overflow on cross streets like 16th and 18th)
1. The People

Dog Tags

2008 MAS Bootcamp SF is over.
Some highlights:

• Mijnte's cellphone and the sharp tool it required to answer a call
• The Kells bartender
• La Boulange
• Ugly Pants Inc.
• The introductory package Thorben received by post
  
• Working on my portfolio with Alex and Stephy
• Scoring a group meeting in the coveted "couch area"
• Our teachers: Matthew Milan, Suha Araj, Lisa Welch, Scott MacMaster & Hamish Chandra, Jill and Angela
  

I heart strategic planning.
I heart San Francisco.
I heart the creative minds who inspired me the last 12 weeks.

Print Panic

All was calm with final portfolio creation, until it comes time to print.

"Why is page 2 next to page 8?"

I want to take part in a usability study for indesign and give them a piece of my mind. I mean what's the point of creating print design if you can't manage to lay it out appropriately paper?

Maybe it's just concern behind the finality of what we're creating and we use the painful print process as a chance to panic about having to be 'done'.

Here's some fun with Stephy's "Single ladies" glove during hours of work....

Prop 8 The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Miami Ad School Account Planning Bootcamp

While there are many complaints and doubts about the value and organization of the bootcamp program, I think the structure of the program is actually our best learning tool. Just like planning, it's up to us to dig to find the insights and understanding in order to garner strategic prowess. Similarly stated in one of my first blog posts, the ideas are all around us -- we just have to realize they're there. I love how everything I see, hear, smell, touch and taste will make me a better planner; there is no such thing as a waste of time.

Martha, Vincent and Becky -- my final team -- working on our branding campaign for Microsoft

Israeli Tourism

This billboard is up in SOMA. The copy says "Different from the Israel in the News." There are 5 women walking, reminiscent of Sex and the City ads. There is no web site or anything listed. Has anyone seen ads like this anywhere else?

Photos from Passi's visit