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10/3/2007 Moved my main blogWell, it's actually been a little bit and since I haven't updated this site in a while, I figured I should check back and let my reader :) know that I've officially moved.
I'm now blogging over at Vox: http://rollingalong.vox.com/ Where I talk about my PR world and everything else. So if you are interested in hearing about new devices from HTC, what's going on at Amazon.com, new Microsoft SPOT products or recently the world of HD TV as brought to you by Texas Instruments DLP division - that's where to go.
It's been a little slow starting, and getting the time to get going but I'll get there so have some patience. Perhaps I'll jump back here though every once in a while..... okay maybe not.
6/21/2007 Clearwire Leaves A Dirty TasteI regularly read Lockergnome and Chris Pirillo and saw this in the morning about problems he's had with Clearwire. I use clearwire at home because it just seemed like the obvious choice because I don't have cable, nor do I have LAN service, basically I just have my mobile phone. It really sucks to see this because I've had a positive experience, especially when there was a recent outage and they were very diligent in helping me out. The big caveat is however, based on Chris's experience and his desire to leave but being trapped into a contract makes me a little wary about signing up for another term. I've just started my two year contact with them so I have a lot of time and I hope my view of customer service continues. I'm a big advocate for customer service and there are places that I just won't support because the customer service flat out SUCKS. If I like you, I'll tell everyone and highly recommend you. In some instances however, I'm a slave to the goods and services they have - like how Chris is stuck in his contract. I think as a consumer, we have that right to demand a good experience. I work way to hard for my money and save up for those big purchases. I take my purchasing decisions VERY seriously and if you want my loyalty, I think you should too. There are a few places that I haven't stepped foot in for years, mainly BestBuy, Wal-Mart and Safeway. It's a shame because for all of those, I usually end up spending a great deal of money and pretty regularly. Ultimately not sure if they even care because there are just as many people who do shop there but if asked, I wouldn't recommend any of those and would be more apt to point out their competition first. And yes, I don't mind to pay a little bit more. Quote Clearwire Leaves A Dirty Taste ~ Windows Fanatics 6/20/2007 Cyber-BullyingThis is an interesting story that portrays the guy as the villain here, while the sweet innocent young lady is the victim. I don't buy it because I think there are a TON of holes in this story and of course, she's fighting back with her own media revenge. Is this a case of three wrongs not making it right? Could this have been cleared up by a simple phone call to his former roommate or did he do that? Should both just cut their losses and move on? I will say this if she's seriously scared of random and likely anonymous threats, she's not that web savvy in the first place. I know I've seen a thread before in the blogosphere about some of the a-listers who have had death threats. Logically, it's like sending a hand-written death threat via snail on your personal stationary....not that threatening. Quote WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news, weather, sports and video - Man faces cyber-bullying felo 2/13/2007 RCRG Season 3 is almost UNDERWAY!!!! Seaons starts February 24! It's going to be a hard year because I'm taking some time off but I'll be a full-time coach for the Throttle Rockets and definitely looking forward to it. But rest assured.....I'll be BACK!
2/8/2007 Talking about Edwards’s Bloggers Cross the Line, Critic Says - New York TimesOUCH! Good to know the continued tight hold that religion has on politics. Sorry Mr. Edwards but if you are going to move forward with a Web 2.0 friendly campaign that embraces, you can't cripple under pressure when a few conservative groups complain about the help. What this says to me is you aren't willing to make a solid stand behind your convictions. If you can't stand behind what you do and you are going to buckle under public criticism do you think for ONE second that would make a good President of the United States of America? Quote Edwards’s Bloggers Cross the Line, Critic Says - New York Times 1/30/2007 Pink is SO hot!Yes, I'm a big fan of Pink. I'm still not digging the Windows Live Spaces - sorry but it still seems like a closed network. I don't feel any compelling reason to keep this up to date but I'm not sure if I like anything else out there. Perhaps I'm just too lazy but I would like to think that I just don't have time, and what little time I do have there's a ton of stuff I'd rather be doing.
What has happened lately??? Well the Consumer Electronics has come and gone. It's one of those shows that you prepare for months in advance and it's always crazy insane leading up to it but when it's done, it's done. It seems like it happened a year ago but it was less than 3 weeks ago! Crazy.... I can't say I saw anything incredibly compelling although the plasma and LCD tvs were pretty cool. I've got a rear-projection large screen TV that for now fits the bill. I know I could go all crazy and get something that has a crystal clear gorgeous view but for me and the hubby, it's just fine. We watch a lot of movies and play video games and viewing on a big screen with surround sound speakers set up gives us just a good experience as if we had a plasma or LCD TV.
Speaking of video games, I got my husband an Xbox 360 for Christmas and we both love it. He loves the Need For Speed game and I like playing the Legos Star Wars II trilogy. It's truly a fun game where you play a Star Wars lego character! I've also heard great things about Dead Rising - I think that's the name - so looking forward to picking that up and killing zombies in the mall. As a caveat, I do PR for Microsoft so this is no way an endorsement for their products because I don't work on the Xbox account but I do like to support Microsoft as a whole. We also have a PS2, but I don't play that too much and couldn't really afford the PS3. The WII is another story though and I do really want one of those. I've been flirting with getting the Nintendo DS for quite a while but haven't plopped down the money. I have a Sony PSP and for the most part I really like it but I have to admit, I think they are not at all a customer-centric company and that always bothers me.
I bought it because it was the most advanced handled at the time, and to some extent I think it still is especially with regards to the games, but the way they've locked down the device and not been supportive with a large community that wants to extend the device beyond just a gaming platform wasn't very....well good. I know there are rumors of the next version but I think the PSP I currently have will be the last one that I get from Sony. My husband bought me a few games for Christmas and I have to admit I'm not really digging them too much. Sorry, honey but buying your wife a PSP video game for Christmas is probably NOT a good gift regardless of how much gaming she does. And yes, I also broke down and bought a Zune. My Creative labs Zen was on the downslide, with increasingly lower battery life and there was really no way I was going to invest in the disposable iPod. So I wanted to see what the fuss was all about and talked to a few people - non MS of course - and decided that's what I wanted. So far so good because the experience has been fabulous. I think loading the songs were incredibly easy and the sound - with the same crappy earphones I used with the Zen - is surprisingly better. I like the format and the screen beautifully displays the cover art. I haven't downloaded anything from the marketplace. I actually think I have a free trial subscription but I haven't activated that yet. I'm of the mentality that I like to own my own music and have a ton of CDs and still buy CDs - despite analyst projections that the music industry is going downhill fast. I listen to a lot of local bands, so I try and grab their CD at the show if available.
The only thing that I don't like about the Zune is the battery life isn't as good as the Creative Labs player. Of course, adding color and a larger screen are all factors that lesson the life of the battery. I had it very good with my Zen, which could last at least 3 days or more with sporadic listening throughout. It's my at work device. I have to admit that I paid full-price not that long ago, so was really dismayed to see that some local places are now selling it for $168....d'oh. Oh well, that's the price you pay for jumping too soon.
Our Rollergirl season is just getting ready to start. We all went down to Portland this past weekend to play Rose City Rollergirls and I was very impressed with how much Rose City has improved. Well done, ladies! I look forward to how you will place in the upcoming Dust Devil for sure. Our team, Throttle Rockets, unfortunately lost our match to the Break Neck Betties, but the rest of the Rat City crew squeezed out on top. It's going to be a good year for BOTH leagues, I'm sure. I'm actually not playing this year but rather trying my hand at coaching for a variety of reasons. I'm enjoying it so far and I hope my team is too. It's going to be a good year for the Throttle Rockets.
Until later, I'll stop now while I'm ahead.
10/5/2006 Oh my....So I started writing this long post updating that I was happy to actually be back and was excited about seeing some new changes on MSN Spaces and then.... I LOST THE FREAKING POST..... I feel like one of those cell phone commercials when you drop a call. However, when you drop a call you can just CALL THE PERSON BACK you moron. When you lose a post, it's gone. Your thoughts, pontificating brilliantly (yeah, like you'll know) are POOF, up in smoke. I can't get them back - and yes, I tried the magical BACK button.
Nothing... natta...upsoyo (how i spell korean phonetically)
I talked about how hectic my life feels, not in a bad way but in a "i've got no time to myself" kinda way. My point was my most recent cop incident - but I'm sure you don't want to know about that. All in all it turned out on a great note - well besides the fact that I felt like a moron.
Anyway, what I was attempting to do was add a photo of our yard. So before I go any further let me hit the SAVE button.... Eureka, it worked! My point was Wes and I got to do some yard work this weekend and it felt so good to be in the yard. We even figured out what we wanted to do in the front - a never ending project - with a Japanese style patio deck and a stream going into a fountain etc...
Here's the fountain we already have in the front - it's MUCH larger than the next one which will actually come out on the side of the house going into a zen garden Wes is going to build.
I'm going to keep exploring MSN Spaces to make a determination on whether I will stay or not. Speaking of which, I had the weirdest dream actually it was a day dream while I was exhausted and relaxing in the hot tub on a beautiful early fall/late summer night, a while ago about a blog I wanted to do. It was brilliant (yeah, again like you'll know) but unfortunately it hinged on the availability of a URL, which didn't pan out.
7/27/2006 Still hereYes, I'm still here. Who knows, I may just string myself along for a while before I "get off the pot" as they say. And no, I'm not talking about the 4/20 green stuff but rather the other pot ya piss in.
Have you seen, been working with clients on a new wiki: www.htcwiki.com. So far so good :) It's really to help provide that out of box experience for HTC devices. What's an HTC device you say? Wow, it's only one of the largest Windows Mobile Smartphone manufacturers out there! I don't blame you for not knowing. Frankly, they are what you call an ODM - that's Original Design Manufacturer. They make stuff and other people put their branding on it.
I would give you another example but I can't think of any and I'm going to be late for a meeting.
If you get a chance read: Animals in Translation - WONDERFUl book. And if you haven't seen The World's Fastest Indian - run out REAL fast and buy it because you'll want to own that one. You don't even need to like motorcycles to really appreciate that one.
ciao for now 7/26/2006 I'm moving....well virtuallyNo big news here really, especially for the two people who read this blog. Anyway, I've made the decision to officially move off of this crackerjack space and have my OWN domain name and devote some time on my upcoming sabbatical to get that fire in my belly and actually blog about what I want to blog about.
Where am I going..... crap, I have no idea but I've been doing some checking....
Available domain space:
betweenuschickens
girlnamedsue
suebedoo
itsjustmacaroni (don't ask)
justrollingalong
And of course there are others but this will be a relatively anonomous blog for a variety of reasons. I have the need to vent and my life sometimes doesn't permit the venting that i need in a public forum. The whole purpose of ME having a blog is to talk about whatever I want. Sometimes I have the need in my personal life to censor myself - it's not a bad thing but merely to protect the innocent around me. I'm not a bad person but I do have a lot of silly pet peeves. ;) For instance, did you know it drives me NUTZ when people wear running shoes with jeans - or khakis, or any kind of non-athletic attire - well shorts are OK, to an extent. Now I'm not talking keds or converse or the like - the trendy athletic poser shoes that everyone wears - i'm talking RUNNING shoes that are meant to be used for RUNNING.
I have no idea where this irrational peeve comes from, but jeez people = it really makes me cringe! It's especially bad when i have to go over to Microsoft campus for any reason because I think it's required attire in some areas of Redmond....
Anyway, I may or I may NOT give you an update on my progress. Or perhaps, I'll just be gone. If you really care, you'll be able to find me.
6/30/2006 On MSN spaces too long??Starting this blog on MSN Spaces was an experiment shortly after they started. I feel like I'm totally done with this site now and really want to pack my bags and go elsewhere.
Here's my questions..... Where should I go? What should I focus on (or not) What should I call it? acctually for people who know me, the common sense of sue really makes sense :)
Gnomedex and Senator EdwardsI'm sitting here at Gnomedex 6.0 listening to a discussion between attendees and Senator John Edwards. It's exhilirating and Mitch Radcliffe said if Edwards runs for president he should provide a free seat on the bus for someone whose going to record everything that takes place - i.e. blogging, podcasting or some form of new media.
What a great thought really. Chris Pirillo even chimed in and suggested he also encourage the other side to do that too. In order for it to really consume the American population it needs to come from both sides really.
Edwards highlighted that somehow if you could find a way to follow around a presidential candidate in an entertaining way it would be a gold mine. I couldn't agree more although it's a sad state of affairs that we have to "American Idol" ize the election process. Can you just imagine...So you want to be the next President, premiering on ABC sponsored by Coke....
He's making the plea for us to make the rest of the American public aware of this space and how we can use it to empower citizens to get involved. He wants the bloggers/podcasters and this tech crowd to open up the political process through blogging. And NOW the conversation has started.
6/19/2006 Redwood Run, Gnomedex and other thingsI got back last week from the 29th Annual Redwood Run Rally in Piercy, California. It was nothing short of FUN and entertainment had by all, although I was the one who ended up with the crumpled tortilla chips in my sleeping bag - thanks Bruce! I'll be planning my revenge for next year though..... [insert evil laugh]
I do feel like it's taken me too much time to really get back in the swing of things, mostly because things never really slowed down and now I'm left feeling like I'm playing extreme catch-up. We have another roller derby bout this weekend that I'm very much looking forward to. I've somewhat fully recovered from my right knee, however I strained my MCL in my left knee recently and still have some recovery time yet but it's feeling really good. In short because of a knee brace that helps to stabilize it.
Among other things, Gnomedex is right around the corner and based on everything else going on this summer is going to ZOOM by at amazing speeds. Whatever happened to the Lazy Days of Summer?
Lastly, I finally bought my airline tickets to go back home and visit the folks this summer! I hate the whole process of buying ariline tickets - they make it seem like a shot in the dark of getting that ideal flight. Well it doesn't help either when you are searching through your mileage plan! I suppose if I could afford to fly I wouldn't need a mileage plan. The good news is I'll get home in time to have dinner with my Dad for his birthday! I haven't been home in over two years, or it may actually be closer to three. What a bad daughter :(.
5/22/2006 Motorcycle Safety MonthMay is Motorcycle Safety Month so if you've ever been interested in riding, you should check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for classes. I took the course years ago and found it to be essential for new riders or for someone who hasn't ridden in a long time. In general, being safe on the road while riding is NOT just about being safe in your own actions but you also have to anticipate and react to the idiotic nature of caged riders who plague our roads today. You've seen them: the lady in the big SUV putting her makeup on, or the BMW driver with the "broken" turn signals or the person who doesn't know how to merge properly and expects everyone to just let him in.
Anyway, I see these drivers every day on the road. I think since riding a motorycle I've picked up a sense about drivers - I know instinctively which ones to avoid and I always trust my instinct. The thing that gets me is the way people look at YOU as if you're the threat. Trust me lady, if my bike and your SUV get into a collision I don't think you'll bear the brunt of it. With that said and on behalf of friends of mine who have died or been seriously injured because of a negligent driver of a 4-wheeled vehicle, I give you this poem sent to me by a good friend and fellow biker:
The Truth About Bikers hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. change your mind about going into the restaurant. attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief. roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by. driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window. frown at me when I smiled at your children. when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.
stare at my long hair. But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.
roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves. But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none. look in fright at my tattoos. But, you didn't see me, cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart. change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family. complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane. yelling at your kids in the car. But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me. reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.
race down the road in the rain. But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.
run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.
cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But, you didn't see me, leave the road. waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there. go home to your family. But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off. A person with friends and a family. But, you didn't see me. 4/12/2006 Heart of Colossus FailsI grew up in the Northern Kentucky area and was always a huge fan of the Cincinnati Zoo. As a young girl, my parents had got season passes to the zoo and it's always been on spot I like to go whenever I do travel home. In sad news today, Colossus, the 40-year old, silverback gorilla died of cardiac arrest. It seriously makes me want to cry because I remember visiting him as a young girl and my young niece, who always called him "Joe" from the Almighty Joe Young movie, was also a big fan. Obviously it's not like losing a close friend or family member, but animals have always held a special place in my heart, especially those in captivity. There are many zoos that I will not frequent because of the sad and despicable conditions the animals have to endure through no fault of their own. However, I've always been impressed with the Cincinnati zoo and not only their treatment and facilities for the animals but also for their incredible efforts in helping replenish animals on the brink of extinction. I remember a long time ago some work that a researcher was doing, very successfully I might add, to help bring the population of the near extinct black rhino in Africa. To my knowledge, her work was incredibly advanced and there was lots of progress made throughout the years. It is important to note that while the Cincinnati Zoo was an important piece of this and other research they also work closely with most of the other zoos in the country. Together they are having success to help replenish species that humans have almost completely eradicated.
In the memory of Colossus, please support your local zoo - he really would have wanted it that way. Quote The Enquirer - Heart of Colossus Fails 4/10/2006 Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate - New York TimesIn the New York Times today, comes an interesting article about young officers leaving the Army at a High Rate. While that's a very interesting ratio, I'm more interested in the NCO or enlisted ranks leaving the Army. Although Officers do serve a purpose in the military, having been on the enlisted side I've always found it hard to figure that out. The officers who I've had the most respect and admiration for where those officers who were previously enlisted. They understand what it means to lead troops and they do it from a do as I do rather than as I say approach which is more common from the West Point officers.
Anyway, all in all, if you have ever served any time in the military you wouldn't blame them for getting the education, serving the minimum and then getting the hell outta dodge. Quote
4/6/2006 In the blogger's loungeI'm currently here in the CTIA bloggers lounge and Jake Luddington is interviewing Steve Largent, who is currently the CEO of CTIA. Incidently, he's also an NFL hall of famer who played for the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years. It's kind of cool. His major priority in the wireless industry is helping ensure it's not over-regulated. Given the way the government acts - especially in light of current FCC rulings - I have to say it sounds like an impossible task. Of course never say never.
Jake just touched on a controversial topic in light of recent studies linking cancer to cellular phone usage. Personally studies are really only so reliable and I think this issue could come more to light in say...10 years or more. Makes me think of another major industry that's "responsible" for lung cancer and the fire they continue to come under. I recently read the US News and World Report issue that highlights the possibility of a cancer vaccine. It's a good article with lots of hope for the future, so you should read.
4/4/2006 CTIA 06I'm here in Fabulous Las Vegas :) for the annual CTIA 2006 wireless conference and looking forward to meeting some new people. Tonight Waggener Edstrom is hosting a blogger's lounge and is opening up today with a blogger meetup at 7PM tonight. Jake Luddington from the Chris Pirillo show will be there among others and we'll have some products from our growing list of clients, which is also very cool. Right now I'm hanging out in my room at the Hard Rock Hotel. The place is really cool with all the interesting memorabilia and atmosphere. I especially like the flat tv screen in my room - it's about a 36" so very cool for a very spacious room.
The only thing that sucked is I got up ridiculously early in order to catch an 8AM flight and since I generally don't sleep well and packing is not one of my strong skills, I only managed to catch about three hours of sleep.
Whenever I travel, I end up staying up way to late because I'm not used to having cable. As soon as I turned on the TV upon entering my room the Colbert Report was on and I really wished I was able to watch that on a regular basis. Of course when I go home, I'll forget about it so I try and not get too attached. With the precious little time I have left to myself, I already watch too much tv as it is.
On another note, I've been very random in my blog postings lately - mostly because I've been so busy and my home computer is not cooperating at the moment, which is another story. However, I'm going to refocus my blog and start to have more of a theme. What that is, I'm not sure. But I hope to nail that down soon.
3/24/2006 Friday Rant - Why I've had it with most PR bloggersFirst of all let me explain that I’m in PR, but I don’t at all consider this a “PR blog.” I may on occasion talk about PR issues, but mostly I just say what I want to say. For me, this is an experience, personal and professional but its solely for me. I’m not in a habit of blogging about my employer, or my clients. I’m not so grandiose to think that every blogger (or anyone for that fact) is hanging on my every word. What’s even more ridiculous is there are PR “bloggers” out there who think just that. I’ve ran across those people in the PR industry who are more interested in their own personal fame and in telling everyone what they think but when it comes to really listening they fall incredibly short. If you aren’t listening to what your client really wants and infusing that with what you believe they need, then you aren’t doing that client any justice. I’ve had to work long and hard on my listening skills, not just from a work perspective but personal as well. In doing so, you become more astute at how other people listen (or don’t in many cases). In short, most PR bloggers I’ve ran across are more about self-aggrandizing and pontificating their view of things in a PR-vein that it serves nobody’s purpose but their own. CAVEAT: I realize this is a huge generalization and I do know that there are lots of great PR blogs out there but I don’t have the time, nor the energy to seek them out. I would rather read about my friend Mike’s adventures in Mormon Porn (don’t ask you would really have to know him to truly understand). Unfortunately, he’s on MySpace and I hate that site. Not because I’m on MSNSpaces – that has it’s own challenges and difficulties – but merely because it’s incredibly difficult to navigate and find things. Mike is an incredibly talented writer with a creative mind. Plus I’ve known him for well over 10 years, okay it’s probably more like 15 but who’s counting. We’ve kept an ongoing relationship and keeps me up on what’s been happening in the ‘hood where I used to play as a young adult. The hood is Cincinnati, once a bright and thriving night culture that despite random occurences was relatively safe. Now, I doubt I would go there without a large group and wouldn’t stay too late. He’s still a DJ and works at the Cincinnati Public Library, although he really should be doing some creative writing somewhere. The weird thing is I haven’t heard from him in a while and I sent him a quick email today because I ran across this really interesting blog that immediately made me think of him. Those kinds of actions, to me, are more of a social network than MySpace. However, as a DJ that is probably the best place for him to be. So yes, got off topic of why PR bloggers annoy me. Why state the obvious of how blogs or “new media” are changing the way we do our jobs? Most people should know that, especially if they are reading your blog. Don’t tell ME, tell the clients who are keeping you in business. At the end of the day, aren’t they the ones who are paying you to help them? Yeah, it would be awesome if I got paid to sit around troll all the “a-listers” and make myself look larger than life because that wouldn’t be too hard. I’m actually glad that several of our agency leaders haven’t started an external blog because I get more of an inside scoop reading about it on our intranet. Plus, they really are way too busy for that. And the leaders that do have an outside voice, like Lynann, do so in such a way that compliments what we are doing internally. It goes back to why I blog – to learn, to experience and to have my own voice about what I want to talk about and PR is not really that interesting to write about. 3/23/2006 And the beat goes onRoller Derby, New business and growing opportunities is my current world, so it doesn't ever seem to be letting up soon. But that's a good thing. I sustained a knee injury from the Tuscon Tourney and haven't given it a chance to heal, reinjured it and have to miss yet another game. Very frustrating indeed but my own fault.
Things are going great at home, when I'm there, and I'm trying to think about timing for my upcoming sabbatical this year. It's going to happen, just don't know when.
I FINALLY registered for this year's Gnomedex and that's something I'm very excited about, which seems weird because it's like going to a conference for work reasons. While that's the case, I have the opportunity to use my education dollars to attend which means I can sit there and listen to the dynamic speakers that Chris assembles and learn. I also get to meet folks who I would never have been given the opportunity in any other venue.
Yes, boring and minor post, I know. I've got to get back into the swing of things somehow but overall life is good. Well except for major annoyances this week but that's not anything I want to mention here. |
I'm not sure about you but I just want to hug Robert - the bunny to the left. Apparently he's been terrorizing his local town by eating all their veggies. |
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