Tons of events, corporate sponsors, dedicated fans, traffic, people descending from all parts of the country and world, and lots of bright lights. Super Bowl? No, it's a political convention. I'm on my way to Denver for the DNC convention, and it feels like I'm going to a Super Bowl weekend.
I've been to Super Bowl a few times and the weeks leading up to it are always spent figuring out which events to go to, how to snag a hotel room, securing a rental car in a scarce market, and coordinating with friends and acquaintances who are going to be in the event city. This week has been no different and I'm amazed at how similar the lead-up to the two events has felt.
Former veterans of their craft are everywhere, talking heads will abound, and the real bigwigs are determined by who can get tickets to which events and parties. Sounds like Super Bowl to me.
High Tech, Low Tech, and On-line Afflictions
Technology
The iPad Changes Everything
After just 24 hours I'm more impressed with this device then I thought
I would be and that says something because I was already sure it was a
game changer. Most of the time when you have high expectations for a
restaurant, movie, or gadget they rarely match and never exceed – but the
iPad delivered.
Here are a few wow moments for me so far.
VIDEO: I know Jobs has influence over Disney but I'm still blown away by the free application ABC put out that allows you to watch in beautiful HD episodes of so many shows. I don't even mind the commercials since the content makes it so worth it. How other networks, (hello NBC, CBS & FOX), didn't jump on the initial wave is beyond me. If I ran a network I'd have every episode of a serial type show like Heroes up on this device yesterday on the chance it would intrigue some viewers to get back into the show. Other great apps such as steaming Netflix and MLB should also help deliver on the experience.
SURFING: Based on every review and the demos I saw I was expecting to be impressed by Safari. It was even better than everyone says when you are looking at sites you have seen every day.
Deal or No Deal?
Tis the season of Sample Sales, or so it seems when the mailers start
arriving announcing this 40% off (but it's in downtown LA) or that 80%
off, but not until two weeks from now when I’ve completely forgotten
about it and f*#k it anyway, where’s the instant grat? I subscribe to
Daily Candy and Top Button, the latter being exclusively an online
sample sale site. There is also a mother at my younger daughter’s
school whose clothing line I happen to love that has her sample sale
around this time too.
It’s taken me a long time to become a savvy shopper when it came to
these 'deals’. I was the sucker that clipped the coupon for something
at the market I would normally never eat. I would be under the illusion
my family might try the yogurt covered zucchini chips for 50% off.
Invariably it would linger past its expiration date and get thrown out.
This always jettisoned me into the ‘I’m gonna be homeless someday, why
oh why did I waste my money like that??” fear fantasy. I would vow
never to make that mistake again and I finally learned that the only
coupons worth clipping for me are batteries and toothbrushes. Do I
really need that 35¢ off the second four pack of Charmin? Hell no!
Not So Fit
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My husband Dave is a high-tech whore. He jumps on nearly every bandwagon
that touts the latest and greatest computerized gadgets. So, it goes
without saying that we’ve been waiting for the Wii Fit Balance Board,
ever since it was announced. We were one of the first people to get the
Wii and though we are currently more obsessed with Rock Band, our
excitement for this new toy/fitness product was hard to contain. Until
we started using it.
We aren’t exactly fitness freaks, but we’re not couch potatoes either.
I’m trying to put on a happy face about turning 40 this year and I have
to say this “game” is not making the transition any easier. We figured
it couldn’t hurt to try and get into even better shape, since we’re
fighting a losing battle with time. Little did we know this machine
was not on our side. In fact, a British couple is already suing
Nintendo for hurting their daughter’s feelings by telling her she’s
overweight. Denying the truth doesn’t make it go away. You can’t hide
your extra pounds on the Balance Board.
My Privacy Policy
Every website has one...and so should you. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE
the Internet. I make my living because of it. I've been shopping on it
since Day 1. Used AOL before there was a World Wide Web when you had to
dial-up to get on. Being married to someone known in our circle as The
Man – because he can fix any computer problem – leads people to believe
that I'm as tech savvy as he is. People are continuously surprised when
they discover how low-tech I actually am. There seems to be a
disconnect when I explain that I just work on the computer, I don't
understand how it works. Sure, I can install software, program my
iPhone and even add more memory to a machine in a pinch, but when it
comes to setting up an email account, using a Blackberry, texting from
my phone or posting a video to YouTube, I have less knowledge than a
5th Grader.
You won't find me on MySpace, Linked In or Facebook. Partially because
I run three websites and want to have a life away from my
computer...though I love it so... but mainly because I find the idea of
"social networking" more than a little creepy. Is it really social if
you're just typing on a computer by yourself?
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