Catch Up Lady

Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle!

Thanks to PRSquared for highligting BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle.com - the inspiration for HillaryIsMomJeans.com, which I blogged about a few days ago.

While HillaryIsMomJeans offers you a brand new awful thing Hillary did every time you refresh the page (Hillary is Finkle, Finkle is Hillary!), BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle (of course) proffers hopeful, happy messages such as:

- Barack Obama folded you a paper crane
- Barack Obama paid your speeding ticket
- Barack Obama followed you on Twitter
- Barack Obama warmed up your car for you
- Barack Obama made you a mix tape
- Barack Obama rescued you from drowning

BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle was started by a 35-year old San Fran-based editor of Wired, who noted that his wife's (who is an avid cyclist) involvement in the Obama campaign has become her new bicycle. In addition to HillaryIsMomJeans, the site has spawned other Bicycle imitations in homage to everyone from Steve Jobs to Ron Paul to - itself - in the form of "The 'Is Your New Bicycle' Meme is Your New Bicycle" (isyournewbicycle.com) which spews forth such existential one offs as "The 'Is your New Bicycle' Meme is a maze of twisty passages, all alike." Deep man.

From a social media perspective, I find these sites really appealing in their simplicity, engagement factor and "viral" capabilities. HillaryIsMomJeans got over 10,000 submissions in four days, inspired a Facebook group that currently has nearly 200 members (and some sweet mom jeans photos), and a t-shirt contest. I'm sure this fad will be played out sooner rather than later, but for now I'll just hop on my bicycle (or someone's bicycle, I'm a little confused by all the bicycles...) and enjoy the ride.

The Crapper - 8th Edition

Here we go again...

- Too Tan People: Why do people who live in cities like DC insist on tanning in the winter? There was this girl at the gym tonight and I'm just like - Dear God, why? No one believes you're *actually* tan sister, and it just isn't right. Plus you're making the rest of us look like shit. This girl is stretching with her ass in the air, and I'm over in the corner with spoons stuck to my legs like that pale dude from the movie Powder.

- Fugly Formal Wear: What's up with all those awful formal dress shops at the mall? I swear every mall has one and I never EVER see anyone in there. Not to mention the fact that you couldn't pay me money to wear what I will loosley describe as "those dresses". I'm thinking front for the mob?

- CSI's Do It In the Dark: On CSI: Las Vegas the team works the night shift, but I still swear that their scenes are far too dark. Examing evidence, hit the lights! Looking around a crime scene (even in the day time?), pass the flashlight! I mean, of course some of their work needs to be done in the dark with special lights (if I were dorkier I'd know exactly what these tests are) - but at this rate the cast only has a few season left because they're all about to go blind. (Or at least that's what my Grandma always said.)

- J.Crew Cruise Collection: Hear me now, one day I will make enough money to not only purchase excessive amounts of clothing from the Cruise Collection, but to then actually wear them on some sort of end of winter tropical vacation.

Jimmy Kimmel's Fucking Ben Affleck!

Jimmy Kimmel has issued an official response to real life girlfriend Sarah Silverman's wildly popular, "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" video - in which she reveals to Kimmel that she and the actor have, uh, known each other in the biblical sense.

Not be outdone, Kimmel revealed in his post-Oscar telecast that he is, in fact, Fucking Ben Affleck.  Kimmel's video features a full gospel choir and everyone from Brad Pitt to Don Cheadle to Harrison Ford to Meatloaf to the kid that played McLovin in Super Bad, and is dedicated to Norman Mailer.  Of course Kimmel and Affleck are also featured prominently in jhorts, with the latter sporting a shimmery, skin tight blue mock turtle neck.

Sheraton Appeals To the Best In Us...And Fails

Thanks to my old friend Where's My Jetpack for calling my attention to this ridiculous ad for Sheraton Hotels.

Look, I'm a good sport. I love competition and rivalries. But I freaking hate OSU and all their stupid ass fans (except for my Grampsie!) I grew up in a house with two dogs named Bo and Woody. My mom went to Michigan and Grampsie went to OSU. I understand that we're all Big 10 and supposed to ultimately get behind one another. But I just can't.

If I was staying at a fine Starwood property and some brazen OSU fan dropped their bag I'd probably kick it and then shoulder check them on the way by (while wearing a hot outfit, Gucci heels and smiling unassumingly.) I'm just telling the God's honest truth - and it's not because they've been kicking our butts the past few years, I mean, Michigan is still the winningest team in college football history. It's because their fans are the biggest D-BAGS around. I speak the truth.

Hillary is Mom Jeans - Is Social Media the New Swiftboating?

For whatever reason I'm finding it next to impossible to construct coherent and cogent posts these days - I blame the Lincoln Memorial. So without further ado I bring you HillaryIsMomJeans.com a web site thats apparent sole purpose is to serve as a repository for derogatory/questionable thoughts about Hillary Clinton.

Several page refreshes brought me such pearls of wisdom as:

- Hillary makes envelopes out of wallpaper
- Hillary told on you
- Hillary sneezed and then shook your hand (sleazed?)
- Hillary smudged your lens
- Hillary wears Uggs in the summer
- Hillary direct linked to your JPEG (caution dork joke!)

HillaryIsMomJeans invites you to submit your own Hillary-ism which will ostensibly be displayed on the site. I mean screw Swiftboating, a Web site like this - which recently hit top blogs like BoingBoing.net - has the power to reach millions of people almost over night as it "goes viral."

In these days of razor thin victories and delegate leads we really do have to question the impact of social media creations like Will.I.Am's Yes We Can Barack video (which now has 9 million plus views on YouTube alone) and sites like HillaryIsMomJeans.

May I Have The Envelope Please

My friend Samantha over at Bad Ass Ideas is one of five finalists in SXSW's Web Awards Blog category.  This is a huge honor, and very well deserved.  Clap clap clap clap clap.

And, even though Bad Ass Ideas is up against one of my other favorite blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes, I think I have to pull for my homey here.  (However, I will live in hope that the two might one day merge forming Passively Aggressive Bad Ideas.  Now there is an idea.  Samantha, are you writing this down???)

The Unintentional Comedy of Facebook

Amazing, even if it's fake. Via Valleywag.

Blogger Social 2008

Since I just signed up for Blogger Social 2008, I feel that it would behoove me to actually post something to my blog this week  (No, I have not forgotten that I blog - some weeks it's on and some it's off.)

Blogger Social is a fun-filled NYC weekend event (April 4 - 6) organized by Marketing Bloggers for Marketing Bloggers.   I'm super excited to go and geek out with bloggers I know, like Rohit Bhargava, bloggers I've emailed with like Mack from Viral Garden and Todd Andrlik from ToddAnd and meet a whole new crowd of like minded folks.  Given that the first Friday night "session" is slated to go from 7pm - 4am it promises to be like no other "conference" I've been to - and needless to say I can't wait.

Registration closes today - so if you're on the fence email your mom and beg her to split the cost of the ticket with you like I did.   Thanks Val!

"Blog Check!" TSA Plugs In

This Sunday's New York Times reported that the TSA aka the Transportation Security Administration aka the people who stole my Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Smoothie last week have started a blog. My eyes rolled as I figured this would probably be some weak nod to social media, complete with moderated comments and antispeptic posts. But, the New York Times assured me that was not the case, and since I'm a good liberal I believed them and went to see what all the fuss was about.

The blog, entitled Evolution of Security, has a nice clean look and seems to have attracted a lot of attention from the public with some posts boasting 100+ comments. (AND the first word in the header is "Terrorists" lest you forget who the TSA is protecting us from!) The New York Times article relates that the first few days of the blog saw an outpouring of negativity as the average joe shared his beef with comments like, “Ehaha TSA you dont own the internets, you cant tell us to put our comments in 'plastic bags' and to put them in the 'liquid' box to be thrown out. you cant xray our comments! its all over!” However, many of the comments I saw from the last few days featured travelers with real concerns or questions that they were able to voice and discuss with others (ahhh, social media!)

Evolution of Security certainly has its work cut out for it, but it seems to have gotten out on the right foot. After several posts addressing ostensibly common travel concerns, they claim that they will be using the blog to, "ask for your opinions about some issues we have now in discussion -- balancing intrusions into personal space (pat-downs, imaging) with better detection, devoting dedicated lanes to 'speedsters' frequent flyers and how to manage who goes to that lane -- are two examples." Should be interesting to watch, so far it seems to be a great example of how a government agency can use social media to interact with citizens and maybe improve its own reputation in the process.

Leave Bill Belichick Alone!

Ok, not really over the whole Super Bowl loss thing.  This was originally done around the side line video tape incident - but might have more meaning in the wake of the Super Bowl.