CheapThrills

My blog was hacked!

Seriously?

Don't people have anything better to do than sit around cracking the code for CheapThrills?

See post below. I didn't delete... for some ridiculous reason I find the whole situation incredibly amusing. I mean come on - Personalised Number Plates? Really? Couldn't even attempt to match my content? Hide an obscene joke in there or something? Or even so much as spell "personalized" correctly?

These hackers are incredibly unimpressive.

Scratch that. Kinda impressive. So now that I've praised your craftsmanship will ya leave me alone, hacker?

Personalised Number Plates

For your convenience, we accept payment by most credit / debit cards for your purchase of any of our DVLA and Personalised Number Plates, and apart from the obvious convenience and insurance protection provided by the credit card company, you can also be confident of the fact that we can instantly reserve a personalised registration number with this method. We have around 34 million British Car Registration Numbers available so there is bound to be something to suit everyone. - if however you don't see the new registration you are looking for, contact us now as we have access to thousands of other Private Plates and personalised registrations.

SWEEP:BOS will keep your forgetful Bostonian butt off the tow lot

I don’t own a car. Actually, I’ve never owned one. I just don’t want one. I live in the city, I work in the city, and I hate driving. But also, I hate how people act when they’re behind the wheel. They just get so pissed—especially here in Boston.

A few months ago, I got a glimpse into one reason why they’re all so angry. And then a few days ago, I found a solution (to this one source of driver anger, at least).

My boyfriend went away on business and left his car parked outside our South End apartment. He was only gone for a few days, and mentioned I might have to move the car for street cleaning. I checked the street-cleaning dates on the streets we park on – 1st Tuesday and 2nd Thursday – and figured since it was only the 5th of the month I’d only have to move the car once. So that was fine. I moved the car from the 1st Tuesday street-cleaning street to the 2nd Thursday one – totally forgetting that the first of the month fell on a Thursday. Which meant that in 2 days the 2nd Thursday would be upon me.

Needless to say, the car got towed.  It cost $120 to get the stupid thing off the tow lot. Plus they gave me a $40 ticket for who even knows what. Basically, it sucked.

Coming out of this, I can safely assume the whole street cleaning/car towing madness must be a reason why city drivers are so frustrated all the time. So when a co-worker came to me with the iPhone app he had just launched, its value proposition really hit home.

The app is called SWEEP:BOS and it's already a hit among Bostonians.
You select your Boston neighborhood and the application tells you every street-cleaning date you could ever need. It also supplies you with alerts to your iPhone, making it virtually impossible for you to forget to move your car.

Here are some more SWEEP:BOS features:

• Saving your vehicle’s parking spot location
• Adding/editing streets, blocks and cleaning day/times
• Adding/removing neighborhoods
• Snow Emergency information
• Street cleaning color notification (Green = 7 days out, Yellow = 3 days out, Red = 24 hours out)
• Neighborhood information updated regularly and available for download

SWEEP:BOS is $2.99 on the iTunes app store, and works for both iPhone and iPod Touch.

I’m down with this app… because I’ll be damned if I’m ever caught on a tow lot again. They remind me of 70’s horror movies.

Obama’s Inauguration – My ticket request (published in Philly Daily News!), your plans, general craziness

These Inauguration Day tickets have taken on a life of their own. It’s like some Charlie and the  Chocolate Factory Golden Ticket madness up in here.

A virtual friend of mine (we met through a blog – so millennial!) wrote a heartfelt letter to her senators requesting inauguration tickets… and received a pair, on the spot!  That’s an impossibility today, though, because every senator and congressperson is keeping a 1,000-person wait list.

Knowing this, I decided to draft a letter of my own, send it to PA senators Specter and Casey, and also send a copy as a submission to Philly Daily News’ opinion section. And just my luck, they published my letter today!

Here’s a link to the Philly Daily News publication, and here’s a copy of the full letter.

________________________

Dear Sens. Specter and Casey,

I’m sure you’ve both heard it a million times.

What an Obama presidency represents for this country. How invaluable a ticket to his inauguration would be. And, finally, a request for one. I can’t say that my reasons for writing you are any different, or that my claim to a ticket is any stronger than the next Pennsylvanian’s.

What I can do is tell you a short story.

The story takes place in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, where my father grew up. The second oldest in a family of 4 Italian boys, my dad spent his childhood skinning his knees alongside neighborhood buddies in a schoolyard across the street from his family’s modest middle-class row house.

Grammar school became Junior High. Stickball bats became cigarette butts. And my studious father became the outsider. He was teased for his love of music, his glasses, his clothes… even his hair.

His thick, curly hair. His “nigger” hair, as the kids put it.

Fast-forward 20 years to find his 9-year old biracial daughter, me, playing with my Caucasian cousin in the exact same schoolyard of my dad’s childhood.

It’s the moment when I am first called the n-word to my face. And the moment when an inexplicable bond forms between my cousin and me. Because my cousin not only came to my aid, but he actually chased away my aggressors – who were about 8 years older and 18 inches taller than him.

I’ve noticed a new energy across the country since Obama became the Democratic nominee, and even felt it among complete strangers. It’s in the slight upturn of the corners of their mouths. In the knowing glow in their eyes. And in the pronounced statement they made on November 4, 2008.

I think of this energy as the same inherent urge to overcome ancient barriers demonstrated by my cousin so long ago. It’s also the reason why I’d like to attend Obama’s Inauguration on January 20th. To witness the strength and the courage of Americans like my father, my cousin, and the millions of strangers in between—Americans who made their will for something new loud and clear.

Because Obama’s Inauguration is a celebration of his presidency, sure, but to me it’s more a celebration of all the Americans who made this day possible.

Please let me know if there’s a ticket available for me.

Sincerely,
Ms. Ryan D’Angelo Barrett

_________________________

I’m traveling to D.C. for Inauguration Day regardless of whether or not I receive a ticket to the event. My whole family lives in D.C., and I’d be remiss to miss this opportunity to witness history being made alongside my family. But still… having a ticket would be pretty sweet ☺

What are your Inauguration Day plans?

237 crazy bloggers write a book. The Age of Conversation II now available for sale!

Last week brought a whirlwind of emotions on me, so I’m a bit behind the times on this announcement  (sorry fellow authors!!!): The Age Of Conversation II—Why Don’t They Get It launched last week and is now for sale via Lulu.com. Excite!

I participated in this little blogger experiment last year… 104 bloggers wrote 400-word chapters, which all came together to be part of an e-book called The Age of Conversation. At the time, I had only met 2 of the 104 authors. Now—thanks to my company, Blogger Social and its superstar organizer CK, editors Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan, and this funny thing called the World Wide Web—I think I’ve met around 60. But this year my task might be harder, because the project has become much, much bigger.

237 authors bigger.

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw and James G. Lindberg, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem, G. Kofi Annan, James G. Lindeberg

A few months ago I created a page of enticing short chapter excerpts supplied by several of my co-authors. Feel free to check 'em out here. And this is mine:

Sure, some people disagree with my views. Some commenters call me a moron. A loser. LAME. But so what? It’s hard to get a good game going without engaging your Queen.

These blurbs are just teasers though. For the real deal you really gotta buy the book. All proceeds go to Variety, the Children’s Charity.

And a special shout-out to my Digitas co-worker Lori Magno, C.B. Whittemore and Cam Beck - for their general AOC-buzz-generating awesomeness.

Wow.

Wow. (105-year old voter)

Wow. (Obama supporter in NYC)

Wow. (Sarah Obama, Barack's step-grandmother, celebrates in Kogelo, Kenya)

Wow. (Obama supporters in my hometown of Philadelphia, PA)

Wow. (or WTF? CNN's bizarro hologram technology)

Wow. (Misty eyes from Paris, France)

Double Wow.

The best night of my life.

Celebrating Obama's Blackness

Newsflash: Obama is poised to be the first (half) African-American president of the United States of America. He’s Black! Yay! (Are we allowed to celebrate that fact yet?)

I recently attended Essence Magazine’s Woman Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit—an event attended nearly exclusively by African-Americans. And in this company, we as a group enjoyed what I like to call “first Black president glee”... and we enjoyed it with pride and vigor.

But conversely, I’ve found that in mixed race or predominantly White company (where I usually dwell), I feel an urgency to either dampen or gloss over said excitement. To subtly sneak it in between praise of Obama’s healthcare and tax plans. Perhaps I assume that mentioning my joy, as a single-standing issue, will prompt eye-rolls.  Anger. Or worse, fear. And, judging from comments made by McCain supporter Leah Moreland on NPR’s October 24th episode of All Things Considered, perhaps I’m right.

But maybe not. Because just this weekend, I’ve read numerous stories from major news outlets  discussing the historic nature of Obama’s presidential bid as it pertains to race. One piece in particular really got me: the Washington Post profiled 3 African-American voters, all of whom are over 90 years old. Here’s a clip from the article:

Arthur Greene, 91, uses a wheelchair and rarely leaves his Arlington County home except for church on Sundays and doctor's appointments. But he wasn't going to miss this chance to vote.

About a month ago, when Meals on Wheels brought Greene his meal, they also dropped off an absentee ballot. Greene remembers growing up in Jim Crow Virginia, looking for restaurants that didn't display "white only" signs in Rosslyn or Baileys Crossroads, or being forced to ride in the back of the trolleys between Arlington and the District.

"I never thought it would happen in my lifetime," he said of Obama's campaign. "I think if I can see this and if it happens, I'll thank my lucky stars and my God for letting me live so long to be able to see the advancements of my people."

Greene spent most of his life working as an exterminator, traveling to large houses in the white, affluent Virginia suburbs such as Vienna and Falls Church. At times, some of the homeowners wouldn't allow him inside.

"I was trying to make a living the best I knew how," he recalled.

(P.S. That's not Arthur Greene pictured above. That's Ruth Worthy, 91, who has been canvassing for Obama once or twice a week in Washington, D.C.)

I know I support Obama for the whole package and not just the packaging. But, for better or worse, the packaging still makes a difference in this country. And these testimonies… wow. They hit me on such a deep level. A level no economic policy speech can reach.

And I know I’m not alone in this. Black people feel the pride, but I’m guessing people of other races do too. So let’s all try just being OPEN with our “first Black president glee”. We can all embrace it, because we all made it happen (or, will soon make it happen). Together.

Related: NYT - Obama-Inspired Black Voters Warm to Politics