Moving Towards Success

One of the areas of life that I'm fascinated with is how people find success and what drives people towards success, especially if they've taken a unique path. It seems that over and over again, we hear stories of great pain leading to great and unique accomplishments. My mother emailed me a link to this article about a friend of my sister's from my hometown who has finally "hit it big" or is on the verge of something great. Anne MarsenGirl Walk // All Day is yet another example of someone who pushed on and pursued what she loved doing and is finally being recognized. When you really think about entertainers who have made a name for themselves, I'm guessing on average, they were working for a good ten years before having a featured article about them in a national publication, and Anne is no exception. I remember hearing about her constantly working as an extra or auditioning for parts, probably when she was in middle school. Her perseverance is a total inspiration.Anyway, I highly recommend you take the time to check out this video of her dancing to the latest Girl Talk mashup on the Staten Island Ferry. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to just randomly run around dancing in a public space in Manhattan. Maybe I'll ask her to teach me some moves.

[vimeo 18446531 w=400 h=225]

Girl Walk // All Day from jacob krupnick on Vimeo.

Did Natalie Portman's Dream Turn into Reality?

If there's one thing I'm curious about, it's how our dreams dreams go about turning into reality and how people get to where they are. I've had a blog for about 4 years. Every once in a while I look back on old posts and see how I've fulfilled some of my dreams and am doing exactly what I want to be doing. In many ways, I've come to my current path in a round about, unpredictable way but regardless, I'm there. I'm not sure what the lesson to be learned here is except that it's important to have constantly evolving goals that you should put on paper ever-so-often. I also think it's important to trust ones instincts and recognize what and who we're drawn to. The other day, I found a three year old post where I mention someone who was a stranger to me then, but is in my life now. Weird. So I thought it was appropriate to dig through my large collection of old magazines and see what Natalie Portman was saying 10+ years ago. Was there anything in her past that drove her to becoming an Oscar Nominee for a dancing movie like Black Swan? Or being pregnant and dating her choreographer, Benjamin Millepied?As a matter of fact, yes - in the September 1999 issue of Jane Magazine, Natalie Portman sits down with Susan Sarandon to discuss boyfriends and babies for the release of their movie, Anywhere But Here. She mentioned that her real dream was to be a dancer in Fosse on Broadway - Broadway/Lincoln Center -- close enough. And she wants a man who she can discuss culture with and experience new things.. I've scanned the article for your enjoyment.

Word On The Street... Is That This Is For Real

Yeah, so apparently this Word Lens App is for real.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs&w=640&h=390]

PSFK Salon: Future of Real Time

Last Friday I essentially had my mind blown away from 9am to 9pm. In the morning I attended the PSFK Salon: Future of Real Time, afternoon took a Rorschach test for my friend's psychology class, and evening attended a screening of The Last Lions. Post on my evening to come but first I'll address the salon at the Soho House. To simplify, the salon discussed what the implications are of data created in real time; i.e. through mobile applications, GPS, status updates, instant photographs and video. Like a Twitter feed in 2011, there was a lot of information to take in within the one hour presentation. Their presentation is available online and breaks the topics down more thoroughly but here's what I took away:Implications of real time data for psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and planners who study human behavior:

Sites like OkCupid collect data on dating preferences, behavior, dynamics between men and women etc. leading to a data-driven, better understanding of what influences our dating choices - among other insights.

Facebook, Twitter and a new British site, Mappiness, collect data on people's general state of being, monitoring social sentiment. Wouldn't it be nice to discover how a population feels at any given point in time and what influences these feelings without having to do a labor intensive survey? And there's Voyurl, which allows you to view the actual behavior of people on the web, understanding what websites interest them. Users can discover the most popular sites and content they never thought to look for without user generated, deliberate recommendations.

Implications of real time data for marketers and advertisers:

Marketers and advertisers can take all the above data and use it to better market their products. Fast Society creates a temporary network allowing groups to communicate via text, voice and share their location. Marketers can take advantage of Fast Society, connecting their product to an event or location. Twitcritic is a service that monitors the online buzz of movies. The service has a track record of predicting box office success. Essentially, the "like" or positive sentiments has become a new form of currency, creating a stronger connection between the consumer and brand. Before social media, all an advertiser had to do was sell a product. With the advent of the Like button, spread of information and consumer advocates, it is absolutely essential that a product stay true to their message and maintain the trust of their consumer. That sounds like progress to me!

The implications for real time data in the physical world:

Services like Harassmap allow users to anonymously report physical locations of where they were harassed in the world. Instant Mapping is a local tool that allows users to create a shared, visual experience of their environment. Viz Center creates a shared visual experience for disaster response teams, allowing for more efficiency in disaster response. SF Park is a sensor installed into San Francisco parking spaces and an iPhone app that reveals when spaces are empty, enabling users to find parking more efficiently and prevent traffic as long as their not too absorbed looking at the app while driving.

Finally, during the question and answer section, a passionate debate ensued about the implications of all this real time data being public. Andrew Hoppin, the former CIO of the New York Senate advocated making most of the government data public in the hopes that it will facilitate a conversation that will improve our society as a whole or give businesses the information to better serve their community. Services like New York's 311, is a step in the right direction, collecting data from their call center and sharing it with the public on open311.org. But governments need to be more transparent and make data easy to digest. While there is an obvious push from consumers for marketers to be transparent, governments are not held to the same standards. It seems we hold more power as consumers than as citizens but hopefully that will change with more government transparency. Adam Leibsohn from voyURL touched on the practice of corporations using our data for their gain, saying it was okay they did this, as long as they were transparent. I strongly agree with his statement. I value honesty, transparency and an attempt at understanding as a means to solve most problems and think that if a marketer wants to use my information to sell me a product that I want, then the more power to them, especially if they are improving my life.

(Polymaps: site that allows you to overlay data onto different maps)

So what did I learn from all this? In 2006, Time marked "You" as the person of the year, implying a shift that the individual and collective have control, a shift from corporations and the government. Taking this idea further - I believe our collective data will be the driving force behind government changes, cultural shifts and marketing in the years to come. Because Information is beautiful.

A New Chapter?

So once again, I'm in between coasts and really don't know where life will take me, but I guess it's pretty exciting.This afternoon, I went out to lunch with my mom at a local cafe. She kind of tricked me. I thought we were going to go to the larger Cheesecake Factory because I've had an overwhelming and unexplainable craving for pasta for the last few days. But when I got in the car, she demanded we go some place more local. Okay.. I guess it was a misunderstanding. For me, going to local restaurants in my hometown is kind of torture. I really don't need to make small talk with people my mother knows from town. And I really don't need to be introduced as the "older daughter" only to get mistaken for a recent high school graduate. I kid you not. This happens every time. Actually, today's experience was so typical I could have just had deja vu.

SCENE ONELet me set the scene for you. We enter a nearly full cafe mostly filled with people over 50. My mother and I sit down right smack in the middle of two tables that are only about a foot apart from us. Right away, she says hello to the table next to us, introducing me.. blah blah blah. They make small talk. Two minutes later, she recognizes the woman on her other side. They make small talk. She congratulates the woman because she had recently heard her son was engaged. I ask who her son is. She says that I'm probably too young and don't know him. Yup. Her son is 5 years younger than me and is friends with a childhood friend's younger brother. I don't know him because he's younger than me. She apologizes for the mistake and the whole table nods in agreement that I'm better off looking way younger than I am.END SCENE

SCENE TWOAfter dropping my mother off, I head to the Riverside Square Mall to return a few things. It is incredibly upscale and usually quiet although to my delight, they have recently opened an H&M. I walk around admiring the hair of an Orthodox woman who is, from what I gather, shopping with her husband. She looks incredibly young and I try to figure out how she got her hair to be so thick and shiny with a near professional blow out until I realize, oh yeah, it's a wig. Orthodox women have to shave their heads and wear wigs when they get married. A few minutes later, I enter Victoria's Secret where I hear the Pains of Being Pure at Heart playing in the store. I'm stunned. One of the band members went to both my high school and college. In fact, one time sophomore year in high school, we both got yelled at because we slid out my bedroom window and hung out on my roof. According to my dad, we could have fallen through and broken the roof. Right. END SCENE

SCENE THREEI make my last stop at Barnes & Noble. I would have preferred waiting to purchase a new Moleskin at Borders assuming they carry them and they go on sale, but my Moleskin needs were pressing. As many of my friends know, I'm obsessed with notebooks. I stare at the selections, intensely imagining myself with either a hard covered or soft covered black Moleskin. Red or black. I curse myself for leaving my hard covered, black Moleskin in San Francisco and finally settle on a perfect replacement - soft covered black. My obsessiveness in finding the perfect notebook ties back to a need to start a new chapter in my life. If, God forbid, I made the wrong notebook choice, my new life would be off to a wrong start, right? Yes, knowing my compulsions and quarks in the first step to recovery. It takes me another 10 minutes to choose the perfect Thank You note cards for my job interviews. I finally settle on a delicate case of cards that feature an Eiffel Tower with a scripted "merci" in magenta. So here I am entering a new chapter of my life - a potential new job, definitely a different area of advertising, a new decade (30 in April), potentially a new apartment and even new city (Brooklyn). But on my journey, I have equipped myself with the same type of notebook that I used to plan out my change. The cards I chose reflect my love of Paris and magenta. And actions told me that our purchases strongly reflect who we are in deeper and nuanced ways.END SCENE

SCENE FOURAfter carefully selecting my purchases, I head to the cash register. With a sinking feeling, I recognize the woman at the register. I vaguely remember her being my boss at some job I had about 10 years ago. For some reason, I hope she doesn't recognize me, but she does. She says my face looks so familiar. I completely get her wrong even though I rarely try to guess people's name. Her name is not Dorothy and she's not my boss from Clinique. Nope. She worked with me at B. Dalton, the now defunct bookstore, previously owned by Barnes and Noble. It was one of my first after school jobs that I insisted on getting my senior year of high school. It's where I first heard about Harry Potter way back in 1999 when they were considered just children's books. It's where I first worked in a place that didn't involve sweating in a camp t-shirt. And here she was, working the cash register. Like me, she has probably gone through many hardships and experiences over the last 12 years but honestly hadn't aged a bit. The recent New York Times article about the failings of the publishing industry flashed in my mind. I think about how strongly I'm contemplating finally purchasing a Kindle. We both genuinely smile and wish each other well. As I walk away, I wonder, is this a new chapter? Or am I re-reading a different version of the same story?END SCENE

Why Men Fight: A Look Into a Silicon Valley Fight Club

I recently saw The Fighter with my friend and was left wondering why the hell men fought. I mean.. seriously.. Why would you want to voluntarily get into a ring knowing that you were about to get the crap beaten out of you or be responsible for beating the crap out of someone else? I can imagine it's part of our animal nature to want to fight and I'm sure we can look into the animal kingdom to see them fighting for dominance regardless of whether or not their ability to secure food or procreate is involved. But as a woman, my nature tends to air on the side of motherly and protector. So when I came across a video on Gizmodo via The Next Wave about men in Silicon Valley creating a fight club, I was intrigued.The fighters talked about how the men bonded with each other by hitting each other. It was a way to test each other, build courage and a remedy for sitting at their desks all day. According to one of the participants, Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States. So let's get back to nature for a minute here. For the better part of human existence, aggression was a key component to securing ones food or protecting ones family. Men in Silicon Valley no longer have to use physical force and strength to provide for their family. Instead, they use intelligence, strategic thinking, and endure countless hours behind the a computer - quite possibly for all the same reasons - that they want to provide for themselves and their family. So coming full circle, competitive or violent video games, sports, and... fight clubs are all most likely fueled by that residual aggression. Nike picked up on this insight years ago coming up with the strategy line, "Sport is war without the killing" which resulted in the line "Just Do It." And not to be outdone, Silicon Valley has taken that idea one step further with their very own fight club.

Click on the link to watch the video.

Uppercut from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Does Sex Sell? A look at A&F

I've spent the last few days at my parent's house, going through all my worldly possessions and trying to get rid of things I don't use. I can proudly say I have three bags of clothing to donate on top of the two huge bags I donated a few months ago. I digress.

For years, I've had two racy Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs that I've been meaning to sell on eBay but can't remember the last time I actually looked through them. One was purchased the year I graduated high school, and then next, the year I graduated college. They definitely upped the ante for the 2003 version. I flipped through them with a perspective of someone who's lived in NYC for 5 years (i.e. have seen it all) and have worked in the photo industry, etc. etc. They still shocked me even in the world of True Blood, celebrities showing their vaginas and overt sexuality everywhere. There's no question that the Bruce Weber photographs are beautiful and sexy - but seriously, are they at all appropriate given A&F's target market? This year they've brought the catalogs back. Using overt sexuality and nudity to sell clothing to teenagers just seems lazy but this doesn't surprise me considering the clothing lacks imagination as well. I have a skirt that looks exactly like one of their skirts shown on their website - except it's in a garbage bag to be donated and is Gap circa 2007. And plaid? Really? A quick google search of A&F and the banned catalog revealed that their stock fell at the end of 2003. 

So hopefully I'm not being a total hypocrite by giving ya'll a taste of what I'm talking about but let's be honest - sex sells. I'd say these are NSFW but I'm assuming all of you are out for Labor Day weekend. Here's to America! And our labor force!

I kind of wonder if Ryan McGinley didn't just flip through a A&F catalog before he went out shooting. He's got that whole - beautiful, naked people running through the woods thing going at least. If you'd like to see more of these images, (and believe me, there are more) you can purchase the catalogs via eBay here and here. The 2003 version has a lot more nudity but the 1999 version is just as beautifully shot with interviews, etc. It was hard to let them go but I need to pay for things like - oh.. Miami Ad School, a new computer, living.. you get the idea.

I've had many doors open lately.

Philharmonics in the Park - Ponderings

This evening, I went to hear the Philharmonics in Central Park with family friends and learned a few things about myself. Okay, to be fair, the evening re-enforced what I already knew. Maybe my post is slightly influenced by the two glasses of wine I had but here it goes -

1. Life is beautiful
2. I love New York
3. And I can never become vegetarian or kosher simply because of the existence of prosciutto.

In other news, yesterday I endured two back to back 45 minute spin classes with Carl at Crunch. Yes, that spin class. The one I've gone to for about 4 years now where everyone knows my name (I'm famous, or infamous!) and I wonder if this will be the class that I finally fall off my bike and pass out. But alas, I did not! Apparently after 70 minutes of spin, you kind of get into a zone and can't feel your legs anymore. Hello endorphins! And hello enlightenment. I realize that Carl's class is a metaphor for life: it never gets easier, but if you tough it out, work hard and have a positive attitude, you'll not only get through it - but will be stronger because of it.

And on that, I bid good night. Peace, Love & Happiness.

Total Tragedy

So last night, I got a text from my roommate at 11pm saying that she couldn't find Oscar, my 4 month old, adorable, crazy, energetic, kitten. She even took out the broom and swept knowing that he couldn't resist attacking it. I ran home from the NY Tech Meet Up after party and we searched our apartment inside out. He has never in his life hidden from anything. We searched the building. I went over in my memory the moment I left the apartment earlier that day, wondering if he somehow ran out. We checked the building, the roof, and I checked outside the building, fearful I'd see his body. Then finally left a note on the front door of my building with my contact information.

I didn't sleep at all. At 8am, a neighbor called saying that when he came home from work yesterday around 6pm, there were a group of people surrounding an orange tabby that had apparently fallen out of the window and was taken to the animal hospital directly across the street from my apartment. I called the hospital right away and the receptionist told me the vet would call back, which I knew was a very bad sign. I've seen enough ER/ Law & Order episodes to know that if a doctor is calling you back, it's not good. The vet said he had a few broken bones and his face was very damaged. He was in pain so they decided it was best to put him to sleep. He would have had to have had countless surgeries and at the time, they didn't even know who his owner was. I completely support his decision but was devastated that I couldn't say goodbye. They advised me not to see him in his current state. So I am left with the memories of the short time I had him. I truly hope that he didn't suffer too much but I know that he did. I was able to speak with the woman who stayed by his side, found him and got the vet who said Oscar tried to get up from his injuries. This doesn't surprise me at all because he was a crazy, determined fighter. She said he was surrounded by people who cared for him and from what I gather, loving people - when he was put to sleep. The whole situation seems like a bad dream that I can't wake up from.

I'm left with one of my fondest and most recent memory of him nuzzling himself next to me Monday night as I went to bed - cheek to cheek. A gesture he rarely did and especially hadn't done in the few weeks that it's been hot. Thomas came up on my bed as well, laid next to me and Oscar plopped himself next to Thomas so that for a brief moment, the three of us lay cuddled, side by side. May he rest in peace- in kitty heaven where he can eat all the food he wants, have an endless source of amusement, a long, wooden hallway to dart back and forth at and may my childhood cats Pippin, China, Cappy, Piano, Binky and Hilarious lick him with love.