Apple, You're so Cool.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Today I made a quick stop at SouthPark mall right after work. I parked near Macy’s and as I was about to walk out the door to head home, this caught my eye:


Yes. An iPod vending machine. Let’s just dismiss the fact that there is an Apple store in SouthPark mall for the moment and focus on the thought that there is a vending machine full of iPod products ready to dispense at the touch of a button.

I can’t imagine what type of impulse buys this machine creates.

I found the placement of the machine at this particular Macy’s pretty interesting. It was at an exit right in between men’s suits and children’s clothing. Hmmm…wonder who they are targeting? Businessmen and busy moms have many good reasons for purchasing an iPod.

I’m not sure how long these machines have been around, but I did find out that they are in Macy’s and various airports. I suppose this would make good money in an airport…all those times you’re sitting in a terminal looking at others waiting for your flight too, only to notice a loud person you hope isn’t forced to sit next to you for the next few hours.

The machines look pretty fun. I’d buy something just to touch the bright touch screen and see how the machine works. Once again, Apple marketers seem to catch onto some new/crazy/inventive/unpredictable idea to get you to buy their oh-so-wonderful products.

What do yall think? Stupid or Useful? Would you even consider making such a large purchase through a machine like this?

I'm going to go with Deni

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I'm a little embarrassed to share the same name as this guy. Well, at least it's spelled differently. Check out this "rapper." You'll know why I put it in quotes once you watch it. I fast forwarded to the second verse, it so much better than the first, believe it or not. Enjoy!



Sad thing is, he's still making music. Poor thing. He just recorded a new song which can be found here if you feel so inclined.

Oh, and don't shoot hoops until you eat all your fruit loops.

No Place Like Home

Sunday, May 17, 2009

I grew up in one of the, if not the, prettiest places on the planet. Don’t believe me?




Yeah, I thought so.

I took it for granted while I was there. Sure I shopped downtown, layed out at Hunting Island, golfed at every possible course, found sharks teeth at the sands, went to church in a 200-year old building (yey BCOB!), ate countless shrimp burgers, had coffee at the waterfront park, wore Sperrys…on a boat, and looked at the gorgeous view from the downtown bridge while waiting in traffic because it was open. I did all of those things.

But once I went to college, I started missing it. I even began to miss that weird marsh smell. Who would have thought? When I came back home to visit I found myself rolling down the windows at the first sight of marsh.

This is my first summer away from beautiful Beaufort. I’ll miss being there over the summer, a really fun time. But I’ll be staying in Rock Hill and working in Charlotte at Charlotte Magazine as the marketing intern. I’ve already had several people at work ask me where I’m from and as soon as I tell them, their replies are all the same:

Oh! It’s beautiful down there!

And that's usually followed by:

Do you think you will move back there?

And my reply is usually:

No.

Ok, so I just went on talking about how wonderful Beaufort is and now I’m saying I don’t want to move back? Crazy girl. There are a few reasons why my answer is so quick and sure. One is that Beaufort doesn’t really have the job opportunities I’ll be seeking when I graduate. And two is that I love traveling to new places and seeing new things.

I’m really thankful of where I grew up. I loved it. I met some amazing, incredible people who have become my friends that I will never forget. It is a truly unique, one-of-a-kind place. I hope that in my future, I can discover what other unique places exist around the world!

This seems like a pointless post after re-reading it. Going on and on about how I love and miss Beaufort and then just said I probably won’t move back. Oh, well. It’ll always be home.

How could you be so heartless?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I’ve discovered something that irks me.

Here are some (not all, I admit I chose some of these just to prove my point) of the top headlines from CNN.com in America:

‘Idol’ blog: Kris Allen need not ‘Apologize’
Miss California USA to keep title
‘It was like the sky fell down,’ mom cries
Missing teen’s cell phone gives cops clue
How it feels to be judged on looks
Ranking the best, worst owners in sports

Really? Believe me, I completely understand addressing your audience, but what in the world kind of audience is regularly visiting the site if that’s the case. I am a little embarrassed because I do regularly visit the site, but find myself digging for what I want to read.

The reason this irritates me is for the simple fact that there are way more important issues happening around the world, but instead the decision on letting Miss California keep her crown is deemed more important. Ridiculous.

I feel a bit manipulated (and I began to feel like that in my media and politics class), because I find myself discovering news about my own country from friends who live in other countries. That’s sad. They have to tell me what is going with my president or my economy. They also inform me of information about their own countries that don’t seem to make it past the never-ending run of ‘missing teens’ stories.

For some reason I’ve always been obsessed and a little fascinated with the media and how it works. I am still obsessed, fascinated, intrigued and now just a little motivated to do something about all of this.

I know that CNN and all other media is a business, and a professor once drilled into my head that they only exist to make money. I just wish they would make money better.