Friday, August 21, 2009

Coming to the smartphone party, late


I wasn't exactly a trend setter on this one. A few weeks ago I finally got a smartphone (Blackberry Storm). I admit I was late to this party. At a recent advertising association board meeting, my colleagues looked at me with horror (or was it pity) when I said I couldn't tweet because I didn't have internet on my phone. I knew it was time and apparently my old Motorola Q did too, because it stopped holding a charge.

Working on Macs my entire professional career, I yearned for an iphone with its seamless connectivity and uber-coolness. No unreliable patch software required for syncing like I'd dealt with for two years on my Q. But alas, being stuck with Verizon I opted to get a Blackberry. I didn't do any research, didn't read reviews, I went in pretty much blind. And for the first week I hated it. But now I am in LOVE.

Syncing software is required, but
Pocketmac seems to keep things working together - and it was free! I am, I admit, a bit addicted to the immediacy the Blackberry offers, but I did learn to turn off the alert that bongs me each time an heiress from Zambia want to bequeath me her fortune or the cycling club listserv posts race results. And the Facebook app that came loaded right on the phone offers me one too many distracting options when I really should be focused on: a) child's karate lesson b) grocery shopping c) making dinner d)
(gulp!) driving (choose one).

Like many other aspects of being virtual, my Smartphone has the potential to make me a 24/7 workaholic. Then again, it also enables me to convey the appearance of working no matter what I'm doing. Like right now....

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Making movies about brain tumors

What started out as a project to find patient testimonials for a group of neurosurgeons has morphed into a mini-documentary about one man dealing with his brain tumor. This first segment deals with the Diagnosis.