Barbara’s W.I.P.

Tim Geithner Hideous-Tie Watch, Round Two

And then there's Tim Geithner, who wore an orange-and-lavender striped tie. Orange. And lavender. Interesting how this guy makes his boldest fashion statements at the biggest press conferences. Perhaps he's feeling emboldened now that the markets are reacting positively to him. Perhaps he's getting a jump on Easter.

Read the rest: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/03/tim_geithner_hideous_tie_watch.html

It's pretty cool to have an Amazon First Lady (and I don't mean online shopping).

OMG, Michelle ‘First Arms’ Obama Likes Sleeveless Dresses

We love obsessing over MObama just as much as the next blogger, but ... First Arms? Really? The lady likes sleeveless dresses. What is she supposed to wear? A burka? It's not like she's running around with cleavage that could balance a coffee cup like Aubrey O'Day, or glitter panties that can reflect satellite signals like Lady Gaga. Can we just accept that she goes sleeveless because this style is her most flattering? The Caucus wants to know what she does all day. We're pretty sure it's not analyze what message her bare arms will send to the world about her role in society. Lady Gaga, however, is a different story: Michelle Obama Goes Sleeveless, Again [Caucus/NYT]

From: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/02/omg_michelle_first_arms_obama.html

Oscar Producers Determined to Get M.I.A. Into Bed

Why won't awards shows leave this poor woman alone? M.I.A. just gave birth last Wednesday, but try telling that to the Oscar producers. Following her heroic performance (and subsequent shafting) at the Grammys on her due date, Bill Condon and Laurence Mark are so desperate to have her sing Slumdog Millionaire's "O Saya" (nominated for Best Original Song) on Sunday that they've allegedly offered to let her perform in a "large bed" onstage. "We'll make it as easy for her as we can," says Mark, who the Guardian reports is also considering her request to appear via Will.I.Am–ish hologram. If she actually goes through with any of this, we hope they'll at least give her a stupid award this time.

From: http://nymag.com/

M.I.A.'s dress (designed by Henry Holland) for her Grammy performance. Apparently she was due yesterday. Think it's safe to say she one-up'd Amy Poehler doing the Sarah Palin rap on SNL.

   

Click here to download:

M.I.A._at_the_Grammys.zip (58 KB)

       

Click here to download:

media.zip (258 KB)

Needed: one tool to keep track of media consumption -- past, present and future. Highlighted by the pile of pages torn from print publications (all those great "10 Best in 2008" lists) that are gathering dust. There's no ONE place to record titles I want to remember.

Currently I have

MS PeopleReady ad (can I just say: wtf?)

Inaugural Words: 1789 to the Present
A look at the language of presidential inaugural addresses. The most-used words in each address appear in the interactive chart, sized by number of uses. Words highlighted in yellow were used significantly more than average. Related Article

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Live Streams: The New York Times will be live-streaming Mr. Obama's speech from its home page; video Web sites Hulu and Joost are among the other sites broadcasting Tuesday's events.

Live Tweeting: Similar to its coverage of the presidential debates, Current TV is partnering with micro-blogging site Twitter to showcase inaugural day musings from the Twitter universe, in 140 characters of less. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. E.S.T., the indie media company will hand-pick selected messages, or "tweets," and integrate the updates into the channel's broadcast. To prevent network outages, Twitter CEO Biz Stone told The Times that the company is doubling its capacity to gear up for the event.

Flickr: The photo-sharing social network, owned by Yahoo, will be hosting a respite from the packed event at a nearby wine bar. Local and visiting Flickeristas can drop in for a coffee or a glass of wine and check out photographs from election night alongside recently snapped images from the induction ceremony displayed in an exhibition of digital frames.

3-D Panorama: Microsoft is partnering with CNN to release a digital panorama of the event using Photosynth, software that morphs a series photographs into a digital, 3-D panorama. The company is soliciting professional photographs from news outlets as well as user-generated content, snapped from cellphones and digital cameras, for the final product.

DIY Inaugural Balls: Still waiting for an invite to one of Washington's lavish parties to celebrate the new president? On the off-chance you don't make it onto a VIP list, you can still attend a party online. Gussy up your avatars and port them into one of the balls happening in Second Life and Wee World. If virtual alter egos aren't your thing, try your luck finding a nearby shindig using the official Presidential Inaugural Committee's handy Web tool.

Mobile Applications: UStream.tv, a streaming video site that lets anyone put up a broadcast, like the wriggling brood of Shiba Inu puppies that made headlines late last year. The company recently unveiled plans for an iPhone application that will port any of its streaming broadcasts to the Apple device -– including the inauguration. The service also supplements live streams with a chat function so Ustreamers can chit-chat during the festivities.