Happy 08.08.08!

In honor of Crazy Eights Day, I thought I’d share eight things I’m into right now, in no particular order:

1. Twitter. Just when I thought that I couldn’t possibly make time for another social media tool, I joined the legion of twitterers (or is it tweeters?) and am hooked. I love the instant feedback from “followers” and the conversational flow and brevity of thoughts in the feed. It’s also a great window to people with some level of “celebrity” in their chosen field…whereas it might be considered weird to friend a complete stranger (but someone you admire) on Facebook, following that same person on Twitter is an acceptable way of connecting.

2. RSS Reader. I must have been a late adopter of this one, but my RSS Reader is one of the most valuable tools for tracking media coverage for work, and for keeping up with all the blogs I follow. For a long time I used Google Alerts, but found the constant email barrage of new alerts was too much. I downloaded the free Feed Reader 3.13, and it automatically adds new feeds as I subscribe to them in Internet Explorer.

3. The Tudors. Thanks to my Netflix subscription, I watched all of season one in about a week and a half, and I’m dying to see season two. Rented “The Other Boleyn Girl” as a consolation, but much prefer the Showtime series to the feature film (and I hate to say that given my admiration for Natalie and Scarlett!).

4. Adobe CS3. I recently bought the entire Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection, and have gotten to a certain comfort level with InDesign. There are 19 programs in all (some of which I’d never even heard of until they were downloaded), so this might take a while!

5. Charleston County Library. Ahhhh. I’m back in the Library’s good graces since they found a “lost” book that I was certain had been returned. Is it strange that I prefer to read their books with the clear protective jacket? And I love taking advantage of the reserve desk, which I used to check out…

6. Predictably Irrational. I plan to post a full review once I’m done. So far, I’m really enjoying this book – it’s a smart look at why people behave the way we do, going against what’s rational because of past experiences, slanted judgment or other influences. Contains valuable information, for marketers especially, to gain insight into how people think, and how best to exploit "predictably irrational" behavior to sell products and services.

7. Pandora. If you’re anything like me, listening to music helps me get the work done that I need done. Pandora is a great online radio service that lets the user control what music it plays. Customize your own station (e.g. Fall Out Boy Radio), then it plays music by that artist and by other similar bands. Best of all, if there’s a song you’re sick of, or are just not feeling, skip over it and tell Pandora not to play for a month, or ever again!

8. Beijing Olympics. Today marks the beginning of the Olympic Games in Beijing. While public demonstrations, controlled news media, limited web access and air pollution concerns are plaguing China's global perception, I'll be tuning in. Not feeling the new gymnastics scoring system, though. Bring back the Perfect 10!