Geek Evolution

Love this little bozo~

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:15:36 -0700

Love this little bozo~

A girl and her dog #bestfriends

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:48:06 -0700

A girl and her dog #bestfriends

Dinner. Don’t judge me!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:30:07 -0700

Dinner. Don’t judge me!

Birthday party ELEGANZA!

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:07:25 -0700

Birthday party ELEGANZA!

In San Diego enjoying a Hyundai #newSantaFe weekend! Gonna take...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:38:50 -0700

In San Diego enjoying a Hyundai #newSantaFe weekend! Gonna take a tour today~ // Edited with @KitCamApp #kitcam #line_tilt #color_vibe

I decided to stuff Bailey into my oversized hoodie with me this...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:36:21 -0800

I decided to stuff Bailey into my oversized hoodie with me this morning! Good morning, internet!

Awesome Documentary "The Hopeful" Now Available!

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:39:28 -0800

Hey everyone! A friend of mine was involved in the making of this *excellent* sports documentary — ESPN’s Dan Dakich calls it “One of the greatest sports documentaries I’ve ever seen.” Here’s the trailer!

You won’t be disappointed if you love sports documentaries (or if you just like well-made movies). It’s amazing.

http://thehopefulmovie.com/2012/10/09/the-hopeful-official-release/

It’s available on some familiar platforms:

*Amazon*
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hopeful/dp/B00A6N7FDQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1352858477&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hopeful

*Vudu*
http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content/393388/The-Hopeful

*Google Play*
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Hopeful?id=_uXih5FU0Mo&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsIm1vdmllLV91WGloNUZVME1vIl0

You can also catch it right now on Xbox Live, Verizon FIOS, and on-demand for Comcast.

iTunes, Hulu and Netflix will be coming later this year and in 2013, respectively!

Please watch if you’re interested — and if not, a share of support would make my day (and my friend’s, too)!

Thanks guys and gals~

www.thehopefulmovie.com

Let's Talk about the Take This Project

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:45:29 -0800

I’m really happy to announce I’m involved in this wonderful project. I’d love it if you went to these links and liked, followed, and shared them with anyone you think might be interested in coming together with us.

http://www.facebook.com/TakeThisProject

http://www.twitter.com/TakeThisProject

I think the mission statement says it best, so I’ll paste it here.

Take This Mission Statement

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

An acknowledgement that the world can be a difficult place for anyone.

“Take this.”

An offer of help.

—-

Mental health is a hard thing to talk about. Depression and anxiety can be overwhelming, but so easily dismissed as “just feeling sad” or “needing to relax.” It’s far too easy to simply not talk about these problems; they sap your motivation and self-worth, making you feel like nobody cares about your suffering. And so we suffer alone, quietly.

We understand the complex reality of these problems. The immense relief on a day when you feel great, the sinking feeling when you sense the trap door start to open underneath you, and the simple exhaustion of living when you’re at your worst.

It’s dangerous to go alone.

“Take This” is meant as a helping hand. We’re here for empathy and support. We share our stories and our time in the hope that anyone who is living with a mental health issue doesn’t have to go through it by themselves.

We’ve been there. We’ve had loved ones who have been there. And we want to help. We want to talk. We want to hear from you. We want you to live the life you deserve.

Take this.

Thanks for helping, everyone. It’s important that everyone know they’re not alone, even in their darkest moments.

-A

"What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no..."

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:52:44 -0800

“What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

- Boilerplate response to all the crazy I’ve been seeing lately

When life punches me in the face.

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:24:35 -0700

Entertainers.

There are a million awful moments in the life of someone who chooses to live the life we’ve chosen. Jobs lost to big-titted, spray-tanned twits with no knowledge of the subject matter, hate mail from random idiots, not getting a callback for that gig you REALLY felt like you fit. You get the point.

But there are other moments, too. Like, losing 60% of your freelance income in less than 30 days. Those days are the hardest days to endure, because it feels like your heart and soul is being told, “You’re not good enough,” and then both are ripped right out of your chest while you’re still alive. And as it beats, you just stare, dazed and confused as to what just happened.

Then it all hits you.

You ask yourself, “Why do I do this to myself? Why can’t I just be happy working a desk job from 9-5 and taking home a regular paycheck? What’s wrong with me? What happened? Why did I choose this over a hundred other things? How am I going to survive this my entire life?”

It’s the darkest part of the job, at least for me. I’m sure it is for a lot of other people, too.

Every single time one of these moments happens, they happen to someone else who asks those questions and quits. Gives up. Decides it isn’t worth the agony and the instability.

But…

Every single time it happens to me, I can feel it. I can feel myself wanting to give up. And then, I feel myself harden inside. Building adamantium walls around my love for what I do and my belief in my abilities, and refusing to stop until I get to the place I know I belong.

Someone else out there probably quit today, and decided to change course.

Not me. Not ever.

[CONTEST CLOSED] Second #AshleyHit10K Giveaway: Two (2) invites to exclusive Logitech UE party in Hollywood THIS THURSDAY!

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:20:00 -0700

EDIT: Congrats to @roddgreen, the winner of this contest!

Hey guys! I just crossed 10,000 followers on Twitter, and I’m celebrating with a series of giveaways from some of my favorite companies!

Okay — second giveaway (gotta make up for no giveaway on Monday). Today, I’m giving away…

TWO (2) tickets to an uber-exclusive Logitech UE event at the legendary Capitol Records Tower featuring acts Walk the Moon and Gold Fields!

This is a swanky, Hollywood party — you know, the ones you’ve always dreamed about attending. Great music (courtesy of Logitech Ultimate Ears), great food, and great drinks. Did we mention open bar?

It’s happening THIS Thursday, October 25th — so it’s short notice. But it’ll be an awesome party, and you probably want to go. Because I’ll be there. And I’m kind of famous? (People way more famous than I shall be there, too!)

The rules are thus:

1. You must be following me @AshleyEsqueda AND following @LogitechUE.

2. You must use the hashtag #Ashleys10KLogitechUE in a sentence and tag both myself and LogitechUE’s handles. Tell us why you should win! I’m choosing at random, but I will discard an entry if it’s hashtag only.

3. You have to live in the U.S. — sorry, international friends! I feel badly about this, but there’s all kinds of crazy laws, customs, and tax junk I have to worry about. Also, and this is important: NO travel is provided in this contest, meaning you have to get yourself and your guest to the party in Hollywood, and back to wherever you may have come from!

4. The contest opens NOW (approximately 1:15pm Pacific Time) on October 23, 2012, and ends at 2pm Pacific Time on October 24. That’s right, you have 24 hours to enter. All entries after deadline will be discarded. I want people who ACTUALLY, HONESTLY read my Twitter feed and participate in it regularly to win. :)

5. One entry per person. If I see you spamming that hashtag, you will be disqualified~

6. [LEGAL STUFF] Entering the contest automatically agrees to the following terms:

The “Ashley’s LogitechUE Party Invite” contest is open to legal residents of the (50) United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry;
Employees, close friends, coworkers, and immediate relatives of mine are ineligible to win (sorry, have to keep it fair!);
Winners may not request substitutions of prize winnings. All winners are solely responsible for any and all taxes and/or fees, and all such additional costs that may be incurred;
Neither myself, my production company (Psychic Bacon Productions), or contest sponsors may be held liable for any warranty, costs, damage, injury, or any other claims incurred as a result of usage of any winners of a prize once possession has been taken of the product by winner. All parties are not liable for any loss arising out of or in connection with or resulting from any contest;
Participation in contest constitutes entrant’s full acceptance of Official Rules and Regulations and decision of myself, which are final and binding;
No purchase is necessary to win; and
Contest winner will be announced via Twitter on Wednesday, October 24. Winner will be contacted via DM for further information on the same day.

Got it? Good. Have fun entering, and good luck!

[CONTEST CLOSED] First #AshleyHit10K Giveaway: A 32GB BlackBerry PlayBook 4G LTE

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:46:00 -0700

EDIT: Congrats to @Jolyon1, the winner of the PlayBook!

Hey guys! I just crossed 10,000 followers on Twitter, and I’m celebrating with a series of giveaways from some of my favorite companies!

I wanted to start them last week, but got sidetracked with a very nasty dental visit that got complicated after a wisdom tooth extraction point got an infection. Let’s hope I won’t turn all Walking Dead!

Okay — first giveaway. Today, I’m giving away…

A 32GB BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK 4G LTE!

That’s right, you can finally win your very own PlayBook for surfing the web, doing mad business with your killer business skills, and even play games like the super excellent Dead Space.

The rules are thus:

1. You must be following me @AshleyEsqueda AND following @BlackBerryDev.

2. You must use the hashtag #Ashleys10KPlayBook in a sentence and tag both myself and BBDev’s handles. Tell us why you should win! I’m choosing at random, but I will discard an entry if it’s the hashtag only.

3. You have to live in the U.S. — sorry, international friends! I feel badly about this, but there’s all kinds of crazy laws, customs, and tax junk I have to worry about.

4. The contest opens NOW (approximately 12:45pm Pacific Time) on October 23, 2012, and ends at 1pm Pacific Time on October 25. That’s right, you have 48 hours to enter. We’re doing this fast and furious. All entries after deadline will be discarded. I want people who ACTUALLY, HONESTLY read my Twitter feed and participate in it regularly to win. :)

5. One entry per person. If I see you spamming that hashtag, you will be disqualified~

6. [LEGAL STUFF] Entering the contest automatically agrees to the following terms:

The “Ashley’s PlayBook 4G LTE” contest is open to legal residents of the (50) United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry;
Employees, close friends, coworkers, and immediate relatives of mine are ineligible to win (sorry, have to keep it fair!);
Winners may not request substitutions of prize winnings. All winners are solely responsible for any and all taxes and/or fees, and all such additional costs that may be incurred;
Neither myself, my production company (Psychic Bacon Productions), or contest sponsors may be held liable for any warranty, costs, damage, injury, or any other claims incurred as a result of usage of any winners of a prize once possession has been taken of the product by winner. All parties are not liable for any loss arising out of or in connection with or resulting from any contest;
Participation in contest constitutes entrant’s full acceptance of Official Rules and Regulations and decision of myself, which are final and binding;
No purchase is necessary to win; and
Contest winner will be announced via Twitter on Thursday, October 25. Winner will be contacted via DM for further information on the same day.

Got it? Good. Have fun entering, and good luck!

Oh, and be sure to shower RIM and @BlackBerryDev with you love and thanks for providing this most excellent prize! Thanks Alex!

Ashley Around the Web [Oct 22 2012]

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:44:41 -0700

I think my last post was in September! Does that make me a terrible person? I hope not. Kind of got blindsided with the sudden demise of my beloved Tecca, and to be honest, it definitely hit me a little harder than I imagined it would. I guess it’s just part of the freelance game, but when you work with such awesome people, it definitely makes things like this much, much more difficult.

I’ve been working on getting a new gig, and I’ve definitely got some interesting options around, but nothing solid yet. You can be sure when I land something new, you’ll be the first to know!

That being said, I’m very excited. It’s Halloween time, the weather is changing, and this week promises to be a CRAZY one in terms of tech.

I’m working on a second iPhone post; in fact, I may write up a full Android vs. iOS post on Techfoolery, if I can find the time…
Mobile Nations [Oct 22 2012]: The Monday Brief in which I discuss ALL THE EVENTS (Google/Apple), the Surface launch, Open webOS on a Galaxy Nexus, and go mental on the New York Times for suggesting everyone is ashamed of their BlackBerry.
Techfoolery Podcast [Oct 19 2012]: Episode #48: “Cucarachas and Tiaras (and Coffins)” - This one was a LOT of fun — James and I talked a lot about tech, and got some good and funny zings in during the grab bags. Apparently we almost killed someone; they were laughing too hard while driving — the show almost ran them off the road!
Techfoolery Review - Logitech UE 9000 Headphones [Oct 8 2012]: This one’s a bit late, but I’m including it, because I’m proud of it, and they really are freaking amazing headphones. Props to Logitech UE for taking the time to make some excellent Bluetooth headphones!
G4’s Knuckle Up [Oct 19 2012]: One of my favorite iOS games EVER this week (Devil’s Attorney, which is HILARIOUS — and available on Android, too!), along with other great ones like Hidden Runaway, Infectonator 2, Funky Smugglers, and Topia.
G4’s Knuckle Up [Oct 18 2012]: Ooh, another KU? Yep, this one’s a special edition version featuring the scariest mobile games EVER. Some really, really creepy and weird stuff on this list (which also happen to be some of my favorite mobile games ever) — Dead Space, Dark Meadow, Soul, The Walking Dead, and BlindSide.

There’s only 9 days left in this month, and I have a feeling we’re in for a crazy ride. Oh, and I’ll be wearing a costume next week on the Monday Brief, so don’t miss that!

Be excellent to each other~

Ashley Around the Web [Oct 1 2012]

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:52:40 -0700

Holy shnikes, it’s October already? Crazy September is gone, and now we find ourselves waiting on the WP8 launch, the fabled iPad mini, and a Nexus invasion (let’s hope those rumors are true).

My wallet is already sobbing from the onslaught of awesome.

Anyway, sorry I didn’t get around to posting last Monday. I was actually nowhere near my laptop, and was transforming myself into this for a friend’s music video. Also, corsets are hard. Here’s where I showed up on the internet last week!

iPhone 5: First Impressions [Sept 24 2012]: Since I picked up my iPhone 5, I’ve had quite a bit of thoughts about it. As someone who’s never actually owned an iPhone, it’s been a very interesting experience, and since I’m dual-wielding Android and iOS, I figured I’d talk a little bit about my time with it thus far.
Mobile Nations [Oct 1 2012]: The Monday Brief in which I get into Open webOS, BBJam Americas, clicking on random shortlinks, the iPhone 5 review on iMore, and the SDK preview of WP8.
Techfoolery Podcast [Sept 28 2012]: Episode #46: “This Story is 100% Eel” - Aside from it containing one of the funniest comments I think I’ve ever made on the show (grab bag #2), this is a great episode filled with a lot of tech talk and other good stuff. It’s worth a subscribe, if you’re interested!
G4’s Knuckle Up [Sept 28 2012]: Some excellent titles this week: Lili, The Bard’s Tale, The Room, Black Water, and Hotel Transylvania Dash (that last one seems kind of out of place, but I actually really love it, so there).
Tecca’s “Just Show Me” [Sept 24-28 2012]: Educational Android Apps for Toddlers, Educational Android Apps for Kindergarteners, Educational Android Apps for Early Gradeschoolers, and Moving Notes to iCloud. As always, videos for the uninitiated, entry level lover of technology. If you love your new gadget, but have no idea how to really step up the way you use it, Tecca is a great resource.

Wow, I still can’t believe it’s October. Frankenweenie, Halloween… too bad it’s 110 degrees out today. Where’s my Fall weather to go with this awesome time of the year?

Be excellent to each other~

iPhone 5: First Impressions & Comparisons

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:59:00 -0700

Today, I got an iPhone 5.

It’s a second line, an addition of necessity (I needed a business line anyway, and it’s always good in my opinion to really experience an OS from all angles), but I still felt pretty excited as the UPS truck pulled into the driveway today. This is the very first iPhone I’ve ever owned, as surprising as that may be. In order, here’s the list of smartphones I’ve personally owned (as in bought with my own money, non-review units):

Palm Pre
EVO 4G
EVO 3D
SGS2
EVO LTE
SGS3
Back to EVO LTE
iPhone

(EDIT: In the land of tablets, currently I use a Nexus 7, an iPad 3, and a PlayBook — some folks were lamenting that I didn’t seem to have used stock Android before. I have, absolutely, and I think Jellybean is incredible. But for my purposes, I buy Sprint devices because that’s what carrier I have, and I don’t like the Galaxy Nexus and its cheap build quality at all. Just my $.02 — you can’t fully enjoy the software if you’re not also fully enjoying the hardware. Okay, back to the post!)

Pretty Android heavy, sure. The reason for that isn’t because I dislike iOS (in fact, I love my iPad and my MacBook Pro!), it’s more that I’ve been waiting for Apple to up the screen size to something a little bit more usable, in my opinion. After the EVO 4G, I was a 4”+ screen gal, through and through.

I’ve been using the iPhone for a few hours now, and I’ll continue to update this draft as ideas and thoughts come to me over the weekend, but I should let you know this:

I tend not to “review” phones anymore. You can get that info on any of the awesome sites I work for, and likely said more eloquently than I. I just like giving people a glimpse into my personal experiences with a phone now, so it’s kind of a personal review, and not one with the general public in mind, or the hardcore user (unless I specifically mention their POV while writing).

We all good? Cool. Let’s talk about the iPhone 5 and my EVO LTE, shall we?

One of the things I’ve always loved about HTC is their ability to make study phones that look hot and feel great in the hand. There are three companies I personally think make the most stunning, interesting, and personal mobile devices: Nokia, Apple, and HTC. Don’t get me wrong, Samsung, LG, Moto and others have a solid stake in what’s out there for a good reason, it’s just not my preference.

A lot of people were pretty pissed that Apple didn’t make some brand new design and rip the cover off it like a magical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car. Honestly? I think a lot of that stems from Apple’s previous keynotes, and fans’ assumptions that they’ll radically change the iPhone’s design just because they can.

At the end of the day, though, I think of the iPhone 4 as an iconic gadget. Think about some things you’ve seen for decades: Coke bottles. Porsches. These are companies who’ve struck on a beautiful design, and simply iterated on it to experiment and make tweaks to an already great thing. This is where Apple feels it is (whether you believe it to be true or not), and I think that’s probably a really nice feeling for Sir Jony Ive and the rest of the design team in Cupertino.

Okay, back to the phone. When you open the box and pick up the iPhone, there are some great things and some “whoa” moments:

The phone is SUPER light. Like, “this feels like a fake without guts” light. It’s really impressive how much lighter they’ve managed to make it, without taking away from the metal/glass build. This is a gorgeous phone, make no mistake. Anyone claiming to be bored with the design? They would snap this phone up in a second if their OEM of choice made it. Remove the psychology of Apple (and the memory of previous designs) from the device, and it’s very impressive design work. Remember, it doesn’t need to change. It’s already a winner.
It’s very jarring to see the taller profile. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I was honestly a little weirded out after having used an iPhone 4 and 4S for Tecca videos the past two years. It’s almost like having a KIRF iPhone, but the best fucking KIRF you’ve ever seen/held in your life. Is that a weird thing to say? It feels like Apple made a KIRF of their own design? I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon, but right out of the box, it’s a change.
If you have sweaty palms, this phone will slide right out of them. It’s slippery!
I slapped a Bodyguardz skin on the sides and back of it, because it was immediately apparent that the back of this black iPhone 5 was a one-way ticket to Scratch Town. It might wear in really cool, like the back of a guitar getting nicked by a belt buckle, but I’m not willing to test that theory. ^_^

Compared to the EVO LTE, I noticed a couple things:

I really like the dedicated camera button on the EVO, even though I personally never use it. I guess I just like knowing it’s there.
I remembered how much I hate headphone jacks in the top of my phones. I put my phone in my back pocket and it’s in there upside down, so when I take it out, it’s right-side up. Some people do not live this way, to which I can only say YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. ~lol~
I am torn between the iPhone’s Home button and the EVO LTE’s array of Back/Home/Multitask. While the iP5’s Home button looks cleaner and gets the job done, I do really like the Back button on Android. It’s become a little bit ingrained with my use, so looking for a developer’s back button in any given app is a pain in the ass in iOS a lot of the time, especially if they’re trying to be fancy and make it hard to see/access.
I don’t know if I like the extra “clickiness” of the Home button on the iPhone. It’s kind of loud. Perhaps it will get quieter after some use.

So, there are some good things about the iPhone, and some meh things.

Using the App Store is atrocious. App discovery is just brutal on the iPhone. I don’t know how anyone without an iPad deals with it. And yes, I’m fully aware that the Google Play Store is no picnic, either. Hopefully with a shift in focus to ecosystem, we’ll see some major revamps come to app discovery and suggestions.
A max of 4 icons on the bottom dock is not enough! I need FIVE.
Nobody can beat Apple’s vertical integration or Siri. Even though she’s still in beta, if you have an iPhone combined with an iPad or a Macbook Pro is unparalleled. Instant sync across reminders and calendar is perfection. It’s not that you couldn’t accomplish this sort of thing on Android — it’s the fact that it’s so easy and seamless on iOS that makes it impressive. Yes, Jellybean will likely bride a lot of that gap, I agree; however, it’s still sitting at under 2% of an install base. Until that changes and OEMs quit unloading phones with ICS, a wink and a flimsy promise, Apple’s vertical integration is likely a killer feature for many users in their ecosystem.
Multitasking is a sore spot for some Android users; since I’m on Sense 4 and HTC has this kind of odd way of implementing “real” or “true” multitasking, it’s a non-starter on either side for me. Neither are true multitaskers, but at the end of the day, I would personally rather have the better battery life from something a little bit more controlled.
There are a lot of things iOS has that “Android already had.” But, it’s important to note that a lot of those things were either only available via rooting and/or third party apps. While a third party app is easy to install, it’s not immediately available for the “pick up and use” consumer, which can make the iPhone seem slightly more appealing.

A lot of it boils down to this:

If you are in the Google ecosystem, the iPhone isn’t necessarily the device for you. You might be better off with Android. They’re all really similar at this point. Steve Jobs himself predicted the iPhone was 5 years ahead of everyone else, and he was right: At this point, the iPhone is just like every other flagship device on the market, fighting for shares of the population’s imagination and approval.

It’s all about ecosystem at this point. It really is. If you’re obsessed with Chrome, Google Maps, Google Voice, and Gmail, you’ll obviously not get the same robust experience a huge Mac user would (and of course, vice versa, as a mega OSX user would not get the same robust experience via an Android phone).

For me, I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of my EVO LTE any time soon — I’m far too ingrained in the Gmail and Maps system, not to mention customization options are (as we all know) limited on iOS.

Sure, iOS “just works” — and that’s great for a LOT of people depending on their specific needs as a mobile user. Android, on the other hand, is a system filled with customization — something that’s very cool for the more hardcore and tinkerers — and it makes for a granular user experience that’s also not for everybody.

Now that I have these two devices, I’m really curious to see how the Lumia 920 treats me when it arrives. I have a feeling I’m going to like what I see, but I also use the Microsoft ecosystem the least of the three major mobile OSes (barely edging out BlackBerry), so it’ll be interesting to see how much I feel I get out of the phone itself.

Also, how come nobody’s making colorful, cool stuff for Android? All these black slabs are tres bo-ring.

Ashley Around the Web [Sept 17 2012]

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:55:46 -0700

Yeah, I know I didn’t post one last week. I was on vacation in Joshua Tree (mini-getaway) and didn’t have internet! It happens. But I’m back this week with all the fun stuff I participated in!

This month is completely insane for anyone working in technology. All the companies want to announce their shiny new toys, and we want to see all of them! It’s definitely a challenge to be able to cover it all.

If you’re wondering (probably not), I ordered an iPhone 5 as a second line. Google Voice has been acting really weird lately, and some of my incoming work calls were being forwarded to an unintelligible old man… Plus I wanted one. They’re shiny. Still keeping the EVO LTE, though! I love that phone.

Here’s where I popped up online last week!

How I Became a Host, Part 2 [Sept 16 2012]: I know, this is a link to a post on this very same blog, but I put it up late last night so you may have missed it! This is the second installment of the story of how I came to host. Here’s Part 1 if you’re REALLY bored. People ask me how I got started a lot, so I decided to write up some posts about my experience.
Mobile Nations [Sept 17 2012]: The Monday Brief in which I get into iPhone 5 madness, Meg Whitman’s facepalm-worthy words, WP8 going gold, and more.
Techfoolery Podcast [Sept 15 2012]: Episode #44: “Tech Fattening, But Still Delicious” - A super-size episode this week, packed with all kinds of goodness. Honestly, one of the best podcasts we’ve done, I think. Filled with insight and funny stuff. Try it out if you haven’t!
G4’s Knuckle Up [Sept 14 2012]: All iOS this week (apparently nobody wanted to release a major Android title the week the iPhone 5 got announced?), but still some good stuff: Time Geeks & Friends, Super Hexagon, Voyager, Wonderputt, and VS Racing 2.
Tecca’s “Just Show Me” [Sept 10-14 2012]: Using Notification Center in OSX 10.8, Organizing Widgets in OSX 10.8, Using iMessages in OSX 10.8, Creating Location-Based Reminders in OSX 10.8, and Organizing an Event on Facebook. As always, videos for the uninitiated, entry level lover of technology. If you love your new gadget, but have no idea how to really step up the way you use it, Tecca is a great resource.

That’s roll call for all the things, and just like every week, I appreciate your support and viewing. It’s pretty neat that you’re so awesome.

I think I might have a cactus addiction. Every time I come back from the desert, I bring at least one back. Two days ago, I picked up a pair of vintage cowboy boots from the shoe cobbler, and brought them home… along with a 3’ tall San Pedro cactus I picked up on Highway 62. Seriously, you guys. I love the desert.

Rock on, peanut gallery~

-A

How I Became a Host, Part 2

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 22:37:00 -0700

Clearly, I’m awful at posting updates to original things, but I got asked for Part 2 of this last night and realized how lazy I was, so here it is.

If you missed out on Part 1, here’s the link. It’s about my time in college and how I figured out I actually WANTED to host.

Now it’s time for the Dark Ages. At least, my own personal Dark Ages.

As I wrote in Part 1, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Chapman University. I did not mess around — I wanted to give myself the best possible positioning to get a job once I got out of school. Even my favorite teacher shook my hand on graduation day, gave me a hug, and said, “You’re going to be fine. Unlike most of the kids here, you get it.” I felt empowered, and was optimistic about getting a decent job fairly soon after that moment. I interned at Jimmy Kimmel Live! I was brilliant, hardworking, and easy to get along with! Surely someone would see these things and snap a gem like me up!

I graduated in June of 2009 and started immediately sending out resumes.

June.

July.

August.

September.

October.

November.

December.

What I didn’t realize was that I was graduating into what might have been the absolute worst job market for new college grads in decades (if not ever).

I’d sent out ~500 resumes, and only ONE had resulted in an interview (which I actually landed because a friend worked there), much less a job offer.

Christmas rolled around, and I was a mess. I cried randomly, I went into deep bouts of self-doubt on a weekly basis. It was a real low point. At one point, I saw a friend who got a gig on a huge show, and while we were hanging out at his place, a girl who was bitchy to me in school turned my way and evilly cooed, “So Ashley… where are YOU working?” It was mortifying. I bawled my eyes out the entire way home while my then-boyfriend (now husband) Jimi tried to console me.

I didn’t really know what to do with myself. I’m sure you’ve all been there. I tried really hard to convince myself that “Hollywood jobs come with long periods of unemployment” and that it was just part of the industry I’d chosen.

In January, Jimi sat me down and said he couldn’t stand to see me so sad all the time. He reminded me that I had an AWESOME support network: my family’s encouragement (and discounted rent), and a loving significant other willing to support us as I went after my dreams. Why would I want to work a 16-hour-a-day Production Assistant gig, when I didn’t want to be a producer? I had everything at my disposal to truly chase what I wanted to do (host), and it was crazy NOT to go for it.

Why this didn’t occur to me, I’m not sure. I think a lot of it had to do with how sad I was. I couldn’t see the good part of my unemployment. He was right. The next day, I started trolling Craigslist and casting websites for any hosting gigs I could find. I learned two very important things:

1. Craigslist is filled with gross scams and “producers” looking for “models,” and

2. I could totally find someone to hire me, even if I had to work for free.

In February 2010, I stumbled across an ad seeking Tech Hosts. I applied, and when I went in for the interview, they asked if I was familiar with Android.

“Of course! I know everything about it! My favorite part of technology!”

Hah.

I’ve been a geek for a LONG time. Until that point, though, I’d mostly spent my time working in the gaming industry as a writer. I followed the crap out of the Palm Pre from announcement to launch, though, and I was very interested in the future of mobile tech. So yeah. I bullshitted through my teeth for that first job. I’ll admit it. No shame, and here’s why:

The second they told me yes, I went home and read EVERYTHING I could find on Android. Everything. If there’s one thing I’m great at, it’s learning. And boy did I learn about Android!

I hosted my very first This Week in Android the second week of February, and that’s how I got my start. Looking back, it’s terrible. I don’t know how they didn’t fire me Day 1. But they stuck with me. My gratefulness to Mark Jeffrey and Jason Calacanis for taking a chance on me is tremendous, and I will never, ever forget it.

If you want to see the difference, take a look at this:

My First Hosting Job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxvxc1hHB3U

My Penultimate Show at This Week In:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyZTTLB4huI

That’s in December of the same year. Huge difference, right?

TLDR: I got past my own personal Dark Ages and managed to do things my way instead of someone else’s — no small feat for me, and I’m very glad my husband poked me with a stick and told me I was being negative about some things that were actually very big positives.

Next time, I’ll tell you about how I got from This Week In to Logitech, G4, getting an agent and beyond!

Ashley Around the Web [Sept 3 2012]

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:42:30 -0700

First off, where did August go? I was flying so fast and doing so much it seems like last month was a couple days long. It’s Labor Day, and I’m definitely laboring — so much work to be done this week! The shoot with Pandora Boxx went well, and I’m hoping to put together a fun, hilarious music video for her.

Bunches of things to write today, so I’ll get right into it. Here’s where I showed up this past week on the beautiful electronic highway we like to call the internet:

That Show with Billy Wilson [Aug 31 2012]: I had the pleasure of being a guest on Billy Wilson’s internet variety show, done via a Google+ Hangout. It was lovely, and I had a fun time talking about technology to both the host and the fabulous guests he had on.
Mobile Nations [Sept 3 2012]: The Monday Brief in which I get into IFA 2012, the iPhone’s lack of NFC, BB10 hardware, and more.
Techfoolery Podcast [Aug 31 2012]: Episode #42: “The Rise of Man-aconda” - Lovely writer JR Raphael joins us this week, and the end result is a lot of fun. Great insights from him, too!
G4’s Knuckle Up [Aug 31 2012]: This week’sKnuckle Up has some really great titles; it was SUPER hard to pick the Game of the Week, which means it was a fantastic week for mobile gaming.The World Ends With You: Solo Remix,McPixel, Supermagical, The Curse, and Brainsss all made the list.
Tecca’s “Just Show Me” [Aug 27-31 2012]: Installing SkyDrive in Windows 7, Installing Amazon Cloud Drive in Windows 7, Setting up Offline Dictation on Android, Tips for Getting More out of Your Mac, and Customizing Facebook’s News Feed. As always, videos for the uninitiated, entry level lover of technology. If you love your new gadget, but have no idea how to really step up the way you use it, Tecca is a great resource.

That’s it for the things I did online last week — thanks for checking them out if you did, and as always, I appreciate your support and whatnot.

Now that it’s September, my thoughts turn to Autumn and Winter. Halloween is coming, which means I’ve gotta start thinking about costumes!

Be excellent to each other~

-A

Ashley Around the Web [Aug 27]

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:56:00 -0700

Is it Monday already? I’m prepping to shoot a music video for the lovely and amazing Pandora Boxx this coming weekend — her single “I Wanna Have Some Fun” should be a blast to shoot for. That being said, this month has been INSANE. Got a couple side gigs, and then some extra work from the usual suspects, so this last week will be a mad dash to the finish of August.

But if you happened to be wondering where I popped up on the internet in the past 7 days, here’s where I showed up:

Mobile Nations [Aug 27 2012]: The Monday Brief in which we briefly discuss the Apple v. Samsung verdict, Microsoft’s new logo, and some “What Ifs” from BlackBerry. Also, I wear a sweet jacket.
Techfoolery Podcast [Aug 24 2012]: Episode #41: “Toddler Fight Club, Grandma Arsonist” - We actually talked a lot about technology this week! We know, we know, a TECH show talking about actual TECH? It’s too much!
G4’s Knuckle Up [Aug 24 2012]: This week’s Knuckle Up features more great games! Horn, Toybox, Mikey Shorts, Spirits, and Sunshine. Still totally obsessing over Mikey Shorts right now. Can’t…stop…playing…
Tecca’s “Just Show Me” [Aug 20-24 2012]: Hiding items in Facebook’s Timeline, Search for Files in Windows 7, Organize Facebook Photos, Install Google Drive on a Windows 7 PC, and Great Photo-Sharing Sites. As always, videos for the uninitiated, entry level lover of technology. If you love your new gadget, but have no idea how to really step up the way you use it, Tecca is a great resource.

I’ve been reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers (slowly but surely), and I’m enjoying it a LOT. Tons of great facts and numbers in it. If you love stuff like that, you’ll surely love the book. While I was reading it last night, there was something in there that really struck a chord with me. I’ve been slaving away over my various projects lately, and it’s been really, really hard, but when I read it, it gave me the perspective I’d been missing the last few weeks:

“Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.”

This means so much to me. All of it. It’s such a gift.

-A

Ashley Around the Web [Aug 20]

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:47:00 -0700

This past weekend, I started a flame war on the internet, slept in a cemetery, and did some editing. It was a long weekend with nothing in it. Is that weird? It’s kind of like when people say “You’re talking, but saying nothing.” My brother also demanded I start watching HIMYM, and so I’m burning through Season 1 on Netflix. Legen… wait for it…

Once again, I’m lazy and am only posting stuff I did/made this week. Sorry, peeps~

Mobile Nations [Aug 20 2012]: The Monday Brief in which HP spins off the webOS GBU into “Gram,” Google sues Apple, and iMore has a pretty good idea of what the iPad mini will look like.
Techfoolery Podcast [Aug 20 2012]: Episode #40: “The Most Painful Tattoo” - A bizarre episode filled with almost no listener mail, a hilarious rendition of Josh Topolsky as The Borg, and tattoos on your cornhole. Seriously.
G4’s Knuckle Up [Aug 17 2012]: Featuring Jack Lumber, Spy vs. Spy, Mush, Random Heroes, and Shake Spears. Good stuff, as always. (Also, does that make me feel odd? I think I just inadvertently complimented my taste.)
Tecca’s “Just Show Me” [Aug 13-17 2012]: Restore a Win7 PC, Create a Restore Point in Win7, Great House Hunting Sites, Edit Comments on Facebook, and Music Apps for Android. As always, videos for the uninitiated, entry level lover of technology. If you love your new gadget, but have no idea how to really step up the way you use it, Tecca is a great resource.

That’s it for last week — I’m hoping to have a couple good guests on Techfoolery soon, and I think I just made a deal to shoot someone’s music video (which is crazy that someone might actually want my video creation skills). Not ready to tell you who it’s for, but it’s someone I’m certainly a fan of.

Jimi comes home from his trip today — I missed him a lot this weekend, but he had a lot of fun, which I’m happy to hear.

With August quickly coming to an end (and Summer with it), I’m really looking forward to Fall: New pilots, new projects, and layered clothes! Nobody understands how much I love a scarf and a jacket. It’s the only pitfall of living in Southern California, not being able to wear that stuff year round. It’s why I loved London so much!

Have fun this week, marshmallows. Laugh really hard at something stupid. And then cherish how much you enjoyed it. It’s the little things, non?

-A

P.S. “…DARY!”