Wearable Technology

The new Dash headphones.

In our world of constantly changing and expanding technology, products are constantly being developed that can fit into our daily lives, even items we can literally wear. The variety of wearable tech today is vast, including everything from digital diapers, and GPS t-shirts to digital rings and computer glasses.

Products like these are slowing gaining popularity and rising in availability as prices level out. As computer programs develop and companies continue to create new products, technology is becoming an integral part of our lives.

While digital diapers may never become a staple in most homes, wearable tech items like headphones are found in the homes of most people who possess some level of tech savviness.

A new set of headphones called The Dash, “the world’s first wireless smart in-ear headphones,” takes things a step further beyond just listening to music and adjusting volume, as seen with Apple’s headphones. According to The Dash’s head of software, Toby Martin, the dash is “a tiny microprocessor, a fusion of sensors and a powerful evaluation platform with an innovative user interface, all squeezed into the space in your ears.”

Essentially, the Dash headphones not only allow you to listen to music, but allow you to do so completely wirelessly while also measuring your walking/running distance, body temperature, heart rate and other data in order to form a complete picture of your body. The headphones work independently of a cell phone through a 4GB integrated music player. They also come with a small, medium or large rubber piece to ensure a secure fit for each person’s ears.

 

The Dash appears to be an extremely useful product that can simplify one’s life and eliminate the need for other products such as pedometers, heart rate watches, wired headphones and an mp3 player. This product can certainly be helpful to people who are very active and want to lighten their load during exercise. This new, subtle wearable tech product is something I could certainly see becoming highly popular in a short amount of time. They are currently available for pre-order for $299.

Watch a video about The Dash here.

Check out Mashable’s slideshow about other discreet wearable tech products here.

 

{learning to be 21st century social one day at a time}

 

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Poetry & Life

  As a lover of writing and literature, I thrive on the inspiration and perspectives I read from other writers. Sarah Kay, spoken-word poet and founder of Project VOICE, has been a favorite of mine ever since my friend recited her poem “B” in our Creative Writing & Speech class during my senior year of high school. It absolutely touched my heart and brought me to tears. I recently watched a TED talk she did called “How many lives can you live?” in which she talks about her childhood aspirations to become a princess, ballerina and astronaut in her lifetime. She discusses her disappointment when she realized that we only have one life to life. She discovered reading literature as an outlet to live other lives and writing poetry as a way to help others experience pieces of her life. She quotes French critic and poet, Paul Valéry,

“A poem is never finished, only abandoned.”  –Paul Valery

She describes literature as being like an entity of its own, which lives on past its author. She also talks about her father’s photography dark room in her childhood home in New York where many of her special memories took place. Sarah Kay has an incredible gift to paint visceral and vivid imagery through her words. Her poems are a gift to all who hear or read them. Listening to Sarah talk about her childhood dreams for her life and the ability to share your life and experience other’s lives through literature made me think of a quote from one of my favorite authors, Flannery O’Connor,

“Nothing needs to happen to a writer’s life after they are 20. By then they’ve experienced more than enough to last their creative life.”    –Flannery O’Connor

Tomorrow is my twentieth birthday and I have spent a lot of time recently reflecting upon the past 19 years of my life. Wow. I certainly could write endlessly about the things I have experienced––heartbreak, joy, uncertainty, love and a myriad of incredible blessings and delightful memories. I am determined to write stories share stories throughout my life, (I am in the process of writing a novel!). I want others to learn from my life and experiences and I want to draw lessons from theirs. Language and literature are incredible tools that many people seem to take for granted. To me, they may be the most important things in life.   {learning to be 21st century social one day at a time}

Authenticity in Public Relations

 

As an aspiring Public Relations professional, I have been pondering what it means to be authentic not only in my personal life, but also in the future when I work for a company.

Think of celebrities you’ve seen interviewed who are authentic. The first person who comes to my mind is Jennifer Lawrence, an Academy Award winning A-list actress. In every one of her appearances, she is quirky, open, down-to-earth, genuine and honest––and people undeniably LOVE her for it. Why is that? It is because she is relatable, interesting and absolutely charismatic. 

The same can be true for your business! The job of a Public Relations professional is to create mutually beneficial relationships with the organization and its public. How is that possible when cleverness and great logos can only take you so far? The answer is authenticity! People love nothing more than seeing something original, relatable and ultimately REAL.

I recently read a post from one of my favorite bloggers, PR In Your Pajamas about this topic written by Tina Overbury. One of the main points she hits on is that authenticity is born from the cohesion of a company’s Mission Statement, Values, and Culture.

She talks about how every PR professional should be able to summarize their client’s mission statement, values and culture in eight words, and also discusses four other tips for integrating authenticity into the life of your company.

I enjoyed reading her post and completely agree with it. It is important to know what your company stands for and offers––and to represent that entirely as an employee. This not only promotes consistent branding, but also delivers authenticity to all stakeholders involved.

Interaction with customers is vital to knowing how your client can best serve them, and, as the blog post pointed out, using direct quotes from satisfied customers is a great way to express authenticity.

Ultimately, being authentic in the world of Public Relations is about knowing what your client stands for and representing that in every aspect of your work. Customers will certainly take notice and your clients will stand out in the crowd.

Authenticity > Cleverness

{learning to be 21st century social one day at a time}

Spotify: music meets social media

 

Last summer my older sister introduced me to the “Spotify” app. She told me how much she loved it and that she would never use other programs or apps like Pandora or iTunes again. Initially I had no idea what Spotify was, and I remember thinking, “I could never stop using iTunes!” Well, turns out I was wrong.

The company was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in 2006, and the Spotify app was officially released in October 2008 and has been greeted with rising popularity. It has a similar music listening set up like iTunes, but for a monthly rate of just $10 for Spotify Premium, users can access nearly any song through a computer or any mobile device. The free version is similar except for the fact that it cannot be accessed on a mobile device and song changes are intermittently interrupted by a short advertisement.

Unlike iTunes, songs do not have to be purchased individually. More songs are actually available through Spotify than iTunes because Spotify features many obscure artists as well as various versions or covers of almost any given song.

The most unique feature of the Spotify app is that users can follow artists they like as well as connect with Facebook friends and see what they are listening to. Not only can users easily create their own playlists, but they can send songs, messages and playlists to friends. It is also fun to search and explore playlists that other users have created. Users can log into their Spotify account from any computer so they can have their music with them at all times.

I have used Spotify since August 2013, and I absolutely love it. I use it when I get ready in the morning, when I study or do homework, when listening to music with friends and almost everywhere else in between. Through it I have greatly enjoyed sharing music with friends and discovering wonderful new artists. I used to regularly buy new songs or entire albums through iTunes and I know I spent way more money that way than I am by using Spotify. It is worth every penny to me, and I think users who are skeptical should try a free month trial of Spotify Premium and see how they enjoy it.

Music is extremely important to me and Spotify makes it fun, easily accessible and helps me organize my favorite songs to listen to any and everywhere. It is something that people all ages can enjoy.

Although sites like iTunes will likely continue to have a monopoly on video and app purchases, Spotify is rising in use and may potentially become one of the, if not the number one, music streaming site. Personally, I will never go back to using iTunes for music.

Mashable recently wrote an article about the rise of Spotify and how it compares to other music sites. (http://mashable.com/2013/12/12/spotify-may-kill-itunes/)

{learning to be 21st century social one day at a time}

My Personal Learning Plan: What I’m Doing and Why It Interests Me

For my Personal Learning Plan, I am creating a Wix.com online portfolio/resume, researching the necessities to include on it and learning how to to incorporate this digital aspect of my resume into print media.

As a sophomore in college, I am now settled into a Public Relations major and English minor. My dream is to do public relations in the music industry at a venue or record label. In our world of rapidly advancing technology, I recognize the importance for having a positive online presence, especially relating to job applications and a future career in my desired field.

In addition to an excellent physical resume, I am also working to develop an online version that can be readily accessed via any mobile or digital device. Doing this will display my design and technological skills and knowledge. These details are particularly vital to express because they directly relate to the fast-paced, vastly digital career path I desire to take.

I am passionate about creativity and self expression. Designing this Wix.com professional portfolio/resume will allow me to display myself digitally in addition to my print resume. I will link my Wix profile via a QR on my printed resume so that potential employers can easily view my extensive digital portfolio/resume.

In order to accomplish this, I am following various Public Relations professionals on Twitter, including @PRByTheBook, @PublicityGuru, @PublicityHound, @PartiesandPR and @TressaLynne. I am also following Public Relations and Writing blogs including The PR News Blog, PR Couture, Solo PR Pro, Spin Sucks and PR Week.

I look forward to seeing everything I learn from this project and how I will develop personally and professionally in preparation for a career in Public Relations!

{Learning how to be social one day at a time!}