McKenzie Lawton

MOVING

2009-12-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

Alright ya'll.

So I'm moving my blog over to WordPress.

Sorry, Blogger.

Google Makes me Giggle

2009-12-17T12:28:00.002-05:00

Oh silly Google... I wonder how it's possible that certain suggestions wind up being suggestions on Google. How do they get there? How is this possible?

At the very least it provides something amusing.

TNGG: It Takes Two Men to Make this Woman Happy.

2009-12-14T11:52:00.003-05:00

So this week is Food Week on The Next Great Generation. Today I have an article about Ben & Jerry's.

Read here!

My Jersey Shore Name is Pooker... What's Yours?!

2009-12-09T19:05:00.007-05:00

The Bostonist is a great blog for those residing in Boston (like me).

Today they had a post about the Jersey Shore Nickname Generator. If you haven't seen the new MTV series Jersey Shore I highly recommend it. It's an absolute (for lack of a better work) shit show. It's downright hilarious.

The Jersey Shore Nickname Generator was developed by Aaron Cohen and Chris McCoy.

As a result, my Jersey Shore nickname is now Pooker. It's okay, I guess. I'm just sad that it's not as awesome as "The Situation" or "Jwoww".

Google Wave: Grab Your Board, Surf's Up!

2009-12-07T22:54:00.007-05:00

I love everything Google, as seen by my most recent post on The Next Great Generation. So when I heard about Google Wave I just had to have it. It was new and exciting. Finally my a friend of mine, Melanie Wong, was able to send me an invite and my life is forever changed.

As soon as I got my invite I set up my account and presto! I was on the Wave bandwagon... But what came next? I only had two contacts (Melanie and Dr. Wave). What was I supposed to do? How did all of this work? It was a lot to take in and understand. When people asked me what I wasn't I didn't even know what to tell them. A combination of chat and e-mail? That just wasn't sufficient. It just is Google Wave.

Finally, Melanie and I collaborated on an article together, via Google Wave and it all made sense. We were able to write together and talk in real-time. We could see what each other was typing and editing. It wasn't just that I sent her my work and copied and pasted it together with hers. It really was a team effort.

Gizmodo had a post about how the Declaration of Independence would have been written today via Google Wave. In a way, you can kind of understand exactly how it works with this example. Multiple people working together to write or collaborate on an article, idea, project and so much more.

However, as much as I love Google, it isn't perfect. Wave is still in preview. It's kind of slow and a bit buggy. They haven't ironed out all of the kinks and there is room for a lot more improvement. Today, I wasn't able to send out more invitations because they shut down for maintenance. I got Gmail while it was still in beta and I know that they worked through all of the kinks there. It is possible that Google Wave will be a huge milestone in Internet innovation.

The bottom line: The idea is great and I know that I will definitely be using it in the future.

TNGG - 5 Ways to target Gen Y: Love Google

2009-12-03T12:24:00.005-05:00

Melanie Wong and I recently collaborated in an article (via Google Wave) now appearing on The Next Great Generation. It's all about Google and how much we love it, basically.

I'm really proud of our work and I think it's definitely worth reading.

Read here!

The Greatest PSA. Ever.

2009-12-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

As you can probably already tell, I love Mashable.

Today they had a post about a new PSA by LG with James Lipton (Inside the Actors Studio).

So smart.

Genius Or Just Plain Grimy?

2009-11-28T18:52:00.005-05:00

Recently I read on Mashable that there is a new company out there called MiKandi who has launched its own Android app store with adult only applications... and I'm not joking.

Frankly, I don't know how I feel about this. Hey, if a guy wants to be able to look at porn on his phone, why not? But a phone is meant to be portable. The idea of sitting next to some creep on the T who is avidly looking through his MiKandi apps... not cool.

Why can't we just leave that stuff private? Hey if you like a certain porn star, I'm not going to try and persuade you otherwise. But should this really be allowed outside of our homes into the public sphere?

The commercial (if that's what you want to call it) seems to candy coat the fact that it is a porn app store. They keep referring to it as "adult-only" with cutesy pictures and music. But every now and then, something strange pops up. When you seem someone scrolling through their apps, oh hey look, it's a database of Porn Stars.

MiKandi also claims that they are giving developers a chance to create the apps that they want while still making some sort of revenue.

You know what, MiKandi might be innovative, but it's a little creepy. Hey I don't have a problem with someone liking "adult-only" things, but just don't look at porn on your phone when I'm trying to have a conversation with you.

NOT KAREN?!

2009-11-25T12:41:00.005-05:00

No Megan Mullally! Noooo!

Okay, so we all know how cheesey the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter commercials have always been, but really?

We all know Megan as Karen from Will and Grace, probably one of my favorite characters in a television show.

But this is a new low. I knew that she could sing because she was in Young Frankenstein on Broadway, but this just isn't okay. She can do so much better...

The Next Great Generation: Why Glee?

2009-11-24T08:43:00.005-05:00

As you may or may not remember, I wrote about The Next Great Generation and how I am involved in this project and would be updating your periodically on when my articles were published.

My first post was published today and it's about Glee and how I feel as though they ultimately reduce our generation to stereotypes.

Let me know what you think!

A Fast Food Flow Chart for the Ages

2009-11-23T11:56:00.010-05:00

I used to work in fast food, and the sad thing is that this flow chart makes so much sense. I love it.

I found it through one of my favorite blogs, Geekologie, if that says anything about my personality.

Since entering college I eat considerably less fast food than I ever did (sounds counter-intuitive, right?). For a while, actually, I went over a year sans fast food. Then I magically wound up working at Burger King and unfortunately, the rest is history.

Please, the next time you need to eat something fast, try not to go to some crappy fast food place. Make yourself some cereal at least.

If You Like Science and Dogs...

2009-11-22T12:13:00.005-05:00

If you like science and dogs, please watch this YouTube video. It is a video of 16 golden retrievers teaching you about atoms.

Now, I like science (I have tattoos of the molecular structures of serotonin and dopamine on my ankles) and I love animals. This video just makes me so happy.

Needless to say, it's adorable, and makes me very excited to go home for Thanksgiving and play with my dogs.

Park Plaza and Murphy's Law

2009-11-19T14:09:00.004-05:00

Park Plaza and Muprhy's Law
Originally uploaded by shady757 (on & off for a bit...)

This picture was taken Tuesday night when I was at work at Ben and Jerry's right underneath the Park Plaza Hotel.

The image is just gorgeous and I definitely remember the photographer on the street that night.

Really glad I found this.

A Walk in the Park

2009-11-18T12:09:00.003-05:00

I've never been a huge fan of New York city. It's always crowded and it's just not my deal. Clearly I'm more Boston than NYC. However, I found this video through brandflakesforbreakfast and it was so cool. It is like you get to go on a little adventure through Central Park.

Unfortunately it's a YouTube video that lasts longer than 2 minutes, so it's kind of hard for me to pay attention. In the end, though, it's totally worth it.

The video was created Mark Louis Weinberg and used over 2,000 still images. Weinberg has his own website and blog to promote his photography. He even takes pictures on his iPhone that are gorgeous. Definitely worth checking out.

The Next Great Project

2009-11-15T13:13:00.007-05:00

This semester in college I found out about a great opportunity to write for a blog called The Next Great Generation, organized by Edward Boches. It's all about the Millennial Generation (18 to 25 year olds) and our views on the world geared towards and older audience so they can better understand us. I learned about this opportunity from Melanie Wong who is my Account Executive at my college's own marketing firm. When she mentioned the opportunity I was excited to start writing and gain some valuable experience.

Melanie is an editor for this online magazine and I work as a writer under the Brand section. Currently, her and I are developing an entry about Google and how much it plays such an important role in our lives. I couldn't live without Gmail, Google Reader or even Google Chrome. We even collaborated through Google Wave.

So far I have written about Glee and Windows 7 and am in the process of having my work published on the site. Needless to say, I'm incredibly excited about working on this project. I'm gaining such a great experience while still exercising my love for writing and blogging. Stay tuned and I will give you updates on upcoming posts and information about The Next Great Generation.

Lady Gaga's Bad Romance Video... Seriously, Who Can Top This?

2009-11-10T13:39:00.007-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I present to you, the newest video from Lady Gaga, Bad Romance. Watch it. It's epic.

Before I got back to school this September, I wasn't sure how to feel about Lady Gaga. Sure, her songs were catchy, but from the way I looked at it, they all seemed to be about being a whore.

Then I came back to school where I have several friends who are Gaga-crazy. Needless to say we have spent many nights blasting her music, while singing and dancing. There is something so captivating about her music. I'm still trying to figure it out.

Yet there is one thing that I've always had an issue with. People consider Lady Gaga an artist. I don't know if I would necessary call her that. Sure, she's a popular singer with innovative ides when it comes to her stage show, CDs and music videos (clearly, if you watch the epicness above). But sometimes I feel like people just take her too seriously.

But I do believe one thing to be true... Lady Gaga will be around for a while. It is undeniable how popular she is and I bet you she can keep surprising us with more.

Miley and Biggie Mashup

2009-11-08T17:10:00.003-05:00

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Video - Dan Likes to Party

2009-11-03T16:58:00.010-05:00

One night last week, I was called at midnight and asked if I wanted to slap Dan Horgan. We lived on the same floor last year, in adjacent rooms, and I got to slap him last year for our Wellness Fuck movie. Now, they want this video to go viral (which I doubt it will, but hey, it's worth a shot).

I actually find the video pretty funny. I ask you to please wait until the end. Don't stop it short because it's only about a minute and 30 seconds long anyway.

McKenzie Reviews - Lars and the Real Girl

2009-11-02T20:12:00.008-05:00

Lars and the Real Girl isn't your typical love story. It's basically impossible to even consider loving an inanimate object... unless you're name is Lars and have a delusion.

This movie is marketed on Netflix as a Comedy. I love comedies. Especially dark comedies, which is exactly what I was planning on getting with this movie. However, I didn't feel like the humor always came through. The movie was in no way a drama, but it seemed too sad at times to be a comedy.

As screwed up as Lars is, I feel as though the audience comes to really connect with his character. You see him evolve from a closed off, strange guy to being excited to interact with something (even if it is an non-living sex doll) to living a somewhat normal life afterward. And, I found it so touching that everyone in the town really cared for Ryan Gosling's character and made him and his sex-doll girlfriend Bianca really feel taken care of and at home. You even see Lars' brother come to accept his delusional younger sibling. So touching.

But obviously, there is a huge creepy factor to this movie. Lars' co-worker introduced Lars to the website where he would eventually buy Bianca from. Needless to say, that was awkward. Also, the idea that someone can actually fall in love with a "anatomically correct" doll is strange. He talks for her and actually believes her to be real. In the real world, I doubt so many people would have given so much care to feed into this delusion.

Of course, there is the uplifting ending. Lars lets go of Bianca (through pretending that she died, of course) and connects with the girl that you knew he would end up with from the second the movie began.

The movie earned a Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. Well deserved in my opinion. Very unique. It showed me something I haven't seen before. A man falling in love with a life-sized doll. I would recommend this to any friends who enjoy the dark comedy genre and gave it a 4 star rating on Netflix.

(Image Credit: Mild Mannered Photographer via Flickr)

McKenzie Spots a Trend! - Where the Wild Things Are Tattoos

2009-10-27T23:13:00.007-04:00

So I'm sitting here in my room while one of my suitemates, Kelsey, works on her Halloween costume. I bet you can't guess what it is... Actually, I bet you can.

She's being Max from Where The Wild Things Are. Now, I loved this book when I was a child. I still do. But with the release of the movie, it seems to me that the whole world has gone Wild Things crazy to the point where they are getting it tattooed on themselves permanently.

To be completely honest, before the movie came out and when I was contemplating what I wanted for my first tattoo, I thought of something Wild Things related. Then I came to my senses.

While blog surfing, I came across a tattoo blog on Tumblr and saw that of their most recent posts, most of them had Wild Things tattoos. How big has this trend become you say?

There is a whole SECTION at bmezine.com dedicated to Wild Things (Click Here) Granted, many of them date back to 2002, but it seems as though the whole section of these tattoos was organized out of hype for the movie.
tattoo.

It is totally fine with me if you want to get a tattoo, but shouldn't it be something meaningful? It seems to me like people are getting these tattoos solely due to the movie's recent release. They probably want to look "deep" and like the book describes their experience as a child. I doubt 1,000's of people making this realization at the same time makes them "unique".

(Image Credit: p22earl via Flickr)

McKenzie Reviews! - My External Hard Drive

2009-10-26T20:13:00.009-04:00

This the beginning of a new section that I like to call McKenzie Reviews! in which I give my thoughts and opinions on everything from technology, entertainment, movies, and music once a week. This week, I will be reviewing my brand new external hard drive - a Toshiba 500GB Portable USB 2.0 in Blue.

I was originally planning on buying it from Amazon, but they don't recognize college dorm addresses (what's up with that?). So, I went against everything I stand for and got it from Wal-Mart. For the amount of space you get and the fact that it's portable, it was a good price (around $90).

When I opened the box my first thought was, "Oh how cute!" And it really is. It is one of the cutest pieces of technology I've seen (please ignore the nerdiness). It comes in a very pretty blue color and when they say it's portable, they aren't kidding. It's really small and lightweight. I hope I don't break it.

I plugged it in to my computer for the first time, and it installed itself. I opened up the hard drive's folder in Windows and then ran the Setup that came with it. It was practically idiot proof. Once the software is installed, you just run a backup on both your files and your computer's local drive. You can customize it to update daily, weekly, monthly, or manually.

My only problem, was how long it took to back everything up for the first time. It took over 2 hours (ouch!). For a college student, that's a lot of time. However, after you backup your information once, updating it doesn't take long at all! Not to mention, it's also a very quiet piece of hardware.

I would say this was a very good buy. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new external hard drive and want something that is right for the price and size.

Hopefully coming soon: McKenzie Reviews Windows 7!

How Many Patties?!

2009-10-23T11:28:00.006-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Windows 7 Whopper!
Yesterday Microsoft finally released it's much anticipated Windows 7.
In Japan only, Burger King introduced it's heart-attacking inducing Windows 7 Whopper with 7 PATTIES!
I used to work at Burger King and I thought a Triple Whopper was bad enough...

My Top Ten Guilty Pleasures

2009-10-21T17:16:00.009-04:00

So I got to thinking, "How can people get to know me more without reiterating stuff that's just in my profile?" Then I realized that people could get to know me more if I came up with a list of my guilty pleasures.

Reality Television - For my friends, this doesn't come as any surprise. I love television, and it's the main thing I use to occupy my time. But there is something about reality television. I love watching people get mad at each other and make fools out of themselves. Is that a bit cruel?
Ice Cream - I work at a Ben and Jerry's, so some may not consider this a guilty pleasure, but hey, I love ice cream!
Spongebob Squarepants - I love this show. It is my childhood wrapped up into a nice, adorable box (even though it came out when I was in 5th grade). It's still hilarious and I sleep with a Spongebob pillow every night.
Clinical Protection Deodorant - With the amount of metal that is in clinical strength deodorant, I will probably get cancer, but I can't live without it! It keeps me smelling good all day, even if I went to work!
Taking naps - Naps are fairly common for most people, especially college students. Since I fall into that category, of course I nap! However, it makes me feel so lazy when I know I could probably be doing something more productive.
ICanHasCheezBurger.com - There is just something so cute and hilarious about those damn cats!
Baked Goods - I love to bake, but more than that, I love to eat what I bake. I was a cooking instructor all summer and if there were any leftovers, you could bet that I would eat them.
Perez Hilton - I read his website daily, and I follow him on Twitter. Yet it can be bit embarrassing when you reference reading a story on PerezHilton.com in class.
Halloween - I love it. Even at almost 20-years-old, it is one of my favorite holidays. It makes eating candy and scaring young children (just kidding!) okay for a night. Not to mention the fact that you get to dress up.
Wife Swap - Technically, this could be considered part of reality TV, but it deserves a category all it's own. Lifetime runs episodes of Wife Swap during the day when I don't have anything to do, and I love it! There is nothing better than seeing a crazy-Christian woman enter the house of a pagan family and lose her shit. (Balloon Boy will never have a normal life because of this television show)

Why I Love my BlackBerry

2009-10-18T12:43:00.003-04:00

So back in February, I got a BlackBerry, and frankly, I don't know what I would do without it. Being able to get my e-mails instantly without my computer, check up on the latest FMyLife posts, and play Bubble Popper all day long! I wondered, where had this technology been all my life?!

There are a just a few reasons why I love my BlackBerry oh so much:

1) Getting e-mails and being able to reply instantly. I don't know what I would be able to do do without it. It seems like I'm getting a new e-mail every 5 minutes that needs my immediate attention. But never fear! I can be in touch no matter what, and I will always get back to you.

2) All those awesome applications. Now, it may not be like the iPhone where there is a new application every second. However, the applications that you can find for your BlackBerry are awesome! I can get the weather right on my phone, check CNN, play games, and Google no matter where I am.

3) It's always there for me. A BlackBerry definitely isn't like a shitty boyfriend. It will always be there for you. Do you need to find something to laugh at? Find your favorite webcomic from anywhere! Need to be occupied? Play Brick Breaker until your eyes bleed. Need to express your feelings? Tweet from your lonely one-bedroom apartment.

Now, be warned. Because a BlackBerry is so entertaining, you may ignore people when it is around. I used to get crap for checking Facebook all the time when I was out to dinner with friends. But hey, you have to make sacrifices, right?