allterrainjohnny

urchicago: Museum of Science and Industry | Month at the...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Museum of Science and Industry | Month at the Museum

The Museum of Science and Industry is looking for one lucky person to live in the museum for a month, sleeping amongst the exhibits and participating in various science-related activities. Once the month’s over and done you get paid a cool $10,000.

On the plus side, you get to personally re-enact From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler . On the minus side, you have to pass a drug test (and maybe get background checked, too).

blaaargh: Balloons & Dyson Air Multiplier fans

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

blaaargh:

Balloons & Dyson Air Multiplier fans

All You Need Is Love

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Dave Matthews Band has announced that it will make its final stop for their 2010 tour at Wrigley...

How do you KIT (or, keep in touch) with friends, family members,...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

How do you KIT (or, keep in touch) with friends, family members, business contacts when they aren’t “connected”?

I am talking no LinkedIn, Facebook, blog, Twitter, instant messenger, BBM, text, email … completely devoid of a techno-social existence. I struggle staying connected to my offline lads. By the nature of my profession (and personal interest in all things social media), I spend all day (most days) at a computer, in email, with my iPhone permanently affixed to my palm, typically within range of wired or wireless internet.

That said, I have friends and relatives who are teachers, bartenders, social workers, physical therapists, etc. who spend their days having actual human interaction (what?!) rather than interaction via technological means like tweeting and texting.

I am shocked when they don’t acknowledge an email within 12 hours, haven’t returned a text or don’t know what I am talking about when I reference a blog. The dude in my life isn’t on Facebook, where many of my IRL (in real life) event invites live. Have I forgotten to verbally invite him to an event before, expecting his attendance at an event he is completely unaware of? Absolutely.

After writing it out, this seems like a personal problem, but I doubt I am the only one dealing with it. Y’all have non-digital friends too … right? Rather than disconnect from them (unless you refuse to associate yourself & cut ties … harsh), how do you KIT with your network of non-connected connections?

Your NEW Favorite Music Blog Have several favorite music blogs?...

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Your NEW Favorite Music Blog

Have several favorite music blogs? Not any more you don’t. That’s because the Hype Machine keeps track of what the top music bloggers are writing about and handpicks the best tunes, making it a one-stop-shop for you to discover and consume the best music out there. You can also stream individual songs or whole playlists straight from the site or download them to your computer and mp3 player. Check it out at hypem.com and get ready…because visiting the Hype Machine will give you dance fever and make you the coolest cat on the block….or blog.

Flash Mobs and Glee? What’s Better? It is no secret that I...

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Flash Mobs and Glee? What’s Better?

It is no secret that I am a Gleek. I actually know of a few other Gleeks here at All Terrain (cough, Kevin, cough). I also love flash mobs, so you wouldn’t believe my excitement when I found a flash mob dedicated to Glee!!

Thanks to some very brave students at Ohio State University, a flash mob to Glee’s version of “Don’t Stop Believin” was created and performed in the college’s newly opened student union in hopes to promote its use.

This proves what I always knew about Glee; it’s the hottest thing around. It’s catching on everywhere and with everyone.

I am not an Ohio State fan for the purpose of athletics, especially because they always seem to beat up on my Boilermakers, but I may have jumped on the bandwagon just because of this performance. Go Buckeyes!

Six months ago (January 2010), Domino’s Pizza...

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Six months ago (January 2010), Domino’s Pizza launched PizzaTurnAround.com, an honest (too honest?) to goodness look at their pizza and process showcasing actual consumers less-than-glowing reviews of their old product:

“…crust tastes like cardboard…”

“Microwave pizza is far superior.”

“Where’s the love?”

The list went on …

The microsite features videos from Domino’s CEO, the story of the company, a Twitter feed and more … all designed to showcase and emphasize their renewed focus on producing a stellar product.

Critics questioned “what were they focusing on BEFORE?” and “why wasn’t their focus ALWAYS centered on delivering a great pizza?” among other burning questions about Domino’s decision to “turn around” after all this time.

One of the new value-adds from Domino’s is the online ordering and delivery tracking process, shown above. The photo shows an actual recent online order I placed, and tracked, from submission to fulfillment. And I’ve got to say, it was good. Donald (the actual employee who assembled, baked and quality checked my pizza, according to the real-time tracker) did an amazing job.

To be fair, I hadn’t tried Domino’s Pizza before the great reinvention of 2010, but I like what they’ve done with the ~~place~~, er, pizza.

thedailywhat: Street Art of the Day: The most heartwarming...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

thedailywhat:

Street Art of the Day: The most heartwarming graffiti marriage proposal you will see today, guaranteed.

[animalny / thanks elissa!]

Sweet video of a guy proposing to his girlfriend via street art installation. This is how the cool kids express their love in 2010!

Girls Rock! Chicago A good friend of mine has really done...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:30:00 -0500

Girls Rock! Chicago

A good friend of mine has really done something that she is truly passionate about and did so on her own budget. Sarah Moshman, a native of Evanston, IL, spent a week in Chicago last summer when she had some time off from her hectic Los Angeles life, where she is an associated producer for shows like “Minute to Win It” and “Dancing With The Stars,” to film a short documentary on Chicago’s very own school of rock.

Girls Rock! Chicago is a two-week long camp that is directed at young girls 8-16 and it uses music to help empower and build self-esteem by teaching the girls to play instruments, form their own bands, write their own songs and perform them in front of a large audience. Moshman learned about this amazing camp from a friend and formed an all-female team to shoot a short 24-minute documentary that will air on PBS in Chicago on July 25 at 6:30 p.m. and again on August 1 at 11:30 a.m..

Girls Rock! Chicago follows three bands as they embark on this week long experience that culminates in a final performance at the Metro in Chicago. “This project is my baby,” Moshman said. “From conception to the final edit, I made all of the creative decisions associated with it and I learned so much. I am proud to put my name on it and I just want people to see it so they can know how amazing this camp is for young women. Because girls really do rock!”

This project is just one addition to a career that has already experienced so much success. Moshman made a short film at the University of Miami, where she studied Video-Film, titled “31 and Counting” that won her an award at a women’s festival as well as short documentary in high school that earned her an award from CSPAN.

To learn more check out Girls Rock! Chicago on the web.

Ideas Worth Spreading Started in 1984, TED is a small nonprofit...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Ideas Worth Spreading

Started in 1984, TED is a small nonprofit devoted to spreading important messages throughout the world. TED began as a bi-annual conference (California and Oxford, England) to bring together people from the technology, entertainment, and design worlds, but over the last 26 years its scope has grown to include a wide range of topics within the study of science and culture. Beginning in 2007, TEDTalks have been shown on the TED website to give people on-demand access to some of the world’s most inspiring voices; which include speakers such as Bill Clinton, Robert Ballard, Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Bono, the founders of Google, and numerous Nobel Prize Winners, who are limited to 18 minutes to get their ideas across in the most creative way possible. Now having reached over 200 million online views, TED presents a highlight video of their 10 Best TEDTalks.

CLICK HERE for the video.

Win Tickets to see the Chicago Sky

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:13:00 -0500

The first one to correctly answer this trivia question will win four tickets to Friday’s Sky game,...

Flipboard Launches as the iPad’s Social Media...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:03:11 -0500

Flipboard Launches as the iPad’s Social Media Magazine

With backing from several heavy hitters and an acquisition, Flipboard has kicked off its quest to become the new and vibrant way you browse your social media streams.

Flipboard, which is now available in the iPad app store, is a start-up that calls itself the “world’s first social magazine.” It connects to your social media accounts — primarily Facebook and Twitter — and utilizes that information to create an interface that will feel familiar if you’re a magazine lover. It officially launches today.

Flipboard takes popular news sources (specifically the ones you choose) as well as your Twitter and Facebook feed to provide to create a unique web browsing experience. Moving through the interface is a simple as flipping the page. Items shared on Facebook are suddenly turned into magazine articles and multimedia is immediately made front-and-center.

CLICK HERE for more.

brit: And so, the Old Spice Man videos are over. I loved these...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

brit:

And so, the Old Spice Man videos are over. I loved these excerpts from this story summarizing how the videos were made. Kudos specifically to P&G for not letting company politics and reviews get in the way of real-time marketing responses:

“Those people are having more fun than I’ve ever seen anyone have in a shoot like this. That’s part of why it’s doing so well. It’s genuinely infectious, it transmits itself through the internet in a massive way.”

Tait says that Old Spice’s parent company Proctor & Gamble exhibited incredible bravery in allowing his team to write marketing content in real time, with little to no supervision.

“There is such great trust [between the companies],” he said. “But we are being very responsible. They have given us a set of guidelines and if we get close to the edges we contact them.”

That trust is all the more necessary because of how new this really is, in some ways. “If the message that comes out of this is that you can make TV commercials in 30 minutes, then we’re all out of a job,” Tait jokes. “This is something new. We’re operating on Internet time but with a level of quality you’d get on a TV slot. That combination was what really got many peoples’ attention.”

Girls Night Out 2.0 (PedalPub) Here at All Terrain, we’re used...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:08:10 -0500

Girls Night Out 2.0 (PedalPub)

Here at All Terrain, we’re used to fast rides (after all, we are proud promoters of the 2010 Chevy Camaro)! And a good 50% of us bike to work (some of us even bear the cold winter and snow-covered streets to pedal down Grand Ave). So when I heard about PedalPub, a Netherland invention that recently hit the streets of downtown Minneapolis, I had to know more and figure out how I could rent one of these hotrods.

PedalPub is quite literally, a pub on wheels, powered by bikers. Up to 16 ‘riders’ can hop on board and choose one of 16 routes that snake through Minneapolis and St. Paul. Party animals (legally) consume alcohol (and, of course, snacks to energize while they exercise) while a driver steers the hard-at-work crew who are using their quads to pull the pub across the city! The driver makes sure to veer off the road for a few stops at local (stationary) bars so that the locals can comment at how cool the party looks when they roll up in such a sweet ride.

So why would a Chicago girl think to tour downtown Minny when Chitown is packed with a million hotspots? Well, for one, Chicago doesn’t have PedalPub…but more importantly, it was my mother’s official bachelorette party. That’s right my 57 year old mother and her daughter, 2 nieces, and several 60+ years of age gal pals climbed onboard to drink boxed wine and beer in honor of her last night of being a single lady in the city!

While we all had fun, I assure you I did all the work!

All Terrain Mix Tape

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Are you ready for the weekend? Take a ride in the All Terrain time machine with these songs...

All Terrain Gets an iPad All Terrain has just received the...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

All Terrain Gets an iPad

All Terrain has just received the office iPad and surprisingly it is a very handy business tool.

“I find it very useful for meeting and brain storming ideas. I can pull up information very fast, take notes and organize ideas”
-Kevin Boyer, Director of Marketing & Public Relations

“I thought that the iPad would be more of a toy than a tool. I have found, that for my uses, it is definitely more of a tool. From IT/office management to note taking, the iPad actually streamlines my work. For illustration, the sketch apps are swell and finally have an appropriate machine to run on.”
- Eric Mortensen, Office Coordinator

Here’s a list of apps we recommend for any office:

An Evening with GLAAD’s Chicago Leadership Council A...

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

An Evening with GLAAD’s Chicago Leadership Council

A couple weeks ago, several All Terrainers gathered with 175 other people to celebrate the launch of the brand new GLAAD Chicago Leadership Council at a kick-off event at MillerCoors world headquarters in downtown Chicago. All Terrain’s very own, Kevin Boyer, our Director of PR & Marketing, is the new co-chair of the Chicago LC. Kevin has a long history working in the LGBT community, co-founding the Chicago LGBT Chamber of Commerce, serving as president of Chicago’s Gerber/Hart LGBT Library, and was the Chief Marketing Officer and head of PR for the 2006 Gay Games.

The event was free and open to the public and included a short program highlighting GLAAD’s work supporting LGBT equality. The event included a diverse crowd who came to enjoy plenty of free beer, donated food from Vivo Restaurant on Randolph Street, and complimentary Pop Chips (www.popchips). MillerCoors 16th floor facility has beautiful city views and a terrace overlooking the Chicago River. GLAAD announced that the Chicago event was their largest so far!

What is GLAAD, you ask? “The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.” (www.glaad.org). The Chicago Leadership Council will represent GLAAD in the Chicago area, help monitor media here, help raise visibility for GLAAD, offer support to local community organizations trying to communicate their messages through the media and help GLAAD recruit volunteers and raise needed funds.

Just For Laughs Comedy Festival Hits Chicago On Wednesday June...

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:53:49 -0500

Just For Laughs Comedy Festival Hits Chicago

On Wednesday June 16th, Ellen Degeneres kicked off the Laughs for Chicago Festival with a bang, premiering her fourth annual variety show at the Chicago Theatre, titled, “Ellen’s Somewhat Special Special”.

After appearing on stage during a magic act, Ellen told the crowd she forgot something, at which point she ran off stage. Ellen returned seconds later with the Stanley Cup and the Chicago Blackhawk’s at her side – the Chicago Theatre had never been so loud. Other special guests to the show included DJ Nick Cannon, and musical performers Lady Antebellum, as well as a number of other acrobatic, magic, and comedic performers. The one-hour special will premiere on TBS this Sunday, June 27, at 9 p.m. eastern time, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it.

A Day with the Stanley Cup and the Blackhawks The day of the...

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:43:00 -0500

A Day with the Stanley Cup and the Blackhawks

The day of the rally my friend Charlie and some pals from Park City and I made our way down thru the madness (quite easily to our surprise ) to the Hyatt where Rocky Wirtz and the Blackhawks were hosting a private post rally party. I was making my way to the restroom as all the Hawks started to enter the building. Having worked with these guys for past two years, it was so fun to get a minute to give a celebratory hug or high five to the guys I know best. And while you would think that after 48 hours plus of celebration these players, coaches and owners would have been dragging or tired of talking about the win … but they were all gracious and equally as excited as we were. I had my very own moment with the Cup which I will never forget. It has been an honor to work alongside the Blackhawks as they grow their notoriety and popularity through hard work, great decision making on behalf of management and a camaraderie between the players and fans that is truly special.

Good job Hawks … we are proud of you!!

wearethedigitalkids: MTV (client) is looking for a “TJ” to be...

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:10:26 -0500

wearethedigitalkids:

MTV (client) is looking for a “TJ” to be the social voice for red carpet events, etc. Interested? Check out: http://tj.mtv.com/