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Pimpin' all over the world
Monday, February 27, 2006

UE's national and international popularity has been picking up recently. Since Wednesday, February 22, UE has received site visits from, among others, San Antonio, Herndon, VA, Reno, NV, Orlando, Reston, VA, Athens, GA, Flower Mound, TX, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, and New York City, and internationally Ontario, Canada and Frankfurt, Germany. Pretty cool.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:08 AM | |

I just got off the phone with Maria Sharapova
Sunday, February 26, 2006

Haha! Unbelievable. Nike is running a creative little service that allows you to be snatched from the comfort of your blankie and pillows by, among others, Amare Stoudemire, Justin Gatlin, Maria Sharapova, Alex Rodriguez and a couple of other Nike athletes. The Nike Athlete Wake-Up Call website allows you to receive recorded messages to your phone at a designated hour at no charge. Maria will instruct you to: "Get your ass out of bed!" Hurry up, the program only runs to March 22.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:40 PM | |

Through the Fire (revisited)
Friday, February 24, 2006

UE just got word that Through the Fire, the documentary chronicling Sebastian Telfair's rollercoaster senior year of high school will air on ESPN, Sunday March 12 at 8pm. Read the original post - The Next Hoop Dreams.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:09 PM | |

Urban Eola hurting workplace effectiveness?

Urban Eola would like to extend a sincere apology to all of the companies who have gotten less productivity from their employees. Some telling stats from a recent article - Americans work more, seem to accomplish less - Reuters:

- The biggest culprit is the technology that was supposed to make work quicker and easier...

- Workers typically get 46 e-mails a day, nearly half of which are unsolicited.

- The average time spent on a computer at work was almost 16 hours a week last year, compared with 9.5 hours a decade ago, which is credited mostly to spending 45 minutes a day on a popular blog, UrbanEola.com.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:31 AM | |

Sole redemption
Thursday, February 23, 2006

Check out this pretty solid site for all those sneakerheads out there. They have all kinds of kicks you've never seen before. Sole Redemption

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:29 AM | |

Blog-wild
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Blogs are exploding. With this explosion comes severe competition. Check out this solid read. Blogs to Riches - New York Magazine

posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:13 AM | |

Let your game speak
Tuesday, February 21, 2006

You gotta watch the new Jordan XXI commercial or you can download the original version at XXI Jumpman 23. Awesome stuff!

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:25 PM | |

Stylin' and Profilin' at the NBA All-Star Game
Monday, February 20, 2006

Check out the freshest off the court looks (Urban Eola's opinion) from the 2006 NBA All-Star Game this past weekend. UE's top three are Matrix (Marion), John Legend, and D.Wade.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:07 PM | |

Next Hoop Dreams
Friday, February 17, 2006

Every once in a while before I see a certain movie I can predict it will make my list of favorite movies of all time. It held true with classics like Old School, Hoop Dreams, and Super Size Me. There's a new documentary that just came out in which I will make the same prediction.

Through the Fire follows NYC basketball legend (and current NBA point guard) Sebastian "Bassy" Telfair during his senior year of high school as he carries the weight of his Coney Island neighborhood. It won Best Documentary at the Urbanworld Film Festival in 2005 and also took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the AFI Fest.

Unfortunately it's only out in select cities right now, but ESPN purchased the rights to it and it should show on the network sometime in March. I will keep you guys updated on this.

>> Read Scoop Jackson's ESPN Page 2 article about the doc.
>> Read the synopsis on the Hock Films website.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:44 PM | |

The urban developer
Thursday, February 16, 2006

Interesting interview with an urban developer who has helped reshape retail for urbanites. He has some unique thoughts on urban culture. Read the Inc.com article.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:41 PM | |

Bodeist, Flying Tomatos, and a Bloom
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Been watching the winter Olympics? Has Bode Miller (above) been a disappointment? Nike hopes not. They have invested some serious money into his commercials and advertising. Today in class three people in front of me had Nike "Are you a Bodeist?" ads pop up on their instant messenger screens.

His story is much publicized in that he grew up with no electricity in New Hampshire. He has made some pretty bold remarks as well.

This Flying Tomato kid (Shaun White - USA snowboarder) looks like a great bet to become one of the few marketing posterboys of the much less ballyhooed winter games. He's a red haired, 12-year-old looking teenager (19 years) with an easygoing and laid back personality. A few months back he got Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher.

Jeremy Bloom (above) has a pretty solid story. He's a former college football player at the University of Colorado who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for accepting sponsorship money for his skiing career. It actually was a sham (read that story here). After Torino, he is participating in the NFL combine. For all you ladies: he's also a pretty decent-looking guy who models for Under Armour and Tommy.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:21 PM | |

So says this American game
Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Don't believe in American soccer? Watch this bad ass video by Nike and get inspired by it. Nike is attempting to mix urban hip hop culture with soccer, which was once considered a suburban sport. A look at the top soccer players in the U.S. looks like a class in diversity training. That's what makes soccer beautiful. Everyone plays. Rich, poor, urban, suburban, white, black, purple. "It is more than a past time, it is a culture." Watch the video Nike soccer - So says this American game.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:16 AM | |

Become a Nike designer
Monday, February 13, 2006

Pretty cool site for all those people who want to rock Nike gear that no one else has. NikeID - design your own Nike apparel and kicks.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:26 PM | |

Match Point
Sunday, February 12, 2006

Woody Allen churned out a pretty good movie called Match Point, starring a sexy Scarlett Johansson. The story line draws you to the edge of your seat and as all Woody Allen movies do, it leaves you contemplating a subject deeper than the movie. Below is Match Point's "deeper subject".

The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck it goes forward and you win. Or maybe it doesn't and you lose.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:52 AM | |

Do 26 miles
Friday, February 10, 2006

In celebration of my official registration for the 2006 Chicago Marathon, here is a list of the best U.S. marathons with help from Jason Elfman at active.com.

>> Best Rural Race // Napa Valley Marathon
25 of the 26 miles of this 2300-person race are through rolling wine countrysides of Napa Valley. March 5, 2006. www.napa-marathon.com

>> Best Big-City Race // New York City Marathon
I can actually vouch for this one. It was amazing. Every part of it made me feel like an elite athlete. With some of the largest marathon crowds going (two million or so), and one of the largest number of participants in the world (36,000 in 2005), it tours all five boroughs of the largest city in the U.S., and is one of only two marathons to garner national television coverage, which is why "big" doesn't really do it justice. Now that ING is ponying up one of the largest prize purses in marathoning, look out: New York's only going to get bigger. 2005 date: November 6; 2006 date TBA. www.ingnycmarathon.org

>> Best Small-Town Race // Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is a smaller city that thinks big. Its marathon offers prize money and has many of the same features of Chicago or New York, but without the crowds. Instead, you'll run by stately neighborhoods on tree-lined streets, albeit with a smaller audience.

"You get a lot more of the funky urban multicultural experience in Chicago," says Meg Daniel of Kennesaw, Georgia, who has run both. "In Richmond you get a little bit of everything else: the stately old neighborhoods, the quiet Zen-like tranquility of the river, and the historical in-town setting." Plus, race directors entice marathoners with two dedicated "Junk Food" stops (miles 16 and 22), stocked with cookies, pretzels, Gummi Bears, soda and other sweets to keep runners on a high. November 11, 2006. www.richmondmarathon.com

>> Best Destination // Honolulu Marathon
Two words: Honolulu. Hawaii. This is the place with 25,000 running it in 2005December 10, 2006. www.honolulumarathon.org.

>> Best Chance for a PR (personal record) // Chicago Marathon
I hear it's pretty fast. I'm planning on doing a 2:30 marathon + 2 hours. October 22, 2006. www.chicagomarathon.com.

>> Toughest Marathon // Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs)
"Yes, you're a badass if you run it, but know what you're getting into before you decide to conquer Pikes Peak." August 20, 2006. www.pikespeakmarathon.org.

>> Most Charitable // Marine Corps (Washington, D.C.)
October 29, 2006. www.marinemarathon.com.

>> Most Legendary // Boston Marathon
This is the granddaddy of them all -- the one on every runner's wish list, either to run in or to win. It's a fabled course, steeped in history, and you feel its magnitude at the starting line. There's just nothing like Boston. And until you've suffered through the journey, there's a little piece of your running puzzle that's missing. April 17, 2006. www.bostonmarathon.org.

>> Biggest Bang for the Buck // Houston Marathon
Way back in the '90s, the HP Houston Marathon was having an identity crisis. They were losing elite runners to other races, and registration was stagnant even as marathoning was experiencing a second boom. Enter new race director Steven Karpas, a runner with a marketing and finance background. Exit prize money for elites. Karpas and the marathon staff plugged that money back into runner benefits and race technology. For $65, each entrant gets a training T-shirt, official race T-shirt, finisher's sweatshirt, finisher's beer mug, finisher's medal, finisher's certificate and a hot breakfast at the finish line. Houston also helped pioneer the art of tracking runners online.

"We wanted to grow our race, and thought the one way to do that was if runners were direct beneficiaries of the aspects of the race," Karpas says.

It's worked. Since 2001, the HP Houston Marathon has added a half marathon and 5K and has grown its participation to 18,000 total runners. The half marathon is the men's national championship race, but every runner feels elite in Houston.

"Lots of races claim they do everything for the runners," says Randy Moore of Minneapolis, who ran Houston last year. "Houston lives up to everything it claims." January 15, 2006. www.hphoustonmarathon.com.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:47 PM | |

I just found out I'm a b-boy
Thursday, February 09, 2006

B-boy was originally a term applied to a breakdancer. Over time, the term has expanded to include any individual who identifies with the urban and hip-hop subculture. The term B-girl has evolved to refer to females. DJ Kool Herc apparently coined the term b-boy in 1969 in New York City.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 5:38 PM | |

Why do so many people drink bottled water?
Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Some quotes from a solid article (Yahoo - Bottled Water: nectar of the Frauds?) on the bottled water phenomenom. I am just as guilty as anyone. The problem is that I've previously read about the ill effects of re-using plastic bottles. Glass is supposed to be better. And I'm not about to take a glass bottle with me to class. Regardless, after reading this article I'm thinking about reverting back to my old school ways of drinking from the tap.

- "Americans drank 26 billion liters of bottled water in 2004, or roughly one eight-ounce glass per person every day"
- "At up to $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline in the United States."
- "Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit..."

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:57 AM | |

How do you like them apples
Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Apple just announced a new 1GB iPod Nano. The 1GB iPod Nano costs $149. It's the new entry-level model beneath the 2GB iPod Nano ($199) and the 4GB iPod Nano ($249). Apple also dropped the prices on the iPod Shuffle. The 512MB iPod Shuffle costs only $69 and the 1GB iPod Shuffle costs $99.

Expect grandparents and toddlers alike to now be sportin' the white earbuds.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:15 PM | |

All things cool

I ran into this very cool article about this kid named Josh Spear, a 21-year-old out of Boulder, Colorado. This just shows you how a successful blog can captivate a young, hip audience. Check out this pretty awesome Denver Post article on Josh.

posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:08 AM | |

Super Bowl hangover
Sunday, February 05, 2006

The day after the big game, millions come to work unfocused and hungover, or simply call in sick altogether. The big loser? The nation’s economy. Great article on Inc.com

posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:51 PM | |

$2.4 million for 30 seconds!
Friday, February 03, 2006

Think how many things you can do with $2.4 million. Now think how many things you can do in 30 seconds. The answer to those questions should be plenty and a little, respectively.
Well this year's Super Bowl Super Bowl XL's :30 ad rates are a mere $2.4 million, the third time in five years rates haven't gone up year to year. Who says things are expensive in the 21st century?

Here's a preview by CNNMoney of what commercials are in store for this year and below is a list of the top Super Bowl Commercials according to Doc's Sports Servive:

// McDonalds -- circa 1991, Jordan and Bird shooting crazy shots. The commercial starts with the two shooting from crazy parts of the arena, then outside, and concluding with a shot from on top of a skyscraper through a window, of the rafter, nothing but net, or something like that.

// Coke -- circa 1980, "Mean Joe" Greene comes walking through the tunnel from the field to the locker room, and a little boy offers him a coke, in return, "Mean Joe" gives him his jersey. Apple Computers - circa 1984, The computer age was thrust upon us with a very institutional style commercial that changed our lives forever.

// Bud Light -- (pictured) circa 1998, Budweiser had given us the frogs in recent years, but the topped themselves by overwhelming us with four spots of "Louie the Lizard", which they dropped a reported $16.8 million on.

// GoDaddy.com -- (pictured) circa 2005, GoDaddy.com gave us comedy, sex, politics, controversy, and don't forget they were making fun of the "No Fun League", and we didn't even get to see the second half of it.

// Bud v. Bud Light - circa (too many years to note), the football game that compelled audiences for years. If I have to describe it for you, stop reading now.

// Reebok - (pictured) circa 2003, Reebok gave us an icon. His name, Terry Tate, Office Linebacker. Terry raced around the office laying hits on coworkers that were underperforming. This is the epitome of what a Super Bowl commercial should be.

By the way, the 2006 Super Bowl XL in Detroit is scheduled to feature Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, and John Legend during the pregame ceremonies; Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin, and Dr. John will perform the national anthem; and The Rolling Stones will play during the halftime show. Happy 7-layer cheese dip!

posted by Michael Tavani @ 3:33 AM | |

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