'Melo Jumpman ad
Monday, April 30, 2007
Here's my posting philosophy: When I see fresh stuff, I post it. Although I try to diversify as much as possible and cover various interesting topics, freshness usually wins out. And even though I frequently post about Nike and their badass commercials and in general all athletic apparel ads, this 'Melo spot for Jumpman (Brand Jordan) is one of the baddest ads I've seen in a while. His fitness clips are totally authentic-looking and motivational.
Other athletic apparel ads posted on UE
- Mizuno running ads
- Nike Evolution video
- Motivation by Lance
- 25 years of Nike's Air Force
- D.Wade Converse commercial
- Adidas v. Nike
- Nike's football is everything
Labels: commercials, kicks, Nike, sport, video
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:33 PM |
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Conan's horny manatee
Have you heard the story about Conan O'Brien's horny manatee?The background
On a December 4, 2006 taping of NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" show Conan, while doing a skit about ridiculous, alternative college sports mascots, blurted out the domain name www.hornymanatee.com. He said the comment about the name was ad-lib and unscripted.
NBC purchase the name for $159
NBC execs, realizing the negative consequences if the some innovative kid bought the site and posted X-rated content, decided to purchase the name (for $159) before the the show aired that night.
Hornymanatee.com
They could have left the site blank (just to prevent X-rated content on it), but in the name of comedy, they made a pretty hilarious site out out of it. The site features a manatee in costume in hilarious sexual positions - "manatee on manatee", "manaten", etc. They even sell t-shirts. Brilliant on NBC's part.
Labels: cool websites, humor, TV
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:00 PM |
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The bottled water debate continues
Friday, April 27, 2007
This subject has been covered a couple of times before (here, here and here).Tap water is better according to one loyal UE reader
Loyal reader RW is a big proponent of not buying bottled water. In fact he uses the same Gatorade bottle filled with tap water for about 6 months at a time. He says he actually likes tap water better than bottled water.
Think outside the bottle
It looks like there are groups of people that feel the same way - a corporate accountability group started Think Outside the Bottle.
CNNMoney article tells it like it is
Great quotes from Bottled water no longer cool?:
"Recently, I stopped by my neighborhood Exxon station to conduct a price test. A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina water cost $1.57, including tax. A 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi also cost $1.57. Regular gas sold for $3.05 a gallon.
Yep - water costs the same as soda and three times as much as the gas.
So critics are asking: Why drink bottled water?
After all, it's pricey. Packaging and shipping water consumes energy and contributes to global warming. Empty bottles add to litter and solid waste. And, as a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems.
..."People complain about the cost of gasoline," Solomon says. "No one seems to realize that they are paying for a picture of pretty mountains on the label and a product they could get for free from their own tap."
In related news, Coca-Cola is contemplating buying powerful industry newcomer, Vitamin Water.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:22 PM |
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D.Wade Converse commercial
Thursday, April 26, 2007
This commercial promoting Dywane Wade's new Converse Wade 2.0 shoes (beat by Rick Ross) makes me wanna break someone's ankles and dunk in their face. Unfortunately I don't see either of those happening. Fresh commercial.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:48 PM |
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Urban Eola's 15 hottest people in the world (5-1)
Alright, here's the whole list.Honorable mention:
- Elizabeth Hurley
- Jessica Alba
- Eva Mendes
Numbers 15-11 (view here)- Elizabeth Hurley
- Jessica Alba
- Eva Mendes
15) Brooke Burke
14) Lee Hyolee
13) Jarah Mariano
12) Jennifer Aniston
11) Elin Grindemyr
Numbers 10-6 (view here)
10) Carolina "Pampita" Ardohain
9) Elin Nordegren
8) Carmen Electra
7) Evangeline Lilly
6) Catherine Zeta-Jones
And it just so happens FHM announced their 100 Sexiest Women for 2007. It's a solid list, but I'd take UE's anyday.
Labels: lists, photos, pop culture
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:23 AM |
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WILF... not to be confused with MILF
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Great article (Whistle while you 'wilf' online) on a topic many people participate in, but don't think much about. Here's an excerpt.Wilf stands for "What was I looking for?" – as in "I went online to look up stock prices for the boss but found this really funny story at the Onion.com. And did you see that editorial at the Monitor site about Iraq? And then there was a super deal on iPods at apple.com, and I had to buy a few tunes when I was there … ah, hmmm, what was I looking for?"
posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:59 AM |
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Should Urban Eola change names?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Currently Urban Eola is a site that offers daily posts on cool stuff that I'm interested in. Others have found it somewhat interesting as well - readership has reached about 200-250 unique visitors a day.
New name?
For almost 2 years this site has been named Urban Eola (urbaneola.com). I'm always thinking of ways to make it better. To that end, I purchased a new domain name, The Yup (theyup.com) which stands for The Young Urban Professional. It is the best domain name I have come across that sums up the content of this site.
The Young Urban Professional
Essentially everyone who reads this site is a young urban professional. The name stands for young people who are still hip (definition: fashionably current), but actually work for a living.
Urban Eola
pros: history, unique
cons: might be hard to spell/remember, doesn't represent the site's focus
The Yup
pros: easy to spell/remember, represents the site's content
cons: change from what people know, generic
At this point, I'm leaving the decision up to you. Note: you can only vote once per day.
Labels: UE-related
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:44 PM |
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Steve Nash - the best athlete in the world
Amazing three-year runI am proposing that Steve Nash is currently the best athlete in the world. Basketball is one of the most athletic sports in the world. And he is the two-time reigning MVP (Most Valuable Player). And there's a good chance he'll win for a third time this year. Winning the MVP as an undersized 6'3", 195-pound white guy is an amazing feat. I'd put it right up there with the best.
Not recruited out of high school
Born in South Africa and raised in soccer-loving family in Victoria, British Columbia, Steve was a solid high school basketball player, yet he received no attention from Division I colleges. By chance, unheralded Santa Clara University took a chance on him. The rest as they say, is history.
Watch for yourself tonight (4.24.07) as his Phoenix Suns take on the LA Lakers on TNT at 10:30 PM.
Labels: sport
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:16 AM |
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Messi goal similar to Maradona's in '86
Lionel Messi is one of the best young soccer players in the world. The 19-year-old Argentinian scored one of the best goals ever last week for his club team, FC Barcelona. Look how similar it is to fellow countrymen Diego Maradona's goal in the '86 World Cup.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:46 AM |
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Inspirational sports story hits close to UE
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Duluth High School forward Mohamed Dolleh and Coach Gregg TavaniSports oftentimes teach you the best lessons in life. Teamwork, hard work, focus, and competition usually come to mind in terms of lessoned learned. At Virginia Tech, sports will help re-build school pride and ease the healing process after their tragic week.
A story close to Urban Eola
My older brother, Gregg, is the head soccer coach at Duluth High School in metro Atlanta. He's a successful coach (3 out the last 5 Georgia Final Fours), but his best characteristic is his passion and connection with his players. Duluth is a suburban school that has morphed from a mostly white, middle-class school to a very diverse school in just the 6 years. The soccer team is even more diverse. 70% of the starting lineup is Hispanic. My brother has players from all over the world on his team. Despite the language barrier and the lack of money for basics like cleats, Gregg embraces their passion for th game.
Read this story about the power of sports on my brother's team - Duluth soccer player survives rebel attack in native land
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:47 AM |
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Small business resources
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Everyone wants to start a business. And there's even a CNNMoney article with the same name proving it to you.
"We are in the midst of the largest entrepreneurial surge this country has ever seen. According to Small Business Administration projections, nearly 672,000 new companies with employees were created in 2005. That is the biggest business birthrate in U.S. history: 30,000 more startups than in 2004, and 12% more than at the height of dot-com hysteria in 1996."
Also, check out these two great resources for small businesses & entrepreneurs.
- Small Business Trends
- USA Today Small Business
Labels: biz
posted by Michael Tavani @ 7:24 PM |
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Funny or Die with Will Ferell
Thursday, April 19, 2007
This is pretty awesome. Funny or Die is a new viral video website. Will Ferrell stars in this homemade-looking internet video. "The Landlord" (below) is a genuinely funny two-minute movie in which Ferrell plays a lowlife who is accosted by his angry landlady. The catch: Pearl, the landlady, is played by a 2-year-old.
After being posted on Funny or Die.com, "The Landlord" quickly went viral and had scored nearly 1.6 million views as of this writing, piling on tens of thousands more every hour. Brilliant. Read the LA Times story.
Labels: humor, pop culture, video, viral, web 2.0
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:12 AM |
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Creative Lexus commercial
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
I've been digging this 2008 Lexus RX commercial since I first saw it. The quick change of scenery is pretty neat. Watch it a couple times.
Labels: commercials, creative, video
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:12 AM |
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Urban Eola's hottest people in the world (10-6)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
9) Elin Nordegren (more photos) 
8) Carmen Electra (more photos)
7) Evangeline Lilly (more photos)
6) Catherine Zeta-Jones (more photos)
8) Carmen Electra (more photos)
7) Evangeline Lilly (more photos)
6) Catherine Zeta-Jones (more photos)
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:31 AM |
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Will this happen to Beckham in the US?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
David Beckham, the most famous athlete in the world, gets dissed by a little kid. Check out the Pepsi ad. And for those that don't know -- Juventus is an Italian soccer club.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:17 PM |
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102-year old lady hits hole in one
This is pretty awesome.102-year old Elsie McLean is the oldest golfer ever to hit a hole-in-one on a regulation course, surpassing a 2001 HOI by a 101-year-old man in Florida. She said that "for an old lady" she hits the ball "pretty good." Elsie has been golfing since her 20s, and has been featured in Golfers Digest.
Read the story.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:30 AM |
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10 Largest universities in the U.S.
Friday, April 13, 2007
This is a pretty interesting list that not many people know. It's no coincidence that the top two schools played in both the football and basketball national championship games.Top 10 Largest Universities in the U.S. as of Fall 2006 (according to Wikipedia)
- 51,818: The Ohio State University - Columbus, OH
- 51,520: University of Florida - Gainesville, FL
- 51,234: Arizona State University (Tempe Campus) - Tempe, AZ
- 50,402: University of Minnesota Twin Cities - Minneapolis / St Paul, MN
- 49,738: The University of Texas - Austin, TX
- 46,907: University of Central Florida - Orlando, FL
- 45,520: Michigan State University - East Lansing, MI
- 45,487: Texas A&M University - College Station, TX
- 44,038: University of South Florida - Tampa, FL
- 42,914: The Pennsylvania State University (University Park) - University Park, PA
Labels: lists
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:05 PM |
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Best penalty kick ever
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The goal of a penalty kick in soccer is to put the ball in the back of the net. But, if you can't do that, then at least try to do this. [via Supertsai]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:46 PM |
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North America's next fashion trend?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
This tip was sent in by loyal reader RW. Apparently Japan is exporting more than just swanky sushi bars, $100 million pitchers and high-end electronics to the States.
"What you see below are not see-thru skirts. They are actually prints on the skirts to make it look as if the panties are visible. These are the current rage in Japan. They'll be the rage here in North America soon."
It also makes me wonder how RW (a male) knew about this "trend".
posted by Michael Tavani @ 1:50 PM |
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Urban Eola's 15 most beautiful people in the world (15-11)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
This is the classic debate. It never gets old. Note: this list contains only women because frankly, guys aren't that good looking. Plus, the readership of Urban Eola tends to be mostly male. So this one's for you guys. Check back for the rest of the list.
Labels: lists, photos, pop culture
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:07 AM |
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Peyton Manning SNL video
Friday, April 06, 2007
Check out this hilarious skit of Peyton Manning on SNL a couple weeks ago. Working with United Way, he teaches kids the important things in life. United Way Peyton Manning SNL skit. [via RW]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 2:09 PM |
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Get LinkedIn
I've always heard of professional networking site LinkedIn, but never thought much of signing up - until today. I look at it as a My Space for young, creative business people. The online network includes more than 9 million professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries. For a young guy starting out in business, that's a pretty solid network. Read Guy Kawasaki's ten ways to use LinkedIn. Click here for a screenshot.
LinkedIn possible connections:
- Track other businesses/start-ups in your field of interest
- Re-connect with former colleagues or track down the pursuits of old friends
- Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended
- Be found for business opportunities
- Search for jobs
- Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
- Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:13 PM |
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Best places for business & careers
"Best cities" lists come out all the time. I've posted them here before (top 10 wireless cities, alternative city rankings, best sports cities, best urban running trails, top 10 housing markets, top 10 city museums). Forbes just posted a new one - best places for business and careers. These cities tend to be on the smaller side, but nonetheless an interesting list. Personally, I'd put Charleston, SC on the list.Best Metros (for business & careers)
- Raleigh NC
- Provo UT
- Boise ID
- Des Moines IA
- Knoxville TN
- Albuquerque NM
- Durham NC
- Fayetteville AR
- Nashville TN
- Olympia WA
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:25 AM |
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Blogger released from jail after 7 months
Thursday, April 05, 2007
This is a pretty interesting story and has everything to do with how powerful blogging has become. Josh Wolf spent seven months in jail, more than any other journalist held in contempt. He refused to hand over footage of a street protest in San Francisco. He has finally agreed to give prosecutors a copy of the video. In exchange, he won’t testify in front of a grand jury.
Read the article, check out his blog and watch the infamous video.
Labels: news
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:09 PM |
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Worst first pitch of all time
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory seems like he's a good sport (evidence here), he just isn't good at sports. Check out his first pitch at the Reds opening day game yesterday (below). Former player Eric Davis' reaction/double-take at the pathetic pitch is classic. [via JB]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:43 PM |
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Company names
I love domain names and company names. Check out this interesting list of how famous companies came up with their names and a list of fictional company names from TV and movies.
Labels: biz
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:50 PM |
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