Earlier this week, Barbara and I were charged with putting out some short films on Sixthman TV that showcased life in the Sixthman office.  Not surprisingly, we were given complete freedom to come up with whatever we wanted, and below you can find the results of our first effort.  This short film, “The Train” involves the train tracks RIGHT behind our office, and more importantly the really loud train that drives back and forth every single day.  The film was shot in less than an hour on a single Flip Cam, and then edited later on that afternoon on iMovie ’08.

Although the picture quality isn’t high definition, and the editing won’t win any awards, we had a lot of fun filming it and we look forward to bringing you more videos that show our fun office and the quirky personalities that inhabit it.  Without further ado, here is “The Train”:

Sixthman TV presents – The Train

This was my writing, co-directing, and editing debut, so I’m looking forward to see what we can come up with once we get a few more under our belts.  Hopefully you enjoyed it!  Also, if there is anything in the office you’d like us to highlight in a future episode, let us know in the comments below.

Happy Friday everybody!

-Steve

As part of Sixthman U, I’m currently reading “Next Generation Leader” by Andy Stanley. Although I don’t necessarily lead very many people in my day to day life, it came highly recommended and it has a lot of interesting advice.

What sticks out to me most so far is something we have all likely heard a million times by now, and that is: “Chances are, you’re doing too much.” This echos the 80/20 rule we all know and love, which makes total sense.

I can’t help but think about how much we (and most businesses out there) do these days. Seems to me to equal TOO MUCH! We Twitter, we Facebook, we podcast, we video podcast, we blog (obviously) we have an online tv channel, a newsletter, and this just scratches the surface. Oh! And somewhere in there we make some time to produce, market and execute themed cruise vacations.

I definitely see the value in utilizing all these channels, we’d be idiots and/or cavemen not to. I just can’t help but think there has to be a breaking point out there somewhere. Everyone is doing SO much, very little of which has anything to do with what actually pays the bills. How much further can we go? Are people really going to stay interested in all this media and excessive information, or will we eventually get back to the basics (a.k.a. the 20%)? I know I need to tread lightly here, but if the truth be known, I seriously pine for the latter. Do I need a wake-up call?

In this week’s podcast, Steve and Barb interview Taylor, Isaac, and Zac from Hanson on the Rock Boat IX, followed by their great in-studio performance of “The Great Divide.”  After the song and interview, Steve and Sonia discuss VH1 Best Cruise Ever, Sonia’s rock star history with Cowboy Mouth, her job at Sixthman, her current band, and her music video that took the country by storm overnight.

Sixthman Podcast #29 [ 17:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s summertime and since I can’t go to the beach, I have come up with other ways to spend my precious free time. So, without further ado, here is a list of things I have been obsessed with this summer.

SimplyRecipes.com Not only am I am obsessed with the recipes and gorgeous photos on this food blog and recipe site, I am obsessed with the stories behind the recipes. Reading the recipes on Elise’s site, almost all of which are tested by herself and/or her parents is like sneaking a look into her family’s beloved recipe card box. And, the recipes are good! All of the recipes  include only “real” ingredients, many of which Elise and her parents grow in their own garden. I only discovered the site three months ago and I’ve already made the Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler, the Blackberry Muffins, the Chile Relleno Casserole, and a few other things that were all delicious and easy to make. Yummers.

Away We Go – This movie was at the top of my “must see” list long before it ever came out and I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. Penned by the husband/wife team of Dave Eggers (one of my top 10 favorite authors) and Vendela Vida  in their screenwriting debut, this is a simple movie that explores the complex theme of finding a place where you belong. The fact that the screenplay was written while the authors were expecting their first child I’m sure has a lot to do with the fact that the relationship at the center of the film is one of the most realistic portrayals of happily married life (or co-habitating life as it were) that I have ever seen—at least, when compared to my own relationship.

Potcakes!Potcakes! No, I’m not talking about your older brother’s culinary adventures. I’m talking about puppehs! (That’s LoL Cat speak for puppies, for you laypersons out there). Never heard of them? I hadn’t either until a friend of mine adopted one a few weeks ago. Now I’m obsessed with this Bahamian breed named after the leftovers the locals would feed them. Warning: if you are a dog person and not in the market for a new dog (especially if you are like me and already have more than you can handle) DO NOT click this link or you will find yourself making up reasons why you have to have a Potcake of your own.

Kid Couture. Barb already sold me out last week for my less than grown up fashion sense. I might as well embrace it. My most recent style icon is AnnaSophia Robb’s character in Bridge to Terabithia. So what if she’s 10?  The  girl  has style. In today’s depressing recession world I think we can all benefit from adding a little fun to our wardrobes. My next purchase just might be this ring made of cupcake sprinkles, the kind of thing every 10 year old girl would want.

The Evian rollerskating babies commercial. Who’d have thought that an ad for the porsche of the bottled water world, the same product I once rumored to be the only water Madonna would not only drink but also bathe in—would have all of my tap water swilling friends all a flutter? Yes, the babies are rollerskating. Yes, it’s pretty freaking sweet. If you haven’t seen it yet you should. You should not however, send it to me again. Every family member and friend with computer access as forwarded this to me now. Congratulations Evian, you’re viral. Now, please send free samples. I haven’t had a good Evian bath in ages:

Rollerskating Babies

Haagen-Dazs FIVE. A brilliantly simple ad campaign, ingredients that you can buy at the local market, and it’s freaking delicious. I have to restrain myself to buy only one carton at a time no matter how much I want to combine the chocolate ice cream with the mint.

The trailer for Whip It. To say that I’m excited about the first big Hollywood movie portraying modern roller derby may be a bit of an understatement. The movie doesn’t come out until October, but I’ve already watched the trailer at least 3 dozen times. The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and other big names attached to the project is sure to make it a hit. Sure it’s based on banked track when myself and vast majority of the thousands of rollergirls worldwide skate flat track, and sure those elbows and punches they’re throwing during the bout sequences would get you permanently kicked out of the sport faster than Drew Barrymore goes through boyfriends—but when Ellen Page’s character says “I am in love with this,” I get a little teary eyed. Oh, and anytime you see Eve tearing it up the track? That’s my good friend and teammate, Sk8 Outta Compton, who plays Eve’s stunt double in the film.

Whip It Trailer

What is your of the moment obsession? Please share!

See you on the flip side,

Joy

I love Starbucks. I am not afraid to admit it. I am happy to sell out to the man when the man is a delicious frappuccino treat.  But I also agree with everyone in America who thinks that Starbucks is ridiculously overpriced.

And you know what? I think Starbucks finally got the message.  I noticed recently that they made a change!  But instead of dropping prices, they just made people perceive lower prices so they’d buy larger sizes.  Brilliant.

Even more amazing?  They raised prices in the process!  And they’re selling more grande and venti drinks than ever (read: more profitable).

So how’d they do it? Let me walk you through my realization:

When I walked into my local Starbucks on Sunday night, I ordered my drink but then noticed something different.  The menu.  The drinks were the same…but some of the pricing was in red.  Strange.  Wait – the pricing wasn’t just red.  It was…weird.  For example:

Latte
Tall – $2.80
Grande – +.55
Venti – +.85

Then the genius struck me.  Simply listing how much more the larger sizes are is an amazing idea.  People can’t do fast math! They don’t think about paying almost $4 for a large latte.  It’s only $2.80!  And what is an extra 85 cents really?  I can find that in my couch cushions.

I brought up this sneaky pricing to my barista who confirmed my suspicions.

“Yeah – we’re selling more grande and venti drinks than ever because people just think, ‘55 cents? I have an extra 55 cents!’ What they can’t tell by a quick glance is that we have actually increased all of our prices.”

What a stealthy way to hide it.  The prices are higher, but seem lower.  In a tough economy, finding an extra 50 cents is way easier than finding an extra $4.  And much easier to justify spending.

So kudos, Starbucks. For fooling the consumer and charging more for coffee than should legally be allowed.   I should probably be more upset with you than I am, but I think this was a fairly ingenious solution.  As long as you keep making delicious drinks, I’ll keep giving you half of my paycheck.

-Lauren

They invented the phone around 100 years ago, have had major competitive advantages by owning the lines in the ground and have considerable resources to defend their territory.  Yet I have never been impressed with their product, prices or service.  I also have not had an alternative until now.

Today I celebrate saying goodbye to Bellsouth.  You can have the land line that we use to make one call a day and only have because of our alarm company.  You can have the long distance which is free from my cell phone and you can have the crappy internet service that you claim is broadband yet I have to call you to come look at it every 3 months because it is acting like dial up.

My alarm company has a wireless service I can add for a few dollars a month so I don’t have to have a land line anymore.  Maybe you could have gotten into the home security business when you realized about 5 years ago that cell phones would make land lines obsolete and faxing was being displaced by scanning and emailing.

And I am happy to move my internet to a company called CLEAR to give me great internet at home, at work and when I travel for a fraction of the cost for a faster connection.  I will say better service because at least they have a phone number on their website I can call if I have questions as opposed to me having to click 4 screens to find out how to talk to someone that I have paid $115.00 a month for the last 15 years.

What are the lessons here?

How about if you have a big lead in a race, put your energy into running faster rather than trying to trip up your competition.  Or make it easy for people who pay you $115 a month to reach you if they have a question.

Anyone else want to pile on?

Andy

Hello everybody!  My name is Madison and I’m the newest edition to the Sixthman team.  And being the newb I want to introduce myself and tell you all about my first month here.

I’ve been doing web development for about thirteen years. Previously I was the webmaster for the University of West Georgia.

I have a wonderful family (see photos left). Andrea, the Love of my Life…  Tesla, our 1.5 year old poodle, named after the scientist, not the 80s hair band… and Milo, our ornery cat… his photo says it all.

I collect hobbies… photography, SCUBA diving, frisbee golf, cooking, juggling, unicycling, ukulele, drinking good wine, collecting random facts (the little divot above your lip is called the philtrum), nature documentaries (especially David Attenborough) and I like drink umbrellas, but not usually the kind of drinks they come in.

Sixthman is a great environment to work in! The office is cool… Everyone is laid back.  Since I’ve been here I’ve played corn hole… met half a dozen dogs… almost mastered a RipStik (Watch out Mike). But I knew I was in the right place last Friday when Sonia handed me a beer at my desk with two hours left of work!

To celebrate my first month working at Sixthman and going live with my first Sixthman site, VH1 Best Cruise Ever, I’ve written a haiku.

The Crazy Cool Sounds at Sixthman
Dog barks echoing…
Although the Band Bell rings loud,
the trains are louder.

I would like to thank everybody at Sixthman for making me feel very welcome!

This week on the Sixthman podcast, Lauren and Steve chat with Michael Tolcher at Sixthman HQ, and then Tolcher plays his song, “Speed Feels Better.” Afterward, Lauren welcomes Jill Mac as her co-host as they chat about Best Cruise Ever and The Elvis Cruise and then interview Day in the Life contest winner, Tara, about her adventures in the Sixthman office.

Sixthman Podcast #28 [ 16:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As I continue to reflect on my adult life, I find that time seems to be a key factor.  Time spent, time available, time wasted.  Time never seemed to be quite as important when I was younger.  These days though, I can’t always remember where the time went.  However, I can’t seem to just enjoy the time either.

Maybe that’s due to my lifelong pursuit of something exciting.  Whether it was piano or ballet lessons as a child, a part time job as a teen, an internship as a college student, two jobs as a graduate, or a pretty time consuming sport as an adult.  Sometimes I wonder, can’t I just have some time to myself?  And then, it happens.  The work day is over, I arrive home, my boyfriend is not there, and for once I have no where to be.  This is the R&R time that I’ve been dreaming about.  I make some food, sit on the couch, turn on the television, and make some time for me.

I could do some laundry.  The guest room hasn’t been cleaned in months.  The dogs need a bath.  I should really be reading that book.  Maybe I should work out.  I could take a nap, but then I’d miss my down time.  Maybe I should go to the grocery store.  I could get ahead on my other projects.  Maybe I should call my sister and wish her a happy birthday.  I need to pay my bills.

Of course, I ignore all these thoughts and I just let my mind slowly turn to mush in front of the moving pictures.  I might get on the computer and check a few forums, I might even pretend to shop for a minute.  But soon enough a couple hours have gone by, and I’m quite literally ready to pull my hair out.

So, what is the problem, what’s changed?  I never remember being bored as a child.  Was it my willing suspension of disbelief, my ability to fill my time with Barbie dolls and pretend friends?  And now, when I feel like I never get a chance to rest, why can’t I do just that?  I have discussed this with other people here at Sixthman.  Some people look at me like I’m crazy.  I know Jill Mac probably thinks any down time is worth savoring.  Others feel my pain.  Others are overly ambitious like myself.

Is this why some people die at a younger average age–due to the stress, and the inability to take time out?  Or is this the type of life, that one day I’ll sit back and reflect upon?  And just maybe I’ll say, “Damn.  That was one hell of a life.”

-Lisa

I am a feminist. I won’t go into all the different ideologies, or reasons why. I simply believe that women and men are fundamentally equal, and should be treated as such. In a nutshell, that is feminism. This blog isn’t about attacking anyone’s personal beliefs- I’m not trying to start a war here. I just want to say how wonderful it is to work in an office environment where I am surrounded by smart, strong, sassy women. In a staff of about 24 people, there are about 5 males that work here. Don’t get me wrong- I love dudes. Ask anyone. It’s just…

I work in an industry that is traditionally dominated by males, and in a society that marginalizes* me and my ideas and contributions, simply because I’m female. I was told from a very young age that I could do anything a man can do, but I’m going to have to work twice as hard and get paid less. (I’m not complaining- these are my lemons, and I’ve made some pretty delicious lemonade out of them.)

It’s so refreshing to work in an environment where I never catch anyone checking out my rack instead of listening to what I’m saying. Except when I’m talking to Joy, but that’s not a sexual thing. She just has no class. When my ideas are shot down, I never wonder if it’s because I’ve got lady parts. I know it’s because they are stupid ideas. That promotion I got? It was because I was more suited to fill a different job, not because HR said we needed to promote a female. (Do we even have an HR department?)

We are also a group of women who don’t worry so much about what we are “supposed” to look like. Sure, there are some gals who are a bit more “girlie” and “put together” (Ashley, April, Melissa, I’m looking at you.) but if I want to come in wearing knee socks and a t shirt with a tie printed on it, no one thinks I’m going to do a worse job. Heck, sometimes, gals like to wear teal pants and a spatter painted t shirt with a gun necklace (Joy, I’m looking at you.) The point is, no one is dressing up for anyone else’s expectations, whatever those might be. We dress in what makes us comfortable.
It’s a great environment! I don’t know how it happened that way, and I don’t know how I ended up here, but I’m grateful. I guess Andy realized that if he needed something done right, he needed to call on some tough gals to get it done.

-Barb

* Author’s note: I was looking for an article to prove my point about the marginalization of women, so I Googled it. My search results prove my point better than any article ever could.