Test from iphone

Test post from iPhone

Greatest Christmas Decoration EVER

Possibly the GREATEST Christmas Decoration EVER. Definitely reminds me of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!

Apparently the guy had to take it down becase a) “the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.” and b) “a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn’t realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn’t take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.”

Oh how I love the Holidays.

Best Christmas Movies Of All Time

Tomorrow is the first day of December and we’ll be officially 25 days away from Christmas! I’ve already got my decorations up, got my winter clothes, and I’ve already caught some instances of Christmas movies on TV. But Moviefone has posted the Top 25 Best Christmas movies of all time. And going down the list, I’ve realized that I’ve only seen 10 of these! So this month I’m going to make it my goal to try to watch the other 15.

25. The Polar Express
24. We’re No Angels
23. The Muppet Christmas Carol
22. Joyeux Noel
21. Gremlins
20. The Santa Clause
19. Bad Santa
18. The Dead
17. The Shop Around The Corner
16. Die Hard
15. Love Actually
14. The Bishop’s Wife
13. The Nightmare Before Christmas
12. Holiday Inn
11. A Christmas Carol (1951)
10. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
9. Babes In Toyland
8. Home Alone
7. Christmas in Connecticut
6. Elf
5. White Christmas
4. Scrooged
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
1. A Christmas Story

There’s a couple I feel they left off the list. Off the top of my head: Just Married, Jingle All The Way, and The Holiday! How many have you seen, and which of your favs did they leave off the list? (Besides the new Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey)

Where Should You Eat?

I love food. And I love decision-making flow charts, they’re kind of the modern version of the ‘choose-your-own-way’ books, which I also loved. What happens when you mesh them together? You get a pretty sweet flow chart that I will now have saved in my iPhone for the times where I just can’t decide where to eat if my refrigerator is empty and I’m in the mood for junk. Holla back at In-N-Out and Jack In The box as the top choices! Obviously some of the choices won’t apply to some of you. But Enjoy!

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I want to ride THAT bus

I used to ride the SunBus in SoCal wayyyyy back in the day when I was bored. And the only thing that you remember from it was the themesong from the commercials…“Hop on the Sun Bus! It’s a natural Gas Bus! You can ride it, ride it anywhere, ’cause we don’t pollute the air! Hop on the Sun Bus!” That was the only “creative” marketing strategy they had (everyone loves being Eco-Friendly!).
These unique ads are pretty cool though, definitely creative.

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Colorless: The NEW Green

Designer Harc Lee has created a new Colorless Coke Can design that could possibly be one of the sweetest ideas towards the green movement I’ve seen in a while. Not only is the design slick (you could even stop right there), but the entire manufacturing processs involving energy and toxic paint would no longer be needed. Here’s the direct description:
“A convex logo substitutes colorfully sprayed can. Naked can help to reduce air and water pollution occurred in its coloring process. It also reduces energy and effort to separate toxic color paint from aluminum in recycling process. Huge amount of energy and paint required to manufacture colored cans will be saved.Instead of toxic paint, manufacturers process aluminum with a pressing machine that indicates brand identity on surface.”

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If this does go through, I can’t even imagine the impact it would make towards any green campaign to go “colorless.” At that point, our whole creative mindsets would have to change with the inability to create things in color. I guess we would just have to let the world and the ‘natural’ greens alone color our daily lives…which wouldn’t really be a bad thing.

If we had THEN…what they have NOW!

::UPDATE:: I apologize for the lack of updates to this site. BUT TODAY is the re-ignition of cameronfontana.com! Thanks to everyone who has continued to visit and has continued to be disappointed by NOTHING BEING ADDED. This site shall be static no more!

In elementary school (and maybe a couple days of middle school until I realized I was too old for it) everyone’s daily creative capabilities pretty much depended on one thing….Your Crayola crayon box. I hate to say it, but your “creative” and possibly social status was kind of affected by how big your box was. They had boxes as low as 8 and, at the time, all the way up to the 96 with the sharpener on the back! I remember pulling out my 96 pack and admiring the vast array of colors I beheld (screamin’ green was my favorite). You’d occasionally have the kids who got the RoseArt crayons without realizing how waxy they were and how they DID NOT COLOR. Hey, I was a victim once of the RoseArt scam….we all were. But then you’d make a new friend, or a new enemy, when the “RoseArt Victim” would ask to borrow some colors. They usually became the latter when they’d return your crayon covered in fragments of other stupid, non matching colors and too short to sharpen.
BUT TODAY, I saw a commercial for something new. They NOW have the Crayola Crayon Maker; The ability to create your own colors! You put in whatever color sticks you want, it melts it all together, and you have your very own original color. I don’t care who you are, if it was the 90’s all over again and I had BOTH the 96 Box AND the Crayola Crayon Maker…I truly believe colors, today, would be taken to an entirely new dimension. A
And hey, maybe the colors wouldve been SO SWEET, I could’ve made it cool to keep them through middle school, and maybe even high school.

What do you wish you had then that they have now? BESIDES THE iPHONE…

Videos of the Week

Here is the first installment of my ‘favorites’ of the week. In the future, I’ll be bringing food, movies, random items, and more. But let’s get started with my favorite videos on the web for the week.

#1. Twitter IRL (In Real Life)

There isn’t a video that could express the humor of REAL LIFE twitter more than this one. Guaranteed to make you chuckle and realize, ‘hey, I’ve silently made a mobile tweet in that situation!’

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

#2. Your Business Card Is CRAP
Pretty self-explanatory. Possibly one of the FUNNIEST pitches I’ve ever heard….on a business card. You’ve got to love his ‘resolution.’ “It took me TWENTY…FIVE years to design this.” hahaha

#3. “Stand By Me” Around The World
Obviously having music as a major part of my life, coming across a video like this is awesome. This is an amazing version of “Stand By Me” by musicians around the world recording (on a LAPTOP!!) and adding a piece of their heart to this song, finally mixed all together for the finished masterpiece.

Playing For Change | Song Around The World “Stand By Me” from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

American Idol: Adam vs. Kris

Let me first start off by saying: (1) This blog entry is strictly off of my guilty pleasure of this season’s American Idol, and I’m sorry if it seems superficial to talk about it….well, I don’t really care, it’s my site. (2) I TOTALLY called Adam Lambert and Kris Allen being the final two BACK when the top 36 were announced, and obviously, I STILL stand by that statement. But there are many factors that will play into the decision of who will actually be crowned this season’s American Idol. Many said, like I have before, that Adam is a shoe in to win, and many overlooked Kris Allen’s shy physique. Let me give you a quick reason as to why the other 3 WILL NOT (and never have I thought would) be in the top two:

Danny Gokey: Worship Leader from Wisconsin with an absolutely heart-warming story how he decided to enter AI after his wife passed. Personally, I love him, has a very unique voice with a pitch perfect tone. What keeps Danny from winning: Stage Presence. Close your eyes, and Danny sounds amazing. Open your eyes, and watching him try to work a stage is a little rough. Staying in a 10 ft box thrusting your arms back and forth just won’t cut it. Can’t say I’d pay $35 to watch him at a concert, which is what counts. Will definitely buy his album though.
Allison Iraheta: 17 Year old rocker chick from Los Angeles. Great rocker voice (that we have every Idol season), but the comfort and control she takes on the stage (coming from a 17 year old) is pretty impressive. What keeps Allison from winning: Likability/Awkwardness. Still don’t quite understand the personality behind this Pink/Brittany Murphy crossover. The hit-and-miss comedy in the interviews and weird faces (think Megan Joy and her bird-crowing flyaway to side-stage) just doesn’t hit home with me, and I’m sure most of America. Find yourself, and you’d be set.
Matt Giraud:Soulful Justin Timberlake meets Robin Thicke from Kalamazoo. Loved him on “Georgia” during Hollywood Audition week…lost him once he hit the big stage. I was glad, though, that they saved him so we could hear one more attempt to do something original and killer and send Lil’ home (whose karaoke, talk-backin attitude needed to go home way sooner. And I think Anoop could’ve held the “politically correct contestant” position on his own). Anyways (preparing for the backlash on that one)…..What keeps Matt from winning: He couldn’t find his inner “Justin Thicke.” It was great that he was bringing the best qualities together from different artists at the beginning of the competition, but he just couldn’t nail it. And as an artist, his sound is lost and confused.

Now for the two: ADAM LAMBERT and KRIS ALLEN. One of these two WILL WIN.

Adam is…..freakin ADAM LAMBERT. His vocals are unmatchable, his stage presence and crowd control surprasses half the so-called “artists” touring today, and he just has the “IT” factor (performing on stage for a while has helped that). What the record industry has been missing are artists that are unique, who have perfected their skills, and professionals who know what they want and have the drive to deliver an A+, over the top performance every time (Adam constantly has heavy input on his lighting, mood settings, band members, and arrangement every week). I personally believe he cryogenically froze himself in the late 80s after performing secretly with Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Journey…. then waited for the opportune moment to make a comeback in a slump music industry moment….and POW! He’s on American Idol. I simply cannot wait to purchase a ticket to his concert, as Im sure it will set a new standard in music performance. What could keep Adam from winning:I don’t know if the American AI audience is ready for his “over-the-top” style. High falsettos were big in the 80s (I still love em), but it just might not sit well with the general populous. “Ring of Fire” could’ve been a shot in the foot, I wasn’t even a fan of that…a little too hypnotic for me, especially with a country song. On top of that, a drag-style, cabaret history and photos emerging online of him tonguing other guys could be a breaker. The results will tell.

Kris is the likeable “pop” icon with actual talent. I first thought of Jason Mraz when I saw him, but he quickly grew out of that when he showed his ability to transform ANY genre of music into his own style, that you can remember. His pure vocal ability continues to amaze me every week. His range isn’t Adam’s, but you can definitely sense the pure, smooth tone when he sings. On top of that, the girls absolutely love him. And the teen girls are the ones that stay up having “Vote for Kris!” parties. What could keep Kris from winning:He’s up against Adam, who is a driving force of confidence and consistency. If Kris wants to win, he’s GOT TO start believing in himself (not to sound corny). He can’t afford to do a B performance to just get by, he needs to step it up, and act like he’s already won. Not with cockiness, but with confidence in his ability and in his fans.

Now of course I’ve been a little cocky in my predictions, thats’ the point…plus I think I’m right, ha. But it’s open for discussion. Who do you think will win, or be in the top two? Or who do you wish would’ve won?….AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT SAY ANOOP.

Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter…Oh My!

If you have any sense of computer and internet literacy, you have an account with one of these websites. Whether you hopped on the bandwagon recently, or you’ve witnessed the many re-designs, like I have, from when you first signed up, there’s no doubt at least one, two, or all three of these culture shifters consumes a part of your attempt at a social networking lifestyle. But what separates these three? Which one(s) are dying, and which one(s) are, as Leonardo DiCaprio says it, “the way of the future?” Let’s take a look:

First and foremost…..MYSPACE IS DEAD. But don’t start throwing the bottles at me yet, let me finish. MYSPACE IS DEAD….to the individual user profiler. MySpace IS NOT DEAD to the band/artist/comedian/preacher etc. Now if you’re wondering, “Cameron, what’s the difference???” let me tell you. If you don’t already know, MySpace offers two types of profiles: Normal individual profiles (probably what you have), and Music Profiles. Originally, Music Profiles were meant for recording artists to have a free website to upload their entire discographies of MP3 songs, post upcoming shows, and even sell their songs and merchandise. It quickly grew past well known recording artists ditching their money-costing website to aspiring artists having access to millions of people on a daily basis. Then came MySpace Records eyeballing these unknown artists who had a million friends, and pushing them to stardom (Colbie Caillat with 22 MILLION plays while being unsigned, Lily Allen, Sean Kingston). Now, this “music page” is a great resource for comedians, motivational speakers, and even preachers, as they’re able to upload and sell acts, teachings, and sermons along with their booking schedule, FOR NO COST. On the flip side, for Normal individual profiles, floods of spamming “super-hot model-bots” wanting to be your “best friend” and invite you to their “private site” have reached the tipping point of user annoyance. So if you still have a normal MySpace profile, don’t fear, there is light at the end of the tunnel….ONCE YOU DEACTIVATE IT.

That light could be found in a name that continues to extend its lead over MySpace with 69.1 million visitors in March….and that name is Facebook. It was originally a spin-off of of a Harvard version of HOTorNOT.com, which some of us remember spending countless hours on during our younger years rating people’s photos from 1-10. What a power trip…being 15… “this chick’s an 8….this ones a 9…her average just went down!!” Anyways, in my opinion, the original concept and implementation of Facebook was ingenious. For those of us that DO remember, you had to have a college/business e-mail to join at first. This filtered out all the middle & high school kids, and basically all the immature, mind-rotting nonsense that myspace was slowly becoming engulfed in. But eventually, they gave in. In 2005 high school students could join, and in September of 2006, anyone 13 OR OLDER with a valid e-mail could join. This exclusive social profile network slowly allowed itself to become pretty much 60% of what we hated about MySpace. And after the redesigns of NewsFeeds and losing their original user-friendly setup (even after the SECOND backlash, the new Facebook layout is still terrible), I’m afraid it’s only going to go downhill from here. Now I love facebook, I still use it today…not as much as I used to, but often. But for me, it’s become the cool younger cousin of Classmates.com, randomly reuniting me with family and friends I grew up with. Especially with tagged photos. There’s such a nostalgic excitement when you’ve been tagged at a 1999 birthday party with friends you havent talked to in almost 10 years.  Even with recent photos, it’s a great interface to upload photos and albums and to see pics from recent events. All in all, it’s something to never get rid of, as it’s still currently the best social networking profile out there. But Facebook introduced one key feature that has absolutely changed our social networking culture as we know it: status updates.

Take everything that facebook does, get rid of it all except for status updates. And that, my friend, is Twitter. Growing at 2,565%, the “SMS of Internet” is the fastest growing site in the Member Communities category. Twitter is your status update. Period. You have people who subscribe to your updates, known as followers, and you follow others. But with a post limit of 140 characters, it’s what you say that makes or breaks you. Twitter isn’t meant for “Watching TV on my couch,” but for “Watching Spartan Vs. Warrior on SPIKE, who do you think will win?” Not a great example (I’ll post a Twitter Etiquette blog later), but Twitter is basically a great opportunity to get instant opinions on any number of topics and to endulge your day with some witty thoughts. Along with add-ons like Twit-Pic, you can also post pictures with your tweets. And twitter just keeps getting bigger. With the recent competition between Ashton Kutcher and CNN to see who gets 1,000,000 followers first, the queen of women, Oprah, hopping on board, and seeing on every TV Channel “follow us on Twitter!”, it truly is the next big thing. Oh ya, don’t forget to follow me on twitter 😉 See, it’s as simple as that.

In a fast paced world, we want everything quick and we want it now. Myspace became too much of a hassle to deal with, and Facebook keeps adding CHANGE WE DON’T NEED to make it even more complicated. But like I said, keep your Facebook for staying in touch with old friends. But eventually, you won’t have 2 hours to spare to search through the Facebook NewsFeed finding something you actually care about. If you’re an artist, musician, preacher, or comedian and you don’t want to pay $$$ for a website, hook yourself up with a myspace artist profile. Sell your stuff on there, and enjoy a free promoter. If you want a stripped-down, easy to use, thought resourceful micro-blogger that will force you to actually use your brain to post meaningful updates, then Twitter is the way to go.

Which ones do you use? What are your thoughts/opinions?

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