Finally moving on from dial-up

Throughout high school, I was used to having a slow Internet connection. It didn't phase me at all that I had to wait 3 minutes for a web site to come up because that was just the way dial-up is. However, when I got to Purdue and started using wireless my wait time decreased to just seconds for each new page to pop up.

Now when I go home I feel like I am disconnected from the world. (Thank the lord for my Crackberry!) In my first 3 years of college, I refused to get on the Internet at home because we still had dial-up thanks to our lovely tree line behind the house. We called EVERYBODY to try to get a faster Internet connection. EVERYBODY said no because of our tree line.

About a year and a half ago I asked my mom if we could get a wireless usb from Verizon that we could just plug into our computer and it would connect to the Internet and it would surely be faster than the ancient dial-up that was a complete waste of money. Of course, my mom said no when I asked, but about a month ago when my mom and sister were tired of using the slow computer they had the brilliant idea of getting the wireless usb from Verizon. They were so excited that they thought of it on their own until I burst out into a vocal flashback of me begging for this usb to give us the Internet.

I still don't use the computer at home because Verizon only allows 5GB of downloading and other things done on the Internet. I figured I'm on the computer enough at school to make up for the down time at home. I'll just stick to using the Crackberry for the small things like e-mail.

Hoping to start something new in West Lafayette/Lafayette

I am one of the directors of development for Boiler Communication, a student-run PR firm affiliated with PRSSA. So, basically I'm trying to increase our funding by coming up with some different fundraising ideas and implementing them. Here's my idea...one of our clients is the Lafayette Theater, and they are looking to get more involved with Purdue and the local community. I think it would be awesome to start an annual Battle of the Bands for people in West Lafayette and Lafayette. I'm hoping this will attract a lot of bands whether they are kids in high school or students at Purdue. It's still a work in progress and probably won't happen until next semester. I'll be pitching the idea soon though!

Martin Jetpack

Well, I cruising through the Internet looking for what to write as my next installment of Brooke's Blog, and just when I thought all hope was lost I stumbled upon something. Bidding on eBay for the chance to be a TEST PILOT FOR A MARTIN JETPACK.

My favorite part of the story is that in order to become a test pilot you have to bid for it on eBay. I found this on Wired.com with a direct link to the eBay auction, and sure enough it exists! According to the description of the product on eBay you only have to be 18 or older with a current driver's license, and weigh less than 90kg (roughly 198 lbs) to take 6 flying lessons over the span of 3 days in a controlled environment. Oh and did I mention that right now the bid you have to beat is only $35,101.00 and you need to travel the short distance to Christchurch, New Zealand (on the other side of the world)?! If you don't believe me just go to eBay and type in "Be a Jetpack Test Pilot." Now I know that most of you might want to think about it before you put your bid in for this chance to be a jetpack test pilot in all of its glory BUT you don't have that much time to think! As of right now there are only 6 hours and 13 minutes until the bidding is closed and the lucky person that is willing to pay $35,101.00 to hover a few feet off the ground takes away your chance to be a jetpack test pilot.

And just in case you were wondering...YES, you can bring your own motorcycle helmet to wear during your test pilot lessons.

Here goes my first attempt at blogging

When I first CODOed out of management and into PR I wasn't sure what public relations entailed, but I knew it sounded a lot more exciting and interesting than the numbers and confusion that came with economics and other management classes. Needless to say, I absolutely hated management and needed to get out!

Now that I am in my third and final year and taking more in depth classes, I'm realizing what public relations is all about. It's about being a jack-of-all-trades in the communications world. You must be able to speak effectively as you write and write as effectively as you speak. You must be able to know how to use all sorts of technology and social media. If you can't surf the Internet and find the things you need in a timely fashion, you can't meet deadlines. If you don't use your tools wisely you won't get the information needed to put together a great story. You are a speaking coach, a speaker, a journalist, and an information junkie taking in as much news as possible.

I'm not sure how PR professionals did their job back in the day without all of the technology we have today, but my hat is off to them. I will gladly use all of the technology I have from my computer to my cell phone to get the information I need for my next story.