Rudest Cities in America 2011

According to the readers of Time + Leisure magazine, these are the Rudest Cities in America.

What do you think? I’m biased but I think the speed of NY always makes people think we’re rude, but it’s not true! Say that again and I’ll punch you in the mouth…

And…Orlando, really?

10. Orlando

9. Baltimore

8. Phoenix

7. Atlanta

6. Dallas/Ft. Worth

5. Boston

4. Los Angeles

3. Washington, D.C.

2. Miami

1. New York

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter

Did You Know Your CELL PHONE Has A Name (Facebook Game)?

Someone posted on Facebook.  It’s pretty cool.  My phone’s name is “Tim Pittman.”

1. From your mobile number number, take the last 3 numbers. Example-780-496-9684 , take “684″only
2. Write this @*[684:0] in the comment box below, replacing the 3 numbers with your own.
3. Remove the * sign and press enter in the comment box!!

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter

GameChanger: Make Your iPad A Game Board

You love the iPad.  It’s fantastic.  And the games are great. The kids agree and they are always hounding you to play some type of game on it. I know this isn’t just my kids. We’re always looking for new games for them…and for us. And there are a ton.

That being said, why not take your iPad in a direction you might now have ever seen it going in. Why not meld the jazziness of the iPad with the look, feel, and old-timey good feelings of a board game?

It seems like GameChanger was thinking just that:

GameChanger is the innovative, electronic game board which offers a completely new way to play board games using your iPad. Has your family ever sat around an iPad to play a board game?  Well, now you can, and it’s so easy to use.

Click your iPad into the GameChanger and now you have an interactive game board for a whole new way to play.  Choose your game app and place the game skins on the GameChanger. Put the playing pieces on the board, and the iPad interacts with the 48 pressure fields transforming the GameChanger into a living game board.

Play quizes or engage in fun mini games. Experience an exiting game play with animations, video and sound!

Here’s a video to show you just what it’s all about:

What do you think? I really love the concept and I think this should be really well. I hope to give this a shot one day. God knows we’re always looking for new ways to entertain ourselves.

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter

The Henry Hotel And The Ford Museum Are Beautiful And Worth A Visit

I am here, live and in person, in Dearborn, Michigan, about 15 minutes outside of downtown Detroit.  Thank you to Ford Motor Company and their social media division for inviting me.  If you want to keep track of Ford at the auto show, check out @Ford and #FordNAIAS on twitter.com

I took an easy afternoon flight from JFK to Detroit.  It took a mere 1:45, 15 minutes faster than it should taken.  Ford picked us up at the airport by baggage claim.  Now, if you have ever been to Detroit, you understand what I am about to say…I don’t think there is any airport where you have to pack a snack and some water if you decide you need to visit the baggage claim.  I mean it took me about 20 minutes to get there!  On the other hand, the airport was nice and clean with a lot of amenities including a Heineken Lounge and Jose Cuervo Tequileria.  Well done.  Once I hitched a ride on a donkey, I found my ride.

About 15 minutes in the car and I arrive at The Henry hotel, an Autograph Collection property from Marriott.  It’s very close to Ford headquarters and the Ford Museum also.  Dearborn might as well be called “Fordville.”  Mr. Ford and his great company has created quite a legacy here from the HQ to the hotel to the Henry Ford Community College to…you get my drift.

The hotel is large and impressive.  It has a fairly modern exterior, but on the inside, it’s all classic beauty.  It’s classic but not stuffy and the walls are adorned with art, particularly modern art (a nice juxtaposition to the traditional finishes). I think it befits the Ford legacy and name.

There are a few pics of my well designed room as well as some of the beautifully decorated and artfully dressed hallways and common areas below.

Soon after I arrived at my room, it was just about time to hop a bus to The Ford Museum.  Now, you might think that the Ford Museum is nothing but Ford automobiles and that’s it.  Well, my children, you would be mistaken!  It’s a great place. It was build by Ford in the 1920s for the purpose of being a museum. It’s not connected officially withFord, so the museum can display whatever items it feels is appropriate.  And so they do.  The museum owns and maintains over 26 MILLION items and only can display about 6% of that. There are cars from all decades and all manufacturers (not just Ford), old gas stations, trains, motorcycles, billboards, and a lot more.  There’s even an entire train in the museum!

Sure, I like cars and am very interested in that.  But I really think this is more about history, about progress, about invention, and about America and it’s manufacturing past and future.  I think the kids would like it and I think people that don’t necessarily care about cars would like it, too.

I’ve included a bunch of photos of the new, 80,000 exhibit which is set to open on Jan 29, 2012.  I think you can get a decent feel from the images.  If you happen to be in the area, I think it’s worth taking a look-see.  Here are some pics of the museum along with the pics from the hotel.  I’ve also included the really good Michigan beers (Bell’s) they had on hand at the bar…

I’m pretty excited about the next 2 days.  There’s a packed schedule that includes me waking up around 5:30AM to have breakfast before the 6:30AM shuttle to the car show.  This is really something I was not prepared for.  I didn’t believe the people attending that mentioned it.  I tried to put it out of my mind…but it should all be worth it tomorrow.

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter

Disney’s The Muppets – A Great Movie Going Back To A Sweeter Time

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the new Muppets movie from Disney.   It was great.   We really enjoyed it.  It was so pure, sweet, and nostalgic.  I used to love the Muppets as a kid, and so did Vera. It was a simpler time and a more kid-friendly time.  It was just clean fun. Nothing stank and nasty, nothing bitter or rude, nothing disrespectful.  Just plain old puppets, with a simple story and good feelings.  It’s the singing and dancing you know and love.  They also mixed in some “new age” self-deprecating humor (more than a few jokes about the Muppets being “has-beens”).  It was just nice to see.  I would highly recommend it to you and your family.  It may not be high-tech CGI and it’s not as manic as many cartoons these days…but that’s the point.  It’s not.  And that’s what makes it great.

Here’s a quick synopsis:

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With signature celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets” hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.

• Funnyman Jason Segel (TV’s “How I Met Your Mother,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) stars in, co-writes and executive produces Disney’s “The Muppets.”
• Honoring the Muppet tradition, celebrity cameos include, among others, Donald Glover, Leslie Feist, Alan Arkin, Kristen Schaal, Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, Ken Jeong, James Carville, Rico Rodriguez and Judd Hirsh.
• Disney’s “The Muppets” is directed by James Bobin, who co-created HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords,” which he wrote, directed and exec produced.
• Kermit received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. His song “The Rainbow Connection” was nominated for an Academy Award®.
• Bret McKenzie, who created, co-wrote, executive produced and starred in the hit HBO television series “Flight of the Conchords,” is the music supervisor for Disney’s “The Muppets,” as well as the writer/producer of three original songs, which include big Muppet-style opening and closing numbers.
• It’s been 12 years since theMuppets’ last big-screen feature film (“Muppets from Space,” 1999).

Follow The Muppets on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  THE MUPPETS hits theaters on November 23rd! 

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter

Latest Trend for Dads-To-Be: ‘Dadchelor Parties’

Now, I’m a dad that does a lot to help with the kids and the house.  I do a lot of things that I never thought that I’d be doing…playdates, laundry, school trips.  The whole nine yards.  And for the most part, I really enjoy it.  It wasn’t too long ago when I was working long hours and taking a lot of business trips.  But this [party idea may be taking it to the limit of what I’m willing to do and/or accept.   Or, it may just be a pretty cool time.

What do you think about this?

Get the Details on Facebook and Twitter