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While en route to Las Vegas, we stopped at the Mojave desert for a really fun photo shoot. Timed it perfectly for awesome sun, sand and van. We needed some b-roll footage of the van, so Ryan offered to see how fast the van would go on an old empty road. Answer: pretty fast.

See the full set of shots here.

Labels: las vegas, lifeontheroad, photos, tour route

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:17 PM 0 Comments

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One of the things about the tour is staying at places you might not normally stay if budget wasn’t an issue. Places you probably wouldn’t take your family on vacation, but for a business trip by yourself, they’re fine. Take the motels we’ve used so far: Travelodge, Econo Lodge, Super 8 and Motel 6. So far, Motel 6 has been the most consistent. Sure it’s not the Hyatt or W, but we’ve found they pretty much are about the same: clean, inexpensive and dependable. The others? Not so much.

Could it be that people don’t expect much in this category at that price? Possibly. Thing is, traveling the way we have been, we don’t need a lot of frills. But what we do need - wireless, decent size room and minimal freakage outside at 2:00 am, they’ve delivered for the most part. However, Travelodge and Super 8 have varied greatly. Having also used Super 8 exclusively on the first tour, the same held true over the three weeks we stayed there as well: From merely okay rooms to downright nasty.

It’s a small thing, but consistency at all levels and across multiple channels makes all the difference.

Labels: lifeontheroad, super 8, tour route, travel lodge

posted by Make the logo bigger at 7:05 PM 0 Comments

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Today we got the opportunity to visit Aptera. Haven't heard of them? You will. Imagine a vehicle that rides entirely on electricity and runs for 120 miles on one charge. Or mostly on electricity, and a little fuel - getting around 300mpg. Now imagine that this same vehicle looked HOT. You've just imagined the Aptera. The Aptera comes in your choice of either all electric, or hybrid. Gullwing doors. Zero gas. Top speed exceeds 85 mph. Design like nothing you've ever seen on the road before. Ever.

Want one? We do too. You can pre-book them now, and get the first ones off the line in November. For now, they're only shipping to California (yet ANOTHER reason to put a Plaid office on the west coast.)

Aptera welcomed Plaid with a tour of their facility, showed us their earliest prototypes, the "fishbowl" (where the brainiac stuff happens), and we even got a ride in the Typ-1 vehicle. Yeah. For real. AMAZING. Check out the photos on our tour's Flickr page, and look for some sweet footage in tomorrow's wrapup video. Thanks Reed!

Labels: san diego

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:53 PM 0 Comments

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Our friend Rob turned us onto Pink's. Like no other hot dog joint on earth. Surrounded by production people, production assistants and Hollywood deal makers, we cued up to a line that was well worth the wait.

Especially if you like hot dogs with guacamole, chili, special sauce and other delicious goodies that you've never imagined on a hot dog before.

The best part was that while we waiting in line almost 45 minutes to order our dogs, it only took us about 4 minutes to scarf them down. The long drive to San Diego should be interesting...

Labels: hollywood, yummy food

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:50 PM 0 Comments

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Our last meeting in Hollywood was at none other than Sony Pictures Animation. We pitched them on a feature length animated film of the Plaid tour. Before they could call security, we chatted for real. And we learned about some of the incredible people and projects that Sony has in the hopper.

A true awesome host, Andrea even set us up with a secret beach and pizza tip for when we make our way down to San Diego. Thanks Andrea!

Labels: hollywood, los angeles

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:14 PM 0 Comments

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One of our visits in Hollywood took us to Leads 360. This is a company that gets it. Many, many months ago, on the very first day that we announced our tour, Avi contacted Plaid and invited us for a visit.

Here's a business who is not an agency - not a production company - but a software solution. They're working on doing all of the right things (including an open API solution). They've even put themselves into one of the coolest spaces in Los Angeles, and have outfitted an old photo studio into one sweet office space. High ceilings, exposed trusses, and filled with cool.

We chatted, traded swag, and hit the road for lunch. At Pink's.

Labels: los angeles

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:46 PM 0 Comments

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After a quick visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park, we took photos with Merv Griffin, Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, and Burt Lancaster.

We met the cemetery's groundskeeper, who had the most amazing stories (and who's working on a book.) Did you know that the guy who is buried on top of Marilyn Monroe (!) was exhumed to be turned around and facing her?

We decided that Westwood would be the perfect location for the 11:40 show, and set up for broadcast. 3...2...1...and, we're live! Fifteen seconds into broadcast, a fiery beast came squelching across the cemetery "stop taping! You have no business here!" It wasn't a ghost. Just a really mean lady who trounced across all the graves to stop the 11:40 show. We continued the broadcast, but moved to the inside of the van. Until the mean lady came by and insisted that the Plaid van was not welcome anywhere near the cemetery. (Real friendly cemetery lady.)

We finished the 11:40 show from the van. You can see it in it's entirety here. We're hoping that the mean cemetery lady gets locked in at night.

Labels: 11:40 show, hollywood, interesting people

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:27 PM 0 Comments

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We started our first day in Hollywood meeting with Hollywood types. Only we didn't have any scripts to pitch, didn't have a film concept, or even headshots. Just an awesome van filled with Plaid creatives. First stop: Yari Films. Here's a really cool firm that's produced some incredible pictures that you've probably seen - like Crash, and the Illusionist. We talked shop, and traded swag.

The crew at Yari told us about Hollywood's most famous cemetery, located directly behind their building. Marilyn Monroe, Merv Griffin, Rodney Dangerfield, Carroll O'connor and a bunch of other famous people are currently staying there. They had us at Marilyn - and we decided to head there for the taping of the 11:40 show.

Thanks Yari for allowing Plaid into Hollywood!

Labels: hollywood, los angeles

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:01 PM 0 Comments

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When we were planning our tour we easily pegged San Francisco and Los Angeles as markets that we wanted to visit. And we knew that we needed something in between. A look at the Google map pointed us to San Luis Obispo. But we had never heard of this magical place that they call SLO. Who could we visit? What could we do?

A quick call to the Chamber of Commerce turned us to Missy at iiiDesign. Missy and the iiiDesign crew told us all about their market, and introduced us to SLOCAMA, the San Luis Obispo Creative and Marketing Alliance.

They scheduled a SLOCAMA meeting at the iiiDesign Studios for marketing, creative and internet workers. To meet and greet with the passengers of the Plaid van. What cool people. Super friendly, engaging and full of fun. We traded road stories and agency shop talk. And made new friends in a place where we all now want to live.

The iiiDesign space was super. They've moved in with Big Images and Delicious (not that delicious, but another delicious), and renovated an old garage/mechanic building, turning it into the ultimate creative studio. It's a group space, shared with all three firms. The end result is a sweet place filled with inspired creatives and a collaborative work environment.

If that weren't enough, after directing us to an awesome location for the 11:40 show, then treated us to a BBQlicious lunch at the Firestone Grill.

Thanks everyone in SLO for getting a little Plaid today!!

Labels: san luis obispo, tweetups

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:49 PM 0 Comments

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Our tweet up tonight took place at the British Banker's Club. Kind of appropriate for a town living on loads and loads of VC cash.

Really cool people stopped by to chat about good times, bad times, gossip and technology. Plaid love was shared (through swag and free drinks), contact info was exchanged, and potato chips were eaten.

We met Brian Shaler, Ryan Kuder, Shel Israel, JJ and a bunch of other really cool people.

We snapped some pics and then hit the road for a long drive to San Luis Obispo. Thanks to the Social Media Club for setting this up and making it all happen!

Labels: san francisco, swag, technology, tweetups

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:01 PM 0 Comments

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The tour is creating a new axiom for us: When it comes to directions, never trust a local, unless it’s one you know, because Google maps has bailed us out more than the ‘locals’ have. It’s rare that we have time to wonder around and discover new places. Usually, there’s just no time for it, and that means calling up Google quickly as we drive around lost. (We nixed the idea of a Garmin since we’re already on laptops anyway doing a bunch of stuff, besides, typing is easier that way rather than reaching for something on the dash.) For the most part, Google’s been 99.376584% accurate, especially when you’re bouncing down the streets of San Francisco or Vancouver on the fly and need to find gas, a diner or laundromat. It can be your worst enemy too when one way streets magically appear that weren’t on the map.

But compared to the hotel motel concierge front desk woman? It’s waaaaaaaay better. Like when the nearest (insert thing you need) is supposed to be “Up the diagonal street” and is actually in the opposite direction—two blocks over. And the one she first said turns out to be a dry cleaners. Google? Had it like that. (*snaps hand in, um, snapping gesture*)

Better than Google though are still the locals you know, like friends of the Plaid crew, many of who live in the area, and who told us all the places to go. More importantly? They told us the places not to go. Especially, the truly ‘sketchy’ places. The definition of which someone you don’t know in a Yahoo! forum exaggerated and which actually turns out to be fine.

Labels: tour route, van

posted by Make the logo bigger at 10:43 PM 0 Comments

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Trying to catch up on the 50,000 blog posts and came across a great find from David at Ad Pulp on problems the traditional vs. interactive media crowds have. Regardless of what people call themselves now, and whether you’re an interactive freak or TV dude, something this tour reinforces applies to both worlds: Leave your desk.

Get out and see places. Flyover country. The smaller markets. Places where you’re a minority for a change. The people on brands who don’t have TV money to spend, let alone do a ‘cool’ Flash site. See what customer service is like in other states or how small companies compete for business using untraditional methods. See a car in a Super 8 with a cam, a helmet and a log in the rear window. All of it. How can you be better at what you do if you don’t fully understand things you try and convince your clients to do?

Leave your desk—and go sit in a van. You will not have a better time, I promise.

Labels: interesting people, lifeontheroad

posted by Make the logo bigger at 10:43 PM 0 Comments

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Overheard in the van, while driving from Menlo Park to San Luis Obispo.

Labels: quote of the day

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:41 PM 1 Comments

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Our second meeting for today led us to Seesmic, the ultimate video conversation tool. Want a real explanation about what it's all about? Check it out - or listen to the one and only Cathy Brooks talk to us about how people are using Seesmic and how brands are integrating it into their social media plans. The full interview will be available tomorrow on the Plaid tour dashboard.

We also got to see their space, meet their dog Truman (who knows how to obey crosswalks!) and trade swag.

Labels: interesting people, san francisco

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:27 PM 0 Comments

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We've made visits to some awesome companies while on tour so far, but today was the first time that we made a stop at someone's house. Not just anyone. Robert Scoble.

Robert invited us in, and we chatted about Twitter, search engines, social media, the iPhone, the Nokia phone, and oh, so much more. We also got some great insight into personal brand building. We'll have the interview in its entirety on the dashboard soon.

Because we were there during the 11:00 hour, Robert invited us to broadcast our 11:40 show from his front yard. Pretty sure the neighborhood association is going to write him up on that one.

Thanks Scoble!

Labels: interesting people, san francisco, video

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:24 PM 0 Comments

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Birthdays are pretty special at Plaid, because we usually celebrate with cake. And everyone that works at Plaid loves cake. Tomorrow is coworker's Sara's birthday - which means that back at the home office, Plaid employees were sinking their teeth into some sweetalicious cupcakes. (Sara is known across the globe for her love of cupcakes.)

Not to be left out, we had our own little Sara celebration. With cupcakes and all. You'll see the whole party (a must see) in today's wrap up video - which should go live over the weekend.

Happy Birthday Sara, from Matt, Renato, Ryan, Bill, myself and the Plaid van!

Labels: lifeontheroad, san francisco, sara

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:50 PM 1 Comments

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One of our first meetings in San Fran was with none other than Biz Stone, founder of Twitter. This is a tool that's become a part of our everyday lives, so we were pretty stoked to meet him.

We got a peek at the spankin' new Twitter offices (which totally freakin' ROCK) and then sat down with Biz to chat. We talked about the origination of the Twitter illustrations (and where the fail whale came from), and what it's like at their offices when Twitter goes down. (Do alarms go off? Are people running around?) We'll have a video of the interview posted soon.

Biz was so cool that he let us onto the roof of the Twitter building to shoot today's 11:40 Show. We were treated to some awesome views of San Francisco which made for an excellent backdrop for the morning's show.

Thanks Biz!

Labels: san francisco

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:41 PM 0 Comments

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Colorful vans have a magic ability of attracting interesting people. You should just paint your car like a rainbow today, and drive around.

While at a rest stop off freeway 5 somewhere near exit 603, we met Mad Tea Party. (Ironically, they're from Asheville, NC, a favorite stop of ours on last year's PlaidNation tour.)

The Mad Tea Party plays Uke-abilly. Or Retro-Pop. Or Rock 'n' Roll. Or whatever you call a duo that plays drums with their feet while strumming a guitar and singing.

Check them out in San Francisco on Saturday, at Amnesia or the Sonoma County Fair on Sunday 7/27.

Labels: interesting people, lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:21 PM 1 Comments

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From a random country music song, overheard on the radio somewhere between Oregon and California.

Yep. Lots of country music on the radio up here. (Not everyone in California is super progressive.) We expect that to change a bit, when we reach San Francisco. We're looking forward to some good times and fun people in the hilly city.

Labels: lifeontheroad, quote of the day

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:26 PM 0 Comments

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Today we encountered the longest drive of the entire tour. Five and 3/4 hours, if you're driving non-stop.

But we can't drive non-stop. There's caffeine stops. Mexican food stops. Photo opp stops. So this is a seriously draining drive.

Things encountered so far:
+ Really cool signs
+ A super massive mountain/volcano (Mt.Shasta)
+ A lake that we've deemed houseboat city
+ A Cuervo bottle chandelier
+ A semi-truck with a severed Jesus arm "he spilled his blood for your sins."
+ Loads and loads and loads of country music on the radio. And some oldies.

At this moment, we're about 112 miles from San Francisco. Blogging, tweeting and driving our way down highway 5.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:19 PM 0 Comments

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While in Portland today, we got to meet the crew at Ascentium. They're one of AdAge's Top 50 interactive firms. And some really cool people. And we're not just saying that because they greeted us with a ginormous box of cupcakes. (Plaid runs on cupcakes and donuts.)

After a tour of their offices, we got to chat with Mason and learn more about some of the cool stuff that they're doing. They're a unique firm that's a mix of great creative people, backed by a massive crew of back-end geniuses that could write code that would launch missiles, if they wanted to.

They also have one of the most impressive internship programs that we've ever seen. Their interns get stints at several firms, work with a real creative team and real clients. We met intern Christine Vo, who was video taping the Plaid visit. That's a hell of a lot better than the envelope stuffing crapwork that interns get at a lot of bigger agencies. If you're a student out west, you should be looking them up.

Mason not only played awesome host at Ascentium, but gave us the best rundown of what to do in town too. He helped us discover the Rogue Brew Pub. Mmmm. Beer and cupcakes all within 24 hours. Good times.

Thanks Mason, and the entire crew at Ascentium!

Labels: agencies, portland, yummy food

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:20 PM 1 Comments

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One of the things that we've learned to do on tour is to stop interesting people whenever we see them. Just to say howdy, and introduce ourselves. Really.

Today we met Victoria, after complimenting her on her sweet helmet and ride. Victoria had a really cool voice and inflection that you just can't peg - but you'll swear that she's a character in a film waiting to be written.

She just got her new bike (with a banana seat!) yesterday. And she had this to say about Plaid: "Plaid is God's favorite color. She told me so, on the phone today." Yes Victoria - we're in complete agreement. And kinda wish that we had your magic cell phone, too.

Have you met anyone interesting today?

Labels: interesting people, portland

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:00 PM 0 Comments

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If you mashed up punk rock with a doughnut, it would look a lot like Voodoo Doughnuts.

This is the hottest, coolest doughnut shop in the entire world. Definitely check out their website, and our photos on the tour's Flickr page.

While at Voodoo, we met two awesome people:

Bill Baker, from Baker Communications Group stopped by for some sugary goodness. What's especially funny is that Bill's shop is about a 20 minute drive from our agency in CT. We never have time to get together while at home - but we did get to share a doughnut in Portland.

Aaron Draplin from Field Notes also stopped by. (And thanks Mitch, at Fitch for turning Aaron onto the Plaid tour). Aaron has invented something that you need in your back pocket right now. Field Notes are these sweet little notebooks that fit handsomely into your back pocket or purse. Perfect for jotting down that quick idea. Or taking notes about whatever you're doing right at this moment.

What cell phone cams are to digital photography - Field Notes are to note taking. We've got a bunch for the van, and we're all already hooked on them.

Today's experience at VooDoo was exactly what this tour is all about. Meeting interesting people. Sharing creative inspiration. And making connections with people across the country and next door. Hoooray for Voodoo!

Labels: portland, yummy food

posted by darryl ohrt at 4:11 PM 0 Comments

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Today we were rock stars.

While gassing up with energy drinks and snacks at some random Shell station in the middle of Washington state, a gaggle of teenage girls saw the van, and wanted to know what it was all about.

Of course, we told them we were a rock band. From the UK.

Girls: The UK? What's that?
Plaid: Look it up on the internet.
Girls: Can we have your autograph?

Sensing danger, we put the pedal to the metal and hit highway five.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:02 PM 0 Comments

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The crew at Jones Soda totally rocked Plaid today.

While we were waiting for a tour of their headquarters, Chris at the front desk gave us the scoop on the cool neighborhoods in Seattle, and shared some pretty funny stories about some lunatic woman who calls him daily.

Zack gave us a full on tour of their facility, and we met some of the faces behind the brand. Even better, we got to peek inside the secret refrigerators, where they keep the test flavors and soda experiments. We can't say anything or they'll send the Jones police after us.

A really relaxed vibe, where you can tell that people are proud of where they work, and believe in their brand. Always inspiring. Especially exciting to hear that pretty much anyone in the company can suggest new flavors.

Swag was traded, and then we loaded the van with Jones Creme and Apple soda. Woohoo Jones!

Labels: seattle, yummy food

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:07 PM 0 Comments

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Our first greeting of the day was at agency Fitch. Cool that we're visiting a mix of small and larger firms along the tour. Fitch is big. Like sweet offices-with-killer-views-and-penthouse-patio big. Like Microsoft as a client big.

But don't let big scare you. Harmony, Annie, Shelley and Mitch were completely friendly and welcoming of the Plaid crew. We got to see some of their incredible package work, their digs, and their patio. Thanks Fitch!! (Special thanks to Julie who introduced us to Harmony!)

Labels: agencies, seattle

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:36 PM 2 Comments

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While hanging out at Bauhaus Coffee and Books in Seattle, we were approached by a guy in a new suit, holding a tie. He had a job interview, and didn't know how to tie it. So...he approached a group of dudes wearing t-shirts and cool jeans.

Could a bunch of agency people who don't wear ties help him out? You bet.

Don't know if you've ever tied a tie for someone else, but it's not that easy. Unless you're facing the right way. Which meant that I put my arms around a guy today. Of course Renato captured it all on video, so that I could be totally embarrassed in the wrap up video tomorrow. Hilarity will ensue.

Tie dude: good luck - we're hoping that you got the job.

Labels: darryl, seattle

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:49 PM 0 Comments

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Today we met the crew at SmashLAB, and genius blogger Eric Karjaluoto of Ideas on Ideas.

They have some beautious office space in one of the cool neighborhoods in Vancouver. They immediately friended us, with shout outs from their 4th floor digs, to our van, as we were attempting to parallel park the Plaid beast.

And then they bought us donuts. Yep. The one thing Plaid likes more than big projects with big budgets. Donuts.

It's always cool to hang with other creative people, and especially another independent shop. SmashLab does some fantastic work - and they even have a pretty sweet side project, called MakeFive. You have to check this out, if you haven't already heard about it. You can make your own top five list. On anything. Or read others. And become a part of interesting conversation. These guys not only GET social media - they're producing new tools for all of the internet.

We met the entire SmashLAB crew and fell in love with their ULTRA NEAT offices. We're still convinced there's a big closet somewhere, filled with all of the junk that normally sits on desks in messier offices (like ours.) You'll see Eric, Eric and the rest of the SmashLAB crew on the wrapup video later tomorrow.

Right around the corner from SmashLAB was none other than Andy from A Million Monkeys Typing. Andy was watching the tour from the dashboard, and saw on the webcams that we were around the corner, getting ready to broadcast the 11:40 show. He popped down to say howdy to the Plaid crew. Totally awesome.

Labels: agencies, vancouver

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:49 PM 0 Comments

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A few thousand miles is never too far to travel for a good cupcake. So today we visited Cupcakes Online.

Cupcakes online in Vancouver is one of those really sweet places. Sweet because the entire facade is pink and frilly. With pink furniture on the sidewalk. And the inside is filled with more pink magic and super sugary goodness. It's the type of place that makes a guy who'd rather be at a Yankees game (not naming anyone) a little uncomfortable.

But Plaid has a sweet tooth. And the Plaid van must stop at every awesomely delicious donut or cupcake joint along our journey. (And we promised the cupcake queenie, our coworker Sara that we'd at least get some yummy photos for her.)

While enjoying the most scrumptious cupcakes on earth, sitting on pink frilly furniture, we happened on a suburban mom and her little girl.

Mom: (pointing to Renato, with a shaved head and kick ass goatee) "See?? Even tough guys like cupcakes."

And there you have it. Our quote of the day.

Labels: vancouver, yummy food

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:23 PM 1 Comments

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Here's a few things we learned while crossing the Canadian border twice in two days:

+ When they ask what you're going into Canada for, don't answer "to meet with a blogger."

+ Don't greet border patrol with a video camera. Taping.

+ When they ask if you captured their facilities on video, don't answer "no."

+ Don't smile, or be jovial if the guards are frowning.

What an experience getting into Canada. We happened to arrive at the border just as every Canadian on earth decided to return to their country. So there was a very entertaining 65 minute wait to get to the gate. And then the real fun began...keep in mind that the van is wired with cameras, equipment, powerpacks, laptops, plus loads of luggage and five gnarly guys.

"I have an idea. Renato, get in the back seat, and video tape the guard as we approach the gate!"

Guard: "Why are you visiting Canada?"
Plaid: "We're here to visit a blogger!"
Guard: (Grimace) "Are you video taping me??" Please pull the van over to bay one."
Guard 2: "Get out of the van."
Guard 2: "How much of our facility and guards did you video tape?
Plaid: "Not much, really."
Guard 2: "Why are you here?"
Plaid: "To meet with a blogger."
Guard 2: (Super grimace) "What's a blogger??"
Plaid: "Ummmm"
Guard 2: "Go wait inside while we search your van."

Renato was pulled aside and questioned further, and then reviewed all of our video tape with the guards. We erased any offending footage. The van was searched in detail. Luckily Matt left his firearm collection at home.

We're pretty sure that we're on watch lists, permanently now.

Labels: bloggers, van, vancouver

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:13 PM 0 Comments

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We're here. In Vancouver!

It was a long night at the border, but we're finally here. Canadian border guards don't quite share the same sense of humor as Plaid employees...more on that on this morning's 11:40 show.

We settled in to the glorious Travel Lodge - which to our surprise was actually really nice. We're not accustomed to "nice" on the Plaid tour, when it comes to hotels motels. The view from my room is pictured above.

Today we're meeting with another sweet creative firm in Vancouver, and talking to Eric Karjaluoto, the awesomely intelligent blogger from Ideas on Ideas. There are some other fun meetings and activities planned, too. And we'll be eating the most delicious cupcakes in all of Canada. If you're in Vancouver, please join us.

Stay tuned for so much more!

Labels: travel lodge, vancouver

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:39 AM 4 Comments

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GEEK ALERT: This post is all about cameras and technology. Politely ignore if those types of things bore you.

Here's proof that even with advance testing and preparation, things can go wrong.

We've planned for three live webcams when the van is rolling. Each camera has a laptop dedicated to it, to maximize streaming. Of course we're rolling with Macs. Since Mac laptops come with a webcam built in, they're picky about which webcams they'll recognize.

Apple made a webcam years ago (the iSight) that works seamlessly with Apple laptops. Only one problem. Apple stopped producing iSights many years ago. We had purchased two of them on eBay prior to the tour, and had another Logitech camera in the office, successfully running off a Mac. Figured that would be no problem.

Luckily we arrived in Seattle with a pre-production crew so there was time for one last road test. After wiring the van, we fired up all of the cameras for a test broadcast. But the Logitech camera wouldn't work.

Made a quick stop at BestBuy, for another "mac friendly" cam. Which didn't work. Next stop: the Apple store in SouthCenter Seattle. Purchased another Logitech that is guaranteed Apple friendly. Nope. Two hours and two Apple "geniuses" later, we're all stumped. After attempting many scripts (thanks Brian!!), drivers and patches, we've concluded that the iSight is the only camera guaranteed to work for our situation.

We put out a tweet to our Twitter friends. Asked the Apple fanboys at the store in Seattle. And called the team at home on the east coast.

Sara found a used iSight in Derby, CT. And spent her Saturday evening on a wild adventure through Connecticut purchasing a camera from who knows who. It's on a JetBlue flight with Matt as we speak, who joins the tour this afternoon.

So tomorrow morning - we'll be live. With three cameras. We'll dedicate the dashboard cam to Sara. The SaraCam. Thanks Sara, for saving the day!!

Labels: dashboard, technology, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:28 AM 0 Comments

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Today, the van was wired and tested with three cameras:
1. Pointing to the road, so that you can keep an eye on where we're going.
2. Monitoring passengers in the front two rows
3. Monitoring passengers in the last two rows

There's also DC power, and a wireless router so that everyone on board is rolling with WIFI. We've used the exclusive duct tape mounting system, as shown above.

The crew flies into Seattle on Sunday, and we head to Vancouver to kick everything off on Monday morning. Two days and counting!

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:39 PM 0 Comments

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Keith and Shane over at Sir Graphic and CarWraps.net hooked us up with some sweet graphics for the van.

The process started at 7am pacific time and took about six hours. It's a painstaking process that requires exact placement, detailed cutting and a blow torch. The best quote from Shane, our installer: "This is a rental van?? You didn't tell me this was a rental van." This, after he plied the Ford F350 silver logo thingees off the back.

Tomorrow: The van gets wired with cameras, internet and power transformers.

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:03 PM 2 Comments

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The Plaid van officially exists! Only right now, it looks pretty much like an Avis rental van. We're fairly sure that Avis won't mind if we wrap it up with sweet graphics, and completely wire the vehicle with cameras, internet and power packs.

(Not sure if I mentioned all of that to my Avis rep above, when I picked up the van.)

Labels: seattle, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:45 PM 1 Comments

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And, we're off to Seattle. Four days until the Plaid tour lifts off!

Seattle will be our staging area for getting a van, getting it wrapped with the sweetest graphics ever designed, and wiring it to broadcast the tour to the world. There's a lot to do over the next couple of days, and we'll document it all here!

The rest of the crew will arrive in Seattle on Sunday, and we'll head to Vancouver to get things started. Things are in motion!

Labels: seattle, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:33 PM 0 Comments

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Somewhere in between San Francisco and Los Angeles is a place called San Luis Obispo. Everyone knows someone in the major markets, but what are we to do when the Plaid van drives through San Luis Obispo? More importantly, how will we ever learn to pronounce San Luis Obispo in front of the locals?

Lucky for us, there's iiiDesign and SLOCAMA. Missy at iiiDesign hooked us up. Gave us the low down on San Luis Obispo. Taught us that we can call the place "SLO." And introduced us to the SLOCAMA group.

San Luis Obispo Creative and Marketing Alliance (now you see why they call it SLOCAMA) set up a special meet and greet for Plaid. We'll get to hang with the cool people in town. Trade marketing and brand ideas. Share stories. Learn where the cool people eat good food.

Look for us in SLO on Tuesday, July 29!

Labels: tour route, tweetups

posted by darryl ohrt at 2:35 PM 1 Comments