Coast 2 Coast Mom

Back from the World Premiere of Project Natal As Imagined By Cirque Du Soleil

We just returned from the best time in Los Angeles! I got in some blogging and writing time, c2cDad even ran into some business contacts during the launch weekend, we visited with family out there, took Li'l Boo to see some sites for the first time, and oh yeah . . . attended the world premire of "Project Natal" as imagined by Cirque Du Soleil, and the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360!!

I had read in the LA Times piece that they were attempting to plan a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I think they succeeded. Microsoft invited some lucky people to participate in a pre-show drum beat ceremony, counting down the time to the launch, and Li'l Boo represented c2cfamily well in a collaborative drumbeat with four other bloggers and celebs including NYC's own @mominthecity and @MakeupbyMel, as well as gold medal Olympian Steven Holcomb. (That's him hoisting Li'l Boo up to bang the drum. . . the drum platform could only fit four people up at a time and there were about dozen of us in our group. Yes, it takes a gold-medal Olympian to hoist Li'l Boo.)

Why we're in Los Angeles Today #XboxE3

We’ve been looking forward to this trip to L.A. for months now, so we were practically giddy when we boarded the flight yesterday. We were invited to attend the much-anticipated launch of the Xbox 360 “Project Natal” tonight, in advance of the annual E3 conference (where they first annouced development last year). We’ve been reading so much about the show in the media, this LA Times article gives some good background on what we’re doing here.

We’re thrilled to be a part of this, and incredibly excited for the events tonight, which includes a world premiere performance from Cirque du Soleil. Li’l Boo is especially looking forward to the drum ceremony this afternoon.

A special thank you to the Microsoft Xbox 360 Project Natal PR team for taking such good care of us. They’ve really thought of everything, down to the pre-stamped touristy LA postcards. It will be fun for Li’l Boo to mail these off to the grandparents come Monday.

Having a Ball Playing Atari's New Sandlot Sluggers

Last week we were treated to an amazing baseball wonderland at Atari's headquarters in celebration of the upcoming launch of their Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers video game. They really outdid themselves bringing in Astroturf, a hot dog vendor, popcorn stand, t-ball equipment - thanks to Franklin for the backstop tents that saved me from spending my entire time chasing down baseballs to keep placing atop the t-ball stand for Li'l Boo to hit ;-) Oh yes, there were lots of video game systems set up for us and the kiddos to play Sandlot Sluggers.

Li'l Boo had a fantastic time (they had baseball pinatas! He got to play with @SelfishMom's kids!), and all of the kids appeared to pick up on the game quickly. The game feels like a diverse neighborhood gathering of kids playing baseball. Li'l Boo played it on the XBox and the Wii systems, and told me that he likes the mini games best. "Dingers" is his fave, and it's similar to playing a home-run derby with continuous power batting. Of course, this morning he awoke asking to play a "The Cube" mini game of pitching skills. ;-)

Tegu Blocks: When Customer Interaction Lives Up To The Product

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my laptop, cappuccino in hand, skimming through my morning emails when one from Mamaista caught my attention. The email featured a modern take on children's wooden blocks, by a company called Tegu. The blocks are produced in Honduras in an effort to stimulate the local economy with a sustainable business that employs local people in a profitable trade, using abundant local resources, and reinvesting in the local community.

I checked out the site, admired the beautiful blonde (huesito wood?) and mahogany blocks with built-in magnets, and added my name to their waitlist to learn when the blocks would become available for purchasing again. That was around 10 a.m. Monday morning.

By close of business Monday, I received a personal email from Brandon, Tegu's Chief Customer Advocate, letting me know that they had sent an email out the previous week to their customer list announcing that the blocks would be in stock and available for purchase the next day, Tuesday. Since I joined the list after the email went out, he wanted me to know so I could take advantage of their availability.

Feed Your Spring Fever With 2 Baseball Video Games

We've come down with fevers this week. Spring fever. Baseball fever.

With the sun shining these past two days and gimpses of blue sky, we're finding reasons to get outside - walking to school or the train yesterday. Egging our fevers on is the b-roll shown during the sports segments of the local news featuring the Yankee and Mets spring training camps down south. Sunshine? Baseball? We're wishing spring would get here already!

Which brings me to today's launch of Major League Baseball 2K10 (and a giveaway: scroll below).

Microsoft Xbox 360 Sneak Peek: Project Natal

Okay, so I receive email invitations or demo opportunities every now and again that leave me giddy the rest of the day...and this was one of those opportunities. I met c2cDad, Li'l Boo and a couple of friends to catch an advanced look at Microsoft Xbox 360's "Project Natal" earlier this week. WOW. Playing video games without controllers - where WE are the controller...no cords, no wires, just free to move and hit and kick what we want - the game mirrors our moves. Again, without a controller. WOW.

Happy 30th Rubik's Cube! Now With Solutions To The "Hot Mess"

I saw a news release earlier this week about 2010 marking the 30th aniversary of the Rubik's Cube in the U.S. (While created in 1974, it was introduced and sold in the U.S. beginning in 1980.) To celebrate the anniversary, Rubik's Cube is launching a new initiative for kids and teens, "You CAN Do The Cube," that provides incentives and solutions for kids ages 8-18 tackling the madness that can be the cube . . . causing the addictive user like me to become a "hot mess." 

The "You CAN Do The Cube" campaign is working with schools, camps and community youth organizations to promote the ease and usefulness of mathematics, in addition to the sense of accomplishment one feels when tackling a seemingly unsolvable problem.

Siftables: These Little Blocks Could Be A Big Deal

As I prepare to attend Toy Fair next month, I want to share a product - launching later this year - that may be a contender for one of the top spots on holiday gift lists next year: Siftables. These smart blocks interact with each other by wirelessly sensing and communicating with neighboring blocks, creating essentially a digital block-based gaming system. Imagine your child playing Leapster 2 games or their favorite iPhone apps with interactive blocks. Cool concept, and even cooler to see the video demos on their site.

Our 2009 Holiday Roadtrip

We had a Merry Christmas in that the weather cooperated for our twelve hour drive to Michigan, and counting gifts from all of our extended family, Li'l Boo received most of what he asked for (alas, no puppy). The downside to our trip was that Li'l Boo and I caught a flu bug and we cut our visit with my in-laws to celebrate a very late Hanukkah waaaay short. One of the most difficult things about our roadtrips to Chicago, Kalamazoo and Detroit is that we can never fit in visits with everyone we want to see or do everything that we want to do, but alas that's what email, Facebook, blogs, etc. are for - right?

Some highlights:

• Seeing family! We miss 'em dearly and I always cry when we have to leave.
• Biggby Coffee (friendly and de-lish as always) and we tried Penn Station East Coast Subs in Kalamazoo which was great - kind of like Potbelly Sandwich Works and the fries reminded us of Five Guys.
• Li'l Boo's gifts: all of 'em. The entire family played his Beatles: Rock Band on Christmas Day (he asked for a drum set, and I thought Rock Band drums would allow him songs he could play rather than blindly and briefly banging on a set of drums - so perhaps he'll get a set of drums for his birthday ;-)), and he LOVES his new Trek bike and Leapster 2. We're going to have lots of fun playing with all of his new dinosaurs, trucks, puzzles and games!
• Missing having a country music station in NYC. Oh, and my favorite new cd: Carrie Underwood's Play On. It's been a LONG time since I could pop a cd in and listen to the entire thing without fast-forwarding past songs.
• c2cDad and I both stayed off of our laptops for three full days - a near record!
• Stopping off in Cleveland to get off of the snowy roads on our way home.

We're so thankful for our friends and family around the world, and hope everyone is enjoying a blessed holiday season!

Wowed by the Star Wars Force Trainer at Time To Play Magazine's Holiday Toy Showcase

I spent a morning last week at my son's (my husband's? . .  who'm I kidding - my own!) dream party: Time To Play Magazine's 2009 Holiday Showcase, where they unveiled their top 16 "must-have" toys for the upcoming holiday season. It was a little like your first trip to Disneyland - full of wonder, excitement, and fun! Seeing and playing with the latest and greatest toys from all of the toy manufacturers, I couldn't believe what a great time I had sans kiddo at the toy showcase!

I'm putting together a list of my favorite toys for preschoolers and early elementary children for the end of October. With that said, I didn't expect to find a holiday gift for my hubby while I was there. I certainly didn't expect to find a Star Wars toy that I'd want to run out and purchase, but I did! It was hands-down the coolest thing I saw - and tried - at the showcase! The Star Wars Force Trainer consists of a wireless headgear and what looks like a test tube sitting on a large base. The headset has three nodules that "read" your brain waves (similar to EEG) and communicates with the base to cause a fan to propel the ball up the test tube. The greater you concentrate, the higher the ball rises in the tube. Do I need to remind you that there are no cords, or cable involved here?! You actually move the ball with your mind! I didn't believe it at first and was trying to figure out the trick to how it works, but became a believer when I used it myself. I did pretty well if I say so, though every time I tried to answer a question from the Uncle Milton rep or converse with a friend, the ball dropped a few notches. I was going to surprise my hubby with this for the holidays, but I was so excited about it that I had to tell him about it when I got home. I can't wait to go out and buy it so he can try it himself! If I was less starstruck by the Star Wars Force Trainer, I would have been of the right mind to record my session using the toy, but as you can clearly see, I was so into it that I didn't think to do any more than have the Uncle Milton rep take photos. See the first photo below and note where the ball is, then see the second photo and note how the ball is higher. Uhm, yeah, the force is with me!

Full Disclosure: A gifting suite was set-up, but I met with toy manufacturers for interviews for the first hour and a half, before heading to the gifting suite, and it was empty (EMPTY!) by the time I got around to it. So it goes without saying that this is a non-sponsored, non-paid, truly-my-own-opinion post. ;-)