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May 3, 2012
Hey Girl, at M-Edge
Posted by Shelby
Stage One: Getting to Know One Another
Ryan Gosling. An award winning actor, most commonly known for his role as Noah in the movie based off of Nicholas Sparks' best selling novel, "The Notebook." A hair over six feet tall, charming, sophisticated, with blue-eyes and a charismatic smile that sends any woman's heart a flutter, has captured many audiences' attention (mostly females) with the recent outbreak of "Hey Girl" memes. The memes, also known as "internet comics," began as somewhat of a joke and have become popular posts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Story goes, the comics originated from a student, now teacher, Danielle who started to make flashcards for a class she was taking in school using photos of Ryan Gosling with catchy feminist phrases all beginning with the famous two words, "Hey Girl." Danielle quotes on her blog feministryangosling.tumblr.com:
"This blog was started as a joke to keep track of the theorists I'm currently studying; I never intended for anyone other than my classmates to see it. I'm not an expert - just a student working through some dense concepts. I need the help, and thought feminist flashcards were a funny idea."
Some perfect examples include:
Turns out her small idea exploded into a huge escapade of Ryan Gosling memes broadcasted all around the world. So what does this outstandingly attractive young man have to do with M-Edge? Everything.
Stage Two: The Relationship
Originally, I was assigned to write a blog post confessing my undying love for R.G., however, that would just result in me being selfish. Seeing as 90% of my fellow female coworkers have also been struck by the same Gosling arrow, I decided to speak up for all the single ladies... and maybe the non-single ladies who are keeping their love for R.G. a secret behind cubicles.
In a company made up of moms, dads, wives, husbands, sisters, nerds, trendsetters, animal lovers, and all other forms of awesomeness, we take pride and love in our products. Personalities joining forces, creativity meeting dedication, and a family-like environment allows us to produce products that ensures it'll bring you joy and happiness into your every day life. We can promise full support and protection for any of your iPhone, e-reader or tablet devices.
"That's great and all, but how does this relate to your love for Ryan Gosling?"
I'm glad you asked, because I was just getting to that point. You see, there's a formula that coincides with what we do here at M-Edge and our love for Ryan Gosling. It's quite simple:
As you can see the mathematical equations above are very similar to one another. Our customer support and protection multiplied by perfect products will always result in a happy customer. The formula below reveals similar results. Ryan Gosling's moral support and protection for the women he loves (often described in "Hey Girl" memes), all multiplied by his godlike perfection, divided by every woman swooning over this beautiful creature of existence... makes a very happy worker.
Stage Three: Marriage
Marriage is a common practice amongst many cultures throughout the world. Two individuals. Coming together. Forming one happy and lasting union. So, can't the same thing be said about M-Edge products and Ryan Gosling? Of course!
To justify this theory I have demonstrated a few simple info-graphics:
Will M-Edge's love for R.G. be able to stand the test of time? We made sure of that...
3D life-like R.G. figures were made for display on office desk...
Motivational wall-art were designed as a reminder during our roughest hours...
Stage Four: Happily Ever After
As long as our love for R.G. continues on, keeping our spirits high, and movie nights watching The Notebook are still in session, everyone will be happy.
We Love You Ryan Gosling.
April 26, 2012
So you think you know Social Media?
Posted by Stefi
I am so privileged and excited to say that I'm M-Edge's newest Marketing intern! Just a few years ago, I would never in my wildest dreams have pictured myself here!
First of all, I need to say that I was born and raised in Colombia, South America. (See map, for all of you who keep asking if Colombia is in North Carolina).
Moving to Maryland was a major change. Not only the language but also the weather, I'm used to warm weather year round, I had to change my very tropical clothes and sandals to boots and coats in a blink of an eye.
Not only was the environment a huge change, everything else was. I was immediately loaded up with tasks and projects on my first day (from redecorating our office, to sending out top tier PR samples, to being a model for lifestyle photo shoots). I love the fast moving pace, the amount of responsibility and the trust they've given me.
Initially, I thought I knew all about social media from playing around my personal Facebook, but apparently I had no idea how many different ways we could use it. A brand page is so good for promoting and engaging users. I find myself submerged in the world of Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter nonstop, discovering features that I had no idea existed. So apparently I didn't know anything about how major companies are using this social media sites to promote a lifestyle. I have learned how much this can help get the product in a fun way to our very loyal customers, creating fun contests, giveaways, promotions, and sharing inside scoops from our company. This all needs special planning and strategies, more elaborate than I initially thought.
My time at M-Edge has been a great learning experience. My team showed me how to manage content on the website, the database and speak to customers through Facebook; it taught me what it truly meant to work as a team. Inclusion on the strategic planning meetings, conference calls and daily decisions simply add to the quality of my internship.
I never thought I would come to a place where people celebrate differences, not that everyone is weird, but everyone does bring something special to the table!
Bottom-line I hit the jackpot of internships, at least that's how it feels.
April 18, 2012
Apple's Rules, Sandboxes, and Bullies
Posted by Josh K
Josh, resident App Guy at M-Edge here to talk to you about the MyEdge iPad App and our discoveries on the digital playground of the App world.
Sandboxes. They bring back blissful childhood memories (at least for me). But that's not what we're talking about here. In the "Apple Playground" each app (like MyEdge) has it's own "sandbox" to play in. The reason for doing this is to prevent destructive apps (bullies) from wreaking havoc on your saved files (sand castles). Although it's neat to have a bodyguard, we can't share files with our friends. Our super-awesome Appleguard will not let anything leave (or enter) our sandbox. But, we can still pass secret messages.
This issue came to be when we tried to integrate our app with some of the popular drawing apps to simplify the process of taking an image and getting it printed on a jacket. However, the MyEdge app has access to the Photo Library. If you want to print an image on a jacket, simply save your image to the Photo Library, open the MyEdge app (download it first if you don't have it), navigate to the designer and select your device, select the image icon (looks like a landscape) and find your image. It's that easy! Enjoy!
April 11, 2012
Movie review duel: The Hunger Games
Posted by Jaime & Victoria
Welcome to another installment of the M-Edge Blog. Today we are interviewing two of our in-house movie fanatics, Jaime and Victoria on their take of The Hunger Games movie. A little back story on our movie critics:
Jaime dutifully attends almost all midnight releases (no matter how awful, cough Sucker Punch cough*) and regales us with her witty reviews in the company newsletter.
Victoria attends most comedies and blockbusters and generally has a positive opinion unless watching highly anticipated movies such as Like Crazy and then being devastatingly let down by its lackluster storyline.
Both are begrudgingly forced to attend chick flicks and RomComs such as The Vow, Eat Pray Love, One Day and Something Borrowed with Devon. When asked their opinion of these evenings, both had no comment.
Book vs. Movie?
Victoria: Book! My wild imagination takes me to the darndest places.
Jaime: I loved the book but the movie felt like watching bare bones cliff notes. Dead kids. Check. Fire. Check. Wasps. Check. Weird mutated dogs that were left unexplained to anyone who hadn't read the books. Check. Drunk Woody Harrelson. Check. Angsty teen love triangle. Double check.
It lacked the conflicting emotions of the book where at one moment you're relieved and cheering on Katniss for successfully escaping death, sometimes by killing another tribute but at the same devastated because hey, you're OK with kids killing kids.
Peeta vs. Gale?
Jaime: Orphan or Clove, if you prefer. Was Gale even in the movie? He had like one speaking line.
Victoria: Gale! Peeta is a whining ball and chain wrapped around Katniss' neck. It's a wonder she even survived the Games with that dead weight.
Hunger Games or Twilight?
Jaime: Is there a difference? Kudos to Suzanne Collins, who at least knew more verbs than "scowled".
Victoria: The Hunger Games! After years of the Twilight crew smearing together something they call a movie, I'm ready to throw in my Team Edward water bottle.
Jaime: Spoiler Alert: There's a Team Peeta bottle in your future.
Jennifer Lawrence or Kristen Stewart?
Victoria: Do you even have to ask that?
Jaime: For a minute there, I was afraid Jennifer Lawrence had been replaced by Kristen Stewart because of the ridiculous amount of screen time dedicated to showing close- ups of Katniss breathing into the camera and biting her lip.
Pictured: Another thanks to Jaime's skills of finding two "mouthbreathing" photos to prove her point.
Gripes?
Jaime: Well my whole review is a gripe, but I'll settle with the intensely shaky camera. The camera motion was so shaky; it was hard to stay focused. Like every twenty minutes, I had a mini seizure.
Victoria: I second that.
Overall thoughts?
Jaime: My biggest issue was how less I could have cared when each tribute died because I knew nothing about them due to the lack of characterization given to anyone but Katniss. If anything, it was an easy way to countdown to how much longer I would have to sit in the theater; as they dropped like flies, I knew I was closer and closer to going home...
Victoria: (shooting Jaime a dirty look)
Jaime: If this were the Hunger Games, you'd be the first to go.
Victoria: You're being a reeeeeallll Clove right now...
Jaime: At least I lasted longer than you.
Victoria: I'm Katniss. I won.
Jaime: You won a train ride home with Peeta. I think I'm glad I died.
Victoria: ...
Jaime: Well enjoy your ball and chain and his dumb hair.
Host: This continued for a while, so I'll go ahead and wrap up. Stay tuned for more of the Jaime & Victoria shtick throughout the summer blockbuster season!
April 5, 2012
Industrial Design: Where I find inspiration
Posted by Simon
Hi everyone, Simon here! I am an Industrial Designer for M-Edge's exciting Product Development team. My design inspiration comes from two main sources: Humanistic design and Biomimicry.
Humanistic design is a term that refers to design based off human behavior and interaction with the surrounding object/environment. Since customers are the end user of any product, understanding their habits and needs will provide insightful data for better product.
Biomimicry refers to innovation inspired by our surrounding world. No matter how advanced our technology has evolved, nature by far is still the best designer. By studying our natural environment, we can create better products for the world.
With these design inspirations, I aim to create products that are pleasing to our customer. So, stick around for M-Edge's newest designs and we love your comments. Until then, Ciao!
March 29, 2012
Allow us to introduce Tom
Posted by Tom F. Olery
Good tidings fellow M-Edge readers --though I believe "blogger" to be the more appropriate term these days. Let me first welcome you to my little corner of the interwebs. Here, I will delve into the various high jinks and shenanigans we here at M-Edge often find ourselves mixed up in. But I am getting ahead of myself, let me introduce Tom. Tom is me...I am Tom. Tom F. Olery to be exact. This is my alias, as it would be unwise for me to use my true identity. They are always on the hunt to discover who decorates the CEO's door in cat photos for each holiday-- more on this later. Continuing on, I am a voice in the creative entity known as the design team while moonlighting as one of the many office pranksters who roam the M-Edge halls. As you may have noticed by now, we embrace the "unique" and the "weird" in our family of hooligans. Each brings a very new and different personality to the show, and it makes for some delightful mischief.
Pictured: Our CEO's office door, frequently decorated in Cat Fancy posters by Tom
And speaking of mischief, you are in for a treat. We have successfully accomplished our most ambitious and challenging caper to date. A bit of backstory-- several members of our design team including our CTO Adam had recently departed on an international adventure to expedite the development of our products for the new iPad-- a very noble cause. And while they were off doing assorted good deeds and acts of chivalry, we here at M-Edge could think of no more appropriate means to rewarding their hard work then to ramshackle their work spaces.
As you can see, we believe in working together to achieve greater goal. Members from every department, nearly the entire company, joined together in "redecorating" Adam, Chris and Dave's areas. In fact, it turned out to be a company sponsored event, including pizza, soda, and snacks. Roughly 5000 square feet of aluminum foil was used in wrapping Chris and Dave's desks, chairs, cups, coins books, computers, business cards, post-its and push-pins (don't worry you green folk, Chris has promised to use the spent foil to wrap his sandwiches for the next several years) while Adam's office received the deluxe treatment. We encased his furniture, chairs, plants, tables and even floor in a hodgepodge of returned or damaged jackets that we have stored in our warehouse. The grand total of jackets used neared the 4000 count by the time is was finished. I must admit...I get a little emotional every time I think about it. Anyhoo --I hoped you enjoyed this first installment of Mischief @ M-Edge. Until next time...
March 26, 2012
Name the M-Edge Blog!
Posted by M-Edge
Hey M-Edge fans! Think you can come up with a fun and fresh new name for our company blog? We want to hear your input!
We've seen a ton of amazing creativity come from our customers through crafty Facebook caption contests, innovative product development suggestions, and beautifully crafted MyEdge jackets, so we're excited to hear what you'd like our blog name to be! Enter your suggestions in the comment box below. If we find a winner, we'll contact you via Facebook and send you a special surprise of M-Edge swag.
Good luck!
March 22, 2012
Distance makes the heart grow fonder
Posted by Megan
Signs, signs, everywhere signs...
Having recently been on a 3 week hiatus from my fantastic job at M-Edge Accessories to visit my home away from home, New Zealand, I thought, what better way to commemorate my trip than to blog about it?
New Zealand is known for its stunning scenery, fantastic vineyards, its sense of adventure, and lastly its appearance in a minor movie series: Lord of the Rings. A country sometimes referred to as "Middle Earth," as it truly does feel as though it is a country in the middle of nowhere. See photo proof below...
Pictured: Queenstown- Looks like a mirror, doesn't it? Notice...we did not see another person while here.
Tirohana Vineyard Martinborough. . . Clearly, a very hard day of the trip filled with cycling (and sampling) through the Wairapa wine country.
Milford Sound = heaven on earth! Quite well-known for its one road in and out of the park and its stunning hikes (pictured below). Our original plan had included a 3 day hike in the park; however due to popularity, this hike is booked up nearly a year in advance and was unavailable during our trip. We decided on a boat tour instead.
Luckily, our tour was not on this boat, although this image should give you a good understanding of the stunning scenery we saw. The cliffs and waterfalls were huge!
Pictured: For those of you movie buffs out there, Yes! This is the waterfall that Hugh Jackman jumped off of in Wolverine.
Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world. Well, this photo taken from our time in Queenstown was about the extent of my adventure...Riding a Gondola constructed in 1987, with an average incline angle of 31 degrees that took me a mere 790 feet above sea level...
Even though it was an overcast day, the views definitely made it worth the scary gondola ride.
For those more adventurous than myself...ahem, my fiance... This pic is a shot of the ORIGINAL home of the bungee jump! Yes, it is as high up as it looks and no, I did not jump.
After reliving a fabulous trip through the photos above, I have realized that as much as I love world travel, nothing can really compare to the fun and shenanigans of the home office in exciting Odenton, Maryland.
Pictured: Just an example of how M-Edgers redecorate offices when a colleague goes on a business trip.
March 20, 2012
What's in a name?
Posted by Aubrey Knight
Note: The names and logos have been blurred to protect the guilty parties.
Scene 1. Interior. Corporate overlords gather in their dark, ominous boardroom of doom, colloquially known as The Boardoom. A peal of thunder is heard from outside as dark clouds gather across the sky.
EXEC 1: Now that we've created this amazing new updated version of our bestselling device, it's time to figure out how to market it. Let's vote on a name!
EXEC 2: Well, we have several previous generations of this same device, so we need to distinguish it.
EXEC 1: Nonsense! Every version of this device is a completely different size so why would we need to distinguish it?
EXEC 3: I agree! We should keep the exact same name! It won't be confusing to anyone, especially when shopping for accessories! Plus I like money!
EXEC 2: But I think it might be a good idea to consider the customer's perspe--
EXEC 3: (enraged) No! We vote now! All in favor?
EXECS: (all together) Aye!
EXEC 1: All opposed?
(Silence).
EXEC 2: Looks like you win again, Mr. Smith. Device number 10934.39 will forever be marketed as simply "Device." But at what cost? AT WHAT COST, MAN?!
Pictured: The overseers of the worst naming committee meeting ever.*
Scene 2. The real world. A helpful, friendly M-Edge customer service rep is on the phone with a customer.
CUSTOMER: Hi! My name is Alonso and I need to return my jacket because it's the wrong size. I wanted it for the 6.283 inch screen version.
REP: I'm sorry about that! Unfortunately there are lots of different versions of this device that all have 6.283 inch screens, but the body of the device is a different size.
CUSTOMER: Mine is the white one. Does that help?
REP: Okay, that helps narrow it down a bit. There are only 15 versions with that screen size that come in white. When did you purchase your device?
CUSTOMER: It was a long time ago. I don't quite remember.
REP: No worries, we'll figure it out! Does your device have the button shaped like a triangle that beeps like a monkey when pressed?
CUSTOMER: No, the button on my device is shaped like a tetrahedron and squawks like a hamster when you press it.
REP: Right, so that narrows it down to just 13 versions. The white devices with the hamster-squawking buttons were released in the year 2525. Does that sound about right?
CUSTOMER: I believe so, yes, because that was the year my nephew graduated from Star Fleet Academy and the device was a gift for him.
REP: Now on the back of the device in the upper left hand corner on the right side, is there a logo that looks like a square trying to smush itself into a circle?
CUSTOMER: Yes.
REP: Great! I have determined that you definitely have device version 393.109. I would be happy to send you a link to the products that fit your specific device.
CUSTOMER: Wow, thank you! It was so easy to figure out what version of the device I have. I'm so incredibly ecstatic that the device manufacturers decided to give this version the same name as all the others!!
REP: Me too, Alonso. Me too.
Fin.
*Photo borrowed from outside source. Not a real naming committee meeting photo.
March 13, 2012
Anatomy of a Launch: The new iPad Part 2
Posted by Product Development
The M-Edge Team is happy to report that we've all survived the launch of iPad 3! If you haven't heard, or you've spent the last week living in a remote location sans internet, TV, radio, or any other technology, Apple announced The new iPad (note the exact capitalization) last Wednesday. As always when a new device launches, the M-Edge team anxiously awaited the juicy details: what are the dimensions? What are the new features? When will we have product ready? What is its name?! When we heard the info midday Wednesday, the team immediately sprang into action.
Luckily, we've become seasoned veterans after years of device launches, and therefore we already had a team stationed overseas to ensure our best and brightest products would be put into production immediately.
Pictured: (left)Trip to Starbucks to stay up for midnight video conference. (right)The team takes an iPad break to explore Asian gastronomy to the fullest. Dave looks apprehensive as Chris bravely skewers an unidentified piece of meat.
On the day of the announcement, our team woke up bright and early (midnight to be exact!) and stockpiled caffeine from Starbucks to keep them fueled up all day. Once they were sufficiently jittery, the team began to collect data to prepare a 3D model of the new iPad.
We told you that we'd give you exciting sneak peeks on our blog, and here they are! Check out these photos of some of our updated jackets for the new iPad. They've been enhanced with our brand spanking new, super cool uView Mounting System (works in both landscape and portrait!) and are ultra-slim, multifunctional, lean, mean, iPad-protecting machines. Can you spot our cool, new microsuction feature that helps keep the jacket closed?
Buying the new iPad tomorrow? Use promo code NEWiPAD12 for 30% off all new iPad (& iPad 2) accessories! Shop now and have your accessory ready for your new iPad's homecoming! Or, if you want to wait for our brand new products, don't worry, our promo code won't expire for 6 months! You can sign up here to be notified when your favorite iPad accessory is available. Happy shopping!
Promo code can be used for all full-priced iPad products. Offer good for 6 months. Limit 1 promo code per purchase.
March 8, 2012
Vision: a gifted talent or a learned skill?
Posted by Patrick
I hear people frequently refer to some leaders as visionary--Steve Jobs, clearly probably one of the most frequently referred to people in recent history as visionary. Other visionaries? Tony Hsieh, Sam Palmisano, Lou Gerstner, Sam Walton, Mark Zuckerberg and the list goes on.
Were these folks all born with this remarkable visionary skill, this ability to foresee the future and then create it? Did their DNA come together in a way that positioned them to have this natural talent? Many people believe, yes. You've either got it or you don't. You either have this gift to look out 10, 20, 50 years and see what the future holds and then take steps to make it a reality, or you don't.
Pictured: A selection of books found on Pat's bookcase
In my own research, and through practicing my own trade as co-founder and CEO of a rapidly growing business, I'm not convinced that the you've-either-got-it-or-you-don't thought process applies. What I am convinced about, is that you won't ever be visionary if you don't take the time to step out of the day-to-day of life, and really start to deeply think about what you want out of your own life.
For example, when M-Edge was founded, it was more preparation, good timing, and serendipity that provided the stage for who we are today. It was hardly what I'd consider "visionary"! E-readers were just beginning to get a small amount of traction in 2006; the early-early-adopters were checking these devices out! I just happened to be married to a woman that is a voracious reader. I had a problem that needed to be solved; when traveling to visit my wife's family, she'd bring too many books for me to carry. All of the right pieces were in place--the good timing and serendipity part.
And I had prepared myself. This is what I believe sets the stage for learning how to be visionary. I had taken time out of my day-to-day life to think often and deeply about what I wanted for my own career and life. Through that process, I began to hone in on what I didn't want--spending my days doing something I wasn't deeply passionate about and wasting my talents in an environment filled with mediocrity and bureaucracy. Slowly, and by deliberately practicing thinking about the future and what I want for myself and my family, I began to realize that what I really love is helping people, bringing people together to achieve things we couldn't do ourselves, and building something that makes a contribution to the world. This led me to think that starting my own business would be one of the most interesting and effective ways to truly pursue what I love.
So, in 2006, having spent the time preparing--deliberately stepping out my day-to-day life and thinking about what I want in the long term--and having had the confluence of good timing and serendipity, M-Edge was founded. Then an interesting thing happened. I forgot what I'd learned about taking time out of the day-to-day to think long term. As the business began to gain traction, keeping up with the day-to-day was all that I could focus on. After 3 years, when I took time to look around (was forced to, really, by the pending birth of our second child), I realized I was headed for a place that was no longer in tune with the things that I'm most passionate about.
So, more deliberate practice. I put the day-to-day to the side, and again started to think deeply about the longer term. What's the vision for M-Edge, for myself and my family? Through this process, I realized that I knew very little about being an effective CEO. I needed to learn. So, I dug in and read every piece of work I could get my hands on related to running and growing successful businesses,successful leaders and leadership, and the latest research in psychology (I hadn't realized I needed to know anything about psychology until I started studying successful businesses and successful leaders).
Pictured: The Baltimore Sun awarded M-Edge as one of the top places to work for 2011.
Through this process, I learned how to be a better CEO (I still have a long way to go!), and I learned how to really start to think about the long term more consistently. Now, I set aside time on a weekly basis to think about the long term and specifically, what I want M-Edge to be, what I want us to value, what I want us to contribute to the world, and what I want for our leaders and employees. I also spend time talking to the team about these questions and then discussing and studying: is what we're doing today consistent with where we want to be in the future?
While I'm no visionary in the foremost sense, I have certainly learned how to be consistently forward-looking. I have learned to take the time necessary to think about the long-term and study and research how to address questions that arise during this process of thinking long-term. I continue to get better at this skill every day, and our company and my family is getting better and better at this skill as well. We are all learning and growing and better understanding what the future might look like and how we can take steps today to make it a reality.
So on vision, I firmly believe it's a learnable skill. And with enough deliberate practice, how great of a visionary could you become? Hmmmm...
Pictured:Pat's proudest moment as CEO, accepting his award for Top Leadership in a small business by the Baltimore Sun.
March 7, 2012
Anatomy of a Launch: iPad 3
Posted by Product Development
With the Apple announcement mere hours away, the M-Edge crew is working overtime with our manufacturers to get the best and most cutting-edge products ready for new iPad 3 owners!
Last week, 3 members of the M-Edge team traveled to Asia to make last-minute preparations for our new iPad 3 products. After 24 hours of travel time, the team was rewarded with a "Mos Burger" breakfast, the Japanese take on American fast food.
With stomachs full of burgers, the team is ready to get to work.
Pictured: Nope, that's not an iPad 3 you see! We're modeling our future changes on one of the current iPad 2s.
Pictured: Graphic designer Dave Bell sizes up M-Edge retail packaging.
Pictured: Industrial designer Chris Helman flashes a sneak peek at our new, revolutionary mounting system (hint: it works in portrait and landscape modes, with other top-secret features).
After a long day, the team unwinds with a pool party and snack run. Total time awake before crashing: 30 hours.
Stay tuned for more info post-Apple announcement!
March 1, 2012
Mad (Wo)Men
Posted by Sarah
Hey M-Edge Blog! My name is Sarah Windham and I'm M-Edge's PR Representative. For my first post, I thought it might be interesting to explore the difference between one of my latest TV obsessions, AMC's Mad Men, and the real world --or at least my real world. Needless to say, my field, Advertising and PR has changed a lot in the last few decades. As is its nature, it has evolved with the times, reflecting our culture's wants and needs. One of the more notable changes was the shift to include women in the workforce, and nothing dramatizes that more than Mad Men.
If you haven't had a chance to check the show out, give it a try. It's striking portrayal of the chauvinistic world that was Madison Avenue left me asking, could this have been accurate?
In season one, the two characters that were most interesting to me were Betty Draper and Peggy Olsen. They seemed to be opposites; one the suburban non-working housewife and the other the working city girl. But underneath their social positions, I think they had at least one thing in common -- they were unfulfilled.
In Betty Freidan's The Feminine Mystique, she notes that during that time there was a general unrest amongst women. She wrote, "Of the growing thousands of women currently getting private psychiatric help in the United States, the married ones were reported dissatisfied with their marriages, the unmarried ones suffering from anxiety and, finally, depression."
These feelings of dissatisfaction and depression were exemplified in both women. Betty Draper, for example, seeks guidance from a psychologist, suffers from numbness in her hands, and has an inability to deal with many day-to-day situations.
Peggy Olsen, on the other hand, sleeps with a slimy male colleague, requires the approval of this same individual, and appears unable make her own decisions. They both wrestled with unhappiness and confusion. What was their role? Who were they supposed to be? Even if they figured it out, how could they accomplish it in a world driven by the likes of Don Draper?
No matter how far-fetched these characters are, I think this is something to remember. Today we are lucky; men and women are able to choose the life that makes them happy, whether that's a career, children, or something in between. Men can be stay-at-home Dads (imagine Don Draper doing that!) and women can be career professionals (witness me at M-Edge), it's up to them. Let's just hope the characters of Mad Men will be so lucky as to figure it out.
Pictured: Mad Men cast from AMC's series Mad Men
February 28, 2012
Inspiration for M-Edge Innovation
Posted by Genevieve
My name is Genevieve and I am part of the Product Design team here at M-Edge. I work on developing new designs to cover and protect the latest and greatest tablet or e-reader device. I have a passion for color and textiles which is always an exciting and inspiring part of my job.
Patterns and color have always played a part in the design world, but this year it seems that both have combined forces. Probably for the first time since the 80's large bold prints and bright neons are making a show in not just the fashion world, but interior design, cosmetics, and even consumer electronic accessories. In fashion, layered prints of varying colors walk the runway-- particularly found in collections by Suno, Mary Katrantzou, Charlotte Taylor, and Trina Turk. We can look forward to more of these prints and colors popping up in spring!
Pictured: Inspiration for Genevieve's next great product
February 23, 2012
The Pursuit of Awesomeness
Posted by Jackie
The opening of our Customer Service training manual...
First, let's start by defining Awesomeness:
awe•some•ness [aw-suh'm-ness] noun--The quality of being awesome.
Not as helpful as I was hoping. It seems that we need to define Awesome:
awe•some [aw-suh'm] adjective--Inspiring awe.
That was even less helpful, wasn't it? Hmm, okay, so let's define Awe:
awe [aw] noun-- An overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.
Ah ha! That's what we were looking for! So awesomeness, for our purposes here, can be defined as the quality of inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence and admiration towards that which is grand, sublime and extremely powerful. (More or less.) With this in mind, one should realize that awesomeness is not easily obtained. Rather it is a quality that one must nurture and develop, a muscle that must be exercised. It is something that must be actively pursued. For although everyone may stumble into occasional moments of awesomeness, if awesomeness is not the ultimate goal then these moments fall at the whim of fate, outside of our individual control.
Pictured: The Customer Service Team's inspiration for making each day count towards the pursuit of awesomeness.
So now you may be asking yourself what this all has to do you? Why does this strange section titled "The pursuit of Awesomeness" exist? Where are we going with all of this? Well I will tell you...
Here at M-Edge we are chasing the dream! We think awesomeness is, well, awesome! We try to make our products awesome. We think it is awesome that our customers think our products are awesome. We want to treat our customers awesomely so that they keep coming back. We want them to think, to believe, to know that not only are we awesome but that we think they are awesome too!!! Once they realize that then they may tell others about our awesomeness. These others may then decide to give our products and services a try, to see if we can impress them. And if they then find themselves in awe, well the cycle will continue, our circle of customers will grow, and M-Edge will grow with them.
Growing as a business that provides awesomeness--that is the goal. And that is where you come in.
How can you make today awesome? What awesome things can you do for our customers today? In what awesome way can you assist your co-workers today?
So that is your mission, give it some thought. What do you think would be awesome today?
February 21, 2012
M-Edge: Under the Covers
Posted by Devon
It's a new year, and with the new year comes the launch of the official M-Edge Blog! Our goal for the blog is to give our customers a more informal look at what goes on behind the scenes at M-Edge, as well as an up close & personal look at our fun & quirky team. Sure, we'll post about our products-- but we'll probably also post our favorite recipes or sports teams, and fun updates from our Baltimore-based headquarters.
First, a little history: the idea and formation of M-Edge Accessories began in 2006, when the e-reader industry was in its infancy. Our CEO Patrick Mish and his wife Devon, both avid readers, grew tired of lugging books around on their vacations. Patrick got his hands on one of the first e-reader devices on the market, the Sony Reader PRS-500, and quickly realized that there was an opportunity to make protective and stylish accessories for them.
Pat and Devon launched M-Edge Accessories out of their townhouse, working day jobs and designing covers at night for the Sony Reader and soon, Amazon's Kindle. Within a few months, they had a website, several jacket styles, and steady business.
In November of 2008 everything changed overnight for M-Edge when Oprah talked about the Kindle on her show and proclaimed it her "new favorite gadget." By the end of the telecast, all M-Edge Kindle accessories were sold out. The small M-Edge team immediately panicked adjusted to their new reality: their small company had become a full-fledged, growing business.
Pictured: Devon and Allison moonlighted as models for M-Edge's first photo shoot. Naturally, we imagine that all of our customers like to use their e-readers by a crackling fire or enjoying red wine near a bookcase.
Almost immediately, the M-Edge team graduated from working in a garage to an office & warehouse space in Odenton, Maryland, and hired some of the most talented and wacky designers and professionals from around the country to help bring the company to the next level.
From 2009 to the present, M-Edge has been steadily growing, expanding from e-readers into tablets, and in 2012, into mobile phones. The five person team has grown into 65 (and counting!)
In 2012, the M-Edge team is growing and changing almost as fast as the technology itself. M-Edge continues to be a leader in the industry, with our focus on high-quality products for every lifestyle, our dedication to a values-based company culture, and personalized customer service delivered by our helpful and nerdy CS team.
We want to hear from you! We welcome your feedback and love to interact with our customers. We're ready to chat about the latest books and movies, the newest tech gadgets, and just about anything else!
Thanks for reading, and for being part of the M-Edge family.
