A Telltale Sign That I Have Way Too Much Time On My Hands

Get paid to watch TV? Where do I sign up?

While in NYC with my BFF, she showed me this new app called Viggle that actually earns you rewards for watching TV shows. Really? Really. Viggle users can accrue rewards points while watching TV shows that are redeemable for premiums. They are offering gift cards for Starbucks, Amazon, Burger King, iTunes and many more with your redeemable points, and things like free monthly subscriptions to Hulu and Spotify and even big ticket items like a MacBook Air or a Kindle.

Viggle uses some kind of software sound recognition, like a Shazam app, that actually listens to what TV show the user is watching. By "checking in" to a specific show, the user is awarded points depending on how long they stick with it. Half hour shows, are awarded 30 points and hour long shows, like CBS's Person of Interest are 60 points, and if you change the channel  into the show, your total is then knocked down to 10 points.

But, these days, with the Olympics, I have been accruing over 100 plus points a night with the lengthy Olympic coverage. There are also daily bonus shows where you can earn extra points for watching. Last night, the Olympic was 100 point bonus, plus 185 points for the Track and Field and Beach Volleyball coverage( I was late for check in). The nightly bonus shows are clever way to get viewers to watch something that they normally would not watch and sometimes it's even enjoyable. There are also nightly Viggle Live games that earn points for answering questions about the featured shows. The challenge for me seems to be to wrack up the most points I can on one given day. And who doesn't love a challenge? All for doing something I'm going to be doing anyway?

This morning I received 75 bonus points for watching a 60 second Pepsi Ad, and I'm wondering if I will accrue extra points for each time I watch that ad. (I'll keep you posted) In two days, I have accrued over 3000 points, which puts me a quarter of the way to 9000 points for a $5.00 Starbucks reward card. For 18,000 point I can earn a $10.00 Sephora egift card.

But the truth of the matter is this, I don't do it for myself. You know who came to mind immediately when I was shown this "Watch TV, Earn Rewards" Viggle concept? My kids, of course.

 Maybe now, I'll be able to share with them the fruits of my TV labor. I'm certain these are rewards that they can fully understand.

Olympic Haute Coture

So everybody knows by now that the US Olympic team's brand new Olympic uniforms were unveiled recently to a whole lot of criticism. Seems the Ralph Lauren designs were not very popular for a few reasons. Some people felt that the French beret was decidedly "un-American", but the real flap came over the fact that the 1000 plus team uniforms were made in China. US Soccer player Heather Mitts and US Fencing Champion Tim Morehouse modeled the uniforms on the Today show, and judging by the public's reaction, you'd have thought that these two were committing some kind of evil crime.

Here's my take:

• since the uniforms were unveiled, every would-bee politician has a public opinion on this matter and of course, it's a great way to gain political credence to be on the right side of an unpopular issue. 
•  Ralph Lauren donated the uniforms, so isn't there some Olympic Uniform Committee that has final say over his designs? And for that matter, didn't they ask about manufacturing? Seems the checks and balancing system is neither checking or balancing anything.
• What I have learned is this: Practically nothing is made in this country when it comes to garments. Many industry insiders side with Lauren when it comes to this issue, but agree that he should have understood the sensitivity people feel about "Made In The USA".
• Since only about 1000 uniforms were created, it's surprising that the job was outsourced to begin with. "The globalization of manufacturing" in this country is nothing new, and certainly not new when it comes to Olympic Uniforms. Until 2008,  the Canadian apparel company Roots designed their unis and I'm not remembering a controversy of this magnitude. Ralph Lauren has already publicly announced that he's committed to making the 2014 Team uniforms in America. 
• The Olympic team is privately funded. A statement  from the Olympic Committee released recently has said, "Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors," the committee said. "We're proud of our partnership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American company."

OK, so Ralph Lauren made a huge blunder when he had the Olympic duds made in China. I think he's well aware of the "sensitivity" at this point and the bad PR it has caused his brand. Many fashion insiders confirm that garments just aren't created in this country a fact that is sad, but true. 

I say let this be the first step in changing the industry and the world.

And tell all those media grabbing politicians to "lighten up, Francis".