October 13th, 2014 / Comments Off on The NSA Now Brings You: Spy Summer Camp / by admin
First and foremost, pardon my absence from this blog, it’s been a crazy few weeks at the office and every time I though up a great post, something more urgent managed to get in the way. But here we are again and I have to apologize a 2nd time because this latest post has nothing to do with NYC, yet seems super buzzworthy to me.
Have you heard about NSA spy summer camp? Yes, you heard that right, it’s a real thing. NSA recruiter Steven LaFountain announced on CNBC, that this past summer the NSA created a half-dozen summer camps around the U.S. run by the NSA. In case you didn’t know, the NSA is the leading spy agency in the United States and now kids as young as 13 are trading in arts & crafts and archersyto have a chance to train with high-level programming experts and learn how to prevent cyber attacks and security breaches.
Ok, ok so basically it’s a high octane computer camp, but a computer camp run by the NSA. Said LaFountain, “We’ve come to the realization that we need to reach back further than college to get kids interested in cybersecurity, so just this summer, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, we created a program we’re calling ‘Gen-cyber,’ sponsoring cyber-related summer camps for middle and high school students around the country.”
Basically the NSA is recruiting the youngest and brightest tech minds in the country so that they can hone their skills in a safe, stable environment and keep them from becoming future nefarious evil master minds.
I have to say, I was really into spy stuff as a kid, more so CIA style espionage. I thought being a spy would be sooooo cool but as I got older I forgot about my childish spy dreams. That said, I wasn’t so much into computers but had there been a spy camp for all the other facets of spy training (I’m talking combat, deception, espionage, etc.) I would have totally been all in and perhaps may have followed through on my childhood dream.
By: Ashley Lutzker
Posted in: Other Musings...
Tags: NSA, spy's, Spycraft, Steven LaFountain, Summer Camp
September 22nd, 2014 / Comments Off on The iPhone 6 Is Available In NYC / by admin
As usual, the debut of the new iPhone 6 from Apple has taken NYC by storm. In the lead up to the phone going on sale on September 19th, things were crowded as usual but relatively calm. But by the morning of the 19th the Apple store on 5th Avenue was a total mob scene. The Apple staff had pretty much lost control of any sense of order. In fact, people couldn’t even figure out where the line ended, and that was because it didn’t. The line for the new iPhone ran from the Apple store entrance between 58th & 59th Streets all the way up to 77th Street, almost a full mile away.
The debut actually shut down all other business at the 5th Avenue Apple store. If your Mac Pro happened to fail you on the 19th, you were simply out of luck.
For those Apple warriors who chose to wait in the hours long line, it was daunting for sure but not totally unbearable. Apple employees handed out free water (gotta stay hydrated!), and Magnolia cupcakes kept people nourished. Seamless even delivered to the line. And when you walked out of the glass cube with your new iPhone 6, a holding pen of press were waiting to interview you about your new purchase. Local celebrities were made!
All in all, the New York Times reported that iPhone 6 sales topped 10 Million in it’s first weekend. And for the rest of us, we’ll simply pre-order and pick up our phones in the suburbs of NJ, CT and Westchester County at some point in the next few weeks when all the fuss has died down.
By: Ashley Lutzker
Posted in: Accessories, New York City Events, Other Musings...
Tags: amp3 pr, Apple, Fashion pr, iPhone 6, lifestyle pr, NYC
September 11th, 2014 / Comments Off on NOLCHA FASHION WEEK: NEW YORK SPRING/SUMMER 2015 RUNWAY SHOWS / by admin
Nolcha Fashion Week: New York has just wrapped its Spring/Summer 2015 season at Eyebeam Atelier in Manhattan, featuring 12 designer runway shows.
Trend-setting celebrities who came out to support independent fashion design this season included: Kat Graham (Vampire Diaries), Bella Thorne (actress), Johnny Wujek (celebrity stylist), Nastia Liukin (Olympic Champion), Russel Westbrook (NBA), Constantine Maroulis (American Idol), Sammi Hanratty (actress), Kristen Ruhlin (actress), Skeery Jones (Z100), Shaun Ross (model), Soledad O’Brien (news anchor), Madeline Brewer (Orange is the New Black), Jessica Pimentel (Orange is The New Black), Mila J (singer/rapper), Mayer Hawthorne (recording artist) and Kristen Taekman (Real Housewives of New York).
The first solo show on September 8th featured Katty Xiomara, who was fresh off her July 2014 Pret-a-Porter Sketchcolors Project Award, and presented a collection inspired by the art form of a “chocolatier” which melted geometric shapes into organic forms. The finale dress was a collaboration with Nolcha’s sponsor, OtterBox, integrating the new “Alpha Glass,” a fortified glass screen protector for mobile phones. Actresses Kat Graham, Kristen Ruhlin, and Sammi Hanratty all attended the show wearing original Katty Xiomara designs.
The group show on September 8th featured designers: Rinat Brodach, Mariana Valentina, Sofia Arana, Mimi Tran, and a collective of menswear brands including: pants by Alberto, knitwear by Codice, shirts by Haupt, and sports jackets by Carl Gross. Celebrity friends & family came out to support model Andre King (brother of Swizz Beats and brother-in-law of Alicia Keys) as he walked in the menswear show.
The “Ones To Watch” collective show on September 9th featured emerging brands including: Monstruosite, B’VENAJ Designs, Gregory Apparel, Oiselle, JBurgos, and Charles & Ron. The collective ended with the second annual Project SUBWAY, which challenged up and coming designers to construct one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by vegetables found in a SUBWAY(R) restaurant. A celebrity panel critiqued the designs, including: Bella Thorne (actress), Johnny Wujek (celebrity stylist), Nastia Liukin (Olympic champion), and Russell Westbrook (pro basketball’s MVP of fashion and SUBWAY Famous Fan), and ultimately, they chose the onion-inspired dress by Veritee Hill as the winner.
Nolcha Fashion Week’s official sponsors include: Dasani, Franciacorta, DON Q Rums, Adrian London Skincare, OtterBox, SUBWAY, Defiant Whisky, Bella Forma Wines, and Neulook.
For all runway images from each show, visit: http://nolchafashionweek.dphoto.com/#.
For more information, photos, or designer profiles, visit: www.nolchafashionweek.com.
By: Ashley Lutzker
Posted in: Accessories, Fashion, New York City Events, Public Relations
Tags: amp3 pr, Fashion pr, lifestyle pr, Nolcha Fashion Week, NYC, NYFW
September 2nd, 2014 / Comments Off on Nolcha Fashion Week: New York announces September S/S 2015 designer lineup and new, larger venue / by admin
Nolcha Fashion Week: New York has announced its’ official calendar of events for September’s Spring/Summer 2015 New York Fashion Week. This season’s events will run September 6th – 10th, 2014, and to accommodate the growing interest in independent fashion design, the runway shows will take place over the course of two days (September 8th & 9th) at a brand new, much larger venue this season: Artbeam (formerly Eyebeam Atelier).
Continuing in their seventh consecutive year, and held during New York Fashion week, Nolcha is one of the city’s leading platforms for global independent fashion designers, showcasing over 20 designers this season.
Presenting brands include: Katty Xiomara, Rinate Brodach, Mariana Valentina, Monstruosite, and MIMI Tran, including menswear with wearable tech. Nolcha’s “Ones To Watch” collective runway show will feature hot emerging brands including: Sofia Arana, B’VENAJ Designs, Gregory Apparel, Oiselle, JBurgos, and Charles & Ron.
“At Nolcha Fashion Week, the art of fashion is alive and well,” says CEO of Nolcha, Kerry Bannigan, “We’re honored to be at the forefront of emerging fashion, by providing designers with a destination where they can introduce their collections in a way that makes economic sense while giving them exposure to a global audience. We’ve felt the growth and increase in designer interest over the past few seasons, and we’re excited to produce the event in a bigger way this Fall.”
Artbeam is located at 540 West 21st Street between 10th & 11th avenues. Shows will take place at 6:00pm and 8:30pm on September 8th, and at 11:45am on September 9th.
Official Sponsors include: Franciacorta, DON Q Rums, Adrian London, Otter Box, Defiant Whisky and Bella forma Wines, Neulook and Sparkling Ice.
By: Ashley Lutzker
Posted in: Accessories, Beauty, Fashion, New York City Events, Public Relations
Tags: amp3 pr, Fashion pr, lifestyle pr, New York Fashion Week, Nolcha Fashion Week, NYC
