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    Video Fun in Beijing

    I spent the week with my husband and sister in Beijing to catch up, relax, and recharge. While here, we had plenty of downtime to have a couple of drinks and make some videos with Meg.

    Jaws Theme on Crystal Glasses

    We were surprised to discover that the wine glasses provided by Kevin’s fancy-schmancy expat apartment building were actually crystal, and proceeded to experiment with getting them to make different sounds.

    Building on My Ustream Adventures Meg Demonstrates Anti-Stripping

    Anti-stripping is the act of putting on as much clothing as you can (or in this case, as much as you brought with you) and then taking it off again. It’s actually pretty fun, and video editing makes it look even better.

    I’ve got video from being tourists, tons of pictures and more to share so hopefully I’ll get some of that uploaded, tagged, edited etc. tomorrow on my flight back to the U.S. I’ll also be recording my tech events rundown for Seattle 2.0 for next week, so stay tuned. I found a funny outtake from my first one, which has me trying to smile and enunciate a little better by loosening up. You’ll get the idea…

  • Posts

    Adventures in China

    I just uploaded all my photos so far from this trip.  Here are some favorites that really tell the story of what we’ve been up to.  The lovely lady with me is my little sister, Meg.  The handsome gentleman is my husband, Kevin.  We’re staying in China, in the Chaoyang District just inside the 3rd ring road.

    Meg Touches the Door to the Forbidden City, for Good Luck


    Wandering the Painted Halls of the Garden Outside of the Forbidden City


    Strange Tooth Statue, Outside of the Orthodontist Office


    Progress – View from Our Apartment

  • Posts

    On the Road Again

    I have that song stuck in my head…

    Anyway, I’m travelling for the rest of March so the easiest way for you to see me will probably be online.  Where am I going, you ask?  This week its San Francisco with Twilio, and then Friday I fly to Beijing to visit @MisterMorrill for 9 days, with my sister Meg along for the ride.  Then it’s back to San Francisco for another week with Twilio, and then home to Seattle at least through my birthday (April 17th) when Kevin is coming back to visit me.  Time flies!

    Yesterday I hung out with Evan and John at the Founder’s Fund headquarters (zomg the marina, so beautiful!) where we’ve been granted the use of some office space (thank you thank you) and we made some video footage with my HD camera!


    Daylight Savings [TeamTwilio] from Twilio on Vimeo.

    We’re headed to UC Berkeley today for a startup fair in the hopes of recruiting an intern or two, and I’ll have the camera in hand to capture our adventures.

  • Posts

    Goodbye Whrrl, Hello World

    Goodbye Whrrl and Pelago – thank you for all the memories, fun times, incredible product vision, introduction to Linux, mySQL, Mac everything, Jimmy John’s, call centers, and nerf guns as office supplies.  My time at Pelago, captured in pictures…

    Whrrl v2.0 Alpha Launch Party

    Pelago Christmas Party 2008 – Karaoke!

    Re-branding Whrrl – the Pinwheel

    Gnomedex 2008

    Gnomedex 2008 Opening Party – Maryam Scoble and Danielle Morrill (CC) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com and bub.blicio.us.

    Moving into WAMU tower

    my first NERF gun

    Onward now, to my next adventure

  • Posts

    Wantrepreneur? Just DO something.

    Funny, the little themes that keep coming back. Last night I asked Chris Pirillo how he got started streaming video, and he said “I just did it”. I nodded, and felt a little sheepish for asking a question with such an obvious answer. Tonight, Brad Feld of TechStars sent the same message in his talk about entrepreneurship – a war cry, and call to action, to JUST DO IT. Rebecca Lovell, Executive Director of NWEN, and others echoed that sentiment when asked what was the most memorable part of tonight’s event.


    Brad Feld – cofounder of Tech Stars – “Do Stuff!” from Seattle20 on Vimeo.

    This advice isn’t really that surprising, and some might even say it is a tired old adage. Tired or not, it has found particular resonance with me while I’m between “jobs” and contemplating the possibility of starting something of my own. It’s like that book you pick up at just the right time in life, or the song that comes on the radio that captures your mood perfectly.

    To be continued… defnitely needs to be more discussion around WHAT to do.

  • Posts

    Time for Danielle 2.0

    Today is my first day working for myself and no longer for Pelago/Whrrl. So far, I’ve gotten some interesting website development work (go WordPress!) for a few individuals and one company, some great ideas for media/content generation, and opportunities to plan events. Things aren’t feeling as bleak as they might given the current condition of the economy. When I tell people I quit my job amongst massive uncertainty their responses are very telling and polarized. Either they say “congratulations” or “I’m sorry”. It’s always an interesting conversation to bring them around to my way of thinking.

    Now I get to begin the journey of starting my own company, Social Kind, and figuring out how I want to spend my self-employed time. Before I jump crazily headlong into several exciting projects I’m working on getting my personal life, specifically all finances and little details that I’ve been neglecting in the past few months, in order.

    I guess I could call this period Danielle 2.0, a time for me to re-invent myself not as the face of Whrrl but as my own brand and business. And you, dear reader, will have the pleasure (and sometimes pain) of following along as I chronicle how things go here on my own personal soapbox – this blog.

    Last Weekend – Broadcasting Live at Seattle Startup Weekend 2

    I’ve been intrigued by live streaming video for a few months now, as you can see if you’ve been following the Random Danielle Show. Last weekend I broadcasted live from Startup Weekend with a pre-presentation show co-hosted with Josh Maher (of Lunch 2.0), and a recording  of each of the new startups as they launched. The following and buzz was surprising, and I’ve realized there might be interesting live event coverage from Seattle 2.0 on a regular basis.

    Last Night – Broadcasting Live at Twestival

    On that note, I gave it a try last night with a live stream from Twestival Seattle with my friend Brian Westbrook as a co-host. Although the event was less structured and content loaded than Seattle Startup Weekend 2, we still attracted over 100 unique viewers through the broadcast. I’m looking forward to making video content (blogging, live streaming, etc.) a more regular part of my activity online, and will be looking for ways to make it pay.

    Imagine if I could make a living doing what I love: producing, creating, and editing video content (among other things)! More to come.

  • Posts

    Let Me Upgrade You!

    Hello 2009! I’m already loving this year. Why, you ask? Because today the “startup car” was retired and returned to my mother in law and I learned how to drive a manual transmission.  Why?  Oh baby – I’m driving the Audi now!!

    Check out this commercial for my car (i love these doggies so BONUS):

    And maybe this is what I’ll be doing tomorrow unless this snow melts:

    The inspiration for the title of this blog post (Beyonce is great live):