Natali Del Conte

A very close friend (read: ex-boyfriend) emailed me last night out of the blue. I hadn’t heard from him for a while and I think it is safe to say he doesn’t really follow my career very closely but he sent me an unsolicited email of encouragement at a time when I really needed it. He reminded me of a saying that he and I used to find comforting. It was so perfectly timed that I thought I would share it with you. Brace yourself for these words of wisdom:

If you’re getting kicked in the butt, at least it means you’re in the front.

I’ve had a rough few days re-assimilating to New York after a blissful week in San Francisco. I caught a cold on Sunday morning, my flight back was slightly delayed, I was missing my family and friends, and my doorman scared me with a tale of two women getting mugged at gunpoint right in front of my building on Monday. I was feeling displaced and alone when this email came along. It was exactly what I needed to hear in order to remind myself that I moved here for a reason. I am making sacrifices for a reason. I am lucky to be able to do the job that I do every day and I have to allow myself those occasional “I’m doing it!” moments.

The kicked-in-the-butt saying does not necessarily mean that I want to be better than everyone else by being in the front. On the contrary, I don’t navigate my career by comparing myself to other people. I just want to be the very best that I can be. Then again, I don’t always want to live my life getting kicked in the butt. I am in transition right now, learning how to be successful while keeping a balance in my life that keeps me from going insane. I’ll find my way. In the meantime, I must focus on kicking some figurative butt of my own and by that, I mean the butt of the Big Apple.

Last week I went on the CBS Early Show to talk about cell phone radiation. Can you find that segment here. Also, you can find CNET’s Cell Phone Radiation Quick Guide here.

Immediately after filming this segment, I hopped on a plane and headed home to California. I am filming Loaded from CNET headquarters this week and having a really good time doing so. It is so nice to be home and I really like the San Francisco offices. I’ve been walking around this place smiling like an idiot because I’m too darn happy to be here.

My New York crew is nervous that I won’t miss them but I found this video below, which was shot in New York, as I was searching through some shared folders today. I definitely miss them. I especially miss Randall Bennett, who no longer produces Loaded. He left CNET to do his own thing but when I saw myself giggle, “Look at Randall’s face” on this video, I realized how integral he was in developing the show. I’m glad he’s still my friend. Good luck, Randall!

something is funny

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I was on Fox News this afternoon talking about cable providers’ new plans to charge for broadband on a per-usage basis. You can find the video of the segment here. I am used to short news segments but this one was even shorter than I had anticipated. A few points that I wanted to make but didn’t get to:

• Even though this could ultimately lead to cheaper broadband bills, it will still confound consumers who will be weary of spending time online if they think they’ll surpass their broadband allotment;
• John Donovan, CEO of AT&T has admitted that such measures may not even be necessary since most users self-adjust their habits to take advantage of off-peak times;
• The problem with this type of plan is that most customers don’t know the metric of broadband they use, much less how to monitor it. This could result in some high bills and angry customers;
• Another problem is that we have so many devices that pull Wi-Fi off of our home network now that we could be using broadband, running up our bill, without even knowing it. For instance: a game console, a Wi-Fi enabled cell phone, a tablet computer, etc.
• One unintended consequence of plans like these are that they could discourage customers from watching TV and video online.
• Comcast is going to test an alternative, which I find much more compelling. It involves slowing the transfer of files to individual subscribers who are its heaviest users during congested period.

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to articulate these notes but time is of the essence in broadcast news. Hopefully the cable companies will ditch this billing scheme soon enough that it won’t matter.

I just got home from the theater where I watched the new Sex and the City movie. It was better than I expected so I decided to wax poetic about it. I’m sorry but I’m inspired and I just have to go with it. Don’t worry, I didn’t take away any kind of have-optimism-about-your-love-life lessons.

First off, the tech in the movie is both comical and perplexing. In one of the early scenes Carrie is looking for a phone to make a frantic call. Samantha hands her an iPhone and she goes, “No, I don’t know how to use this.” Later, she is pulling what looks like a MacBook Pro towards her but I got a look at the power supply and there was no MagSafe power port. It was the old round power connection. All MacBooks have had MagSafe since 2006. Is it possible that Carrie Bradshaw has all of the latest fashion accessories whilst still using a G4? How can this be? The MacBook promo for the movie specifically states that she uses a MacBook Pro. What am I missing here? I need to buy the movie so I can take a closer look. Maybe my eyes deceived me but I don’t think they did.

Second, I realized that I am more fashionable than I give myself credit for. In one scene Charlotte wears a beautiful high-wasted pink skirt with a large sewn-in belt. I have that skirt in black! In another scene, Carrie wears thigh-high knit socks with a skirt and a jacket. I have those socks! I guess I am getting the hang of this fashion thing after all! Kudos to my good friend Nathalee and Billion Dollar Babes!

My third and final revelation about this movie, which I realize a lot of people will find frivolous, is that I have been experiencing New York! I have lived in the Big Apple for a little over four months and I will admit I am not always happy to be here. I miss San Francisco and I know that this city isn’t where I am supposed to ultimately put down roots but when I do leave someday, I want to look back on my time here and feel as if I experienced New York. Watching this movie, I realized, I am doing that! Carrie and Big have their rehearsal dinner at Buddakhan. I’ve eaten there with friends. She goes shopping across from Scoop in the West Village where I bought some fairly fantastic jeans. They have their wedding night dinner at Spice Market where I have also been. The fact that I not only recognize but have been to these places that are notable enough to make it in this iconic movie, tells me that I am making the most of my time here in New York City! I realized that I shouldn’t worry so much about whether I shouldn’t have moved here or if I am not taking advantage of the city. Now I know that I won’t have any regrets. Except maybe eating popcorn and Reese’s Pieces for dinner. Actually no, I don’t regret that either.