Words of Angela Bartels » The Arts, Film, Music, Fashion

Careless Whisper in Full Force at Rackspace

Angela — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:30:07 +0000

I am sitting at my desk with my head deep in the weeds and all of a sudden I hear the start of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” by a saxophonist. I stood up to see what was going on, along with everyone else around me. Rackers slowly stopped doing what they were doing, stood up and searched for the origin of this music. From afar, I see a shirtless man jamming on the saxophone. Was he a Racker? Was it someone’s birthday? He slowly started making his way through the office and as he continued, more Rackers started following. It was like the scene of when Forrest Gump grew his following by running and not stopping. Nobody knew why they were following but they were sure there was a purpose.

Later that day, snippets of the video started popping up on the interwebs. I really thought it was a Racker that was dared to do this. I went to the source and found out that he wasn’t a Racker. A Racker actually asked him to pay Rackspace a visit. He thought Rackers could use a few laughs on a Monday.

This is what makes Rackspace a special place to work. Putting a smile on someone’s face doesn’t take a lot of work, just some thoughtfulness and that’s what Rackspace is about. This is also why customers love us.

My Take on “The Social Network” Movie

Angela — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:49:37 +0000

I went to see The Social Network movie this past weekend and was very impressed with the format and the acting. I went into the movie without any knowledge of the scandal and was looking forward to learning what happened. Whether or not the content was actually factual was another question. This movie was not about Facebook though – it was about a real gap between Internet geniuses and old school politics. As much as we use the Internet for everyday activities, there is still an incredible lack of knowledge on how it works. I have had many clients throughout my career just like Mark Zuckerberg and I know what kind of person it takes to invent something like Facebook - and it’s not a stolen idea. There are many “similar” web applications out there but only one will be successful. There is definitely a secret sauce, just like anything else. Unfortunately, the movie did not explore that secret sauce and the passion that goes behind an Internet startup. I think Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard Law Professor, provided a review that I couldn’t agree more with. Here’s a quote:

“The tragedy—small in the scale of things, no doubt—of this film is that practically everyone watching it will miss this point. Practically everyone walking out will think they understand genius on the Internet. But almost none will have seen the real genius here. And that is tragedy because just at the moment when we celebrate the product of these two wonders—Zuckerberg and the Internet—working together, policymakers are conspiring ferociously with old world powers to remove the conditions for this success. As “network neutrality” gets bargained away—to add insult to injury, by an administration that was elected with the promise to defend it—the opportunities for the Zuckerbergs of tomorrow will shrink. And as they do, we will return more to the world where success depends upon permission. And privilege. And insiders. And where fewer turn their souls to inventing the next great idea.”

Click here to ready full review.

Painting With A Twist

Angela — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:04:14 +0000

Last week I went to a “Girls” happy hour – I don’t do this often but need to! This happy hour was different. It involved a paintbrush and canvas and, yes, of course, wine. We started out at Bin555 Restaurant and Wine Bar located at the Shops of Artisan’s Alley. This was my first time visiting this area. They have cute little shops and restaurants. After a glass of wine, we went next door to “Painting with a Twist.” It is an art studio with two classrooms. The idea is simple: bring your girlfriends, some wine and get ready to paint. It is $35 per person and you are provided with an instructor and all the materials needed to make a piece of artwork. They allow you to bring in a picnic – we brought wine!

My cousin organized this girl’s night out and there were about ten of us ladies. We each had a place setting with a blank canvas, paint and paintbrushes. Our project was The Starry Night. Please note, you don’t have to be an artist! I don’t paint so I was a bit intimidated at first, however, the instructor takes you step by step and encourages you to make it your own. The Starry Night sounded like a project way over my head but after a glass of wine (and the understanding that this is not going to be graded), I became more comfortable. We of course had lots of laughs! I think it’s healthy to allow yourself to be creative whether it’s writing, painting, drawing, making pottery. Mine is writing and I usually keep my stuff very private. So painting with friends over a glass of wine was definitely liberating.

I highly recommend Painting with a Twist for a night out with your girlfriends. I will certainly being going again. Here’s a photo I took on my iPhone.

SwebApps Brings Tech & Talent To San Antonio

Angela — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:45:26 +0000

One of the coolest things about working in my industry and doing what I do for the Rackspace Cloud is that I get to see all the innovative things people are doing on the Internet. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in America and since everyone needs a place to a host their website, I am fortunate enough to work with many of these passionate and talented people, including San Antonian, Magaly Chocano.

Back in August, I came across a TIME article titled “New Ways to Create iPhone Apps on the Cheap.” I had just purchased my iPhone so any iPhone app article interested me. The company was SwebApps. After reading through the article, I noticed that they were a San Antonio based startup. I was instantly proud that we had a tech start up right here in San Antonio. Then I thought, “I wonder where they are hosted?” Turns out they were a Rackspace Cloud customer. I invited Magaly, CEO and Founder of SwebApps, to the Rackspace Cloud office. What a treat! I had the opportunity to interview her and do a blog posting. Turns out, we knew many of the same people through various connections.

Just recently, she entered in our Super Bowl Contest and submitted an extremely cool video. Magaly is not only a successful businesswoman but a talented musician. The contest asked customers to submit a video on why they have the coolest business on the Rackspace Cloud and this is what we received from SwebApps:

Jason took this shot of me infront of one of the nicest paintings in San Antonio

Angela — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:03:47 +0000