Another openID sign-in implementation. http://thechristianmetalrealm.yuku.com/login/loginnow/Login-to-Yuku.html
Sent from iPhone
Sent from iPhone
Geoff Moore: The Vow
What memories! The summer of 96... Arrival in Portland. The Jesus Northwest Festival. "The Vow" blasting from the radio in the rental car... first time I ever heard it. Thank you God for such a wonderful welcome (homecoming?) to the Pacific Northwest!
"The memory is fresh, as if it happened only hours ago. A high-school biology teacher drones on about evolution. Geoff Moore sits there, fidgeting, wanting to say something. His hand shoots up. He challenges the teacher's assumptions. He explains his Christian beliefs about Creation.
"For Geoff, the experience was extremely important. It was one of the first times he'd taken a bold stand for his beliefs.
"It was a cool defining moment for me," says the leader of the popular roots-rock band, Geoff Moore & the Distance.
More social sharing finds
More social sharing:Sharing, borrowing goes hi-tech online
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/consumer&id=7665643
Sharing, borrowing goes hi-tech online
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/consumer&id=7665643 LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sharing is one of the first lessons we learn as children, but lending things like toys and books isn't just child's play anymore.
These days, penny pinched consumers are taking sharing to the Web and trading anything and everything - even their set of wheels.
From books and electronic gadgets to appliances and more, borrowing has gone high-tech. On sites like sharesomesugar.com, neighborrow.com, frenting.com or neighborgoods.net, you can post and share items you own and borrow things that you need, all from others in your area.
"Tools, airbeds, the list is really endless. Someone listed their car even," said Adam Berk of neighborrow.com.
Think of each site as a match-making service. Consumer psychologist Matt Wallaert said temporary ownership is a hot trend.
"A lot of people are feeling the pinch of not having enough money right now and so they're turning to borrowing, particularly for more expensive items," said Wallaert.
By borrowing just once, Wallaert said you can save tens of hundreds of dollars, sometimes even thousands, depending on the item.
Keara Schwartz, the creator of sharesomesugar.com, said the sites also give users the chance to go green.
"It's environmentally friendly to be more resourceful and to not buy as many items," said Schwartz.
Each site works a bit differently but the basic idea is the same. Simply search for the item you are looking for based on where you live. Some sites allow you to search by zip code while others require you to form local groups and share among those you've invited in to your circle.
Borrowing Goes High-Tech With 'Sharing' Websites
http://cbs2chicago.com/consumer/sharing.borrowing.online.2.1916480.html Sharing is one of the first lessons we learn in life. But lending things like toys and books isn't just child's play. Forget borrowing the traditional cup of sugar. These days, penny-pinched consumers are taking sharing to the web, trading anything and everything; even their set of wheels. CBS 2's Mary Kay Kleist shows you how to play fair when borrowing goes high-tech. New homeowner Stephanie Johnson "digs" gardening in her backyard. "I like the chance to be outside and relax, and not worry about anything," she said. Recently, she bought some dirt to build a raised vegetable garden. "With any other method than a wheelbarrow, it would have taken forever," said Johnson. But she doesn't own a wheelbarrow. Rather than resort to retail, she set out to borrow. On sites like ShareSomeSugar, NeighBorrow, Frenting and NeighborGoods, you can post and share items you own, and borrow things that you need, all from others in your area. Adam Berk from NeighBorrow said, "Tools, airbeds, the list is really endless. Someone listed their car even." Think of each site as a matchmaking service. Consumer psychologist Matt Wallaert says temporary ownership is a hot trend. "A lot of people are feeling the pinch of not having enough money right now, and so they're turning to borrowing, particularly for more expensive items," said Wallaert. Electric trimmers could cost $75 at the store. If you borrowed it, you could save the $75 and not have to find a place to store it. Keara Schwartz from ShareSomeSugar said, "It's environmentally friendly to be more resourceful and to not buy as many items." Stephanie Johnson used ShareSomeSugar. She paid a $15 deposit and now she's watching her garden grow. "Fortunately, I was able to find someone less than a mile away that had a wheelbarrow, so it worked out great," she said.
Eco-Trends around Social Sharing to reduce consumption
Looking for good trend reports on tool sharing, community gardens, and other eco-trends around sharing goods instead of everybody buying their own.Stuff found so far:"TRANSUMERISM" from Trendwatching: http://trendwatching.com/trends/transumers.htm Bike-Sharing Programs Car-Sharing Programs While bike-sharing programs are picking up speed, there are still a lot of people who want or need to drive to get around, but don't want to own the car. If that sounds like you, a car-sharing program is a great solution, and as market demand increases, so is the number or companies offering car-sharing services. Zipcar has long been a leader in this growing market; now Hertz has also rolled out a program called Connect to enter into the popular green alternative."Sharing: It's Not Just Nice, It's Necessary" by EcoSalon: http://www.ecosalon.com/sharing-it%E2%80%99s-not-just-nice-it%E2%80%99s-necessary/
The Roots of Tool Sharing: http://toolsharing.com/index.phphttp://vielmetti.typepad.com/superpatron/tool_libraries/
"Neighbors share, trade in leaner times." http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090529/LIFE/905290315/-1/special31
For an eco-friendly example of TRANSUMERISM, look no further than car sharing—not the luxury kind, as described earlier on, but the clubs that help people get rid of their cars altogether. Research shows that every carshare vehicle on the road replaces seven to eight owned vehicles, due to people selling their cars or deciding against buying a second or third vehicle (source: Sydney Morning Herald). There are now more than 2,000 carshare organizations and initiatives in 600 cities worldwide. From Zipcar and Streetcar to Greenwheels and Car City Club. Chicago-based I-GO Car Sharing deserves special mention, as their entire fleet consists of hybrid vehicles.
The eco-leasing lifestyle doesn’t stop at car sharing: check out the following eco-TRANSUMER services, that also tie in with the aforementioned auction culture:
UK-based Cahooting is a free service for people who wish to find or advertise items for rent. The company’s mission is to help make the world become a more fun and sustainable place, by reducing unnecessary production and pollution. Users simply browse the item categories and locations and inquire about rental price and availability. Sports equipment, clothing, housing, cars, storage: anything and everything can be offered or found for rent. There are no restrictions as to who can advertise items for rent, be it an existing rental company or an individual.
Bike-Sharing and Car-Sharing: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/earth-day/emerging-consumer-tech-transport.html We've seen quite a pick up in interest in using bikes as a form of daily transportation. First, it was due to rising gas prices. But even as gas prices begin to sink, interest has remained. Why? People are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of driving, as well as the money-saving potential and health perks of bike riding. Bike sharing programs help make riding around easier for someone who doesn't have the space or desire to buy a bike for themselves, buy allowing users to "rent" bikes that can be picked up and dropped off at locations throughout a city. Need to run a quick errand but took the subway to work? No problem. Bike-sharing programs are already big in Paris and other European cities, and are beginning to catch on in the States, too. Washington, D.C.'s bike-sharing program has been a hit, for example, and college campuses across the country are having success with bike sharing, too.
Once I started thinking about sharing, I started seeing it everywhere. It’s the central theme to both the bartering and the Urban Foraging movements. And it’s nothing new. After all, there have always been co-ops, swap meets, and carpools, but there also seems to have been an explosion this past year. And the rise of social networking is making it easier than ever to share.
I think this trend is sparked partly by us coming up against the wall of our economic system’s vast limitations and partly by the realization that we can’t just keep consuming and growing the economy and not consume and grow ourselves right out of existence.
Maybe we can look at the economic and environmental problems we are in the midst of as an opportunity to redirect selfishness and as an impetus for turning our individualistic society around.
To that end, here’s a rundown of 15 of the coolest sharing concepts and resources I’ve found to inspire you:
Recently launched is Shareable, a network of people committed to making life shareable. From the about page: “We cover the people, places, and projects that are bringing a shareable world to life. And share tools and tips to help you make a shareable world real in your life.”
Coworking: In which a group of people share an office space and all the amenities like printers, tea, tables, chairs, but have their own workspace. Some are permanent and some are drop-in based. Here’s a sort of coworking clearinghouse and The Coworking Institute.
Software: From Linux to open office, open source electronic resources are created by users for users.
Yard sharing: Don’t have time to garden but would like the benefits? Share your yard with a neighbor or neighbors. Hyperlocavore and Sharing Backyards are both sites that help people find and link up with others who want to start yard sharing in their communities.
Childcare: From organized co-op preschools to informal neighborhood babysitting co-ops, people all over are sharing the responsibilities of raising children. Because after all, it does take a village. Here’s a site to help you get started.
Stores and Farms: Here’s a directory of cooperative stores and buying clubs. CSAs have been around for a while and they are a form of sharing. Many of the earlier ones required members to work some hours on the farm. Then there’s cowpooling, in which you buy a whole cow with your neighbor. It’s green because the whole animal gets used, not just the prime cuts you find in the grocery store.
Cohousing: Cohousing is often like other housing, where everyone has their own private space, but the residents all consciously choose to share public space, meals, childcare, activities, or whatever they decide. This cohousing website is for people who are in cohousing or want to be in cohousing to help them share information and resources.
Cars: Having a car when you need it and not having it when you don’t is the beauty of car sharing. There are many types of car shares from informal, free and community- or neighborhood-based to businesses like Zipcar and City Car Share. Here’s a page with listings in each city.
Bikes: Popular in Europe, the idea is catching on here with varying levels of success. Shocker! Sometimes the bikes get stolen. The Bike Sharing Blog compiles information on bike sharing from everywhere.
Travel: Like to travel, but lack the money for a hotel? Or have the money, but would rather see the “real country”? Try Couchsurfing.org.
Seeds: Preserving biological diversity and making friends are two benefits of seed swapping. You could easily save seeds among friends and neighbors. There’s an informal neighborhood seed swap that sometimes sets up at my local farmers’ market.
Homesharing: Different from cohousing, this concept is for seniors to connect with one another and share houses, resources and companies. Kind of like roommates for the older set.
Skill Sharing: Brooklyn Skill Share is a network of people sharing knowledge. Another knowledge sharing organization, Bike Kitchens are places where people can go to learn to fix their own bikes and share tools.
Dinner: Frugal Foodies are loosely organized, rotating groups of people that cook dinner together once a week.
Borrowing: Neighborrow facilitates borrowing of tools, books and other household items among neighbors.
We do this in an informal way, since we share a lawnmower with our friends. We got the lawn with the house and didn’t want it and we got the lawnmower for free from a relative. Why buy a lawnmower for a lawn we don’t want and why make our friends do the same? So we share (at least until we can transform it all into an edible landscape).
We also share a car in our household among two and we belong to a grocery co-op that requires us to work 2 1/2 hours per month.
What kind of sharing are you involved in? What’s out there in your neck of the woods that I missed? Please share your information in the comments below.
In tough economic times, it can make sense for consumers to be both transumers—eschewing the burdens of ownership in favour of shorter-term privileges—and sellsumers, making the most of what assets they do own. Aiming to facilitate both is NeighborGoods, a brand-new site that helps consumers borrow, lend, rent, sell and buy stuff in their community.
Focusing for now on Southern California, NeighborGoods is an online community that lets consumers save and earn money by sharing with their neighbours and friends any of the assorted tools, ladders and other things they use only occasionally. Users of the site, which just launched into beta, can decide how they want to share their stuff. They can allow their friends to borrow an item for free while charging others a rental fee, for example, or they can decide to make the item available only to friends. NeighborGoods helps facilitate transactions with a reservation calendar, automated reminders, wish-list alerts and private messaging. It also tracks and shares the transaction history of each member. Neighbours can rate each other and even flag another member's account if something goes wrong. Borrowing and lending items on NeighborGoods is free of charge. Members who want to earn money by renting or selling items must have a Pro account—currently free, but ultimately by paid subscription.
Besides the obvious financial advantages for those involved, of course, sharing tools and equipment—much like cars, bikes and boats—has distinct eco-benefits as well, minimizing the redundant things so many households typically buy. Looks like another sharing-enabled win-win-win—for borrowers, owners and the planet—and one to be emulated in communities around the world! (Related: Neighbourhood approach to renewable energy.)
And of course, tool sharing and tool libraries:The Roots of Tool Sharing: http://toolsharing.com/index.php
culinary implement library: cake pan collections
The Chicago Tribune runs an AP wire story on the new-found social trend that it's OK to share expensive, single use objects like wood chippers in your neighborhood - or cake pans.
At the library in Galesburg, Ill., a dozen cake pans shaped like hearts, dinosaurs or footballs sit behind the counter, available for checkout. Karen Marple, the children's librarian, keeps track of the pans, which she buys on sale or at yard sales for library cardholders to share. "They don't want to spend so much money on a cake pan that they're going to use one time," Marple said. "It's free. It's economics."Elsewhere around the country, dozens of municipalities and nonprofit groups have community tool sheds, where citizens can borrow hand or power tools for projects.
Individualistic attitudes worked fine until the economic downturn, Ferrell said. Now, he said, "the stigma you might have witnessed for reusing things has been reimagined as a rediscovery of American values."
"Sharing only means that you have to buy less and I have to buy less," Ferrell said. "Sharing also knits communities together. Sharing is good for social life."
Digg's CEO, on the Redesign: "Every Single Thing Has Changed" | Fast Company
New Digg = Social Curation Stream
"Digg is going social in the most radical way possible. Today, Digg is a list of stories in descending popularity that were submitted by users (or, often as not, the publications themselves), and when you go to Digg.com, that's what you see: a list of stories. The new Digg won't look anything like that. Instead, it'll tap into your other social streams, figure out what you like, and present those stories to you in a personalized homepage. And since you can pick tags that interest you ("green," "design," "Apple"), Digg will have a pretty good idea what you like. That homepage, by the way, is what you'll see when you go to Digg.com--there'll still be a link for popular stories over in a corner somewhere, but popularity is taking a backseat to personalization.
"If you want to take advantage of this new personalization, you'll have to give Digg access to your Facebook feed through Facebook Connect, your Twitter, and your OpenID. Digg will then look through all that data, match up your interests with stories already in its system, and pop them into your personal Digg homepage."
Digg Redesigns, Loses More Than a Quarter of Audience | Fast Company
"The Internet can be a fickle creature, but if there is one lesson that seems to consistently ring true it’s this: don’t alienate your core users," writes Robin Goad, research director for Hitwise U.K. "It’s a lesson that Digg.com is learning the hard way. Having been a paragon of social bookmarking with over 40 million unique visitors a month at its peak, there has been a huge exodus of traffic thanks to an unpopular redesign which irritated a legion of faithful power users."
http://bit.ly/cd689Y
Form vs function:
"In his iPhone Resolution video, information design expert Edward Tufte, praised the information density and content resolution of the device. Known for evaluating Web interface designs by counting the quantity of links present, Tufte is a big proponent of clarifying information by adding detail not "computer administrative debris."
"Computer administrative debris reduces information resolution and steals content space away from the user. The iPhone brilliantly suppresses much admin debris. The idea is that the content is the interface, the information is the interface, not computer administrative debris."
"In particular, Tufte called out the iPhone's Photos application as an example of clarifying information by adding detail. "In this collection of photographs, many information elements are arranged on the same surface as the user scans 150 images arranged in a two dimensional small multiple format."
Hipstamatic Goes Analog with New Print Service
Print = Going retro.
"Today, the team behind Hipstamatic [iTunes link] has introduced the new HipstaMart Print Lab as a way for iPhone users to order real analog prints of their best Hipstamatic images."
PIN Code Authentication at Google Apps
"On its official blog, Google notes that Google Apps Premier, Education and Government Edition administrators can implement a new sign-in process that requires users to use a combination of a password and a one-time verification code delivered through users’ mobile phones.
"This is how it works: When Google Apps users sign-in from a certain location, they have to enter in not only their user password, but also a code that is generated either by an SMS message, a voice call or from an app installed on their mobile phone."
Change Any Web Page's Design Instantly with Chrome Extension Stylebot
Crazy cool! Can Google stylebot live up to the hype?
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One of our favorite web browsers just got a cool new tool in the form of Stylebot, a new Chromeextension that allows you to access and modify the CSS for any web page from within the browser."That’s right — users get a completely customized design experience for any page they choose. The changes they make can be saved for later use and synced across multiple devices."
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