Looking forward to Friday when I'm hosting the first Microsoft Digigirlz day.
Just the small matter of 200 ( yes 200!) 13 - 15 year old girls. How exciting eh? We have a great line up and quite a demanding assignment for the afternoon. I for one, am going to learn something .....keep you posted :)
Eileen Brown has her take on it - now SHE has a story to tell....
As a faithful Prius driver for 2 years now - I was attracted to a new scheme that Google is pushing....
RechargeIT is an initiative within Google.org's Climate Change Program aimed at accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles ("plug-in hybrids") and vehicle-to-grid ("V2G") applications. As a "hybrid" philanthropic venture itself, Google.org can apply a broad mix of resources - investments, grants, policy, public engagement - to addressing the climate crisis.
Check out the video -selling power back to the grid? All my friends with flashy cars will want one.....ok - so call me an eternal optimist I don't care.
Jeff Jarvis reports that the National Union of Journalists in the UK is planning a Europe-wide day of protest against cuts in journalism.
He wonders whom they’ll picket: the Internet? the economy? their readers? reality? He says;
But what are they going to do about it? Perhaps instead they should have a national brainstorming day to find and invent new ways to serve the public in all media. Or perhaps a national training day to show all these keyboard addicts how to use and make audio, video, blogs, wikis, search, social networks, and more. Or I’d like to see a national networked journalism day in which the pros share the tricks of their trade with the public to encourage more and better acts of journalism. Or maybe even a national efficiency day, in which the journalists find cuts that can be made instead of reporting. Or maybe a national entrepreneurial day to find ways to create new sustainable journalistic businesses that will not only pay those journalists but give them a piece of the equity.
Media are changing and so are their business realities. Not much — not anything — one can do about that but find new opportunities and change alongside.
Change is always difficult. It brings to mind a quote attributed to an American Army General who said:
" If you don't like change - you are going like irrelevance even less".
I love some of Jeff's suggestions. Lets embrace the change and lead the way.
This speech is the best 6 minutes you will spend for a very long time. A message delivered from the heart. To the UN. From a 12 year old.
I coach execs to "talk from the heart" - some find it very difficult. Maybe its because they choose not to get over excited or passionate about what their product or service can do to help people.
We can learn a great deal from children. Look at the way they talk. Their bodies say the same things their mouths do - they are AUTHENTIC.
Children make great teachers.
Got this request from David Catzel following my BBC Click report on social lending. Please support if you can.
Use the leverage of American Express’ “The Members Project” to make a difference.
"US Student 3rd World Micro Credit Initiative"
Its an opportunity work with US students to do a really good thing that can really make the world a better place ....
A partner and I submitted a US student drive Micro Credit to the American Express "Member's Project" Program Committee where finalists, and ultimately the winning initiative, will be selected based on the voting of other card members. AmEx will donate up to $5,000,000 to the winning cause.
It was approved as Project ID# 4256 and has posted to The Members Project(SM).
I'm asking that you all register online with American Express (Unfortunately AmEx card holders only) by following the link; http://www.membersproject.com . Our Program is located under Community Development and is titled: "US Student 3rd World Micro Credit Initiative". http://www.membersproject.com/Community_Development/4256
The Idea
Our idea for the program is to educate US students (Youth Awareness) and enlist them to be better Global Citizens. The program revolves around modest cash resources available to young adults that cumulatively can change the lives of 3rd world families and entire communities. The concept that spending $100 on a family dinner doesn’t seem like much to American kids, but, that amount can actually be successfully applied to forever changing the lives of less fortunate people in under developed countries. Our emphasis will be on supporting women, creating economic impact through highly sustainable means like: computing, mobile phones, crops, fresh water, small businesses etc.
Read more about what we are proposing via our listing … share your voice, vote and please spread this around to all of your trusted contacts and comrades and lets get everyone we know to vote (5 stars of course!).
On July 3, an Advisory Panel will get together with American Express and announce the Top 50 projects. Then it's all up to you. Over a few rounds of voting, Cardmembers will narrow it down to one winning idea. What will it be? Just about anything's possible.
Remember to spread the word. For every Cardmember that registers, American Express contributes $1 — up to $5 million total.
David Catzel dcatzel@aol.com
This is a very clever site that does what it says on the tin. Tells you how stuff works. I really liked the section marked "How women work".
If you believe what you see on TV, women are inscrutable, conniving, hysterical and apt to change their minds without reason or warning. Some women's magazines perpetuate these stereotypes by offering advice on how to entrap men or keep them guessing. And some of the basic differences between men and women can seem a little confusing, depending on your point of view. So it's not surprising that one of the most requested articles in the history of HowStuffWorks is "How Women Work."
If you want to see the future of innovative web design look no further. Mindflood will quite literally seduce you to let them make you look great. They have just won a "Webby" (web equivalent of the Oscars ).
Take a look - very clever and leaves you wanting even more....
Went to an interesting all female ( well a couple of token males ) evening at a very well known ad agency talking about marketing to women. Lots of chat and light hearted banter. But the essence of what people were saying was, what I have been saying for a couple of years now.....
"Please tell me how this product or service is going to improve my life".
Please make sure it does what it says on the tin. Clear instructions would be nice.
Please give us great design.
And not all of us with breasts want it in pink ( some will and that's ok )
That's it - job done - sold.
I've just bought a great heart rate monitor. Told me it was going to get me fit and lose weight if I worked between 70 and 80% of my maximum heart rate. Told me what my max HR is and how to easily set the alarm on the watch part if I worked too hard or not enough. Went out on my new bike today and worked perfectly. Not only that, it is so cool that it only has one button - if you want to get time, stop watch and HR - you just bring the watch bit really close to the chest strap and it just changes - you don't touch anything! At the end of your workout it tells you your average HR. Brilliant. Easy. £29. The only thing it doesn't do for you is the exercise. Go buy one today!
Oh - did I mention its blue?
Even I thought the idea of a reality show whereby a terminally ill woman got to choose who she would donate her kidney to - was going too far. In fact, it was all a hoax to highlight the fact that 200 people in the Netherlands die each year while waiting for a kidney. The average waiting time is more than 4 years.
Everyone filming the stunt was in on the hoax - but the three "contestants" are indeed all in need of kidneys. Does it matter? NO because no one really got hurt as such and the shortage of kidneys and donors was highlighted. But also YES because it erodes our belief systems about who we can and can't trust. We can trust our friends and family but how much do we trust the world outside of that cosy ring? It makes people more cynical and it's a stunt that can't be pulled too many times.
Maybe the real winner in publicity terms is Endemol.?
