Monthly Archive for August, 2008

August already?  Time flies, friends.  A few links comin’ at ya:

• Here’s an interesting conversation between dynamic Newark (NJ) mayor Cory Booker and Michael Arrington from TechCrunch about using technology to combat crime.  Obviously privacy is a concern with what amounts to a very sophisticated system of remote-controlled cameras on city streets.  Booker says that the city worked with the ACLU to temper those issues, but it’s certainly still a point of controversy.  What I found really interesting in the interview was not the cameras (rolled out in a widespread manner but, ultimately, pretty standard technology) but what Booker called ShotSpotter; Arrington explains how the system works:

[A] shot goes off within this 7-8 mile zone [the most concentrated crime area in the city], shot spotter detects it, and the cameras zoom in on that area The police now know about it immediately. They don’t have to wait for phone calls to come in on 911, and they are subsequently able to get there much faster

• One of the things I love the most about following the environmental movement (including environmental bloggers) is learning from brilliant people with great big picture ideas AND small but extremely helpful and common sense innovations.  Like the “Toilet Lid Sink,” designed to conserve water.  It’s exactly what it sounds like, and will leave you scrambling to think of a similarly easy but genius idea:

For under a $100 and without any tools, “The Toilet Lid Sink” can be installed in just minutes.  [...] The clean water that would normally be used to fill the toilet tank is first routed through a chrome gooseneck spigot.  The water used to wash your hands would normally just be wasted down the drain; but instead it drains into the toilet tank and is then used for flushing.

Or POWERleap:

It’s a flooring system that generates electricity every time you move on one of the tiles. [...]

[The] unique floor tiles generate electricity using a phenomenon known as piezoelectricity – electricity generated by applying mechanical stress to certain materials like the lead zirconate plates in the POWERleap. When these 2-inch by 1-inch piezoceramic plates are bent, a charge is produced that can be harnessed. Multiply one tile by the surface area of a subway station or even your standard grocery store floor, and you can imagine the amount of energy these tiles have the potential to generate.

• One of our colleagues over at Brazen Careerist hits the nail on the head with a some tips for nonprofits hoping to engage Generation Y.  I think one point in particular is crucial, and I can’t tell you how often I encounter this misperception (emphasis in the original post):

Communicating with Gen Y does not happen with a silver bullet. [...] The tricky thing about Gen Y is that they’re not all in one place. Everyone uses Facebook differently. Not everyone Twitters or even texts. One 24-year-old’s life can be very different from that of another. No one tool or one act will radically change your nonprofit and immediately lower your average donor age, which is all the more reason to figure out where your conversations with Gen Yers fit into the overall communication strategy of your agency. The Internet and technology are a strategy, not a solution.

• Issues with certain host countries and human rights/democratic liberties aside, I get extraordinarily giddy about the Olympics every two years.  In just a few short days, you’ll be able to catch all the action online courtesy of free on-demand video from NBC.  Apparently you’ll be able to download the videos (crucial on a slower wireless connection like mine) for a seamless viewing experience.  Any favorite events?  I personally find most of the track and field to be dull, but I love the swimming and I go ga-ga for water polo.

• Stuff White People Like is pretty hilarious.  And their take on Facebook is, as expected, brilliant:

Social Networking sites have been embraced by white people since their inception. Because these sites use profile pages, white people can more efficiently judge friends and future friends on their taste in film, books, music, and inspirational quotes. Advanced level white people, fearful of being judged on their tastes from last week, will often only list one or two ironic things as their favorites. For example under music they would simply list “P.M. Dawn” or under films they would choose only Armageddon. In both cases these ironic answers serve as protective shields from the harsh gaze of other white people.