Happy Monday. I’ll be on the road most of this week, so I apologize in advance for light posting (though maybe Jarred will pick up the slack…..ahem). Here are a few items that caught my attention recently:
- When you hear the word “scuppie” what do you think of? For me, I remember the schools of scup–a small whitefish, delicious fried–I caught with my grandmother as a kid. Apparently, at least a few people are trying to bring “scuppie” into the nation’s vocabulary of social labels much like “hippie” or “yuppie.” What does scuppie mean?
“Scuppie – a ‘Socially Conscious Upwardly-mobile Person.’
1. A person who desires all the best life can offer and strives for those goals in a socially conscious manner.
2. One who is dedicated to the pursuit of peace, happiness and cash (not necessarily in that order).
3. Someone ‘green’ — i.e. one who understands the love of money does not preclude the love of nature…and vice-versa.”
- I this this report from Deloitte about employee preferences is spot-on: I’d much rather accept a lower salary with plenty of perks like flexible working hours, more vacation time, and free food than a higher salary without those benefits. Turns out most folks would agree (at least when faced with a hypothetical offer).
- Expect a blog post this week where I take a deeper look into this column, by the authors of Freakonomics, about prize philanthropy and alternative giving that promises a financial return to donors.
“Obama’s million-plus individual donors should be seen as marking two significant changes in American politics. First, we’re living through a major upsurge in public participation in politics–and the Internet is a big engine of that surge. Second, a candidate with a million-plus individual donors–90% of whom at this point have given something like $100 on average–has the potential to more independent of monied interests than any in the past. It’s too soon to say if Obama will live up to that potential–indeed, it’s too soon to say if he will be the Democratic nominee–but whatever happens I suspect that a year from now we’ll look back on this day and note that it marked an inflection point in how technology is changing politics.”
- In case you’re planning your travel around gadget obsession, social networking addiction, or general dorkdom (and, let’s face it, with a bit more disposable income Jarred and very well might fall into this category), here’s a convenient description of the “Best Geek Hotels in the World.”
- It’s really not fair to make fun of children passing through that awkward phase known as “Middle School,” but these 41 Hilarious Science Fair Experiments had me laughing out loud. As Fake Steve said, “Ever wonder what those crazy kids at Google are doing with their 20% free time?”
That’s all for now; check back all week for new material. If you’re interested in writing a guest post for Tropophilia, we’d love to have your input. See this page for instructions on submitting a guest post and please contact us with any questions. It can be long or short, serious or sarcastic, and on any topic related to change.
Happy Monday everybody. I can tell already that it’s going to be a double-coffee morning in my office. Peruse these links when you get a chance:
- This “Extinction Timeline” [warning: PDF file] is one of the more controversial and interesting things I’ve seen all week. Essentially, a consulting firm plotted the “extinction” of everything from trends and habits to technologies and nations from 1950 into the future. They expect both blogging and the Maldives to expire around 2022. Hear that Jarred? Only 14 more years of Tropophilia. Hat tip to Philanthropy 2173 for bringing this to my attention.
- If you’ve stayed in a hotel lately, you’ve probably noticed a proliferation of Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) in lighting fixtures. Apparently, many hotel guests are treating the CFLs like shampoo and hand soap: they’re taking the $10-15 bulbs home! EcoGeek has the details.
- Lifehacker highlights a neat new product: from the folks who brought you del.icio.us, this new social bookmarking tool is specifically tailored to generate wish lists. Brace yourself, because the name isn’t necessarily…catchy. But check out del.ishli.st anyway.
- PBS’ Frontline features a six-part series called “Growing Up Online.” We are at an important time in history when the first generation of true “digital natives” are coming of age and starting to vote, own businesses, and raise children of their own. Interesting to think about the development of connected children in a positive and a negative light. I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the documentary yet, so why don’t you check it out and let us know in the comments if you find any of the segments compelling.
- Finally, this proposed Death Star hotel in Azerbaijan is both hilarious and…strangely threatening.
I could go on, but I have to save a few things to write about this week! Have a great day.
Need a back massager that doubles as a wine fridge? Look elsewhere, because Sharper Image is closing half of its stores “as soon as possible” and declaring bankruptcy.
The Washington Post featured a delightfully snarky article reflecting on the steady collapse of everyone’s favorite browse-but-don’t-buy shop:
“What are we losing? A world of luminescent safety leashes, hideaway gyms, telescoping ladders — an entire chain dedicated to the idea of streamlining your life by .002 percent. The Sharper Image is a place that sells a lighted nose-hair trimmer, which is to say it targets men who already own a regular nose hair trimmer in the hopes they’ll think it’s worth $40 to get a better look up their nostrils.”
I own a single Sharper Image product. Predictably, it’s a beard trimmer. I have no idea why I purchased it at Sharper Image versus…well…any other store at the mall. But I digress. The fact is, many trips into Sharper Image stores resulted in one (~$30) purchase. Apparently, I’m a typical customer.
Continue reading ‘RIP Sharper Image’
Apparently, some of you folks don’t have to go to work today. Aren’t you special. Since I’m clearly bitter for not having the day off, let’s cut the commentary and get straight to the links:
- From the “Things That Make You Go Huh” file, something seemingly obvious that never occurred to me: endless storage on gmail–>rarely deleting email messages–>lots of servers using tons of energy–>negative environmental impact due to archived musings from friends and frantic “OMG!@!11 NEW STAR TREK MOVIE TRAILER” messages from Jarred.
- Speaking of email, here’s a (currently) free service that allows users to track whether email recipients click-through on links in their messages. Kind of creepy if you ask me, though anyone who receives political campaign or corporate email (frequent flier promotions, etc) should know that they’re already tracked in this way.
- For anyone interested in philanthropy and social ventures, Tactical Philanthropy highlights a goldmine of free articles from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Stanford usually publishes their articles behind a pay-wall, but for a limited time they’re allowing free access to 2007’s most popular articles, including (my personal favorite) “A New Era for Business.”
- An interesting Washington Post article on guerrilla activism–environmental activists inserted leaflets in Kleenex boxes accusing the tissue maker of “wiping away ancient forests.” Is this really a trend?
“The leaflets may be part of a trend known as “shopdropping,” in which people leave items at a store, the reverse of shoplifting. Items left on store shelves have included the business cards of personal trainers tucked into weight-loss books and CDs of unsigned musicians.”
- Anyone looking at the Democratic primary deadlock and wondering about the original purpose behind Super Delegates should check out this Op-Ed by the estimable Mann and Ornstein. The authors are insightful as always, but I still view a nomination decided by Super Delegates to be a worst-case scenario in terms of future voter engagement and turnout in the general election.
- Finally, in honor of Presidents Day, take a few pointers from George Washington’s “Rules of Civility.”
Enjoy your day off………
So a while back we had a rousing discussion about the future of the book. Spawned by Steve Jobs’ comment that books (and technologies like the Kindle) are increasingly irrelevant since, he claims, “people don’t read anymore.” Well, an offshoot and related issue is: what use do we have for brick-and-mortar bookstores? I’m intrigued by this post from Ezra Klein, and I think I sympathize.
“I love bookstores, and spend a significant fraction of my time in them. When I go to Politics and Prose, I purchase books I don’t need, partially out of a desire to simply donate to the store’s continued operation. I keep trying to figure out a reason I believe bookstores will survive into the future, but it seems pretty clear that books will eventually be as mercilessly digitized as music, and most bookstores will close, just as most CD stores were shuttered long ago.”
I too love bookstores and, while I’m loathe to browse a clothing store or local mall, can spend hours looking around a good bookstore. But, inevitably, my frugality takes hold and unless I’m desperate for a new novel I’ll take mental note of a few titles that look interesting (after checking out a chapter or two in the store)…and then order them online from home, saving money and often finding a used copy. Online purveyors are simply more convenient, offer more options for saving money, and tap into a nearly limitless inventory that even my local Borders or Barnes & Noble can’t match, much less the locally-owned mom & pop shop. So, is there a point in clinging to bookstores? Might we be better off taking our own books (or Kindle!) to the local coffee shop, along with a laptop to browse new titles? What is it about bookstores–besides the rare occasion when a book is needed IMMEDIATELY and it happens to be in stock within a reasonable drive–that makes me feel some sort of sentimentality towards their very existence? I love what bookstores offer to me, but my way of using them is simply not profitable for them (apart from the $4 latte I’ll occasionally buy). As our generation grows older and a greater proportion of book buyers move online, how is this business sustainable? What are your thoughts?
Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr user polifemus.
