What if there was a way to “send” a smile to a complete stranger? Well now there is, with a new web app called “Two of Us” created by the Barbarian Group. How does it work you ask?
Simply take a picture with your computer’s webcam.
And if you like it….
But no cheating! The app’s developer built in “smile detection software” that legit tells you if you’re unhappy.
But once you’ve chosen a photo that looks good (and the system knows you’re smiling) you get matched up with someone random who is also smiling!
I’ve never been a major fan or advocate for QR codes (Quick Response codes- the 2D barcodes that are filled with information), but my time on the NYC FNO Barbie Scavenger hunt bus is a move in the right direction.
On Fashion’s Night Out, Barbie sponsored a scavenger hunt around Manhattan, leading those with a love for fashion to stores like Tracy Reese, Alexis Bittar, and more by hopping on and off a Barbie-themed bus (complete with Barbie dolls by the way).
Once at a store, all you needed to do was 1) find the barbie dressed in the designer’s gear 2) fire up your smartphone with a QR code reader 3) Scan it 4) Enter your name in an online form and TRY TO WIN THE OUTFIT!
For those who were taking a fashion’s night in – or who couldn’t be in NYC – there were opportunities to scan a QR code on http://barbielovesfno.com to enter to win some prizes as well (sorry the entry period is now over.)
So now, the bottom line.
Overall, my feelings on QR codes remain the same: Cool when used correctly (like what Tiffany did for their FNO event) but lame when used in subway ads (among other QR code fails).
As for Barbie, girl, I’m sold, and I’m thinking about adding this one to my christmas list. #retroglam
I firmly believe that it is who and what we surround ourselves that makes a difference, and your desktop wallpaper should not be left out. If you think about the number of hours you spend on your computer… why not pick something that makes you happy?
Growing up, we did not have a Sephora. I was a Clinique girl, constantly reviewing product offerings in my local Ohio department store – I did not know there was a bigger cosmetics world out there (probably fortunate at the time). It was my time at Syracuse University (and my sorority) who introduced me to the world of luxury products, and Sephora.
What I found is that I was soon bored by the sheer number of choices, as well as the amount of data and reviews available on each product. I would spend time researching products before going in-store to make a purchase. Where was the middle ground? Where was my cosmetics advisor?
Which leads me to the solution, found via FastCompany.
My first memory of Birchbox comes from a time in my life where I was spending a lot of time on airplanes- and in this specific case, traveling to a major speaking gig in Orlando, Florida. And what do I do on airplanes? Read a lot of magazines- including FastCompany.
In February 2011, FastCompany profiled Birchbox, a growing startup headquarted in NYC by two Harvard Business School grads who wanted to redesign how women find beauty products by offering a curated box of deluxe samples for $10 a month.
Immediately interested, I signed up for Birchbox and have been a huge fan since- especially with the “themed” boxes the company has been promoting (ahem a Cynthia Rowley box?)
So when I received an invite to the “members only” VIP party at the Caudalie Spa at the Plaza on August 1st, there was no turning back.
With a few friends from work in tow, I sampled Caudalie products (including some amazing eye cream called Premier Cru) and received mini-spa treatments (including a scalp massage!) while sipping on some Merlot (the spa has it’s own Sommelier!)
[Bloggers Note: I have to give a shoutout here.]
The chance to get high-quality and targeted products delivered in a hot pink box is truly something special. Yay for Birchbox, and yay for entrepreneurial women with technology-focused mindsets driving innovation!
The pink box was a centerpiece at the event
A Live TwitPic from @Birchbox from the August 2011 event
While looking up some infographic examples today, I stumbled upon this twitter-linked, auto-generating, personalized infographic. By simply signing into visual.ly, picking my skin color, eye color, hair color and style, it did the rest. And I’m going to be honest, I love it. I think it’s great that Twitter knows I’m happy :)
I was inspired after seeing a friend’s photos online that captured the amazing energy of the library of human imagination – and had to Google to learn more about this amazing place.
What i found out is this – Jay Walker, entrepreneur and founder of Walker Digital, built this 3-story, 3,600 sq. foot library in his Connecticut home. And you won’t guess what’s in it. It literally blew my mind how one person could own so much badass stuff.
He filled it with “more than 50,000 volumes including thousands of landmark books and museum-level artifacts,” including a Gutenberg bible, an original Sputnik 1 satellite, framed napkin from 1943 on which Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined his plan to win World War II, a chandelier from Die Another Day, A 1699 atlas containing the first maps to show the sun, not the earth, as the center of the known universe, a gadget lab and more.
The gadget lab is truly inspiring from a tech perspective because it showcases ORIGINAL hardware from over the ages- a confirmation of what we have accomplished.
INCLUDED IN PHOTO: A brand-new One Laptop per Child XO, far left, sits next to a relatively ancientRadioShack TRS-80 Model 100. In back, a 1911 typewriting machine and a 1909 Kent radio. The large contraption at center is the Nazis’ supposedly unbreakable Enigma code machine. The book to its left is a copy of Johannes Trithemius’ 1518 Polygraphiae, a cryptographic landmark. On the right is an Apple II motherboard signed by Woz. An Edison kinetoscope sits beside an 1890 Edison phonograph (along with three of the wax cylinders it uses for recording). Nearby is a faithful copy of Edison’s lightbulb. The gadget with the tubes is an IBM processor circa 1960. In front of it stands a truly ancient storage device, a Sumerian clay cone used to record surplus grain. [via Wired]
He states in his video that the library was modeled after the drawings of M.C. Escher, and for those unfamiliar, they are drawings that provide an architectural paradox [see below].
and compare these drawings to the actual library:
Do you have a place – a library, museum, corner nook, home, cottage – that truly inspires you? Or how would you design the perfect library of human imagination?
Our pursuits – in life, love (and TECHYNESS, in my case) can take us many places, many of which we wouldn’t exactly expect or predict.
It’s taken me to Syracuse, Florence, Atlanta, Houston, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Danbury, and Schenectady, NY. Each location has had it’s pros and its cons, ups and downs, but the main outcome can be best summarized by a quote from The Alchemist.
“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Like many wide-eyed and eager youngsters, I’m moving to NYC.
The reason? To continue the pursuit of techyness.
One major aspect of this pursuit of techyness is a job. Not just a “job” – but something that will take me to that next level of techyness. On that end, I’ll be working at Big Fuel, a social media/digital marketing company as a Tech Lead/Interactive Producer (wish me luck!!).
Overall, I’m very much looking forward to writing about this change and set of experiences to come with you- so stay tuned!
“So, where did you two meet?” — It’s always a fun question to answer, regardless of where you actually did meet.
Is a common platform necessary in a relationship?
Maybe you wouldn’t think so at first, but when I saw this comic, it made me think about what our tech personality has to do with who we date and where we might end up finding them…
Could I date a windows OS-only user? I’m not sure. I think it would be a tough transition. Luckily, right now I am also dating a mac user, so that is not a current concern….
I think we all know what Boo's profile goal is: Cuteness.
Over the weekend, I had dinner and drinks with a friend from college, whom i have not seen in a few years. While hanging out, I soon found out that she [knowingly] decided to delete all existing profiles and abstain from facebook, twitter, and social media.
Soon after learning this about my friend, I proceeded to think of follow up questions on the matter, and potential reasoning. Maybe she is too busy? Perhaps it was the Facebook privacy scare of 2010 or even the ”delete your facebook account day?” Or it could be resentment from when the activity feed was originally created?
Well, as myself and the group found out – its because she believes that it’s fake.
Essentially, her opinion of the matter is that it’s a game/race to show only the best side of one’s self, and linked this to her thoughts (disclaimer: she works at an elementary school as a guidance counselor) that it is a cause for depression in many young people.
I believe that maybe she quit prematurely, or was not connecting with people in the right online communities or groups – sure, you find people who only showcase some glamourous life (like celebs, etc), but that is only a segment of the overall population. On Facebook, you see status updates, stories, links to blog posts that tell stories across the spectrum of emotion, I think it just takes that extra effort to look beyond clicking through an album of photos from a vacation in Paris to interacting with the content and the person.
When was the last time you checked out a book at the library?
While reading an article about Jane McGonigal’s most recent project, NYPL’s game, titled “Find the Future,” I thought to myself… how long has it been.
High School? IT has to be about 8 years ago, which is rather incredible to think about.
Now, if you’re in the same boat as me (not having been to a library in 5+ years), watch this video.
Ok- you’re back. (hey).
Maybe you’re like me and this video enticed the inner geek, adventurous person within yourself to check out the online application and maybe even apply for this one night in person MMIRPG (Massive Multi-Player In-Person Role Playing Game).
The game starts with a special, invitation-only event on May 20, 2011. As part of the Centennial celebration weekend, hundreds of gamers will earn the chance to join a special once-in-a-lifetime event: an “overnight lock-in” at NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman building. This “write all night” lock in will serve as the official kick-off for the Find The Future game.
Starting May 21, 2011, visitors to the Stephen A. Schwarzman branch of the NYPL can play the game with their personal smartphones, or on Library computers. Global players will join the game with any computer that has access to the Internet. The game is free to play.
For more information on game theory (and why New York Public Library is doing this), check out Jane’s TED video (which was ranked #16 all time!) where she discusses why gaming is essential to our lives, and how they inspire us.
I also listened to Jane speak at SXSW 2011, and she was both an amazing and inspiring speaker. She captivated my attention so much that I barely tweeted! [And this TED video is very similar to her keynote at SXSW].
But once you’ve chosen a photo that looks good (and the system knows you’re smiling) you get matched up with someone random who is also smiling!
Growing up, we did not have a Sephora. I was a Clinique girl, constantly reviewing product offerings in my local Ohio department store – I did not know there was a bigger cosmetics world out there (probably fortunate at the time). It was my time at Syracuse University (and my sorority) who introduced me to the world of luxury products, and Sephora.
