How much fun are you having?   I can’t help but love the quantified self movement. I find that I’m not just competitive with others, but with myself. Which is why I love my Nike fuelband. (Thanks honey!) Faris writes about this from the happiness quotient angle, addressing the divide between our experiencing self and remembering self. Speaking of the happiness quotient - There’s a great article from Fast Company about a new economic bill of rights to create national happiness. A lofty goal, for sure, but also inspiring.

How much fun are you having?  

I can’t help but love the quantified self movement. I find that I’m not just competitive with others, but with myself. Which is why I love my Nike fuelband. (Thanks honey!) Faris writes about this from the happiness quotient angle, addressing the divide between our experiencing self and remembering self. Speaking of the happiness quotient - There’s a great article from Fast Company about a new economic bill of rights to create national happiness. A lofty goal, for sure, but also inspiring.

Source farisyakob.typepad.com

Here’s what happens to Google employees when they die.   It should come as no surprise that Google has ridiculously awesome benefits: free haircuts, free bike rentals, free yoga, on-site doctors and of course their ridiculously awesome cafeterias. In a recent conversation with Forbes, Google’s Chief People Officer announced death benefits. If an employee passes away (while employed by Google), their surviving spouse or domestic partner will get a check for 50% of their salary every year for the following decade. This benefit comes with “no tenure requirement,” meaning all of their employees qualify. 

Here’s what happens to Google employees when they die.  

It should come as no surprise that Google has ridiculously awesome benefits: free haircuts, free bike rentals, free yoga, on-site doctors and of course their ridiculously awesome cafeterias. In a recent conversation with Forbes, Google’s Chief People Officer announced death benefits. If an employee passes away (while employed by Google), their surviving spouse or domestic partner will get a check for 50% of their salary every year for the following decade. This benefit comes with “no tenure requirement,” meaning all of their employees qualify. 

Find out when the clothes you love are on sale with Hukkster.  [Fashion / Tools / Technology]Another great fashion + tech innovation, Hukkster is all about the deals you want to know about instead of the deals various retail brands want you to know about. I’m the classic case of deal overload: I don’t want to miss out when something I love is on sale, but I just get too. many. emails. I’ve started deleting the emails as the come in because I can’t bear to unsubscribe. But Hukkster could solve my problem. Hukkster lets you “Hukk” (think pin/bookmark) a piece of clothing and then choose an alert: “on sale” or “25” off or “50% off.” Then, in theory, I’ll get an email when that item goes on sale. I say “in theory” because Hukkster is currently in beta mode and not accepting new users. Still, I’m excited ;)  High-res

Find out when the clothes you love are on sale with Hukkster.  
[Fashion / Tools / Technology]

Another great fashion + tech innovation, Hukkster is all about the deals you want to know about instead of the deals various retail brands want you to know about. I’m the classic case of deal overload: I don’t want to miss out when something I love is on sale, but I just get too. many. emails. I’ve started deleting the emails as the come in because I can’t bear to unsubscribe. But Hukkster could solve my problem. Hukkster lets you “Hukk” (think pin/bookmark) a piece of clothing and then choose an alert: “on sale” or “25” off or “50% off.” Then, in theory, I’ll get an email when that item goes on sale. I say “in theory” because Hukkster is currently in beta mode and not accepting new users. Still, I’m excited ;) 

Mode-sty: the shopping site for ladies who want to leave something to the imagination.  [Culture / Fashion / Tools / Technology]“In the real world, there is a huge population of women who - for reasons related to work, religion or even just personal taste - seek out clothing on the conservative side,” writes Colleen Taylor for TechCrunch. Mode-sty is a flash sale site that aims to cater to these women, providing fashion choices for under $200 that are a bit more conservative while still being on trend. Thanks to Eliz for sharing this gem!  High-res

Mode-sty: the shopping site for ladies who want to leave something to the imagination.  
[Culture / Fashion / Tools / Technology]

“In the real world, there is a huge population of women who - for reasons related to work, religion or even just personal taste - seek out clothing on the conservative side,” writes Colleen Taylor for TechCrunch. Mode-sty is a flash sale site that aims to cater to these women, providing fashion choices for under $200 that are a bit more conservative while still being on trend. Thanks to Eliz for sharing this gem! 

Stop motion in an Excel doc.  
[Arts / Music / Technology / Entertainment]

Using Excel cells shaded different colors, “Mystery Guitar Man” has created a stop motion music video. It kind of reminds me of this ACDC thing from a few years back that was created to break through firewalls of corporate environments. You’ll have to see ‘em for yourself. Totally awesome. 

Try tech before you buy with YBUY.  [Gadgets / Tools / Technology] Been wanting a new espresso machine, but not sure how much you’ll actually use it? YBUY is a subscription based service that lets you try the coolest gadgets before committing to a purchase. For $24.95/month, you’ll get a new product each month (or skip a month with no charge) that you can test: from iPads to FitBits to Blenders and even air purifiers. All of the products have been curated by experts and tested by the product team to ensure they’re the best in class. If you like the product, your trial/subscription fee goes towards the total purchase cost and if you don’t like it, you can return it using pre-paid shipping.  High-res

Try tech before you buy with YBUY.  
[Gadgets / Tools / Technology]

Been wanting a new espresso machine, but not sure how much you’ll actually use it? YBUY is a subscription based service that lets you try the coolest gadgets before committing to a purchase. For $24.95/month, you’ll get a new product each month (or skip a month with no charge) that you can test: from iPads to FitBits to Blenders and even air purifiers. All of the products have been curated by experts and tested by the product team to ensure they’re the best in class. If you like the product, your trial/subscription fee goes towards the total purchase cost and if you don’t like it, you can return it using pre-paid shipping. 

Discover America with Roadtrippers.  [Apps / Tools / Technology / Travel]Roadtrippers is a web app that provides you with the best places to stop when you’re traveling from point A to point B. After entering in your destination (and your start point) you can populate the map with attractions, entertainment, history, shopping, sports, etc. And you can even choose how far out of the way you’re willing to travel. I don’t have any road trips planned, but this app kind of makes me wish I did.  High-res

Discover America with Roadtrippers.  
[Apps / Tools / Technology / Travel]

Roadtrippers is a web app that provides you with the best places to stop when you’re traveling from point A to point B. After entering in your destination (and your start point) you can populate the map with attractions, entertainment, history, shopping, sports, etc. And you can even choose how far out of the way you’re willing to travel. I don’t have any road trips planned, but this app kind of makes me wish I did. 

Brewster: your personalized address book.  [Apps / Tools / Technology]Brewster is an app that takes your Facebook and Twitter connections, as well as your address book contacts, and builds an interconnected address book. The best part of it? The app does all the work. Brewster’s algorithms pay attention to who you’re calling, texting or even tweeting and builds smart lists, including favorites or recently contacted. But the brilliance doesn’t end there - Contacts are tagged creating new ways to search. Looking for someone who you used to work with, or someone who is in PR (from within your contacts) becomes a cinch.   High-res

Brewster: your personalized address book.  
[Apps / Tools / Technology]

Brewster is an app that takes your Facebook and Twitter connections, as well as your address book contacts, and builds an interconnected address book. The best part of it? The app does all the work. Brewster’s algorithms pay attention to who you’re calling, texting or even tweeting and builds smart lists, including favorites or recently contacted. But the brilliance doesn’t end there - Contacts are tagged creating new ways to search. Looking for someone who you used to work with, or someone who is in PR (from within your contacts) becomes a cinch.
  

At the pool: facilitating offline connections.  At first glance, At the Pool seems like a dating site. But if you’re really looking for a comparison, it feels more like a Grub With Us that’s expanding their focus to a number of different things (or even a less-passive version of Highlight?) The premise is simple: build a profile and you’ll be matched with people like you so you can meet new people. I’m a bit hesitant to try it, but at the same time, I love the idea of bridging the online and offline world. High-res

At the pool: facilitating offline connections. 

At first glance, At the Pool seems like a dating site. But if you’re really looking for a comparison, it feels more like a Grub With Us that’s expanding their focus to a number of different things (or even a less-passive version of Highlight?) The premise is simple: build a profile and you’ll be matched with people like you so you can meet new people. I’m a bit hesitant to try it, but at the same time, I love the idea of bridging the online and offline world.

How Apple and Amazon’s security flaws led to Wired writer Mat Honan’s ‘epic’ hacking.  Oh this was a heartbreaking - and quite angering - story. Mat Honan outlines how he lost nearly all of his data thanks to a 19 year old hacker (and presumably his friends.) It’s a lesson in backing up data, for sure - and that Mat readily admits. But it’s also a lesson in just how easy Apple and Amazon have made it to hack into people’s accounts. Let’s make sure they’re paying attention and making changes. (And backup your data, already!)

How Apple and Amazon’s security flaws led to Wired writer Mat Honan’s ‘epic’ hacking. 

Oh this was a heartbreaking - and quite angering - story. Mat Honan outlines how he lost nearly all of his data thanks to a 19 year old hacker (and presumably his friends.) It’s a lesson in backing up data, for sure - and that Mat readily admits. But it’s also a lesson in just how easy Apple and Amazon have made it to hack into people’s accounts. Let’s make sure they’re paying attention and making changes. (And backup your data, already!)