Brixton, the south London area in the Borough of Lambeth famed for it’s diverse community, has decided to single handedly combat the recession within it’s borders through an ingenious adaptation of money.

The Wall Street Journal recently produced a fascinating video covering the new world of peer to peer finance which features Hub Culture’s Ven, which can be used both online and off.

No matter how complex and diverse our online communities are, and how sophisticated and evolved the new ways in which we interact with one another seem, buying and selling still remains at the fore of the online world. Though the basic act of commerce has not changed, many entrepreneurial minds have envisioned new ways to facilitate our transactions, and bring business beyond cash and coin. Here are ten currencies we’ve been tracking:
The Renmibi
In China, the QQ Coin—a currency attached to the massively popular QQ chatting and social networking service—has broken out of the virtual world, and is increasingly used to [...]

NonCents is the work of a group of design students from the University of Washington. They have created an exhibition that uses interactive parking meters and an indoor display to explore reasons why the penny should be removed from circulation.

The Wall Street Journal recently delved into this issue when it published an article about the newly redesigned penny. The article is clearly in favor of abolishing the one cent piece, citing production costs as the main reason.
They explain:
In a 2006 editorial in the Journal, Harvard economist Greg Mankiw made a simple case for getting rid of the penny. “The purpose [...]

It was recently suggested by Barack Obama that we should borrow and spend less and save more, not rebuilding the economy on the same sand but instead lay a new foundation for prosperity. It’s not the message consumers, this country, or the rest of the world is used to, particularly in a recession.  For instance, after World War II, amidst the depression, retailing analyst Victor Lebow suggested that “Our enormously productive economy … demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our [...]

Tattoo artist Scott Campbell has created this series of laser cut currency, where each stack is formed from one dollar bills. They were part of his Make It Rain solo show at O.H.W.O.W. Gallery.
[via Design Boom]
[last image via Divine Caroline]

We found this visualization of the current credit crisis remarkably informative.  The ten minute long video does a really great job breaking down all the different players and provides a general overview of how investment banking works.  By the end of it, terms like sub-prime mortgages, collateralized debt obligations, frozen credit markers, and credit default swaps actually make sense.
The video was created by Jonathon Jarvis as part of his thesis work in the Media Design Program at the Art Center College of Design.

Designboom has compiled a lengthy post all about currency design and artists who use monetary imagery in their work. They showcase money from around the world and explore artists who play with these powerful symbols of wealth. It’s an interesting look at the complex relationship we have with these little pieces of paper and metal.
Designboom explains:
it is said that recession provokes artists, designers and alike to create some of their best work but for some people money is the constant source of question regardless of the economic climate.
money is many different things at the same time. it’s a work of [...]

Proposed legislation compressing the working hours of employees of New York state agencies could add up to huge savings. Assemblyman Michael Gianaris is looking to require state agencies providing nonessential services to cut back their workweek to only four days. According to his calculations, trimming down work hours to 8-6 Monday through Thursday could save New York $30 million a year in building maintenance and transportation costs. This same schedule for state workers has saved Utah a respectable $3 million a year. Definitely an interesting idea to ponder. If these agencies are still getting their work done in 4 days [...]