As GPS enabled devices continue to evolve, we expect the trend of online applications that engage us in unique ways with our actual physical environments to continue developing increasingly novel uses for our lives.  One of the obvious ways is through play.  We’ve previously written about Parallel Kingdom, a location based game where users’ real world wanderings correspond to in-game movements. More recently we came upon Turf Bombing, a game that forms players into loosely associated “gangs” through shared zip codes, and whoseultimate goal is to control the most territory. Participants complete these tasks by exploring different neighborhoods, cities and even countries [...]

As an alternative to the ubiquitous gift guides that always appear this time of year, each one claiming to contain all the ideal presents for everyone on your list, Changing The Present asks us to consider spending our money in more thoughtful ways.  Run by Important Gifts, a non-profit organization with an Advisory Board of more than 125 leaders with expertise across an entire spectrum, the website offers an easily searchable database of causes and non-profits ranging from sustainable agriculture and medical research to literacy and human rights.  Users are able to create personalized greeting cards to send along to the [...]

Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon, has expanded its offerings to now allow users free access to their large repository of public information with data ranging from US Census findings to the mapping of the Human Genome.  The model provides researchers with the ability to modify and share these data sets while only paying for any computation or storage services they’ve utilized.
“We can set up a controlled environment in minutes, run our computational analysis for a couple of hours, and shut down the environment,” Dr. Peter Tonellato, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. “Our results [...]

The Jen Bekman gallery is currently hosting the Thrilla in Manila, “a no holds barred draw-a-thon” between artists Jane Mount and Jason Polan to benefit 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth writing.  The live art experience began December 3rd and will run until 6pm December 6th.  In the spirit of community and collaboration, the press release invites the audience to “come into the gallery, join in the drawing, learn how to draw, be drawn yourself, or just root for your favorite artist,” opening up the creative process in a way that can’t be captured by simply looking at a [...]

At our Good Ideas in 2009: Digital salon yesterday, much of the conversation surrounded how our online identities are created, both actively – through our own decisions of what we share about ourselves – and passively – through the actions and perceptions of others.   Given that we only have control over half of that equation, how do we ensure that the best and brightest portrait of ourselves is seen by the wider community?
Piers posited his “Red Coat, Black Coat” theory back in 2006, which proved to be a harbinger of conversations to come about approaches to online privacy as [...]

YouTube’s latest venture is a good example of new approaches to collaboration: an endeavor to engage musicians from all over the world and create the first global symphony orchestra in the process.  Although grand in scope, the concept’s success relies on individual participation. To that end, musicians of all types are asked to record themselves playing any classical selection of their choosing, along with a piece written specifically for this project by composer Tan Dun entitled “The Internet Symphony”.  All videos of the original composition will then be rolled into one collective performance to generate the global event. Contributors are [...]

Today Facebook announced the launch of their latest privacy-taunting feature, Facebook Connect, giving its members the option of using their log-ins to share and see their friends’ activities on a vast network of third-party sites. Now, when users are streaming videos on Hulu or reading the SF Chronicle, for example, they’ll be able to broadcast their doings to their circle of ‘friends’ simply by logging into their Facebook account.
While the web is already abuzz about the potential backlash from the service, NY Times points out its significance in the evolution of social media:
Supporters of [Facebook Connect] say such programs will [...]

The next two Good Ideas Salons to be held will be on the next two Tuesdays.
On Tuesday November 25th, Colin Nagy (PSFK / Attention) will lead a discussion on Good Ideas in Collaboration with Amit Gupta (Jelly / PhotoJojo), Andrew Hoppin (NASA), John Geraci (Outside In / DIY City) and Matt Stinchcomb (Etsy). The PSFK team will start the breakfast briefing with a thought starter from our new book entitled ‘Ask For Help’. Tickets are available here.
On Tuesday December 2nd, we will hold a discussion on Good Ideas in Digital with Chet Gulland (Anomaly), Johanna Beyenbach (Naked), Mike Arauz [...]

The unprecedented level of media saturation in our daily lives is making it increasingly difficult to tell the truth from what can simply be passed off as bias. As the pile of online information grows, media outlets try to keep up by chasing headlines that attract larger audiences, whilst many stories go under- or unreported, particularly at a local level.
Enter Spot.Us, a nonprofit project from the Center for Media Change. Their goal is to create a model for “community funded reporting” that brings journalists, news organizations and members of the community together in one place.  According to the Spot.Us website, [...]

The Wii continues to reinvent the paradigm of game play with its multipurpose uses that blur the lines between actual and virtual worlds.  With the release of Animal Crossing: City Folk on November 16th, your offline desires have found a new online home.  The game’s narrative unfolds in real time as you navigate your customized Mii character through a world that you’re free to explore depending on your whims.  Watch a fireworks display or take the bus into the city to go see a concert – it’s your life to live any way you choose (except it’s not real).  If [...]

Asian demand for internet encryption software originally came about because of local government censorship. Chinese wanted more blogging freedom, Thais wanted to watch YouTube, and other citizens with stringent firewalls just wanted to make VoIP calls in peace.
Now, we’re finding another great use for the technology: catching up on the latest American movies and tv shows on Hulu.com. Apparently, at least for some, the price of having to sit through American commercials (not even intended for them) is worth paying for the instant entertainment gratification that unauthorized torrent downloading does not yet provide (at current bandwidth speeds).
Hulu has even insired [...]

Coney Island has experienced a decline in recent years, owing to rising costs of real estate, mismanaged development proposals and a general economic downturn.  But despite all of these setbacks, the core aspects of the “world’s playground” remain intact.  Recognizing this, a new initiative spearheaded by the Municipal Art Society of New York is in the early stages of planning, hoping to return the area to its former glory. Aptly named Imagine Coney, the project brings together “world-class architects, engineers, amusement designers and creative producers” to collaborate on a new vision for future of the beleaguered neighborhood.

An initial meeting took place [...]

John Geraci, creator of Outside.In, recently introduced us to his latest project, DIYcity, a site and online-offline community devoted to “finding ways people can make their cities work better with the use of emerging web technologies.” DIYcity asks users to share their ideas on how to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability in their cities through user-built web applications (i.e. apps built on Twitter, Google Maps mash-ups, etc). Anyone in the community can submit problems they see within their cities, which others are then encouraged to suggest solutions for and/or develop apps to help alleviate them. The site just launched [...]

Londonist points us to a great social art project to be unveiled at the Tate Modern this weekend. As part of artist Cildo Meireles’ Malhas de Liberdade / Meshes of Freedom piece, thousands of Londoners were mailed a set of three orange plastic rods, all parts of a gigantic mesh to be assembled at the museum on the on Saturday. The community-assembled piece will become part of Meireles’ ongoing series of mathematically- and literary-inspired mesh works, which have been seen three iterations since his first mesh piece appeared in 1976 (in the form of cotton weaved together by a fisherman [...]

We love Eric Ripert’s simple and engaging new project: Dinner Social, a way for (aspiring) chefs, foodies, and anyone else who appreciates a good meal to share a unique Ripert-style dining experience on their own. Ripert provides the menu, which includes two canapés and three courses (first, main and dessert), all chosen with the season’s freshest ingredients in mind. The Michelin star chef will even suggest wine pairings for each stage of the meal and a “step-by-step plan that will allow you to enjoy the party rather than working at the stove for the whole time.” Dinner Social hosts around [...]