VisualEconomics.com – Investments, loans, consumption expenditures and saving are financial terms we hear and read about everyday. But do we really understand what they mean? Excluding the professionals involved in the finance field, most laypersons often find it difficult to truly grasp the meaning behind published financial data, despite the increased accessibility we all have to related reports, numbers and information (thanks to the use of the Internet).
VisualEconomics is here to simplify our understanding of the financial market by offering down-to-earth content and explanations of some of the most complicated economic concepts and implications. Although VisualEconomics includes an abundance of break down information on various financial terms, it is their infographics section that truly makes them shine. Think of it as the cumbersome world of financial concepts, simplified. The infographic “How Much Americans Spend on Shopping” is but one example of the VisualEconomics magic. Enjoy and learn.
Strange Maps – Created by the map connoisseur Frank Jacobs, the Strange Maps blog has been around since 2006. Frank “collects and comments on all kinds of intriguing maps—real, fictional, and what-if ones,” transforming the world of maps from a dry information tool to serving as an insightful and intriguing source of information and ideas.
Strange Maps is the Weekly Blogs winner, which is why it was included in last week’s Weekly Fave lineup. Visiting the Big Think’s blog will make you think entirely different on what maps are and how people use them to convey messages and meanings. Start with the fascinating post on “Planet Berlin” (click on the photo below) and you will start looking differently at maps.
Mixcloud – Finding and listening to free music online is a piece of cake, thanks to the various web radio services out there. Even video giant YouTube can be swayed to serve as an online playlist (although it has its drawbacks -continuous play is possible only via the queue). But think about how cool it would be if one place were to combine excellent filtered music -numerous genres- with educational, comedy, politics and other podcasts? Well, Mixcloud is here and it ‘cloudcasts’ all of the above.
The audio on Mixlcoud streams in super high quality, and the social aspect of the site lets you follow favorite DJs and podcasts. Oh, and it’s FREE! Need I say more? This is one of my favorite sites this month.
To learn more about what is Mixcloud and how it works, check out their About video. I also recommend tuning in to my current favorite playlist on Mixlcoud, United World Radio – Show #18 – Summer Grooves. Enjoy.
Gather – This site offers a totally different approach to staying up to date with what’s going on in the world and in our life. It is “the place where millions and millions of people come for fresh perspective on what’s happening now. Gather members can share their own views and join in conversation with others who share their interests.” Thanks to their broad network of talented freelance writers and dedicated members, Gather offers great content for over 15,000 (!) groups.
See this cool gardening group I found on Gather. I think I’ll join this group to get some much needed tips on how to keep my plants alive and well…
For those of you who haven’t fully explored it yet, AllMyFaves offers a whole page dedicated to a most important subject: Education. Suitable for curious souls, students of all ages, teachers and homeschooling parents, the Education page aims to provide a comprehensive resource for practically every field related to learning, teaching and research, both in and outside the classroom.
Thus far we’ve been getting great feedback on the Education page, and we’re delighted students and teachers across the country are making use of the top resources this page has to offer. Take Writings on the Wall, an edu blog of an English teacher (Mrs. Brill) for example. Mrs. Brill introduced the AMF Eduction page to her students as a “favorite homework helper.” Speaking of teachers, AllMyFaves also has a Teachers Mini Faves page available, listing the very top teacher resources the Web has to offer. These include a myriad of tools from classroom technology aids and educational videos to lesson plans, educational blogs and visualization tools for the classroom.
Whether you are a teacher, a pupil or an academic student, the Education page has something for everyone. A world of knowledge awaits you!
This is a picture of the Teachers Mini Faves. Would you like to create your own Mini Faves page? It’s free! Join All My Faves and start customizing your own visual page.
Climate Central – This godsend independent nonprofit organization offers the public with all the content, reports and statistics you could possibly imagine on climate change, global warming and energy. Climate Central, acting as a central authoritative source for climate change information, is beautifully designed and truly offers a comprehensive look at the causes, consequences and by products of climate change.
Aside from breaking news, huge library and climopedia, Climate Central also offers a remarkable gallery section that takes the entire topic and understanding of climate change to a whole new level. The gallery offers amazing tools such as graphics, maps, microanimations and collections. See the More CO2, More Poison Ivy graphic below for the tip of Climate Central’s information iceberg.
In short, Climate Central is a most valuable resource to educators, scientists and professionals of the field, or simply curious laypersons such as you and me.
The Hot Word – Dictionary.com, the Web’s most widely used reference, dictionary and thesaurus source, has recently created a fun extension; the Hot Word. Taking terms from current affairs and relevant news stories, the Hot Word is here to simplify complicated words while adding in a little bit of context and interest.
To show you the Hot Word in action, let’s take the recent ‘bigot’ remarks that cost CNN’s Rick Sanchez his job; the Hot Word dives deep into the term “bigot” and not only gives its definition, but also provides a brief etymological account of the word’s origin and history. For another example, see why bankruptcy is often referred to as Chapter 11.
YTTM.tv – Go back in time with YTTM.tv, a huge video-based time capsule offering great historic and entertaining videos of various themes (video games, television, commercials, current events, sports, movies and music). Play with the year bar on top to see videos representing crucial and interesting moments in a specific year -as early as 1870!
To see an example of what I mean, see the video below by the film pioneer brother Louis Lumières , shooting the street on Broadway and Union Square, New York in 1896. Oh, and if you have an interesting video you think should be included in YTTM’s colossal collection, click the Add A Video button and pay your tribute to history.
Ignite – This great concept reminded me of TED, only that Ignite is more bite-sized, offering five minute videos and talks of inspiring and insightful ideas and theories. Ignite is not so much a website as it is an event and phenomena; Ignite events have already taken place in over 100 cities worldwide, where presenters “share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes.”
Ignite events are sponsored by Bing and Facebook, and I strongly encourage you to visit the site if only to explore their video section of past Ignite talks and events. The next couple Ignite events will take place in Portland, Phoenix and Denver (Sep-Oct 2010), so if you’ll be around these locations this and next month, I suggest you stop by. See the video below I enjoyed watching, by Julia Grace on Are You Really as Cool as You Seem on Facebook? Happy discoveries…
56 Sage Street – Brought to us by Barclays, this super fun game will teach you how to earn money the right way, avoid scams and fraud, and save up. Play this mission-based game and help your character earn money and rewards within a givin time period. During that time, you will have to work, find a place to stay for the night and eat so you’ll have the strength to work again… The superbly executed game, 56 Sage Street is an innovative way to teach us all on how to live within budget, and how to save up for what’s important.
See if you manage to score all 50 rewards and show your Facebook friends how well you did on the game (sign in with Facebook Connect). And most importantly, enjoy!
Explore Your Memory – BBC always does it right, and their Science & Nature website is no exception. Learn more on and test your brain’s memory functions, both short and long term, and see how well you perform compared to other users who have taken this test.
Don’t worry: this ‘test’ is a great deal of fun and interest. I had the best time exploring subjects such as color identification, short term memory of number sequences, spatial memory and more. I also suggest taking this test a second time, several days after you’ve taken it for the first time. You will still be surprised at how difficult it is to remember certain things (it’ll be different for each of you).
Climate Culture – Everybody’s talking about the pressing need to change the way we live today to help the environment and reduce our impact on the planet. That’s obvious. But now for the first time we have an actual fun tool that will help us “make smarter choices that reduce your impact on climate change and save some cash.” That’s right. Climate Culture offers an amazing, creative and bottom line saver you should start making use of a.s.a.p.
To make our footprint’s impact more comprehensible and proportioned, Climate Culture assigns you an island that reflects your current effect on the environment; you’ll see there coal and gas power plants, transit forms, work area, etc. As you continue to commit to reducing your impact via Reduction Center (see screen shot below), you will earn more points, save cash and see your island -your life- become greener and more sustainable. Climate Culture offers an innovative, fun and most importantly, effective community tool to help each and every one of us improve both our life and the environment. Kudos, Climate Culture!
