Philanthroper – The concept of Philanthroper resembles the one of Groupon, only in the non-profit arena. In the FAQ section Philanthroper explains: “You know those daily deal sites? We’re another one of those. But instead of selling something, we’re sharing the story of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit every day. And if you’d like, you can give them $1. We’re trying to make doing good a habit.”
Philanthroper.com is beautifully designed and uses large high resolution photos to make an impact, and rightly so. Some of the ‘recent deals’ include Reef Check and The People’s Music School, although last Sunday’s deal for Canine Assistants touched me the most – see the image below. Users taking part in Philanthroper’s deals make only $1 donations so the commitment is minimal, but the help is immense. Great website.
Nimmo Bay Interactive 360 Video – What a better way to advertise a helicopter resort in British Columbia than to shoot a 360 angle video from a helicopter? Hit play and click & drag your mouse on the video to look anywhere, regardless of the helicopter’s flight direction or angle! The scenery is amazing, but the comprehensive view ability is even better. Here’s the video below. Enjoy.
Orangette – I just love it when a cooking blog is able to not only produce refreshing and inspiring recipes on a regular basis, but to keep doing it for years. The Web is full of cooking blogs, some of which are in my personal RSS list, but only a few are able to keep their top-notch content year in, year out. Ornagette is one of those selected few, and it scored lots of visits while it was featured as a Weekly Blog.
Written by the lovely Molly Wizenberg who has also published the fantastic book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table (Simon & Schuster, 2009, available at Amazon), Orangette’s first post was published back in 2004. The blog is packed with my favorite cooking blog must-have elements: beautifully written content, mouth-watering recipes, and stunning photos (taken by Molly herself!). See the pics below and click them to get to their respective posts: Whole Wheat Sablés with Cacao Nibs and Plum Crumble, respectively.
From Your Desks – Another Weekly Blog winner, From Your Desks is an inspiring website with a unique concept: “A working collaborative on the canvas of the desk. Both creative + everyday. Plus old work spaces, products and design ideas. Looking at the way we work.”
Every day a new post presents the desk/office environment of working professionals, some of whom you will know, others you will learn about for the first time. By examining the work space of each of these professionals, we get a glimpse of the intricate life of creative people; how they work, what inspires them, even what they enjoy the most in their desk’s surroundings.
Here are a couple of desk entries I found at From Your Desks. Click them to read the full post.
Makes Me Think – This FMyLife alternative is “an online community where people share daily life stories that provoke deep thought and inspire positive change,” hence the ‘Makes Me Think’ or MMT motto. What looks like a list of random notes is, once you read it, a collection of compelling revelations that will challenge whatever prejudices and life axioms you were living by up until now.
MMT is a world of inspiring and thought-provoking stories submitted anonymously, and presented in bite-size paragraphs. Here’s one of my favorites (found it under Top MMT Stories):
“Today in downtown San Diego, I watched a blue collar Mexican man get harassed for being Mexican. It was a blatant act of discrimination. And the man actually began crying. As he left the office building, he took off his jacket. His t-shirt underneath read, “I love the USA!” MMT
Have a compelling story of your own to share? Click the Submit button on the top and inspire others.
NFB/Interative: Crash Course – Brought to us by the National Film Board of Canada, Crash Course is the creative project of Nobu Adilman and The Secret Location, exploring innovative perspectives on the US recession, in Argentina. Sounds crazy? Wait till you find out the connection between Tango lessons and a slow economy. Prepare yourself for an amazing interactive experience. This is simply a must.
We have recently added new useful faevlines and Mini pages for you to explore on allmyfaves.com. We’re excited about these new additions and I thought I’d present these to you here. Let’s begin, shall we?
Cable TV Mini page. This is one of the most comprehensive cable TV resources you can find online. You’ll find here all the official websites of major channels, including less mainstream yet equally entertaining cable TV ones so you can satisfy all your TV entertainment needs. Get your favorite show’s schedule, see upcoming shows and movies, watch videos of interviews with the stars, independent films and trailers, and lots of more great content, conveniently located in one place. To access the Cable TV Mini page click here, or go to the Entertainment page and hit ‘TV.”
Lifestyle Faveline and Mini Page. This unique collection of lifestyle websites will make you motivated, inspired and energized, and it’s one of my personal favorites. The faveline includes a top-notch lineup of insightful websites and blogs addressing better and healthier living, great food, tips for a saner state of mind in a busy, chaotic world, style and culture, and great hacks for a soothing atmosphere at home.
You can access the Lifestyle faveline by going to Blogs and scrolling down alphabetically to “L.” Clicking the faveline’s title will prompt you the Mini Faves page where you will find many more better living resources you don’t want to miss!
Brand New Games Faveline: Flight. Airplanes, flight simulators, landing strips – we’ve got it all here in this fresh-out-of-the-box faveline and category page, especially for you! We’ve got Naval Strike, Sim Air Traffic, Helistorm 2 and many many others! Roger that.
Fashism – Ladies, we’ve all been there before. We put on a new dress, pants or top. We turn to our girlfriend or boyfriend/husband, asking “how do I look?” If a far too considerate, sugar-coated answer is what you’re getting instead of an honest response, Fashism is your solution. Founded by fashion columnist Brooke Moreland, and cleverly marketed by Ashley Granata, Fashism is here to give you a sincere feedback on your look or newly purchased apparel item.
Simply upload an image (you can do so via iPhone as well), and let the community have its say through ratings and comments. Although signing up to Fashism is extremely rewarding, you do not necessarily have to be a registered user to upload pics and get feedback on your look. Having an account though can earn you points which can bring you discounts and special offers, so why not register? Here are a couple of great looks I found here on Fashism.
Photo by Lerush
Photo by Armywife502
1000 Memories – Cherishing the life of a loved one we lost always involves emotional difficulties, but sharing and experiencing it with others who new that person make it much easier to cope with, and transform the memory into a special one. 1000 Memories is a free service that helps you “build a space to share photos, record stories, and memories with family and friends.”
Continue Reading →
Co. Design – This Fast Company creative project/magazine is loaded with inspiring ideas, beautyful design and superbly written content. According to its editor, Co. Design aims to “bridge the fuzzy border between design and business.” The Co. Design team believes a company’s most important employees are not the CEO, CFO or big shot directors, but rather the designers who design the company’s product, and this approach is pleasantly visible throughout the site.
This winner Weekly Blog offers my ideal kind of posts; large high quality images tastefully garnishing insightful content. To see an example, click the image below which is part of the slideshow post The Last Meals of Death Row Inmates, Beautifully Recreated (Slideshow).
Images by and courtesy of James Reynolds
FatCap – I have never seen such a comprehensive resource of graffiti online that is also beautifully designed, regularly updated and full of inspiration such as that called FatCap. What started out as a simple photo gallery site gradually evolved into the global resource FatCap is today, dedicated to providing “a top-notch yet simple product, to give an exhaustive snapshot of the street-art culture all over the world.”
I recommend diving right into the site’s Pictures section, but if you’d like a quick taste, here are a couple of photos taken by Chip Thomas that appeared in FatCap’s article called No Reservation. It’s simply stunning.
Every year it’s the same story; we promise ourselves this time we’ll get a grip and stop smoking, lose weight or better manage our expenses. For some reason, most New Year resolutions end up being nothing more than a good intention listed in our to-do tasks, but never really coming into fruition. Well, this year we have some excellent Web aids to help you stick to your resolutions and make them happen.
43 Things is a great site we’ve already recommended as a useful New Year resolution helper, and for a good reason. It’s a well known fact that kicking a deep-rooted habit is difficult, especially if you’re doing it on your own. 43 Things offers the community support -the ‘buddy system’- to make sure you make that change successfully. 43 Things is a terrific New Year resolution tool since it’s your security net, regardless of what change you vowed to make in your life.
The relevance of Match.com and other dating sites to New Year resolutions is, on one hand, redundant but on the other, extremely important. Don’t let bad date stories scare you when it comes to online dating. Match.com is one of the best you can find, and there are many happily married couples who have met each other right here on this site. Give it a try, you might find the love of your life!
One of the most effective personal finance tools you can find on the Web, Mint.com (an Intuit company) is a top-notch (and free) budget software to help you better manage your funds, expenses and future financial plans. We’re not the only ones who think Mint.com is a champ (we’ve listed it on our Business page under Personal finance)- this site received high-profile coverage from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and it received prestigious awards from TIME, PC Magazine, and CNN’s Money Magazine. Let’s put it this way; if you’re looking for a simple and efficient tool for managing your money, Mint.com is your answer.
If you’re a smoker, there’s no need for me to list the life and money loss you’re risking by keeping this literally dirty habit. If you decide that 2011 will go down as the year you quit smoking, make use of the government site SmokeFree.gov to make this a clean-lunged reality. This portal is packed with practical tips, facts, starter kits and lots of support to help you in every step of the way (including well after you’ve stopped smoking). Here’s to a better and longer life.
Going green used to be an expensive ordeal, but that was years ago. These days minimizing your ecological footprint is so feasible it’s a crime not to do it. The Daily Green is your one-stop place for living better, healthier, and helping the planet. Although the site’s news section is fascinating and inspiring, the Daily Green’s Tips & Advice page offers all the info you need to change your life for the better, both now and in the future. It’s all very easy and not as expensive as you would think. Go Green and be happy!
Getting fit is perhaps the most challenging New Year resolution of all, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. That’s Fit, a comprehensive diet and exercise blog from AOL is a perfect starting point for losing weight and instilling a regular exercise routine in your life. Explore the variety of diets and workouts, see what tips celebrities share, and most importantly, check out That’s Fit’s success & motivation section to help you stick to your plan.
Learning something new or simply reading more, the Google eBookstore takes care of both New Year resolutions. Whether you’re interested in science, science fiction, history, art, business or anything in-between, the eBookstore by Google has a world of knowledge waiting to be explored (and read). It’s super accessible, and the reading interface Google has created makes the experience all the more wholesome. What a great example of some seriously good reads!