StoryCorps – Emotionally charged stories of fathers and daughters, grand-folks and grandchildren, mothers and sisters usually come into play behind closed doors. However, when such stories entail a great deal of fascination, thought provocation and inspiration, other members of the community have just as much to gain from these familial insights. StoryCorps is a non-profit that provides the platform for sharing poignant narratives and stories of American families from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Each audio conversation presents two related individuals, spelling the precious beans of their family history and personal anecdotes. StoryCorps has managed to move me and made me reach for my Kleenex box in just five minutes (in a good way of course). In this age of intense consumerism and remote interaction that results from our digital era, StoryCorps reminds us what’s really important. Families all over are invited to record and share their stories.
Click on the photos below to listen to the conversations that moved me the most.
Dropbox – Having all your important files available at all times is now possible via Dropbox. In the past, when I’d want to make sure I could always access an important document I would email it to myself. That’s a pretty sure-fire method but Dropbox takes this concept to a whole new level. Using a cloud computing-like technology, saving any file in your Dropbox immediately saves it on all your devices, including desktop, laptop and mobile. The download is free, and this is one tool you will most definitely be thankful for. According to the Dropbox team, their “passion is making a product that rocks and putting it in millions of people’s hands.” The Dropbox service definitely rocks! I already have it installed and I advise you to do the same. See their video to really see what’s in store.
Soundation – Among the major players of free music mixing software out there, Soundation stands out. The sleek interface, the multitude of sound options and instruments, and the professional capabilities so easily implemented make Soundation a music mixing heaven on earth. According to the Soundation team, this amazing software is “a powerful online sequencer with 11 real time effects, 3 synthesizers, a drum machine and a fully integrated Sound Shop.” These guys really are the top dog team in this business, seen as they’ve developed music mixing software for Apple, Cakewalk, Yamaha, Sony, Propellerheads, Abelton Live and Microsoft. Enough credentials for you? Start mixing away!
Looklet – Creating a look from start to finish was never so thorough and so much fun on the Web as it is with Looklet. Choose your model, the background, and start styling her using the hundreds of items in each category. There is a copious number of different tops, pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, bags and other accessories to choose from. When I think about it, the only downside to Looklet is the huge variety. Below is a before and after look of my created look, but if you’d like to get some more inspiration before you begin, check out the looks other users have created. In addition, users can rate individual clothing and accessory items, and see which items are buzzing the most. Styling is so much fun!
YoWindow – Experience weather like never before with this super cool animated weather tool, showing you the weather conditions in a moving caption on your entire desktop. In addition to current conditions, YoWindow also offers week-long forecasts so you’ll always know what to expect for the days ahead. This is an original, first of its kind (and free!) weather service you should check out. To get a clearer idea of how YoWindow works, see the video below.
KneeBouncers – This comprehensive educational website for small children is every parent’s dream. The colorful children’s online play-and-learn place is not only fun but also offers a head start for your little curious bundles of joy. Get your kid hooked on learning shapes, colors and the alphabet among other topics, and enjoy some much needed rest while he or she is busy learning. Take advantage of the downloads section for some great offline fun, including coloring sheets and games. In short, if you have a young pre-schooler at home, KneeBouncers is a two-fold (free) present you should really make use of.
I would like to get your input on this site: what faveline on our Kids page you feel best suits KneeBouncers?
The Johnny Cash Project – The memory of one of America’s most renowned and controversial folk singers, Johnny cash, is kept alive beautifully on the Web, via the Johnny Cash Project. This community collaborated initiative offers users worldwide to take part in commemorating the great singer by “working with a single image as a template, and using a custom drawing tool.” This way “you’ll create a unique and personal portrait of Johnny. Your work will then be combined with art from participants around the world, and integrated into a collective whole: a music video for “Ain’t No Grave”, rising from a sea of one-of-a-kind portraits.”
See some of the top rated portraits submitted by users, accompanied by the amazing voice of Johnny, or start making your own. It’s easy and it will expose the creative side you never knew existed.
Catch the Film – This video and short films aggregate offers a huge collection of ‘upper class’ content. That means more intelligent content to consume without the necessity of searching for those videos on YouTube, Vimeo and the like. Although some of the films here are better than others, Catch the Film has an overall score that’s high enough to be a Weekly Fave… To see what I’m talking about, check out the video below about Google (by Comedy.com) and see for yourself.
Empty Kingdom – Relish in exquisite works of art on this superb and highly creative site. Visit Empty Kingdom’s various categories, including Film, Illustration & Art, New Media (advertising, graphic design, typography, etc.), Photography and Interviews. This is by no means just another art blog. This one IS different, both in terms of content and concepts. There’s no doubt about it, and you will agree with me after you explore Empty Kingdom a bit; this place is inundated with amazing talent.
Click on the pics below to see the posts and works of the artists I was most impressed with.
Photo by Steve McCurry
Illustration by Jillian Tamaki
Feed Mee – You’re going to have to be the perfect waitress waiting on these hungry zombie-like creatures. This reminds the diner/cafe games where multitasking skills are everything. Show the guests their table, take orders and serve the food without making your guests angry, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. For more cool games stay on top with our I ♥ Games page and be among the first to get the best games out there.
Recorded Future – Think of a calculated guess gone radical. Think of the power that lies in an information center specializing in realistic social, political, even economic predictions of the future. Sounds far fetched? Well, say hello to Recorded Future, a small Boston company specializing in just that. According to their About page, the company’s “linguistics and statistics algorithms extract time-related information and through temporal reasoning helps users understand relationships between entities and events over time, to form the world’s first temporal analytics engine.”
Making use of this innovative information technology is easy. There is no cumbersome sign up process; all you have to do is pick your areas of interest (i.e., technology, finance, you, public figures, etc.), and your desired frequency of the updates from Recorded Future sent to your email. You will then receive your user name and password in your inbox, after which you’re good to go. Once you have the search results of your requested field you can see what sources helped to create that forecast, see graphs showing the progress through time and loads more.
The Recorded Future concept is definitely unique. Although these guys might come across as pretentious to some, I seriously think they’re on to something here. Besides, the amount of and the way in which information is circulated, fed and created these days, it was only a matter of time till a group of algorithm experts would build a data-based fortune telling machine. I’m subscribed. What about you? To get you started, watch the Recorded Future video below.
AUPEO! – This personalized radio station service is a must stop in your daily wanderings on the Web. It’s a bold statement, I know, but hear me out. Aside from a sexy interface design, AUPEO! collaborates with top quality music radio stations online, delivering a much appreciated high quality sound. Simply choose your favorite genre du jour and pick your station. Currently there are only one or two stations you can listen to for free. The rest are accessible only via premium account. I managed to get an electronic kick from AUPEO! without paying anything, and you’re invited to do the same!
