Find Your Next Favorite Artist

I think I have pretty good taste when it comes to music. After all, I've never recommended a band I didn't like.

But like most people, I love to discover new music. I also love new ways to discover music, like the visually compelling, intuitively simple website We Are Hunted. It's an online music chart that scours blogs, social networks, forums, Twitter, and other online sources to map out the top 99 songs online...and stream them on demand. Check it out. Often.

Grad School on the Cheap?

Over the last few months, Heather's expressed a desire to return to school for her Master's in Social Work. Actually, she even applied. We'll see what happens and where the Lord leads (which, turns out, could be virtually anywhere. See hmcolletto.blogspot.com for any developments in that unfolding saga).

Anyway, all this talk about further education naturally got me thinking about grad school myself. I mean, I've kicked the idea around for years now but, to be honest, nothing specific has ever jumped out at me. Well, except for this program from American University. Totally up my alley. Sadly, the price jumps out a little, too, and not in a good way. Yikes.

So, in lieu of a patron (I'm taking applications if any of you are interested), now I'm looking at cheaper ways to continue lifelong learning. Take, for example, Academic Earth—a website offering free video instruction from top profs at institutes like Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yale on topics ranging from economics to mathematics. Lectures aren't available for credit, of course, and are of little value to one's resume, but provide an interesting educational exercise nonetheless.

I'd Ride That

I'm no cyclist. Haven't really ridden a bike since sophomore year of college when someone stole mine, ditched it, and left it for campus security to pick up. Of course, I'd alerted campus security of the theft and gave them a description of the bike, so when it turned up...they, honest, competent people that there were, sold it to the RD of one of the dorms, who, two years later, put it up for sale one day as I was passing by. Yes, I bought it back. Never rode it again, though. Very sad story.

Anyway, I'm not a cyclist. Nor am I an urban commuter. But Gocycle's forthcoming lightweight electric bike sounds sweet enough to convert me to becoming one (an urban-cyclist-commuter-man, that is). Their website's a little spartan right now, consisting only of a logo (seriously), but you can read more about the bike here. I am a little concerned it'll be out of my price range but, meh, who am I kidding about becoming an urban-cyclist-commuter-man anyway?

Don't know why it sounds so appealing. Maybe it's the spring air...

Play It Forward

I recently learned of Akoha, a "social reality game" inspired by the concept of pay it forward. In essence, it's a hybrid online/offline card game designed to tap into the power of online communities to accomplish real-world good. So you can earn karma points and track the spread of random acts of kindness across the world. It's really quite a neat idea. Not quite as inspiring, perhaps, as IfWeRanTheWorld, but it's still a creative idea with potential positive impact.

Learn more...

If We Ran the World...

I was super excited when I read a Wired article about plans to launch a website called IfWeRanTheWorld.com. Today, the site is nothing more than a platform to recruit help to make the site happen...a fitting start for the start-up crowdsourcing project.

Its aim, when launched, is to convert intent into action. Conceived by marketing veteran Cindy Gallop and software developer Wendell Davis, IfWeRantheWorld.com is designed to motivate people to make small contributions toward achieving big things. How? By breaking even the most overwhelming initiatives (e.g., "end world hunger") into irreducible, bite-sized and achievable individual tasks, so that when people find themselves wishing they could do something about some injustice or need in the world, they actually can.

Here's how it works. A simple, Google-like search box on the site will greet first-time visitors with the partially-completed sentence, "If I ran the world I would...." Their entries join a database of action platforms, which platform originators and community members break down into discrete tasks -- irreducible atoms of action. Members complete these tasks, assign them to friends, offer kudos for jobs well done and offer advice to various action platforms. Completed tasks and kudos appear on your profile page, which lists everything you've done.

It's a brilliant concept (read the full article here). So, start thinking of what you'd do if you ran the world...and stay posted.

Make a Buck Spring Cleaning

When Heather and I were packing up our life to move to Slovakia, we made it a priority to downsize, donate, and discard whenever appropriate. I think we made a run to Goodwill every week. We also tried to make a few bucks by selling clothes to Plato's Closet and selling just about anything else of value on craigslist. Just before we left—too late for us—I learned about two websites dedicated to buying used electronics. You're not going to turn a profit, but you'll get a fair price. Besides, it beats the hassle of setting up a yard sale... and the eco-guilt of dumping your gadgets in the garbage.

Gazelle: This slick service lets you pawn your old cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3 players, PDAs, laptops, game consoles, GPS devices, monitors, movies, external drives, and satellite radios for current market value. If your device turns out to be worthless, they'll still offer to recycle the item for you. Shipping is always free.

Buy My Tronics: These guys don't accept quite as many different items as Gazelle, but they'll accept them in any condition. Plus, their service is worldwide. Free shipping is also available.

And hey, don't forget about RecycleBank. What could possibly beat making money by taking out the trash? It's like getting an allowance for chores again.

Have Guides, Will Travel

You know you want to come visit Heather and me in Slovakia, so I figured I'd make it easy by putting together a few travel guides for you. OK, that's not completely honest--I just typed "Bratislava, Slovakia" into TripWolf.com and it made one for me. For free. You can check it out here and download the PDF.

Whatever your destination, if you haven't checked out TripWolf and/or Offbeat Guides yet, you're missing out on a lot of awesome. Also visit traveldk--they don't offer guides for the breadth of destinations as the other sites, but offer very solid info nonetheless.

Of course, if you are, in fact, planning a visit to Slovakia, feel free to skip out on the travel guides altogether--Heather and I would be more than thrilled to put you up in our quirky little flat and put together an exhilerating itinerary for you. I'm just saying...

Harry Potter versus Heather

My dearest Heather, after protesting for years that Harry Potter was beneath her and her English degree, is now officially consumed by the series. She hardly spoke to me yesterday except to say, with fierce intensity, "Go away! Leave me alone!" as she tore through the last couple hundred pages of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. When she finished, she immediately curled up in a ball and refused to leave the refuge of her covers. I think someone might be emotionally invested in the story...

fonolo: Saving Your Sanity

Raise your hand if you love dialing 1-800 numbers and fighting through a maze of pre-recorded touch-tone phone tree menu options before finally being put on hold for half an hour so you can ask a surly customer service representative your simple question.

What? No hands? Didn't think so. Neither did fonolo, the genius company that decided to transcribe the phone menus of large companies so you can navigate them visually and skip the hassle.

'Pick the company you need, scan through their phone menu visually, then just click the spot you need to call. fonolo will automatically dial, navigate their menu and then dial your phone. When you answer, you will be connected to the right spot in the menu. We call that “Deep Dialing”. You’ll call it smart.'

No. I call it brilliant.

You Should Have Seen This

I recently stumbled upon youshouldhaveseenthis.com. This rather pretentiously named URL hosts a "definitive list of the 99 things you should have already experienced on the internet unless you're a loser or old or something," graciously compiled by someone named Greg Rutter. He's a copywriter, so I respect that, but I'm not sure what gives him the right to suggest I'm an old loser for the simple reason that I hadn't, until I found his stupid list, wasted 4 minutes of my life watching Charlie the badly animated Unicorn getting his kidney stolen. But, hey, if you've got a lot of time on your hands and nothing good to do with it (be warned: in both professional and social circles we call such people "losers")... check it out.

Sorry, that was harsh. And hypocritical. I've laughed at many of these clips myself. As for the clips I haven't seen, I must confess I've bookmarked the site for future time-wasting reference.

A Strong Argument for the Smart Car

Remember what I mentioned briefly about the chaotic traffic and parking situation in Greece? Let's call that "the problem". Now, let me introduce "the solution":

What I Learned in Greece

I recently spent five days in Thessaloniki, Greece working on a project for my employer. Yeah, rough job, but hey -- someone had to do it. Anyway, the trip was a success (you can read more about it here and here), and, in the process, I learned a few things about Greek culture:

1. Everything is philosophical.
   
2. Breakfast is a cup of coffee on the way to work, lunch is at 2 p.m., and dinner is no earlier than eight o'clock. One restaurant literally had to unlock the doors for us when we arrived at 8:30 p.m.
   
3. Greek food is indescribably good and served in massive quantities. There's a reason they typically pass on breakfast.
   
4. All laws are "elastic". This is especially true of their traffic laws. Suffice it to say one of our coworkers was mowed down by a motorcycle while crossing the street (don't worry, she's okay!).
   

Here are some photos:

For more pictures from the trip, check out my photo album on Picasa.

Global Warming Kills Snowman!

In the interest of full disclosure, this post has nothing to do with global warming. And it's well below freezing here, for the record. I was just looking for an excuse to share pictures of my little Austrian snowman. He lived a short but happy life.

(WARNING: some of the following images may be disturbing to small children. Parental supervision advised.)

Swap CDs for an iPod Touch

I just got my first MP3 player two months ago. Yeah, I know, I'm about 10 years behind the times. Still, before you mock me, check this: it's a 16GB 2nd generation iPod Touch...and I got it for free. (Sort of.) How did this come to pass? Glad you asked.

Allow me to introduce you to iPodmeister, a NY company that accepts a certain number of your used CDs in exchange for an iPod of your choice — finally, vindication for keeping my CDs, their original jewel cases, and album artwork in such good condition. Plus, they give you all your music back as iPod-ready MP3 files. Jealous? Dig up your old CDs, my friend, and trade 'em in.

PS — If, unlike me, you've been rocking an iPod for the last 7 years and don't want or need a new one, there's still a special little treat out there for you: the TuneUp Companion for iTunes. Go.

So, Funny Story...

See the lady being led away by law enforcement officials? The one accused of embezzling nearly half a million dollars? That's our former landlord.

Get Rewarded for Recycling

I love it when people translate awesome ideas into positive action. Naturally, I was stoked to learn about RecycleBank — a Philadelphia-based company dedicated to creating incentives for recycling. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Recycle. You're probably doing this part already (right...?). The only difference with RecycleBank is that it's easier than ever thanks to their uber-smart single stream recycling process. In plain English: you can dump your paper, plastic, and aluminum recyclables all in the same bin. Brilliant.

Step 2: Record. OK, so this isn't just any ordinary bin. It's a big blue bin with an RFID chip embedded in it that links to your family's (or community's) RecycleBank account. They call them "smart carts". So, every week when your recycling is collected, your cart gets weighed and scanned right at the curb. The system records the weight, converts it to points, and immediately credits your account.

Step 3: Reward. You'll earn 2.5 RecycleBank points for every pound of recyclable materials in your bin, and you can redeem these points at hundreds of local and national retailers, from Target and IKEA to the pottery shop down the street. Plus, you get tons of warm green fuzzies for diverting trash from landfills to save trees and gallons of oil.

Interested in learning more? Click here to watch The Cycle — a animated, interactive look at the process of single stream recycling. Already sold? Just request service. If RecycleBank is already operating in your community, they'll hook you up right away; if not, they'll let you know when the program becomes available in your area. So far, they have no plans to expand to Slovakia, but for all you back in the states, hop to it! Enjoy the rewards.

A Cool New Way to Learn

Picture this: I'm working in various applications on my computer — writing an email, browsing my iTunes library, reading RSS feeds, stalking people on Facebook — and, every few minutes, a little notification appears to teach me Spanish...or the periodic table of elements. It's learning without studying, and they call it Popling — "a website + desktop app for people who want to learn, but lack motivation." I call it awesome. I'm totally going to learn Japanese. (Slovak isn't available...yet.)

Watch the screencast below to see Popling in action:

The Hamster's New Home

And so the saga has a happy ending. You may recall from my earlier post back in December that, for awhile, Heather and I didn't know what to do with our dear hamster, Pisco. Not long after I considered the ill-conceived plan of taking him on an international flight and smuggling him through customs, our friend Lauren agreed to adopt him. She sent us a few pictures the other day and the little fellow seems to be doing quite well in his new home. Apparently, he's getting lots of attention from his new family. He's even befriended their dog, Bandit (at least from within the relative safety of his ball).

You Can't Judge a Life by Its Blog

You'd think, judging by the recent inactivity on my blog, that my life has been extremely dull the past few weeks. Nothing could be further from the truth. Behold:

December 25 – 26: Heather and I spent Christmas morning with my brother and parents, Christmas afternoon/evening with my Granddaddy and my aunt and uncle, and Christmas night with Heather's family (including my new niece, Anabelle!) in Moorestown, NJ. The next morning and early afternoon was spent with Heather's family, and after saying goodbyes, we drove to my Grandmommy's (yes, I still call her that) house for more time with my family. We spent that night packing the car...

December 27 – 30: Early Saturday morning we bid farewell to my family and started our road trip to Omaha via Ohio! We got to spend two days with a handful of our college friends in the Cedarville area: Josh & Abbie Cobb, Daron & Ashley Day, Aimee Auclair, and Robert & Rebecca Reid. Then we spent a night with Ryan & Bethany Dunlap in Cincinnati (and stopped at the vacant house of John & Kim Patton in Iowa) before continuing to Omaha.

December 31 – January 1: Shortly after arriving at Heather's parents' house in Nebraska, we got back in the car for yet another road trip. Heather and I spent New Year's Eve at the Hotel Phillips in Kansas City, MO with Heather's best friend Brittany and her husband, Andrew. We ate at Bristols (best. salmon. ever.) in the new downtown area and dropped in on the local new year's party/club scene before retiring to our rooms to play card games like the unashamed old married couples we are.January 2 – 3: Heather and Brittany were bridesmaids in their childhood friend Morgan's wedding. Good times were had by all.
January 5: January 5 marked our first anniversary! We spent the night in downtown Omaha at the Magnolia hotel (highly recommended, btw) — when we returned to our room after dinner at Vivace's, we found a bottle of sparkling wine and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries! A fabulous end to a fabulous first year of marriage.January 7 – 11: On January 7, Heather and I packed our bags, bid farewell to her parents, and boarded a plane to Vienna, Austria (by way of Chicago and Washington Dulles)...finally arriving 30 hours later at 9 a.m. Central European Time. Our new boss, Barb, and her executive assistant, Anne, met us (and, thankfully, all our bags) at the airport and drove us to our office in Bratislava, Slovakia for a welcome party. Most of the next few days were spent recovering from jet lag, but our new coworkers arranged a few activities for us as well...from a jazz concert at a local pub to a brief tour of the city. The picture below was taken from the top of St. Michael's Tower looking toward Bratislava Castle.
January 12 – present: Heather and I officially began work at Trans World Radio on Monday, January 12! With nearly two weeks down, working for TWR and living in Eastern Europe is already starting to feel...well, surprisingly normal. Granted, we can't speak the local language, our ceiling comes to a point, and quality coffee is nowhere to be found, but life is undeniably good. For more on our adventures in Slovakia, click here. Until next time...

My Last Day at the Q

And so it's Christmas Eve...and my last day working at QVC. It's been real. I meant to bring a camera and take pictures and all, but I must've packed my camera already. Many thanks to all the incredible people who helped make my time here so enjoyable. I'll miss you guys, so stay in touch. You know where to find me. Until next time...