CThings Blog

Amex is Making a Difference

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:42:00 +0000

Now in its second year, Members Project is your chance to join a community that's passionate about making a positive change in the world. You can submit your own ideas for projects that make the world a better place, then vote on which winning projects get $2.5 million in American Express funding. We love to see large corporations leveraging their size and reach with innovative initiatives that get people thinking, talking, and most importantly, DREAMING about what's possible. There are 6 days left to submit your project and vote on this year's entries, and if you need a little inspiration, check out the winner and finalists from last year.

Gas Prices Getting You Down?

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Here's an innovative way to deal with the towering price of gas. A new online service is selling ad space on YOUR CAR. If you drive at least 1,000 miles a month, FreeGasHelp.com will give you a monthly gas card reward of $30 just for slapping an ad on your hub cap or a magnet on your car door. Or go for the full car wrap and earn $200 a month! You can earn additional incentives if your car is bright yellow, newer than the year 2000, is a hybrid or a pizza delivery vehicle, or if you're active military. The program won't help the planet or lower the price of gas, but it may ease your pocketbook until you're able to afford that new hybrid or start riding your bike to work.

Urban Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Fans of the Amazing Race and Fear Factor will love this new urban adventure charity event, CityChase 2008. CityChase requires participants to exhibit teamwork, resourcefulness, determination and the ability to make decisions on the fly as they search for challenges scattered in unknown locations throughout different competing cities: Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City. Like TV's Amazing Race, the challenges are designed to test mind, body and spirit. To conquer this urban event, two-person teams will run, walk and use public transit to navigate their way throughout the city, while calling family and friends for help, accessing the Internet and even employing assistance of total strangers. CityChase is now in 15 countries across the globe, and winners from around the world will ultimately compete in the World Championship in Morocco.

World Changing Event

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:20:00 +0000

On May 10, People from all over the world tuned in to watch a live broadcast from Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro. It was called Pangea Day, a 4-hour program of short films, live music, and visionary speakers, broadcast in 7 languages to millions of people via the internet, television, and mobile phones. The event taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting million of people to build a better future. In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that -- to help people see themselves in others -- through the power of film. Movies alone can't change the world, but the people who watch them can. So Pangea Day organizers are now facilitating community-building activities around the world by connecting inspired viewers with numerous organizations that are already doing groundbreaking work. Don't miss the incredible 1-hour highlights film on the Pangea website, and get ready to experience the entire range of human emotion. You can also watch the entire 4-hour event online. We are excited to bring this visionary global event to CThings readers and invite you to help spread the word.

The Future of Radio

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:44:00 +0000

To get a look at the the future of web radio, check out the innovative new Musicovery. Just tell your Musicovery page what "mood" of music you'd like to listen to, click on as many genres as you want, and your personal radio begins. You can see the songs that are playing, add them to your favorites, buy them online, and visually explore similar music, all commercial-free.

National Volunteer Week

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:42:00 +0000

April 27 - May 3 is National Volunteer Week 2008, and there's no better place to start than VolunteerMatch. Nonprofits can post volunteer opportunities there, and volunteers simply enter their ZIP code to receive up-to-date listings of local volunteer activities in their neighborhood. You can filter opportunities based on your areas of interest (arts, culture, the environment, sports, etc.), and there are even opportunities to volunteer "virtually" by working from home. Here are some examples:

Be a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Albuquerque, NM.
Pick up some groceries for a senior or disabled neighbor in St. Paul, Minn.
Bike through the rolling hills of Kentucky for MS in Louisville, KY
Restore indigenous oyster habitats in Charleston, SC
Help with marketing initiatives for the visually impaired in New York City, NY
Deepen your appreciation for life as an ecospiritual intern in Madison, Wis.
Experience the process of mural/public art development in San Antonio, Texas.
Become a Camp Yosemite Ranger in Indianapolis, Ind.

Special thanks to our friends at VolunteerMatch for giving us the heads up on this important week.

Happy Earth Day!

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Each year, the April 22 Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Here are some things you can do today to make a difference:

Keep America Beautiful finds solutions in communities across the country for preventing litter, reducing waste, and beautifying communities.
Green Dimes has a new FREE service to help eliminate up to 90% of postal junk mail and catalogs.
Join the Arbor Day Foundation for $10 and you'll get 10 free trees sent to you (or a friend) that are ready for planting. They're also guaranteed to grow or be replaced free of charge.
Whole Foods Market has a cool Whole Earth Generation site on YouTube. It's a user-generated collection of videos by kids under 18 talking about what they're doing for the environment.
A 2006 report by the University of Chicago found that adopting a vegan diet does more to reduce global warming than switching to a hybrid car. If you're not ready to go 100% vegan, how about giving up meat one day a week?
Here's a quick tip with a huge impact: start using your own re-usable bottle of water when you're working out - plastic bottles take 1,000 years to decompose! (Update: Sanjiv from GreenDimes says check out Sigg eco-friendly water bottles)
Pay your bills online. It saves paper, helps prevent deforestation, lowers administrative costs for businesses you work with, and there will be one less car driving to the post office.
Talk to your kids about Earth Day, and do something together to help them contribute.

Best School Ever

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:20:00 +0000

What started as a "pirate supply store" by best-selling author Dave Eggers, has become an extraordinary new vision for creativity in education. Check out Eggers' inspirational TED Prize wish video for an overview of how it happened and how to get involved. His new website, Once Upon a School is a step by step guide designed to help YOU lend your innovation and creativity to schools in your neighborhood. You can browse the ideas on the website and find one to take on, or create your own project and get the help you need to make it come to life.

Pet Lovers Unite

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:05:00 +0000

You may have seen Oprah's recent show on puppy mills, the unhealthy and cruel environments where 99% of dogs and cats purchased at pet stores start out their lives. Many of us were inspired to donate to the Lange Foundation featured on Oprah. The Lange Foundation has a wonderful gift program -- your $75 donation will save a cat or dog from the LA City Animal Shelters, and the recipient receives a photo of the pet you rescued along with their personal story. We think it's just about the best gift you can give any animal lover. There are many other no-kill animal shelters across the nation that also deserve our support. Check out Hearts United for Animals, a national no-kill shelter, sanctuary and animal welfare organization dedicated to the relief of suffering. There are so many thousands of great cats and dogs out there that want and deserve a good home. Remember, if you believe in treating animals humanely and with compassion, rescue your next animal from a shelter or buy from a reputable breeder, but do not buy from pet stores. You can join the campaign to shut down the puppy mills by visiting Prisoners of Greed.

What's New on the Space Station?

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:37:00 +0000

It's easy to forget that we have a global community of astronauts living, working, and making news in space right now. Just last week, Europe's robot freighter the Jules Verne hooked up with mankind's orbiting International Space Station completely via auto-pilot. Auto-docking technology is considered a key to assembling spaceships in orbit for long-term missions, such as to Mars. Space station news may feel "out of sight, out of mind," but if you want to really experience the ISS up close, check out the Discovery Channel's HD Theatre. In what we think is the most amazing use of high definition television, Discovery is re-airing "Space Station Live" in HD program. This is your chance to see an extraordinary live walk-through in HD from the space station. If we can have live video conversations in HD with astronauts on the space station, it's only a matter of time before we can talk to astronauts on the moon and beyond. You can also check out NASA's HD video gallery to see HD footage of the moon, the Endeavour and Atlantis launches, and life in Zero-G.

We Can Solve the Climate Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:39:00 +0000

If you believe that global warming is an urgent, but solvable problem, join the We Campaign, a powerful nonpartisan movement of concerned citizens founded by Nobel Prize Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. This practical site offers information on clean energy economy, adoption of renewables, enhancing energy efficiency, and making personal choices to stop global warming. Join the We Campaign, spread the word, sign the petition for a global treaty on climate change, and be an advocate for change. Site includes great list of success stories -- real people making a difference.

Every Monday Matters

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:23:00 +0000

Every Monday Matters is a cool new book that gives you 52 creative but doable activities that make a difference and change the world. The premise is that the world would be a better place if everyone did one thing for others and for the world, every Monday. Activities include turning off the TV, eating healthy, helping the hungry, changing to energy saving lightbulbs, getting rid of junk mail, donating books, etc. The book is also part of a movement and website at EveryMondayMatters.com, where you can submit user videos, tell the world which actions you've done, and support the Every Monday Matters Foundation.

Underwater Hotel to Debut

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:54:00 +0000

It may sound like a sci-fi fantasy, but the new Poseidon Undersea Resort is scheduled to open next year. The hotel will include a library, restaurant, and fitness center, and 24 rooms with breathtaking views of the sea floor 40 feet below the surface. The resort, made up of 70% acrylic glass, is being assembled in Portland, Oregon, before it is submerged in its final location in Fiji. There are two other underwater hotels debuting in 2009 -- the 220-suite hotel Hydropolis in Dubai, and the Shanghai Shimao Wonderland in Shanghai. Poseidon's $15,000/week price tag per person, may not be for the budget traveler, but if you've ever dreamed of living like a James Bond villain, this could be the ticket. Check out the amazing virtual tour and photos at Poseidon Undersea Resort.

Igniting Change Through Film

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:46:00 +0000

GroundSpark creates visionary films and dynamic educational campaigns that move individuals and communities to take action for a more just world. The group produces groundbreaking documentaries on a variety of social justice issues, ranging from environmental concerns to preventing prejudice. Their Respect for All project helps create safe, hate-free schools and communities by providing youth and the adults who guide their development the tools they need to engage in discussions about human difference, preventing prejudice, and building caring communities. Issues include diversity in families, bullying and name calling in schools, gender issues, and even affordable housing. Check out their website and find out how to get involved -- these are the issues that can rebuild an America of compassion and hope.

Buy a Bead, Change the World

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Check out the My World Wish website, where the simple purchase of a "wish bead" will fund crucial aid programs around the world. The beads are hand formed by the women of Kazuri, outside Nairobi, Kenya. Kazuri only hires disadvantaged women such as widows, single mothers, or the handicapped. They pay three times the average wage in Kenya, provide healthcare, savings plans, daycare, and are members of the Fair Trade Act. The beads are strung on a knotted brown silk cord and hand knotted by local villagers in a sister project in Cambodia. There, the workers make five times the average daily wage, and are further supported with schooling fees for their children and doctors visits. The sales of these beads so far have funded a children's home in Argentina, an orphanage in Mexico, a hospital in Cambodia, a gardening project in Senegal to meet the nutritional needs of AIDS patients, and even funded gifts of cows to widows in Kenya, changing their lives from poverty to self-sustaining in one day. There are other ambitious wish projects in development, and all are financed by the wish bead purchases. Buy a bead today at My World Wish or find out more about the sponsor organization at Global Colors.

Smart Toys for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:56:00 +0000

Be Amazing is a cool website featuring the best in educational and interactive toys for kids. You can buy Instant Snow, a Blizzard in a Bucket, Magic Sand, a Singing Rod, and plenty of slime and instant worms. Be Amazing has also partnered with Mentos to carry their new line of rockets, geysers, and other products fueled by the chemical power of Mentos (inspired by the Mentos/Diet Coke viral video phenomenon on YouTube). Great ideas for your own kids or as creative party gifts.

Compostable Cell Phones

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Manufacturing Group have devised a novel way to recycle discarded mobile telephones - bury them and watch them transform into the flower of your choice. The researchers used a biodegradable polymer that looks and functions like plastic until it hits the compost heap, then begins to quickly decompose within 2 weeks. Embedded in a viewable window within the case is a flower seed which does not germinate until the case begins to break down. They're still working on how to deal with the inner electronics of the phone, but it's an interesting direction that many companies are considering as more and more consumers demand earth-friendly products. With luck one day we'll be able to turn disposable diapers into a field of flowers...

Evolution Pod Travels through Land, Water, and Air

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:29:00 +0000

If you were impressed with our last hyper submarine post, you'll love the new Evolution Pod, a flying pod that can travel on land, slide through water and snow, and fly thanks to a gliding parachute that acts as a highly portable wing. Presented at the 2007 Moscow Air Show, these one or two-seater vehicles are actually in production and available now starting at $7,200.

Hyper Submarine

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:01:00 +0000

A fascination with submarines led Reynolds Marion as a young boy to design on paper a fully-submersible river raft made of 55 gallon drums, in the hopes of building it for the Great James River Raft Race in Richmond, Virginia. The submersible river raft was never built, but Marion's fascination with submarines continued into adulthood, and today he has built the first Hyperbolic-submarine. The Hyper-Sub, is a revolutionary vessel that operates not only as a boat that can travel at high speeds for hundreds of miles, but can also be fully submerged in water for an extended period of time. The Hyper-Sub is the first small craft built with the horsepower, sea-keeping, and range to allow operation on the high seas, which also functions as a self-charging, autonomous, one-atmosphere submarine. Check out Marion's website to learn where you can pick one up for yourself.

We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:28:00 +0000

The headlines are up and we're back in action -- thanks for your patience! We're testing out Digg as our news aggregator in 08, so the voting functionality is a bit different now. We'll continue to tweak it until we get it just right, but for now you can continue to get the transformational news that matters right here at CThings.com. You can still vote on news items, but your votes will register directly on Digg.com and promote the stories to the readership at Digg. We think this is a great way to get these stories out into the world. Thanks for taking a stand with us for a fresh perspective on our daily news. Have a wonderful new year, from the staff at CThings!

Prepare for departure

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:27:00 +0000

SeatGuru is a helpful new site that has become a crucial part of any travel planning we do at CThings. The site is a database of airlines and the planes they fly, enabling you to see exactly which amenities are available on your flight, which seats are prime and which ones to avoid. Seat charts are color-coded, which makes it easy to figure out exactly which seat to select, with notes on seat pitch, width, under-seat storage, and proximity to power ports and lavatories. Other details include exit rows, missing windows, added or reduced space on certain seats, and even gentle hints about bassinet-friendly seats that may be more likely to house a screaming infant. Check out SeatGuru -- we guarantee you'll use it on the next flight you book.

Are you related to Marie Antoinette?

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:35:00 +0000

DNA isn't just for crime labs and court cases any more -- The DNA Ancestry Project is an exciting development for anyone who wants to explore their own genealogy. DNA studies have shown that people shared a common ancestor who lived in Africa between 50,000 to 200,000 years ago. As our ancestors migrated out of Africa into the rest of the world, small mutations occurred in their DNA as generations passed, and each mutation links our ancestor to a specific time and place in history. The mutations that we find in our own DNA can actually tell the story of our own ancestral past. Now there's a cool new website that will analyze your DNA and print out a detailed report showing exactly how your family has branched and scattered around the world over time. The DNA Ancestry Project also has a Surname Project that allows people from all over the world with the same or similar surname to use DNA markers to determine the roots of their surname and reunite family groups. Reports start at $119.

A Complaint Free World!

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:49:00 +0000

Did someone cut you off on the freeway this morning? Was your coffee too hot? We all complain about major and minor things every day. But Pastor Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, is trying to change all that. In a Sunday morning sermon, Will told his congregation he wanted to make the world a complaint-free place, and passed out purple bracelets to each church member with the following challenge: If you catch yourself complaining, you take the bracelet and you move it to the other wrist. The idea is to ultimately keep it on the same wrist for 21 days. Will says he chose this length of time because scientists believe it takes that long to form a new habit. The idea has taken off in a big way, with a recent appearance on Oprah and more than 5,900,000 bracelets requested to date. By the way, that's requested - not purchased. The bracelets are sent to you FREE just for asking. Check out Will's "Complaint Free Church" for more info and to request bracelets for yourself and the people you love. It's also inspiring to note that Will's church is not a "mega-church" -- it is a small church with only 275 per week in attendance. Yet another example of the power of one small group of people to transform the world!

Customer Service Solution

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:09:00 +0000

If you've ever waited for hours on customer service phone lines trying to reach a real human being, you'll be thrilled to discover the GetHuman 500 Database. It's a massive listing of 500 corporations with the phone number and techniques to bypass their computers and reach a human operator quickly. Companies are also given grades based on their customer service experience, using a dream list of GetHuman Core Principles we wish all companies would follow:

Humans first - humans should answer calls first to determine callers' need
Make it easy - automated systems should be so easy and efficient that users can accomplish tasks faster than with human interaction
Prompts should not include meaningless cliches like "Your call is important to us." "Please listen carefully, as our menu options have changed." "You can access our website to answer most questions."
Automated systems that try to sound like humans are patronizing - when customers call with serious issues, they do not want to be greeted by overly friendly and cheery personas

These are all issues that need to be addressed in the vast majority of corporate phone systems, and it's great to see this website launched as a start.

BoGo Light

noreply@blogger.com (CThings) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:37:00 +0000

Two billion people living in the developing world rely on kerosene lanterns, candles, and single-use battery flashlights for light at night. Not only are these options expensive, dangerous, and harmful to the environment, they also negatively impact health, education, and security. Enter the BoGo light. It's a revolutionary solar-powered flashlight with the potential to transform all of Africa, with your help. For every BoGo light sold in the developed world, the company will send an identical light to an organization of your choice in Africa, Afghanistan, and a number of other countries in need. BoGo is an acronym for Buy One, Give One, and for only $25 each we think BoGo is an idea whose time has come.