The Black (Pixel) Truth

Here is a great article from Nick Burcher, discussing the reality of black screens vs. white screens when it comes to energy consumption.

Greenpeace Brazil: Black Pixel Project

Greenpeace Brazil have just launched a great new campaign called ”Black Pixel Project” to promote the energy saving potential of turning off a single pixel on your computer screen. The campaign, which has been created by Almap BBDO, is based on users installing a simple little program that creates a single black pixel over all the windows on your monitors. For convenience the pixel can be moved around. Users also have the option to view real time stats about how many people are using the program and how much energy is being saved.

The campaign objective is to show that for every pixel installed, a few watts of power are saved. Unfortunately it doesn't work on LCDs, only CRTs and Plasmas.

Facebook Username

I got an interesting email from Facebook this evening to inform me that from 13 June Facebook will allow users to choose a username for their Facebook account. In their own words, this will allow you "to easily direct friends, family, and coworkers to your profile."

To choose your username just go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ any time after 05:01 on 13 June.

Pix.ie Photo Upload Record

Pix.ie is one of those services that works in every way. With a clean, fast and easy to operate interface, combined with an excellent backend system, Pix.ie proves that not only are there alternatives to Flickr, ImageShack and Photobucket, but they're Irish! To cement their position as the best photo hosting service around, Pix.ie recently set itself the daunting task of achieving the fastest upload of any amount of photos to a single website. The event was developed in conjunction with the WDC-sponsored (Western Development Commission) competition being run on the site. The competition called for users to upload photos taken during the Galway Volvo Ocean Race Festival.

Although the competition doesn't close until this Thursday, 11th June, Pix.ie have already smashed the record for uploads with 10,140 photos from the Volvo Ocean Race Festival already uploaded to the site. The overall photo competition offers users the chance to win a host of prizes, including top-of-the-range digital camera equipment worth €1,500.

Pix.ie has run the record attempt in conjunction with the WDC to promote the West of Ireland internationally.

The Original Social Networking Site

A rather bizarre ad that I've seen in several different places over the weekend. Coleman's set themselves up as the 'Original Social Networking Site' in a rather poor play on the word 'site'?? This is perhaps the worst example I've seen of anyone jumping on the Social Media bandwagon that has started to emerge. In my opinion the only thing going for this ad is the fantastic Sam Elliot type voice-over, and even that's only because I'm a fan of The Dude.



Do let me clarify my 'Social Media bandwagon' comment. I believe strongly in Social Media and in the various other ways that Web2.0 has driven collaborative, convergent social interaction, but the fact that something can be successfully used in marketing does not mean that it MUST be used. This is a place it did not need to be used!