monolog
13 Jan 09
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Best Free Tumblr Themes

Changing your tumblelog theme is super simple, so why not picking something different and good looking? Yeah, Penguin just won the Tumblr Awards, but here are ten even better themes to choose from, based on my personal taste. And you may also want to consider some others…

  • Clear Style by Christopher Price (two columns - white bg)
  • Friendfeed by Alex Kohlhofer (two columns - white bg)
  • Munich by P. Kamalakanthan (one column - dark gray bg)
  • Museum by Paul Giacherio (boxed layout - image bg)
  • Secret Lab by Peter Vidani (one column - light gray bg)
  • siloTheme by Paul Giacherio (boxed layout - image bg)
  • This is not a template by Sid05 (two columns - white bg)
  • Time Capsule by Peter Vidani (one column - white bg)
  • Vertigo by Matthew Buchanan (one column - black bg)
  • White Space by Heather Rivers (two columns - white bg)
06 Jan 09
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Best Albums 2008 (Top 20)

2008 was a decent year, at least in music, with a few pearls thrown in here and there. But what really caught my attention when compiling the list was that, while music sales are falling sharply and wise consumers buy all their music in digital format, most of my favorite artists still do not put care into their web presence. Isn’t it weird? Anyway, here it is (in alphabetical order):

You may have noticed that there are no download links (we no longer need to own music if we can stream it - cool isn’t it?), and for those “unfortunate souls” that still don’t use Spotify, I’ve added an additional source, when available. This list is also on RYM (all my ratings here).

More content will be added along the way…

  • Cooltunes 2008 (Deezer) - 50 of my favorite tracks, from pop to epic, featuring music by The Walkmen, Frightened Rabbit, Why?, The Black Keys and Department of Eagles.
  • Excellent Tracks From 2008 - I’ve put together a Spotify playlist containing some of the coolest songs of the year. There’s a nice range of genres represented here.
  • Twenty Excellent Tracks From 2008 - Similar as the above with a few variations. Only 20 songs and in no particular order. Just sound good together. Powered by Grooveshark.
  • Remembering 2008 #1 - Eight tracks of alternative, electronic and indie, including music by Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Fuck Buttons, of Montreal, MGMT and Kings of Leon.
  • Ten Worst Albums of 2008 - I’m sure there are many more, and possibly even worst, but, you know, what really hurts me here is that I’ve spent my money to download this crap!
05 Jan 09
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Before the bell

Less cars on the road means less traffic, less pollution, less dependence on oil and cleaner, fresher air to breathe. I wish the stock markets would agree. Guess what? They don’t.

All human beings, including those in the Gaza Strip, have the right to pursue happiness and live in peace and freedom. I wish the stock markets would agree. Guess what? They don’t.

05 Dec 08
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Consumers going green too

Given the choice between two similar products, 83 percent of consumers are extremely or very likely to choose those that are “environmentally friendly”, according to a new study.

“Not only are consumers interested in green products and companies, our survey shows that nearly half of them will pay at least five percent more for them,” said Stuart Larkins, senior vice president of search at DoubleClick Performics. The study analyzed feedback from 1087 adults.

03 Dec 08
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Green spending on the rise

Eighty percent of corporate sustainability executives surveyed from across North America plan to maintain or increase levels of spending in 2009, despite the current economic conditions.

This is one of several important insights published today by Panel Intelligence, in the first-ever Quarterly Sustainability Tracking Study. Highlights from the survey include the following:

  • Sustainability and clean technology spending – as a percentage of corporate revenues – is expected to increase 73 percent through 2010.
  • Eighty-two percent of respondents rated energy efficiency as the most important area of focus and investment currently.
  • Corporate spending on sustainable waste management initiatives is expected to grow by 20 percent in 2009, the highest percentage increase of any subcategory.
  • Cost savings, revenue generation and brand strength are the most important drivers of environmental and clean technology initiatives.
  • Nearly 55 percent of respondents observe no financial criteria (i.e. ROI, payback period) when evaluating sustainability projects for their respective organizations.
  • A majority of respondents believe capital remains available for sustainability projects.

“Our study clearly illustrates that sustainability and clean technology initiatives have achieved a tipping point and are no longer perceived by U.S. organizations as an optional expense.” said Scott Packard, Ph.D., vice president of quantitative research for Panel Intelligence.

28 Nov 08
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CMOs won't poke you

Despite the cultural phenomenon that Facebook and MySpace have become in five years’ time, 55% of the CMOs at leading brands surveyed by Epsilon said they’re not too interested, or not interested at all, in incorporating social networks into their marketing strategies.

Though dialogue marketing is a bonafide trend in the industry, just 10% percent of CMO survey respondents said they already are using these social sites in their marketing plans.

Internet forums (52%), webcasts and podcasts (47%), email (47%), blogs (37%) and webinars (52%) outscored Facebook and MySpace (35%), in terms of being social media elements that marketing executives said they are very interested or somewhat interested in using.