The Road to Hipsterdom

Every morning we wake up, we emerge in world more evolved than the day before. May it be that the difference is a minute one, it is still one that we fully embrace and benefit from. Whether it concerns iPhones or fruit, the world is constantly revolutionizing. No, not like the kind Che Guevara would have imagined. Rather, the world is immersing itself in a pool of  savviness and emerging from the pit of bottomless possibility as a champion unique like no other. Inevitably, simply looking back a few weeks into the past, one would see an altered world than the one that stands present before him or her now. 

http://www.psfk.com/2012/02/charge-iphone-breath.html

In essence, a "first world problem" that many people face nowadays is charging their Iphone. While it may appear to be a menial task not requiring much time or effort, it is still one that is met with a negative attitude by most people time after time. "I'm too lazy" is an excuse that is constantly reiterated throughout all generations, young, adults, and the elderly. Fear nothing cries out Joao Paolo Lammoglia! The Italian innovator denounces charging one's phone through "wind-powered and solar-powered gadgets." Rather, he introduces the incredible idea of charging one's Iphone through simply breathing into it. The user's breath is "converted into electricity via small wind turbines and the user wears the AIRE mask hooked up to an IOS device." Thus, this brings about a completely new dawn of how we look at the nuances of charging an Iphone. What's not to love about it? While not available yet for commercial sale, the device encourages physical activity and embraces an entirely new way of charging one's phone at the same time! Well hipsters...better line up now before even breathing becomes too mainstream for you to handle.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/02/edible-sticker-ripe-fruit.html

Charging one's Iphone often ends up being an emotionally and/or physically draining task. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can prescribe for the emotional issues, except maybe a healthy television session of Oprah. As far as the physical issue is concerned, however, there is nothing better than food. But don't you hate it when you bite into a fruit and only taste the absolute disappointment of it not being ripe slowly fill your taste buds much to your disgust? Luckily for you, people have enough time on their hands to develop endless solutions to the most ridiculous problems. No, I did not stutter. Scientists at Tufts University have developed  edible stickers that let you know when your fruit is ripe enough to eat. All you have to do is scan its surface with a smart phone, and BOOM, your verdict is right there in front of you. Say goodbye to the eternally unpleasant feeling of biting into a premature banana and having your day ruined in a single bite. Yes, while this may not necessarily be a first world problem, it is definitely one that deserves a solution. Without fail, it is yet another wonderful way to simplify our already simple lives. But hey, who's complaining? I sure ain't mad.

"Dude, where's my car?" It's everywhere.

No longer shall a person be heard saying, "Man, if only we had a way to get there" or "I wish I had some sort of magical transporting device to get from point A to point B." While renting out apartment spaces has surprisingly become a successful enterprise through Airbnb's actions, renting out one's car to a complete stranger is an up-and-coming idea. Many people would probably feel nervous at the thought of letting a complete stranger drive their car, and I am definitely no exception to that sentiment. The thought of seeing your beloved Volvo XC90 getting returned to you piece by piece is not in particular a pleasing thought. "Have no worry though!", cries out JustShareIt. Slowly emerging as an ambitious leader in the new market of peer-to-peer sharing of cars, the company feels it is on the right track. It is on a constant mission to reassure its car lenders that their vehicle will only be lent out to suitable customers, as full background checks are executed to make sure no one is guilty of any significant violations. In addition, the lenders may choose exactly who they lend their vehicle out too, by simply signing in through Facebook and browsing through the many potential suiters!

Why should anyone even participate in this though? It seems to make little sense to lend out a personal item like a car to a complete stranger, not knowing what deviant actions they may inflict on your precious baby. RelayRides, another peer-to-peer sharing car company, definitely feels it has taken care of this significant issue. At a personal cost of about $500, they install "hardware in each car to control the door locks. A smartcard reader is mounted behind the windshield, and the renter presses the card against the glass to gain entry." This allows for the loaner to be trouble free in terms of handing out keys each time the customer yearns to rent the vehicle, and for RelayRides to monitor the vehicle and where it goes each step of the way. To make the deal even sweeter for the loaners, they would receive about 2/3 of the profit for themselves. If one was to rent out his or her car for 10 hours/week, in the span of a year, he or she could make in excess of $3000. Not too bad ehh?

In essence, this is an idea that may completely revolutionize the way we look at traveling. While larger cities may have public transportation available to the people, smaller communities are not as fortunate. People who do not have access to buses or cars are often stranded and cannot do much, let alone anything, about their situations. Finances are frequently the towering blockade for people wishing to own their own vehicle, but simply cannot afford to drop a few grand on the car, and then redundant payments on annoyances such as insurance. Thus, by offering rental rates starting at $6-$8/hour, people have a whole new world open before them. They can now travel to places that were once infeasible for them, or at the very least little accessible to them. Having only to pay for gas, customers do not find their wallet constantly shrinking, and can enjoy the freedom and excitement of this new enterprise. Personally, I consider myself more than lucky that I have access to a car at home and do not have worry with such burdens as paying for gas and insurance. Fortunately, I have gracious parents who find it within them to help me out. Nevertheless, this definitely cannot be said about society as a whole. Sure, there are the select bunch who glisten in the same spectrum as I, but many find themselves fending for themselves in the world of transportation. It goes without saying that I share the vision of RelayRides and JustShareIt to make vehicles affordable and accessible to the outskirts of society, where it most desired, and seldom available. Perhaps, this vision will soon become reality, or it very well may be discarded into the black hole of over-ambitious ideas. All we can do now, is wait, and hope that Father Time allows for this amazing enterprise to extend its welcome for years to come in our everyday world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/technology/car-sharing-companies-link-owners-with-renters.html?ref=technology

Pinterest Making Interest off of Users

In a world mainly driven by monetary incentives, and the desire to become the best, not much comes as a surprise to us any more. Many practices are adhered to by businesses, some less ethical than others, in order to bring home a pay check at the end of the day. That being said, social networking is no exception to this rule. While it has been known for a while that Facebook profits off of its users by selling their information to companies to suffice their marketing hungers, word of Pinterest making money off of its users has exploded far past the havens of social networking walls only recently.

Having only emerged in 2010, Pinterest has gradually garnered plenty of attention, most notably in the past 6 months. It did not take long for it to capture the publics' eye, as it introduced an abundance of innovative and creative ideas to make social networking more appealing. The site allows its users to create online catalogues showcasing their respective inner vocations regarding travel, shopping and styles, ultimately abiding to Pinterest's motto, "organizing and sharing things they love." As much as people may love all of Pinterest's endless offerings, however, they have agreed to disagree on just how Pinterest makes money. While Pinterest's affiliation with Skimlinks (a marketing company)has been known from the start, the fact that Pinterest profits off of the links it has appended to Ebay, Target, and Amazon, for instance, has only recently been publicly known. Whenever people click on a link and make a purchase at these stores, Pinterest receives payment. This allows for Pinterest to generate sufficient revenue to upkeep its servers, pay its workers, and most importantly, make Pinterest FREE to the public. 

The problem does not revolve around the mere fact that Pinterest makes money off its users. Most people could not care less, since they are not affected in any way. The main issue  that people have with Pinterest's actions is that they have failed to notify their loyal users of just what they are doing. It is my utmost belief that if Pinterest notified everyone of their intentions, and left no transparency for poor interpretation, then this issue would not be as widely exposed to criticism as it is now. 

Nevertheless, the news of Pinterest's money making scheme should not be completely blown out of proportion. We all live in a world where any moderately skilled hacker has access to our most precious private information, and could easily attempt to steal our identities if he or she were to choose to do so. The point being, much of society is too sensitive towards such news and reacts too harshly to it as well. Instead of automatically scapegoating Pinterest as a Satanic figure of Social Networking, we should all stop and ask ourselves, "What would we do if we were in their place?" The most frequented answer would most likely coincide with exactly what Pinterest is doing. They have a fiduciary duty to accumulate revenue, and by linking with Skimlinks, they are doing just that in a manner that truly does not have a faulty affect on any of its users. 

Irrevocably, everyone has the right to end their relationship with Pinterest whenever they want. There is no need for awkwardness, let alone even a relapse between users and their beloved social network. Rather, what Pinterest should do is care for its users before they actually do decide to leave. No likes to feel left out and underappreciated. By notifying users of exactly what is going on Pinterest may risk losing a few users here or there. However, in the long run, it would be preserving a pristine image in the eyes of the social networking world, leaving no room for any unreasonable accusations or inaccurate interpretations of just who Pinterest is, and exactly what they stand for. By exemplifying an ethical solution to a currently minute issue, Pinterest would help act as a role model to other social networks in the quest to maintain a perfect balance of consumer orientation and monetary goals.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/10/technology/pinterest_affiliate_links/index.htm

First Post!

Hey! My name is Piotr Pietruczuk. I'm 19 going on 40, and trying really hard to not think about marriage or the future more than I have to. I was born in amazing Manhattan, New York, only to have to grow up in the less than mediocre town of Norwich, Connecticut. Regardless, I'm 100% Polish, have a younger sibling, Thomas, and a German Shephard the size of an undersized cow. I enjoy playing tennis seeing as it is one of the few sports, aside from perhaps basketball, that I can play and not embarrass myself in doing so. On that note, welcome to my overly ambitious, yet humble blog! Hopefully you will be able to indulge yourself in its content as much as I will in discovering it.

Thus, let us look into the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, otherwise nefariously referred to as ACTA. While, the motions in the House of Representatives and Senate have been temporarily stalled, the same cannot be said about European legislation.

As ACTA has become an impeding issue in countries such as Poland, Slovenia, and France, people have staged numerous protests against the abomination of passing such as bill. Not only do they see it as terribly limiting their freedom of speech, but the overall functionality of the Internet would be forever altered.  
Europeans Protest Anti-Piracy Treaty

The protests being staged are perhaps some of the most significant ones that many people will ever have a chance to become a part of. The reality of it is, the governments yearn to maintain proper control over copy-write issues, and it is their duty to attain such a right. However, the ends they are attempting to utilize in order to realize their means are far too reproachable. People should unite in their noble cause of preserving the sanctity of the Internet, and everything that it stands for. For, the dark truth is, if the peoples' rights to freely publish and speak their minds is rebuked, there is no saying where the government will halt its long reigns of defoliation.