CONTRACT SIGNED! Now I just have to make it through the coop approval!

YACHT4Life

So glad YACHT has officially become a duo, teaming up with new recruit Claire Evans. Basically I can't stop humming this song from their latest album See Mystery Lights:

Apparently this is actually a remix from a song originally written by a "friend"/fan. Hot Chip also went on to do a remix of YACHT's version, click here to listen.

Password: Dorsia

I finally made it to my first clandestine dining experience which apparently is the "hottest thing since sliced organic bread." This "Secret Restaurant" was held in a friend's huge artist loft slash industrial space in Brooklyn, and when I say Brooklyn, I don't mean yuppie dominated Williamsburg - I'm talking about real, pre-gentrified BROOKLYN. You might be thinking, "with thousands of restaurants in New York, why would you pay to go to a dinner party?" But my question for you is, "it's New York! Who has the space to host a dinner party?!" And moreover, it's illicit and new and novel - what's NOT alluring about that?

Unsurprisingly, the clever and tasty menu/food, makeshift bar stocked with $2 homebrew and gin-based cocktails, a group of 30 strangers (all much hipper than myself) consisting mostly foodies, artists, writes and the like made for an unbeatable night. And, the $10 price tag makes it clear these guys (our hosts) aren't in it for the glory or the cash, but for the sheer love of entertaining and cooking - which makes it that much better.

So how long before the secret's out? Well, I for one, am hoping that it'll be awhile before this hush-hush world of underground dining crosses over into the mainstream.

Everyone Loves Corporate Rebranding

Which name do you like best? Click to vote.

What were you doing August 23, 1999?

Prya Labs was launching Blogger. That's right. In a few days (Sunday) Blogger celebrates it's 10th birthday and will be rolling out some new features in the coming weeks!

You might stunned and thinking, "who uses Blogger when there's Twitter and Tumblr?" - but I'll return with "Who can fit everything they want to say in 140 characters?" Plus, Blogger is far superior to all the other globbing platforms....it's FREE, quick, easy and best of all the image handling is much better than competitors like WordPress, Movable Type and LiveJournal.

Kudos, Blogger!

Knocked Up

Thanks to Craig's promiscuity, we enjoyed a 2 hour lunch break and delicious Thai food this afternoon to celebrate. Oh, and got him a copy of Knocked Up, obviously.

I heart our interns

Every summer we recognize a stand out intern for their role at the company. Last year we had Young Lee who, in true FreeCause spirit, ate 73 nuggets. This year, McFlav takes the cake. We had him wear the Garfield costume for an entire day last week. He even walked around Downtown Crossing in 95 degree weather. Now that's dedication. Here's the video we sent over to the client:

Friday, I'm in Love

Click here to get it on Threadless.

Twitpocalypse Handbook

Top 5 Things To Do

1. stare at your screen for signs of life
2. worry about how you will find out when twitter is back up if no one can tweet to tell you
3. go to the bathroom without telling anyone
4. update your facebook status even though it’s just not the same
5. copy & paste "in 140 characters - what are you doing RIGHT NOW?" to all your gchat contacts

What Does the Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Mean for Us?

More coverage? Higher CPC's and CTR's, more search revenue?

Dear Urban

"Even though the wackness to dopeness ratio is high at Urban Outfitters, there is a neat random product floating around every now and again. Not always practical or necessary, but always fun nonetheless. The DIY (Do it yourself!) 35mm flash-less camera by Plamodel means you get an art project and a camera, all in one. Camera parts come separated, and it’s your job to snap them all together to create a sleek, functional 35mm camera. Assembly takes a couple of hours and simple instructions are included. Modifications are easy (to create a completely unique camera!); wide angle 28 mm lens takes rich, perfectly imperfect photos. 35mm film. Includes: Assembly kit in vinyl bag, wrist strap and screw driver. Available here."

Oh how I wish I could bring myself to feel that way about IKEA furniture.

Love,

Blaine

My universal phone number: (623) BLAINE-D, Thanks Google Voice!

Google has done it again. Like any V1, Google Voice’s first release is a little rough around the edges, but still amazing.

Here are a few things I’d like to see as they refine it (apart from the obvious telepathic calling, intergalactic calls, video calls, remote presence call and virtual immersion):

Google Talk Integration: Maybe Google isn’t evil after all and wants to give Skype a chance….but Google Talk/VOIP seems like a no brainer at this point and probably the service’s greatest potential.

Extensions: Who has a direct office line these days? Sure, I understand that not everyone takes calls at nights and on weekends like we FreeCausers – but the freedom to move away from an office landline, even if it’s just around the office from 9-5, is something everyone could enjoy.

Virtual Fax Capability: Faxes delivered as e-mail text/pdf attachments. It’s efficient, secure, you can receive them anywhere and would save loads paper!

More Robust Record Options: Why would you only allow recording incoming calls and just forget about outgoing calls?

More Robust Transcription Options: Even more helpful than recording, is the transcribing. Sure, having my voice messages in text format is cool – but with SMS not too many people leave voicemails anyway, and if they do, most of the time they aren’t super substantial. With search being at the center of Google’s world, it seems only natural to TRANSCRIBE EVERYTHING (READ YOUR CALLS!) so that specific conversations or topics can easily be accessed later.

Number Change/Multiple Numbers: It's always nice to have a local number for one reason or another. If you move, or go away to college, your GVoice Number could become less relevant unless you have the option to get a new number - or better yet - a 1800 Number, then keep your old GV number and have it forward.

Ramen Profitable

Ramen profitable means a startup makes just enough to pay the founders' living expenses. This is a different form of profitability than startups have traditionally aimed for. Traditional profitability means a big bet is finally paying off, whereas the main importance of ramen profitability is that it buys you time.

Notes
[1] The "ramen" in "ramen profitable" refers to instant ramen, which is just about the cheapest food available.

I'm with Justin, I think it's safe to say that we've made it to chicken nugget profitable.

http://paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html

Cheap Copywriter/Signmaker for Hire

My guess is that Deck Supply will have a lot of free time on its hands after misspelling 3 of the 4 words on the Business 51 exit in Rothschild, WI.

Click here to read full article.

Twitter Banned from White House

Until Twitter gets its security under control, maybe the White House ban isn't such a terrible idea.

http://bit.ly/2tAPjL

Creative Resume Design for Geeks

f. Copywriting, Editing, Research" under Primary Skill Sets

"You failed to spell expenditure correctly. Unfortunately, you did not get the job. Better luck next time."

http://digg.com/design/Creative_Resume_Design_for_Geeks

I made a new friend; he is 4

Ms. Blaine

Thanks for the cookies and candy. As soon as I eat lunch today, I will be allowed to eat them. Yum Yum Yum, I want some

Love Maximo

Social Network Superlatives

Facebook: Most Likely To Turn Evil
MySpace: Most Likely To Go Out of Business
Twitter: Most Likely To Go Down

www.facebook.com/blainedangel

Dear Facebook,

Thank you for letting me pick my Facebook username (MySpace let me 5 years ago). Even though I had multiple windows and multiple browsers open reloading your site promptly at midnight, I still went through 5 choices after my original. Eventually I ended up with blainedangel. Oh that's right, it's because you gave celebrities and all your employees first dibs.

Love,
Blaine

Blindsearch: 'Which Search Engine is Better' Test

Compare search results http://blindsearch.fejus.com/

Yahoo won my first search through BlindSearch: open source photo slideshow. I'm going to stop there while my mind is blown.

Godspeed, Per.

We heart our interns. Especially Per.

What will you be doing on Friday night?

Going to a bar or party with your friends? Maybe a movie with your significant other?

Chances are, if you're anything like me, you'll be at your computer, counting down to 12:01AM so that you can get your Facebook Vanity URL.

It’s Sony Walkman’s 30th Birthday!

Sure you might not be able to find him at your local Radio Shack these days and he might eat batteries like they are chicken nuggets, but is there anything more iconic to the global rise of Sony?

Internet in a Tube Map

With Internet growth, they're going to need to update on the regular but how cool is this:


Check out the video: Webtrendmap.com

Word Vomit

After being told by a 13-year-old that “no one uses Facebook anymore,” I decided to revisit Twitter since it is, after all, growing 5x faster than Facebook. Oprah is tweeting, Snoop, George Lucas – EVEN Shaq is tweeting – maybe I should too I thought. So far my experience has been, well, the idea of Word Vomit, popularized by the once acceptable LezLo in Mean Girls, comes to mind terrifyingly fast.

About Me

Keeping it Interesting, Puma.

I finally got a chance to check out LOT-EK’s Puma City today after visiting Shepard Fairey’s exhibit up at the ICA. Puma City is mobile multi-function space (store, lounge, event space, home base) made entirely of recycled shipping containers that is traveling around the world, starting in Spain in October, along with Puma’s 70-foot long sail boat promoting the 2008 Volvo Ocean Race.

Puma’s pop-up marketing is clearly taking advantage of the global shipping network already in place, and by attaching the brand and marketing strategy to a worldwide event, spreading costs and beyond the structure high-minded aesthetic, it’s surely meant to encourage spending even if through novelty alone. And as flexible interventions become increasingly more popular in public space, they will undoubtedly will considered in the urban planning of our cities – which makes for an perspective, in the case of Puma, and how much brands can affect urbanism.

Anyhow, it’s up in Boston through mid-May, so if you have some time and are down around the water, it definitely deserves a look.

How to get hungry for work, humble and detail oriented interns

[FreeCause Intern Candidate],

I received your CV from [FreeCause Co-worker] today. I’d like for you to come into the office for an interview; would Thursday at 5pm work? Should that work:

-Please arrive 5 minutes early
-Interview attire is business casual
-Make sure to bring the following items with you:
-3 copies of your CV
-10 McDonald’s chicken nuggets
-2 McDonald’s BBQ sauce packets

I look forward to speaking with you Thursday.

Best,
[FreeCause Employee]

Gruber vs. Bean Bags & Balance Balls

Nothing like a good April Fool's Day Joke!

New Office Toy

It took the retinal scanner 20 attempts before it would accept my eyes into the database. Not that I'm bitter or anything, but I'm pretty sure it's racist.

AiH makes me happy

How could you possibly not love this Aussie indie pop ensemble with their synchronized, gravity-defying trampoline bouncing and B-52s impression vocals!

Who said cassette tapes were dead?

Along with neon clothing, spandex and fanny packs, the Sony Walkman was the #1 accessory in the early 90’s - and with it the audio cassette tape.

American Apparel: you may have brought back to life the other three, but it looks like ooomydesign.com beat you to the punch with their cassette tape floor lamp.

http://ooomydesign.bigcartel.com/product/tape-floor-lamp