idUnited

We changed channels : )
You can now find the new idUnited blog by simply going to idUnited.com 

Thanks!

I’ll be back shortly with a new blog site. I’ll update you once it’s ready.

In the meantime enjoy the old posts.

Best.

One of my favorite blog sites is back up and running! Formerly known as Houtlust,.. it is now called Osocio. Read a quick excerpt below >

“Osocio is dedicated to social advertising and non-profit campaigns. It’s the place where marketing and activism collide. Formerly known as the Houtlust Blog, Osocio is the central online hub for advertisers, ad agencies, grassroots, activists, social entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans from around the globe.”

Check out Osocio for a ton of great content from all over the world. Marc Van Gurp the man behind Osocio was and continues to be a huge inspiration to me. Keep up the great work Marc!

Visit > Osocio

Ever wonder what music Natalie Portman likes and listens to?…

“Natalie has put together Big Change: Songs for FINCA, a $7.99 charity album available through iTunes, mixing together 16 songs from artists like Norah Jones and Antony & the Johnsons, and including exclusive tracks from the likes of M. Ward and Devendra Banhart — even a shiny new Shins remix. Net proceeds from the album — due Oct. 30 — will benefit FINCA (villagebanking.org), an organization that helps alleviate poverty in developing countries; she’s worked with the group since 2003.”

Go to iTunes today to check out the complete set and download it.

Damn she’s fine.

While other music labels are whining about the music industry. Hopeless records is giving money away to causes!

“Sub City record label was created 8 years ago by the newly-prolific punk label Hopeless Records when they reached a point of selling more albums than they needed to support the label itself. Louis Posen - founder and president of Hopeless Records - thought it would be a good idea to start a second label that would be devoted to helping out less-fortunate people through donations and raising awareness. The name Sub City in part describes the subsidies it would provide to non-profit organizations, as well as declaring the underground roots of the music and people who are involved. Today Sub City and Hopeless Records are celebrating their million-dollar-milestone. Between Sub City’s sales proceeds and Hopeless Records’ Take Action Tour, the group have donated more than $1 million USD to more than 50 nonprofit organizations.”

Posen describes the charity structure as such:

“We wanted it to be clear to the fans that when they buy a release, 5 percent of the suggested retail list price is going the charity they see on the back of the record and in the literature in the insert and they know that’s coming from the label and the artist and it’s based on gross, not on profits. So they can be very clear what the donation is, where it’s going and who’s giving it.”

Whining and complaining about your industry doesn’t help anyone. So for all the other labels out there. Take some notes from Hopeless Records.

Via > Music News Culture

FreeRice.com just may be the coolest time wasting thing you can do on-line. Except like most other time wasting activities on-line (insert how you waste time here_) FreeRice actually accomplishes two goals. 

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.

2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Here’s how it works >

FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty.  It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. Every time you get a word right you donate 10grains of rice that is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program. How cool is that. The site raises money for the rice through it’s advertisers.

Instead of (insert how you waste time here_) go to www.FreeRice.com today and do something truly productive. I got to level 23 and raised 44o grams of rice. See if you can do better,.. I hope you can.

FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.

Via > PSFK

Attention Designers! Check out this great opportunity brought to you by Design21 >

Visit Design21 for all the contest details. Good Luck!

idUnited has just released it’s first “virtual” product. Once purchased you will gain exclusive access to a “secret” facebook group. That’s all I can say. For now….

visit > idUnited 

Another product release from the (RED) campaign. This (RED) Aqua Table is designed by famous architect Zaha Hadid. Priced @ $49,560,.. it’s probably just a bit out of your (at least my) price range,.. but it’s nice to look and all the profits are going to support the Global Fund.  

“Established & Sons is extremely excited to partner the (RED) campaign founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2002. This global initiative’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in the fight against AIDS in Africa by channeling funds from the sale of (RED) products directly to The Global Fund. The iconic Aqua Table designed by Zaha Hadid has been the most sought after piece from the Established & Sons’ collection; it is sold internationally as both a Limited Edition of 12 and as a production table. Since it’s 2005 debut all edition pieces have been sold, one of the two Limited Edition’s prototypes was sold at a Phillips de Pury’s auction for $296,000 and another is currently being exhibited at the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum as part of the Zaha Hadid retrospective.”

Established and Sons is only going to produce 39 of the (RED) Aqua Tables. They are all signed by both Zaha Hadid and Bono and will be available for purchase directly through Established & Sons web-site.

Via > Trendhunter

Pretty cool project getting started today called > Bloggers Unite “Blogging for Hope” This blogger-driven campaign promises to raise awareness of abuse-related subjects and related non-profits around the world.

Bloggers are supposed to blog about putting an end to some sort of abuse (anything you want) and then track any measurable results (traffic counts, comments, links from others, recognition from charity or media, donations collected or made to a charity as applicable, etc.) for two weeks. Then the winners will be announced and they’ll receive some pretty cool prizes.

I love the idea and so far it looks like they’ve gotten a ton of bloggers on board. The thing is I just read about this today and don’t have time to participate the way i’m supposed to. But that won’t stop me from trying something in the next few weeks. Watch this space_

In the meantime get involved yourself or keep an eye out for some of the blogs that are participating.

Via > CopyWriteInk