Walkscore

Walkscore is a web app that calculates a 0-100 score meant to demonstrate the walkability of a neighborhood. A community that scores between 90 and 100 is deemed a “Walker’s Paradise”, scores ranging from 70-90 are very walkable, 50-70 are somewhat walkable, and scores below 50 indicate a car-dependent area.

Beyond Groupon

Recently, we covered the new collective buying coupon service Groupon. In the last few months, the “groupon market” has been flooded with newcomers trying to capitalize on company and customer enthusiasm.

Economic Activism

San Francisco, California – On Tuesday April 20th, I attended an event hosted by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) titled Doing Good through Economic Activism. The event was geared towards SPUR’s “Young Urbanist” membership population – members under 40. Featured were three innovative companies each using capitalism for social good.

A Museum Visit at the Airport

At the airport? Why not check out the latest exhibit? That’s right, the San Francisco International Airport is the only airport in the U.S. with a museum program accredited by the American Association of Museums. Exhibits are scattered through various terminals and change several times a month. At the moment, travelers can see 18th-century porcelain [...]

The art of taxation, Mexico

Here’s an interesting tidbit to start your week with…In Mexico, visual artists can pay their taxes with art works. According to USA Today “That’s the deal Mexico has offered to artists since 1957, quietly amassing a modern art collection that would make most museum curators swoon. As the 2009 tax deadline approaches, tax collectors are [...]

Government and Transit 2.0

The concept of Government 2.0 is buzzing around the conversations of freelance developers and public officials alike. The idea is to create transparency of government and to facilitate better communication between decision makers and affected populations.

Wave power farm in Oregon

As of February 2010, America’s first wave power-generation farm is in construction off the coast of Oregon. Ocean Power Technologies, a firm based in the American state of New Jersey, is installing 10 buoys near Reedsport, Oregon that, when popped up and down with the motion of sea waves, will generate enough power for 400 [...]

Common Sense Air Sensors

Berkeley, California–Researchers at Intel Research and UC Berkeley have been experimenting with mobile air sensors in California in an effort to map air quality in the bay area. We’ve written about similar efforts before, namely the effort to map air quality with Sensaris sensors in Copenhagen (check out the live feed on the Copenahagen Layer [...]

Lose It! App

Some of my friends and even my father have been raving about the Lose it! mobile phone application. When I downloaded the application last week, I wasn’t expecting much as I’d already seen iterations or versions of this application over the last 2 some years; The premise of the application is simple enough: track your [...]

Mobile Phones as Sensors for Enhancing Lifestyles

I thought this video (despite being long) provided a fairly thoughtful look at potential use for the data our mobile phones are collecting. If you stick with it, it’s worth it.

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