via fakesteve.net

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“The Omega Center for Sustainable Living is designed to make a LEED Gold structure look like a Superfund site. The $3.2 million Rhinebeck, New York, structure, which opens in July, will be the nation’s first certified “living building,” having no negative environmental effects. The centerpiece of the project — designed by Kansas City, Missouri-based BNIM and John Todd Ecological Design of Woods Hole, Massachusetts — is a revolutionary system that will clean 5 million gallons of wastewater a year. The facility also doubles as an education center focusing on — what else? — sustainable living.” – Anne C. Lee via fastcompany.com

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“As Lance pointed out on Twitter though, being fingerprinted for minor offences without being arrested isn’t exactly peanuts. Next time you’re caught going too fast, you might be fingerprinted. In fact, any time a cop looks at you askance, you could have your prints taken.”

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A while later I decided I wanted to watch them and see what all the fuss was about, but I couldn’t find them on the Microsoft website anymore (this was after the general blogosphere said the ads were a fail), so I decided to forget about it.

Today I stumbled upon the ads on the NZHerald website, and thankfully NZHerald has the videos in their archive so I watched them just now.  I have to say, I chuckled a few times.  I really enjoyed watching them (particularly the one where they are living with the family).  I had read both positive, negative, and confused opinions of the Microsoft ads, and I think I understand all three feelings.  I disagree that the ads were pointless, and in my opinion there should have been more – whether or not Microsoft says they had more planned.  Just the two ads doesn’t feel complete.  There had to be at least 2 more, to develop the story further.  Or perhaps there should have been one in between the Shoe Store ad and the Living with a Family ad.  To me, it seemed that Jerry Seinfeld just happened to see Bill Gates at the show store.  Perhaps he had met him before, perhaps not (the characters I mean, not the real Seinfeld and Gates), but they certainly didnt live together.  The second ad should have been leading up to them moving in with the family.  Perhaps that could have been the missing piece that would have prevented all the confusion people felt.

For my part, im sorry that the ads have been pulled, and would have enjoyed seeing the rest of them.  While watching the ads, I actually felt like maybe Microsoft isnt the nasty company it often seems to be.  I hate the Microsoft ‘Im a PC’ ads, but it seems to fit nicely with my original view of Microsoft, and reinforces the idea that Microsoft just doesnt get it.

Related posts:

1. A Tour of America’s First Zero-Impact, Supergreen “Living Building”
2. App Store process

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The new prefixes have been announced and should have been active since the beginning of August 08.  They are as follows:

0201 Orcon Mobile
0241-0244 and 0246-0249 NZ Communications
0280 Compass
02885 M2 & Black+White

From what I understand, NZ Comms is creating its own network with its own hardware, but the other players are piggy-backing on Vodafones hardware (well, certainly Black+White and I cant imagine Orcon building its own network just yet – or if they have they have done it very quietly).

A side note is that Telecom should have their new GSM network rolled out by the end of this year or during next year – I have heard talk of delays.  I dont know what their GSM prefix will be as I imagine it would be different from their current prefix – but I could be wrong.

Im looking forward to having some competition in NZ’s mobile world.  Hopefully we will see cheaper voice and data plans very soon.

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This might be fun.  Send us a photo of where you use Xero.  We’ll come up with a prize for the best photo. – Rod Drury.

My photo is below…

Xero in the hammock in Honduras

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Last night after the Kings of Leon concert, we went to the New World shopping centre on College Hill in Auckland City for a cold water, as we left the grocery store we saw this box with two sides. One for donations to the SPCA and the other for donations to the Auckland City Mission.

Its true that there is the possibility that someone has just emptied the Auckland City Mission side (why would they empty one side and not the other) but it stood as an interesting picture of the priorities of the New World shoppers. I was disgusted by the thought that we would prioritise animal donations over donations that help fellow humans. But as I walked out of the shop with my friends and my H2Go bottle, I realised that even though we had just larked at the stereotypical Ponsonby scene, we didnt turn around and buy something to donate to the Auckland City Mission side of the box.

In our defense, you would either have to know about the box with the SPCA and ACM donations before you go into the shopping centre, or go back through the entrance again and buy something to put in. I live outside the city in Kumeu and never go to that particular shop so I wasnt to know about the box. But somewhere deep inside, I dont want to defend myself. Im tired of making excuses for my lack of empathy, or my lack of action.

(Photo taken on a PXT phone – sorry for the quality).

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This talk comes from TED University 2007, a pre-conference program where TEDsters share ideas.

This is a really interesting talk about the over-protective society we live in. Im only 24 years old and dont have any kids so I dont come from the perspective of a parent, but I still think this is worth watching.

Check out the video.

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