Author: Brett

MTV True Life: Ep. | ‘I’m in a Long Distance Relationship’

Brett

Maintaining a relationship takes work in the best of circumstances but what happens when you add thousands of miles of road between two people in love? This episode of True Life will follow two couples struggling to make long distance relationships work. With the inability to see each other every night will late night phone calls and every other weekend visits be enough to keep their relationships afloat? Or will distance, lack of trust and jealousy tear them apart?

 

http://www.mtv.com/shows/truelife/episode.jhtml?episodeID=125290

Thousands Of High-School Sweethearts Prepare For Post-Graduation Breakup

Brett

WASHINGTON, DC—In a time-honored annual ritual, thousands of high-school seniors across the nation are cramming for final exams, trying on their graduation gowns, and preparing to break up with their longtime sweethearts. “Amy is an amazing girl,” said Lancaster (OH) High School senior Jeff Reidel, who next week is planning to break up with Amy Pocoroba, his girlfriend of three and a half years. “I know we swore we’d be together forever, but, like me, she’s got a lot of exciting opportunities ahead of her, and it just wouldn’t be fair to her to keep her tied down.”

 

http://www.theonion.com/articles/thousands-of-highschool-sweethearts-prepare-for-po,93/

Attention college freshmen: your high school relationship will soon expire

Brett

Is it really that time of year again? Yes, it may be hard to believe, but it is almost time to trade your beach bag for your book bag—and sadly, summer (what summer?) will not be extended in New England due to rain. Within a month, many of you will be beginning anew and going off to college for the first time as freshmen (woo-hoo, no parents!).

While it is–of course– important to keep in touch with your hometown buds and your family when you’re off at school, there is one relationship that is poised to lose its luster as the summer turns to fall—and that is your relationship with your ‘high school sweetheart’.

http://www.examiner.com/college-relationships-in-manchester/attention-college-freshmen-your-high-school-relationship-will-soon-expire#ixzz1s9AcbsuM

Going away to college — with or without a significant other?

Brett

I’ve always thought going to college single was a no brainer. You wouldn’t have to worry about who you danced with at a party, if the guy or girl at the coffee counter was flirting with you or making sure you kept in contact with your boyfriend or girlfriend. But as I watch many of my friends struggle with the idea of leaving their boyfriend or girlfriend behind as they go onto college while their high school sweetheart remains in high school, I started to wonder if it’s really that simple.

 

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/going-away-to-college-with-or-without-a-significant-other

Plant This Cardboard Box to Grow 100 Trees

Brett

The Life Box is a perfectly normal cardboard box. Sellers can ship goods in it. Receivers can recycle it. But recycling would be a waste, as the Life Box can also be torn up and planted to grow 100 trees.

The makeup of each box is simple—recycled paper laced with 100 or so tree seeds, each dusted with mycorrhizal fungal spores. When planted, the seeds sprout thanks in part to the nurturing fungus. Hopefully, the UPS guy doesn’t get the box wet, or the process might start a bit early.
Plant This Cardboard Box to Grow 100 Trees
Right now, Life Boxes are produced on the small scale. You can order up to 100 for your business at an undisclosed price, or a single for $30-$50. (Yes, it’s too pricey to consider.) But imagine if a big company—like an HP or a Sony—got behind the idea and funded the process on scale. As inhabitat points out, “a 1-2% share of the cardboard box market in the United States could cover up to 25,000 acres of land per week.” And if only one tree from from any box survives for 30 years, it’ll still suck up a literal ton of carbon.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5578302/plant-this-cardboard-box-to-grow-100-trees

San Gabriel Boy, 10, Creates Buzz With Anti-Gay Bullying Film He Wrote, Produced

Brett

San Gabriel Boy, 10, Creates Buzz With Anti-Bullying Film He Wrote, Produced

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — At an age when some kids can’t get into movies, Gerry Orz, 10, is making them.

Orz was 9 when he produced an anti-bullying movie. Besides garnering interest in the San Gabriel Valley school district where he lives — with his two mothers and brother –  the movie has also gotten interest from the state of Illinois.

Orz (he says “everyone calls me G”) said he was bullied a lot when he was younger and he decided to produce the movie to help other kids who are being picked on.

He told CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Christy Fajardo that he wants to change the world — one act of kindness at a time.

Most of the anti-bullying videos in circulation, he feels, preach to kids and lecture. And he maintains, no kid wants to pay attention to that. So he decided to go a more visual route.

Day of Silence (DOFS) Episode 1

Day of Silence (DOFS) Episode 2

 

Facebook E-Commerce the Next Big Thing?

Brett

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/05/net-us-facebook-ecommerce-idUSBRE8340FF20120405

(Reuters) – A group of e-commerce start-ups, backed by some of the tech world’s most pedigreed financiers, are betting that Facebook Inc can become an e-commerce powerhouse to rival Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc.

As the world’s largest social network hurtles toward a $5 billion initial public offering, it will come under more pressure from Wall Street to find new sources of profit growth and reduce its reliance on advertising, which accounted for 85 percent of its 2011 revenue.

Some entrepreneurs and investors increasingly think “f-commerce” – meaning e-commerce on Facebook – is the answer. Start-ups such as BeachMint, Yardsellr, Oodle and Fab.com are coming up with novel ways to persuade Facebook users to not just connect with friends on the social network, but to shop as well.

Backed by tens of millions of dollars from venture capital firms like Accel Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, and other big investors like Goldman Sachs, these start-ups are pushing out shopping apps, hosting online garage sales and testing out new business models on Facebook.

“E-commerce is a huge category with very strong tailwinds and it’s a natural move for Facebook,” said Sam Schwerin of Millennium Technology Value Partners, which owns Facebook shares and has a stake in BeachMint.

Celebrity Auction Offers Chance to Pitch Superstar Entrepreneurs

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/celebrity-auction-superstar-entrepreneurs_n_1415487.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Ever dream of getting your million-dollar idea in front of some of the biggest names in business? Dream no more. The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship is sponsoring the Dare To Dream Auction, in which aspiring entrepreneurs can bid for one-on-one time with one of five superstar entrepreneurs.

The auction, which is being monitored by Charitybuzz, is offering up power meetings with one of five entrepreneurs, including Bobbi Brown Cosmetics founder Bobbi Brown, AOL co-founder and philanthropist Steve Case, FUBU founder and “Shark Tank” star Daymond John, restaurateur Danny Meyer and entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Facebook Acquires Instagram in $1 Billion Deal

Brett

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/facebook-acquires-instagram-1-billion-309621

Facebook has made its first significant purchase in its history, acquiring the hot mobile photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the deal on Facebook, calling it an “important milestone” in the company’s history.

San Francisco-based Instagram has experienced tremendous growth since launching in 2010. The company has 30 million users, about double from the beginning fo the year.

Here’s Zuckerberg’s full announcement:

“I’m excited to share the news that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.