Chapter 11 of the WWW

Well these weeks just fly by, don't they. Another week, another week of what is mostly meaningless crap, which will all be forgotten by Monday - if not already. But that's life. That reminds me, I came across a thread on reddit asking what phrases we used to use (by 'we' it mean people my age-ish, e.g. 30+), that are, or will be soon, meaningless. I'm going to go through it and make a best of, because there were some golden ones in there. Anyway, here's some already meaningless crap. Enjoy!

Procrastination is always a good place to start. If you use Chrome, disconnect from the internet, try to load a page, hit space, and see how far you get. 

PuppySwap is a genius way to get a puppy in your life - and keep it. Who wants a grown up dog? They're not half as cute. 

It's really a very clever campaign for the Toronto Humane Society, tackling pet abandonment. Over 180,000 animals enter Canadian shelters each year, and 40% will never leave. Ouch. 

You might have heard of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's record making free-climb of the sheer face of El Capitan. It's an absolutely astounding feat, and if you don't believe me, look at this wonderful interactive site from the NY Times. You can see more photos here. They're really worth a look. 

Like zombies? Like parkour? Then you'll like this. Go full screen, it's worth it. 

I was going to write about the genius idea of sending glitter to people you hate, but it seems it because so successful, so quickly, the guy who started it has already made a huge amount of money and has put the site up for sale. The modern world never ceases to amaze me. 

Here's another form of sending things, albeit a slightly more digital version. You can send file, anywhere (e.g. from PC to iPhone). It's simple and smart and one of those things you'll forget about in a moment. 

Here are some bonkers photos of NYC at night. Are they real? Yes. 

Life is like a box of chocolates. Or a donut. 

If you're not sure how big your country is compared to another country, then check this out. Just add the two countries you want to compare, and boom, there you have it. 

That's it, folks. See you next week. 

Domino Pizza - Think Oven

The 21st century suggestion box.

But, you know, good for them.

Blood

Is it just me or is blood popping up everywhere these days?

The Social Blood initiative.

The wonderful Thicker than Blood by Saatchi & Saatchi.

The bloody stockings by Kiseung Lee which, while being purely conceptual (on show Helsinki Design Week) they were still hammering home the message of giving something a little more vital this year. 

Finally, this ad from Brazil, with the tagline, "If getting blood was this easy, we wouldn’t have to ask you to donate."

Blood giving is a little weird in Denmark.

"The Blood Banks in Denmark are regulated by Sundheds Styrelsen (Board of Health) under the Ministery of Health. They dictate that all blood donors must be able to read and speak Danish. The reason being, that all blood donors need to go through a written and oral interview in Danish. These regulations are meant to secure that blood donors understand all questions and are able to answer them correctly. They are also meant to prevent misunderstandings between the blood collecting staff and the donor. As the questions are of a personal matter, translators are not allowed. Any lack of understanding or misinformation may result in reduced safety both for the donor and for the recipients. It is therefore not allowed for the blood banks to make any exceptions. We are aware that many non Danish speaking people work and study in Denmark. Although we could use the blood, we are presently not able to include these individuals as donors. In case you stay in Denmark and do learn the Danish language, we naturally welcome you warmly as a donor."

Why not have an English speaking member of staff? Who knows.