eCommerce Widget

This falls under dual research for both budcozy and my day job. Lemonade is a widget that lets you select products to embed in your blog or social network. It's like a navigable ad. There are a variety of brands including Apple and the Gap and a bunch of categories like electronics, kitchen, apparel, books, movies and more. I found a few products that I have, and can recommend. I'm pretty sure the solar panel is the one my sister took to Uganda with her, and will be leaving several behind with the school she's visiting.

It was a good learning experience to see what they do well with the user experience, and what falls short. Food for thought.

Eco Friendly Envelopes

Wow, now that's an exciting blog title. I figured that while I patiently wait for the Life Box to be available I could look around for other options available now. Tons of recycled post consumer waste envelopes, which is good and what I'll continue to order. But ideally I'd like find something more than that.

Ecoenvelopes
Ideal for mailing things like bills that include the need to send a reply payment. Made from a minimum of 30% post consumer waste (PCW) content and use soy and water-based inks and bio cell window films. Nice blog. And a nice logo, too.

Brown Bag Envelopes
100% recycled using post consumer waste. I started off mailing budcozy with a batch of similar brown bag envelopes, but the glue was horrible and didn't seal properly. But I'd be open to trying another brand like this one.

Paperboard Mailer
These look interesting. Made from 100 percent hand-sorted, recycled fiberboard (containing 95 percent post-consumer paper). This is a more sturdy almost cardboard looking mailer. Especially good for sending more than one budcozy at a time.

I found these envelopes all accounted for on ActionEnvelope. In the short time I searched, they look to be the online resource for eco-friendly envelopes. Plus they practice what they preach.

Mars Lander is Twittering

Photo from NASA.

I've been following NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Mission unfold via Twitter. This is really really cool on so many levels.

First, I'm getting news as it literally happens first hand from the source.

Second, these twitters give the Phoenix Probe a personality and a voice like it's ALIVE. I really care about that thing up there so far away. I hope he'll be ok, really. I found out that he has to survive the Mars winter in total ice and then try to thaw out later. He says things like "I'm going to sleep now, more tomorrow" or "I'm going to try to move my arm today, it's been in storage for 10 months" or "More pictures! Check them out".

Third, this twitter account has not really be publicized all that much, yet it already has over 9,000 followers. This continues to grow each day. One mention worth noting: Phoenix Space Probe More Popular Than Punk Rock.

Fourth, I'm frakking learning something about space in a way that really engages me. This is big.

Name: MarsPhoenix
Location: North polar region of MARS!
Web http://tinyurl.co...
Bio: I dig Mars!

Ultimate Memetastic

Weezer's latest video, "Pork and Beans", showing a lovely array of Internet Memes has over 3.8 million YouTube views since Friday. The director says "...this is like a web CliffsNotes to getting into internet culture." (Via Wired)

How It Works

Came across a great series of How It Works videos. Super clever and super cute. Budcozy needs one of these. The video below explains the difference between regular incandescent light bulbs and CFLs.



More videos about things like Social Networks, Wikis, RSS and Zombies here at Common Craft.

"B" is for Budcozy

Photo by Urbanwide.

Who knew. Wiki has entries for (I think, but I didn't check) each letter. Entries cover topics such as: History, Typography, Usage, Codes for computing, and References.

On Auto-Pilot

For a majority of designers this is a really obvious list of links to mention but, I find myself utilizing most of these (and more I haven't listed) on nearly every one of my projects. They're great design resources that are so basic to me that I probably take them for granted. It got me thinking, what other online resources do other designers rely on? What might I be missing that might help me break out of old habits?

Font ID, search by sight

Free Vector World Maps, just in case you ever need one

Lorem Ipsum, for when you're waiting on content

Silk Icons, free family of 700 tiny icons

Silkscreen, free tiny font

Best Brands of the World, EPS files of most corporate logos

A List Apart, for people who make websites

iStockPhoto.com, a great resource for affordable graphics and icons

Frilly Things, a collection by Cameron Moll

budcozy <3 u

A couple people out on the internets have seen the light, and believe in a world of tangle-free earbuds. And I heart them.

The Next Hottest Model
Budcozy is the newest accessory that is truly functional, it slides over your ipod cords and keeps them from getting tangled. And what makes Budcozy different is that it is made from natural materials like hemp, bamboo and organic cotton. Retails at 15. You don't have to be the world's top model to know the comfort and convenience that Budcozy offers can actually change and enhance your entire Ipod experience.

Eco Smart Style

Budcozy is a hand crafted accessory that slides over your iPod and iPhone earbud cords to keep them from getting tangled up. Made from all natural fibers like hemp, bamboo and organic cotton when possible, budcozys are manufactured in San Francisco. Cute, stylish and affordable at $15 each, it's a great gift for yourself or that iPod user in your family.

This Next, by hanahula
Every time I go out for a run I somehow manage to dislodge my earbuds from my iPod. Just one of life's little annoyances . . . but one that now has a cute solution: the budcozy. I like the Samantha (made in hemp with pink trim) but you can choose from denim, bamboo and cotton designs too.

Fernanda Zaffari
Rough translation: The Budcozys was an excellent invention to finish with rolled up wires them earphones them MP3, besides being a perfect accessory to load the device. It is alone to place the phones in the Budcozys and to incase wires separating one of the other. Beyond that the Budcozys is fashionable and is seeming an accidental super necktie. Still more with the neutral tones that do not ruin the disguise. The Budcozy is manufactured from organic staple fibers and renewed.

Grassshopper1995
Love these!! So I just bought two of these (Pow! and Slate) and I think they are the coolest thing ever. Why didn't I think of it!

wow

"Sen. Barack Obama was greeted by the largest crowd of his 15-month campaign in Portland Sunday, an estimated 75,000 people, according to Portland Police. "

When Obama Wins (wow)... We'll all find the map to candy mountain.

Weekend Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I believe I've identified the butterfly that kept appearing this weekend. First on our walk to Twin Peaks, and then later that night on a mural. It's an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

Update: I added this sighting to the North American Butterfly Association website, Butterflies I've Seen archive. I had to enter Twin Peaks as a location (didn't come up as a known location on their site) and I had to search for this butterfly with the State Filter turned off. Good deed done for today.

To outer space and back to the couch

It was one of those busy-fast weekends and we were excited to get everything accomplished. D has been swamped at work so this was a necessary break to get recharged by seeing some great stuff other people are up to. We started the day off with a hike up to Twin Peaks with Lucy. We are really lucky to be able to walk right out the front door and just keep going up until we've reached the top like the surface of another planet. Spring is so here with butterflies, birds, alien weeds and flowers. It was so windy up there that Lucy's ears flew back like she was riding a motorcycle.

Once we got back down to earth, we bused into town to load up with a super taco and horchada and head to the historic Armory building. It was open to the public for the Mission Bazaar, an exhibition of art, design, music and performance. We drive by that place often and someone usually makes a comment about what sordid things go on in there. In 2006 it was purchased for $14.5 million by an adult production internet company, giving the ominous Moorish Castle style building on a edgy intersection an even grittier presence. So we have been really curious to see the inside. It was like walking back in time into an old airplane hanger, lots of brick and steel and huge windows with bright sunlight streaming into the dark space. Most of the vendors were clothing and accessories, with a burningman-steampunk-hippie aesthetic. I got a super cute red and cream striped wrist band made from a vintage tie, with a single silver snap. D tried on a tiny victorian top hat, which made him look like something out of Alice in Wonderland. I think I should get him one. We bumped into a friend who makes films. A favorite local clothing designer of mine was there, Miranda Caroligne. I'd really love to get to the point where budcozy could be part of an event like this. I was inspired to get back to work on some new limited editions themes. American Cupcake sent me a link to the Union Street Faire in a couple weeks, which happens to be an eco theme, but it's hard to swallow the $650 booth fare. Being creatures of habit and feeling a bit overloaded by the bazaar, we walked over to La Copa Loca for waffle cones of hazelnut sorbet and sat on the sidewalk to charge up for evening plans.

The rest of the weekend went like this:

Wes Scoop at the Marsh
Hard to cover the 90 min show, I kept wanting to write things down but didn't want to miss anything. One thing I remember him saying is the answer to our nations problems is to acknowledge our predicament and engage in an intentional decline with a Reverse Peace Corps, to learn how to siesta and make tasty dishes from rice and beans. Remember to breathe. Unlearn our overachieving.

icanhaz
An honest attempt to icanhazcheezburgers but gravitational pull of the couch won. Instead we went to witness with our own eyes a really big crossover moment between the internets and reality.

Opera.

That butterfly
More collisions between worlds with the butterfly from the hike now firmly embeded in a mural. It stopped me in my tracks.

Free samples
In between giant boxes of cereal, a moment of bliss at Costco: toasted ham-n-cheese croissant sammie samples.

iPhone
A new iPhone case that goes real cute with the Pow budcozy. But I find myself looking at my iPhone wanting to take a picture of my phone with my phone. Need to track down the camera.

Series of amazing events
D got 2 pairs of jeans and 1 pair sneaks, without even trying. Do you know how amazing that is? We were so tired and hungry but you just can't stop when shopping karma strikes. Nutella-banana crepe post spree prepared us for MUNI home. And then the most amazing series of events happened. The J arrived immediately. Only one crazy person on board talking into a cellphone with no one at the other end. It did not break down. I do not kid. Then as we sat waiting for our transfer on the 48 to take us home (estimated 17 min), Hoshi appeared out of nowhere in a skid and waved us aboard to deliver us to our door.

More couch.

Hemp Factoid

Wiki says: "Hemp requires little to no pesticides, replenishes soil with nutrients and nitrogen, controls erosion of the topsoil, and produces lots of oxygen, considering how fast it grows. Furthermore, Hemp could be used to replace many potentially harmful products, such as tree paper (the process of which uses bleaches and other toxic chemicals, apart from contributing to deforestation), cosmetics (which often contain synthetic oils that can clog pores and provide little nutritional content for the skin), plastics (which are petroleum based and cannot decompose), and more."

While hemp is still illegal to grow in the US, I get my hemp fabric (and bamboo and organic cotton) from a local SF importer Pickering International.

Friends of Budcozy

Budcozy is my pet project that I'm having a lot of fun with. I've been inspired by people who have taken a chance on their own ideas and are making a go of it. I have some friends that are up to some pretty cool things themselves that I'd love to tell you about:

American Cupcake
"Not your mother's cupcake"
http://www.yelp.com/biz/american-cupcake-san-francisco

BlinkM
Make crazy LED things.
http://thingm.com/

Love Spirals
Ryan and Anji Bee are uber chilltastic.
http://lovespirals.com/

Sister goes to Uganda
Yes, my sister. She is rad.
http://lorisaltveit.wordpress.com/

Solar Death Ray 3000
"Do not look into beam with remaining eye."
http://people.tribe.net/5969572e-afaf-4c36-97d4-b7be3d08f572

El Grande, Lumia Grande and Thomas Wilfred
Makers of visual music.
http://performinglights.com/index.html
http://www.lumiagrande.blogspot.com/
http://www.lumia-wilfred.org/

It was really awesome

As a long time fan of DailyCandy it was so incredibly awesome to have them cover budcozy. You can read their great review here:
http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/35076/Nip+It+in+the+Bud

Yay! Yelp.

Do you love your budcozy?
http://www.yelp.com/biz/budcozy-san-francisco

Budcozy has a Facebook page

Add yourself as a budcozy fan and help spread the word.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/budcozyTM/9214692399

Budcozy in the news

NBC10 Spring's Must-haves: Budcozy
Budcozy is featured as one of this Spring's Must-haves, on Philidelphia's NBC the 10! Show.

View the video on NBC10:
http://video.nbc10.com/player/?id=223253

There is a brief commercial and then budcozy is shown around timing 06:48, just after the elephant lamp.



CBS2, LA: Tangle Free Ear Buds
Tech Check reporter Rich DeMuro showcases budcozy on his show. Super awesome spotlight on the limited edition 'Candy', made by recycling a bridesmaid dress.

Link to video:
http://cbs2.com/tech/vista.budcozy.dealtaker.2.666413.html