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Jelli – Radio Power to the People

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:08:16 +0000

Jelli – Enjoying music online is as easy as ABC. If we’re fed up with a certain track or radio station we simply click on the next one – free choice on the Web is terrific, isn’t it? But just imagine how sweet life would be if we were able to manipulate the music lineup, determining which song will be played next. Sounds crazy, I know, but now this very option is available at your fingertips.

If you are looking for a different kind of music entertainment, one which is more democratic and ‘for the people, by the people,’ where you can help to determine the lineup of music tracks, Jelli is the place for you. This small piece of audio heaven here on earth is “100% user-controlled radio, enabling users to take over a radio station using their web browsers. Leveraging the power of the web to reinvent traditional broadcasting, Jelli empowers the community to interact with the broadcast in real-time and determine dynamically what plays on the air.”

To join in, all you need is to create an account. Choose from a list of stations, Red, Orange or Green and then start voting for or against each song on the list. For more in depth information on Jelli’s ins and outs, I recommend checking out their Getting Started and FAQ pages, but you should know their platform is extremely intuitive. The best part about Jelli in my view is that they managed to avoid instances of discontinued play due to buffering times. It looks, feels and sounds just like real radio, only it’s much more engaging, appealing and effective.

As for my favorites, the Red station is my top choice. I listened to it as I was writing this blog, and I was sure to provide my votes accordingly. Some of the songs I voted for actually made it to broadcast, which was really cool. This made me super happy and I genuinely felt I had a hand in creating the music lineup. Below are some of the songs that were played. Enjoy!

LifeTuner – The Ultimate Diet Plan for your Spending

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:07:50 +0000

LifeTuner – This past year has made us all much more calculated in terms of expenses, and we all came to learn that frugal is no longer a negative, frowned upon adjective. Seeking bona fide financial advice is not only OK, it’s strongly recommended. Need someone to help you plan ahead? Drop by LifeTuner, which “brings together sensible, unbiased advice from volunteer financial experts with a vibrant community of peers and individuals who’ve been there before – all of whom can share their experiences and learn from each other.” On a side note, I thought it was interesting LifeTuner is brought to us by AARP, a non-profit organization “dedicated to helping people of all ages make smarter choices today for a better life tomorrow.”

Newser – News’ Bottom Line is Just as Effective

Annat Katz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:07:13 +0000

Newser – Staying on top of today’s news can be overwhelming as the Web’s real time feeds of various sorts require the consumption of copious amounts of data and text on our part. That’s why we have RSS, readers and other filtering mediums available. But even with such content aids, as soon as you click on say, a New York Times article, chances are there are multiple lengthened pages ahead for you to read. So if getting the gist of a news story is what you’re after, I suggest that you visit Newser. With a maximum of two paragraphs per story, this sophisticated news aggregator “combines the wisdom of editors and the power of technology, offering, we believe, a richer, smarter, and more entertaining news experience.” Do they keep that promise? Oh yes. Here’s an example.

The Purse Page – Falling into the Clutches of Fashion, Delightedly

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:06:54 +0000

The Purse Page – Last week I mentioned how much we appreciate and encourage recommendations. Well, this week we have yet another Weekly Fave that sprung from a recommendation we received from Erin Booker at Outblush. She gave us the tip of the Purse Page and we’re delighted she decided to share it with us. Both Outblush and the Purse Page are featured on our Women Mini Faves page, along with other juicy resources for the fairer sex.

The Purse Page is, in one word, fabulous. It’s updated frequently with excellent content any woman will appreciate, and the blog features designer bags and celebrity stars rocking those totes, clutches and wallets. I was so impressed with this blog that I sent my girlfriend an email with a link to three designs I was particularly impressed by (see them below). Her reaction said it all: “my boyfriend has exquisite taste.” Hope you will also find these as delightful as I did.

The Best of Us Challenge – Can you beat a Professional Athlete?

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:06:31 +0000

The Best of Us Challenge – Have you ever thought you can beat a professional athlete? Even if your initial reaction is ‘yes,’ once you take into account the physical shape, years of practice and mental determination required, your rational side of the brain will most likely deter you from taking part in this futile faceoff. Well, now you can do it, in a surprising and unique kind of way.

The Best of Us Challenge is a website where Olympic athletes “are challenging YOU to compete against them.” To give an example, you can challenge Refael Nadal in how many tennis balls can you pick and hold in 30 seconds, Michael Phelps in Speed Putting or Shawn Johnson in Distance Egg Toss Challenge. The Challenge runs from 14 October to 28 February, and there are many prizes you can win, including a trip for two to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Airbnb – Accommodation Big Bang

Annat Katz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:06:12 +0000

Airbnb – Here’s a concept that is so simple and effective, it’s a wonder no one has thought of it before, let alone offered such a user friendly website for it. Airbnb is “an online marketplace allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space.”

Whether you’re looking for a traditional B&B for your vacation, a luxurious cabin in the mountains or in search of an adventurous tree house for your camping trip, Airbnb is the spot for you. It’s a one-stop place for both finding and offering such tempting spaces for rent. What locations are included? The entire globe – check out their coverage. The Bamboo House in Puerto Viejo, Alajuela caught my eye. Which one’s your favorite?

Today’s BIG Fail – Holy Shit!

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:05:56 +0000

Today’s BIG Fail – Why is it that accidents, mishaps and simple missions gone wrong induce our roaring laughter? Let’s be honest; we often find the failures of others funny as hell. Today’s BIG Fail relies on the exact same notion, offering a variety of hilarious videos of accidents, crashes and shattered glasses all over the globe.

I enjoyed browsing the site using the Random button, and relished in numerous surprising moments of OMGs. By the way, after going through about twenty ‘failures,’ I realized the most common utterance people in the videos made was “Holy shit”! Below are my favorite fails that made me both laugh my butt off and feel sorry for the unfortunate stars…

Learn Something Every Day – Visually Didactic Fun

Annat Katz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:05:25 +0000

Learn Something Every Day – Learning new facts and acquiring new knowledge usually requires some sort of incentive for maximum and long term retention. Learn Something Every Day has come up with an original and wonderfully appealing incentive to teach us fascinating things about life and the world we live in. Presented in vibrant bite-size squares are short interesting points worth considering. I learned for example that the inventor of the electric chair was a dentist; David Bowie has a spider species named after him, and get this, humans share about 50% of DNA with bananas. This is an excellent coffee brake spot.

The Sound of Orange RockCorps – A Cappella, Remixed

Annat Katz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:04:44 +0000

The Sound of Orange RockCorps – Locating sounds and mixing them together is a creative process that has been around for decades, and with the right technology, pretty much anyone can do it. The only question is how well you can do it. But when you’re the one creating the audio building blocks yourself, i.e. the sounds, and then you mix these up into one continuous tune, that’s a whole different ball game.

Cellular giant Orange has made available an interesting application allowing users to “record sounds, stick them together with other sounds from your mates and other Orange RockCorps volunteers, and create your own, unique, totally awesome version of a famous track.” Check out the Top Tracks to see what others created, or work on your own track with your own set of sounds. Either way, this amounts to a whole lot of fun.

Power Pinball – Get the Ball Rolling

Shachar Pessis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:02:31 +0000

Power Pinball – If you haven’t seen the movie ‘Tommy,‘ then go and watch it; it’s a rock musical based on tracks by The Who, starring Tommy – a Pinball wizard. I enjoyed the movie so much that every time I hear the word pinball, I think of that great movie. Below is the video of my favorite song from the movie, paradoxically not performed by The Who (rather by Elton John).

In terms of the game itself, you should try out this super fun Power Pinball, offering cool power ups. Tag different groups of mushrooms to activate special modes, get huge bonuses and point streaks! For more Pinball games, check out All My Faves Games, where we have a designated faveline for pinball games.