10,000 people with one message 6 comments

18 Mar 2006 @ 02:58, by Uncle Remus Faces of Planet Earth is a new interactive web page (launched on January 16, 2006) made of several thousands contiguous blocks that can be purchased at the cost of $10 a block. Each block allows its owner to put his/her photo up, along with a message (and optionally a link to his/her favorite website.) Message and photo, and the position of any block on the page can be changed any time at the discretion of the block’s owner. More here There are only 10,000 blocks available, and we are told that this represents 0.00016% of the planet's population. If the project catches on and reaches its term, this also represents a potential revenue of $100,000---50% of which are to be donated to the six following causes: World Vision, Greenpeace, ALV, PETA, Planet Ark, and WWF. The project manager does not make it 100% clear what is to happen to the remaining $50,000. We are told that "paypal will take it's cut," that "the bank will dip their hand with fees," and about "hosting fees, and domain renewal," and that "the rest will go towards the cost of keeping [the project] up." Well, ok…it’s still a lot of money, though. But, hey, from an entrepreneurial perspective, if the projects fills a "need," and people are happy with what they get for their 10 bucks, or what they feel they are contributing to, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Anyway, last time I checked, 34 blocks had been reserved, so far. And out of these 34 blocks, only 14 were up with a photo and a message. Some of the pictures posted were pictures of children along with a message underlying that their future (and, by extension, the future of all our children) is in our hands, or something along that idea. A couple other blocks were promoting being a vegetarian. But not all the blocks owners are human. One of the block is owned by a mouse with the following message, "Take me to your leader, Earthling." And three of the blocks are apparently owned by three cats by the names of Beanie, Odo, and Spatz. So, that mouse better watch out. Meanwhile, in Rio de Janeiro: March 17, 2006: Greenpeace activists unfurled a banner from the famous Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro to call on governments to protect global biodiversity. Representatives from 188 countries are taking part of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in Curitiba, Brazil, to discuss the protection of biodiversity. Meanwhile, in Washington: [link] Meanwhile, in Antartica: [link] ¿que hora son mi corazón? ¿que hora son en inglaterra? ¿que hora son en gibraltar? ¿que hora son allá en fisterra? ¿que hora son hey byebyebom? ¿que hora son la vida entera? ¿que hora son en el japón? ¿que hora son en mozambique? ¿que hora son en washington? nos engañaron byebyebom! nos engañaron con la primavera! nos engañaron bye bye bom! bombala bombala bombala... bombala bombala bombala... bombala bombala bombala... ¿que hora son mi corazón? What time is it, my heart? What time is it in England? What time is it in Gibraltar? What time is it there in fisterra? What time is it hey byebyebom? Waht time is it your entire life? What time is it in Japan? What time is it in Mozambique? What time is it in Washington? We were fooled byebyebom We were fooled with the spring We were fooled byebyebom ... What time is it my heart? [Manu Chao, "La Primavera"] "As evidence grows that human activity is accelerating dangerous changes in the world's climate, the Bush administration's excuses for inaction are running out. History will not forgive political leaders who failed to act on this issue, and neither should voters." ----David Ignatius, "The Planet Can't Wait"

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Category: Stories 

18 Mar 2006 @ 21:14 by jstarrs : Selling pixels isn't new...
..anyway, I guess it's the motivation that counts.  

60% of all US workers give time each year to work for causes they passionately believe in. The average time gift is 200 hours. If each hour given by a US citizen was charged out at the average industrial wage, you would be talking about an industry as large as 4.5% of GDP or 12% of the Federal budget.

Um...what does this tell us about people’s motivation? The choices they make? The things they feel strongly about?

Is profit the engine of civilization? Or, is there more to the force that drives humanity?

Good point, jstarrs, yes, "I guess it's the motivation that counts."

And no,

Sometimes, motivation is not enough.

Personal motivation does not necessarily provoke the right strategies. Strategy does not necessarily provoke personal motivation. And personal motivation does not necessarily provoke actions.

As for those who play the pipers, what are their motivations?

They, who call the tune, what is their approach to such inner needs?
Is it just to them another resource to be harvested?
Are they just massaging such inner needs and motivation, as a profit-enhancing exercise?

Is profit the engine of civilization? Is it truly what lies at the heart of human endeavor?

And what if the engine was slowly killing the world?

And what of Br'er Bush, jazzolog, since you bring him up?

What of Br’er Bush?

The GREAT UNITER?


What is HIS motivation?

"…unceasingly, he forges the chain, the daunting chain upon which all is chained:
work, profit, misery, slaughter, sadness, misfortune, insomnia and boredom,
the daunting chain of gold,
of oil, coal, iron and steel,
of blast-furnace slag and dust,
passed around the neck of a dysfunctional world,
the wretched chain, on which cling the "divine" baubles, the sacred relics, the medals of honor, the swastikas, the knick-knack amulets, the medals of the old servants,
the trinkets of misfortune,
and the grand museum piece, the grand old portrait, the large equestrian portrait,
the full-face portrait, the finely chiseled profile portrait, the hop-scotch portrait,
the grand gilded portrait,
the grand old portrait of the grand old preacher,
the grand old portrait of the grand emperor,
the grand portrait of the grand thinker,
the grand rope jumper,
the grand moralizer,
the face of the dignified and sad practical joker,
the face of the grand bloody nuisance,
the face of the aggressive pacificator,
the police face of the grand liberator,
the face of Adolph Hitler,
the face of the dictator,
the face of the executioner,
of whatever country,
of whatever color,
the odious face,
the unhappy face...
the face of fear."

[Jacques Prevert, "Paroles"]  

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