It always surprises me when I think that a company (or product) that appears to be all the rage go down, goes dark, downhill and out of business, fast. This is what’s happened to the groovy little Flip camera that I have just adored over the past few years. One minute the flip was being promoted on CTA buses, and the next, big-time journalists like CNN’s Anderson Cooper are up in arms. According to the article on PC.com, the reason for the decision has to do with Cisco’s re-focus on enterprise. This, afterall is what Cisco does best. But come on… the Flip has 35% of the camcorder market, and was the bestselling camcorder on Amazon. To boot… this decision means cutting 550 Flip-related employees. With all the online outrage and tweets…maybe Cisco will re-consider. But until then, the folks over PC Mag are doing their best to help us source replacements (boo-woo). Here’s to you Flip Camera… we’ve loved you.

I am guilty of purposeful forgetting. When something is out of sight — it can easily migrate to out of mind. I am embarrassed to admit that with much of the news coverage focused on the Royal Wedding, I stopped thinking about the recovery Japan. So, I jumped on Google to find out how I could help — beyond giving $$ and here’s what I found. Please, please, please do these and pass them on because get this, while the damage has been done, the recovery and mourning period has just started. It’s estimated that this could become the most expensive earthquake ever. Unreal… the situation is likely to worsen depending on what transpires with Fukushima and the nuclear plant.

1. Text & Donate

After the $20 million raised last year for Haiti relief, the American Red Cross has launched a “texting campaign” that raises money for relief in the Pacific area. All you have to do is text REDCROSS to 90999. Your text provides $10 towards the Red Cross’s humanitarian efforts. Could it be any simpler?

2. Facebook
There are tons of no cost ways to help on Facebook but here’s the easiest… click here:

As of today just before publishing time, this Causes campaign has raised over $86,000 from close to 100,000 donors. Don’t miss out!

3. Buy Virtual

Seriously, who would have thought…but its working.

Buy virtual sweet potatoes and other digi-crops and you could help kids greatly affected by the earthquake.

Here are the dets: 100% of proceeds from your purchases of sweet potatoes in CityVille, radishes in FarmVille or kobe cows in FrontierVille goes towards Save the Children’s efforts to provide relief in the Pacific. The goal is to raise $2 million for relief efforts.

4. Embed

Code that is…
For those running a sit, you can get your users engaged in relief efforts by easily embedding a simple bit of code.

“The Hello Bar” puts a quick message at the top of your website with just a few lines of code.

Just sign up with the invite code “helpjapan” and you’ll immediately get the code snippet you need to embed to will drive donations. Click here for more instructions.

5. iTunes, Tunes In

No surprise here… Apple is also dedicating its resources to the Japan crisis in Japan. Their donation page on iTunes [iTunes link] that makes it snap simple to donate as little as $5 to $200 to the Red Cross.

No excuses. Start clicking!

Technorati Tags: japan relief efforts, japan donations, japan online relief, japan earthquake

I want to put my hands on my hips and scream “I told you so” to all the fashion magazines now promoting and make news out of the summer scarf. The scarf, the summer scarf as its most recently been coined — is in the absolute is what I believe to be the most versatile, and economical fashion statement.

Here’s why:
1. You can take it anywhere
2. It takes up no room in your bag
3. Completes any coat or jacket
4. Acts a an easy warming solution to the end of winter coolness
5. When you’re tired of wearing it around your neck — use it as a belt or tie it onto your bag
6. Adds color or texture to your neckline
7. Works as an enhancement to a necklace or as replacement
8. A complete must have when traveling to extend your wardrobe
9. Makes you feel feminine
10. Never, ever go out of style

Remember, even if you drop some pretty coin for a scarf you love, you can easily justify the expense based on the numbers of times and occasions it can be worn. And for fantastic scarf deals… hello Ebay!

Technorati Tags: summer scarf, style solutions, travel

I feel like yuck and yucky.
Achy
Fever
Cold
Want my mommy sick.

I’ve taken all the “right stuff” alka seltzer cold, antibiotics and lots of orange juice… but my head is still a big as a brick and I’m foggy and feeling really dim. Alas… the spare box of Matzo ball soup mix was in my almost empty cupboards and after my first bowl, I got to thinking… is there really proof that chicken soup works or is it the placebo effect and the endless suggestions of others that deem it to be efficacious.

Here’s what I found:

Turns out, scientist Dr. Stephen Rennard, MD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center wanted proof too.
So, Rennard tested his theory by adding his wife’s home made chicken soup broth to white blood cells, called neutrophils. And, aha, the soup slowed the neutrophils. In fact, he claimed that the chemicals in the chicken broth elixir is responsible for clearing a stuffy nose by inhibiting inflammation of the cells in the nasal passages.

Furthermore, since the early 90′s with Dr. Rennard’s findings, several more studies have backed him up — but their fine print explained that chicken soup does wonder as a “relief” for the common cold, BUT is not a “cure.”

Bottom line… all research agrees that the soup helps break up congestion — oh the pressure…. and eases the flow of nasal secretions (the snotty part)In addition, many say it also inhibits the white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response (causing sore throats and the production of phlegm.)

If soup doesn’t work there’s always the netty pot!

Technorati Tags: chicken soup, science, common cold