alexandra hastings

Zappos Happiness Campaign

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:50:00 -0500

This is BRILLIANT. Zappos removes common frustrations from peoples’ lives as a marketing campaign. For the heaviest travel day of the year (day before Thanksgiving), they’re underwriting the tolls on the Mass Pike. Ugh, brilliant.

Spiders Are People Too

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:30:00 -0500

Spiders Are People Too:

Male nursery spiders wrap presents in silk to give to their perspective mates. The better (more useful) the gift, the longer the female allows them to do their thing (if you know what I mean). So cool.

GOOD social entrepreneurship vc blog

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:55:36 -0500

GOOD social entrepreneurship vc blog

Flybridge Capital partner, Jeff Bussgang, recently posted a...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:25:00 -0500

Flybridge Capital partner, Jeff Bussgang, recently posted a presentation on why Boston has the perfect ecosystem for successful startups. BTW, I love that Boston leads NYC in annual VC investments.

I think infographics are pretty damn cool. For me, the best ones...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:49:00 -0400

I think infographics are pretty damn cool. For me, the best ones illustrate information that is important to society. This is an infographic by Nick Hardeman that interprets Diddy dancing with Mase in the Mo Money, Mo Problems music video. Haha, sweet.

www.sourcemap.org is such a cool concept. It uncovers how far...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:38:00 -0400

www.sourcemap.org is such a cool concept. It uncovers how far the products you buy travel before they reach you. Its something we should all be aware of. Mileage on product packaging should be standardized like nutritional facts. Again, a product of M.I.T. brainpower.

Going to the Stata Center for the first time tonight to see the...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:51:02 -0400

Going to the Stata Center for the first time tonight to see the founder of Drupal.org speak on open source. FINALLY I have an excuse to go inside this building!

Democratizing Innovation, by Eric von Hippel, head of the innovation and entrepreneurship group at M.I.T. Sloan School of Management.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:44:49 -0400

Democratizing Innovation, by Eric von Hippel, head of the innovation and entrepreneurship group at M.I.T. Sloan School of Management.:

Not only is this an extremely cool book, but its available - in full - through the MIT website. Oh, MIT, I love you and everything you stand for.

I want this clock from Etsy!

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:35:08 -0400

I want this clock from Etsy!

From www.infosthetics.com, a blog one of my clients showed me on...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:35:55 -0400

From www.infosthetics.com, a blog one of my clients showed me on information visualization (infographics). Could get lost here for hours.

The Predictioneer's Game, by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:51:00 -0400

The Predictioneer's Game, by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita:

Must. read. this. book.

Using games theory, Bueno de Mesquita (awesome name), predicts the future based on the principal that people/companies/nations will always do what is in their best interest.

He has a 90 percent accuracy rate.

A brand that just needs a little vision. I travel between Boston...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:48:00 -0400

A brand that just needs a little vision.

I travel between Boston and New York frequently. Looking out the window at a steady stream of red and white lights, I wonder, “why aren’t all these people on a train?” I don’t have an answer, but I want to figure it out and then deploy the solution with a company like CSX.

Just going to add this to the To Do list.

Pop!Tech

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:05:00 -0400

Pop!Tech:

One day I want to be a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow:

“Each year, PopTech selects 10-20 high potential change agents from around the world who are working on highly disruptive innovations in areas like healthcare, energy, development, climate, education, and civic engagement, among many others. Fellows work in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds, have a minimum of 3-5 years experience, and are working in organizations that are well positioned for sustainable growth.”

I really want to go to this event, but can’t afford it!...

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:47:00 -0400

I really want to go to this event, but can’t afford it! No!

“The Feast Conference gathers the world’s greatest innovators from across industries and society to empower, inspire and engage each other in creating world-shaking change.”

The Swedes are so good at urban planning.

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:29:07 -0400

The Swedes are so good at urban planning.

An Economist image. Not sure of the original artist but...

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:22:18 -0400

An Economist image. Not sure of the original artist but absolutely beautiful.

Every American should read this Time article about the high...

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:10:00 -0400

Every American should read this Time article about the high physical, economic and environmental costs of cheap food. Then go see Food, Inc.

Dunbar's Number: 150.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:01:00 -0400

Dunbar's Number: 150.:

Dunbar’s number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person. (Wikipedia)

All large companies should employ Dunbar’s Number as a rule of thumb when structuring departments. Solid interpersonal connections make for a much more productive workplace.

I love Spencer Lowell’s photography. NERD ALERT!

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:20:00 -0400

I love Spencer Lowell’s photography. NERD ALERT!

"With ten minutes, a group of good people and a white board, I’m sure a dozen more ideas would..."

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:45:20 -0400

“With ten minutes, a group of good people and a white board, I’m sure a dozen more ideas would come pouring out.”

- Nathaniel Whittemore, Social Entrepreneurship: “Could Y Combinator Save the World?”