Trying to win the battle against illegal software downloads, Microsoft is incentivizing students to take the legal route by offering major discounts on one of its newest Office 2007 software packages in addition to introducing a commission model.
According to the official website the total student discount brings the cost for Office Ultimate 2007 to $59 (download only – installation disk is extra), a supposable 91% discount offer from the ERP of $679. Software programs included are the most recent editions of Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook, Groove, Onenote, Infopath, Access, Word, and Publisher.
In order to be eligible for both the rate and the chance to earn commissions, students must use their .edu email account during registration and prove they are enrolled in “at least a .5 course load” (I’m guessing that still makes those that dropped all of their classes entitled to the discount).
While the site doesn’t publicly state what percentage commission students will be entitled to, if they opt into the Microsoft Student Affiliate Program, it does say that they will be providing customizable banners/links for posting on website like facebooks/myspace and personal websites.
A YouTube member recently uploaded a short clip featuring an Indonesian man, Dede, who is suffering from a rare skin disease that caused root like warts to grow from all parts of his body mimicking the visual aesthetic of a tree.
While uncertain, Dede believes his disease stemmed from a cut he had gotten on his knee from an accident during his teenage years. Limited in his physical abilities and pigeonholed as an outcast in his community, Dede was forced to join a local freakshow in order to help financially support his two children.
Now 35 years of age, Dede is counting on Dr. Anthony Gaspari, an American dermatology exert from the University of Maryland to cure his condition. Dr Gaspari, became involved in the case through a Discovery Channel documentary series, “My Shocking Story” , that aims to create awareness of extreme medical conditions around the world.
After some blood work, Dr. Gaspari recently concluded that Dede’s affliction is caused by a combination of a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - - a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.
According to an article by the Telegraph, Dr. Gaspari believes the condition can be cleared up by taking daily doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin A, which has been shown to arrest the growth of warts in severe cases of HPV. He hopes to get the necessary drugs free of charge from pharmaceutical firms.
Over the course of 3-6 months the warts should shrink in size eventually allowing for the most resilient warts to then be frozen off or surgically removed.
If you are interested in learning more about the other featured stories within the series click here .
To compliment their latest partnership with Project Runway, Levi’s recently launched an online extension inviting anyone with an imagination the opportunity to design a product made solely of denim by mashing up the material from their 501 Jeans and signature Levi’s Trucket Jacket.
Participants simply need to upload an image of their magnum opus (word of the day) and win the hearts and clicks of web visitors.
Entries can get as fancy as mocked up digital prototypes or as raw as sketches. If chosen as the winner, the lucky person behind the hard work will get to see their creation brought to life and sold on the Levi’s website.
Creative professors/teachers at fashion institutes might even want to consider using this promotion as the basis of a pop quiz. The grand prize speaks for itself but beyond that I think most students would enjoy some friendly competition and the opportunity to see how far their design would go.
The Glass Jug: So simple. So practicle. So stylish?
The Carlo Rossi brand, infamous for their $10 Sangria jug, has re-purposed their packaging into a simple collection of functional furniture pieces all aiming to bring people together.
Each signature piece found on the website is named after a flavored spirit and comes complete with how-to video instructions.Sober up, it’s hammer time.
Images above:
- Paisano Plasma TV Stand
- Sangria Sound System
- Chardonnay Chandelier
- Rhine Reading Lamp
- Cabernet Couch - Burgundy Book Shelf
Photo editing novice or geek, it looks like Big Huge Labs is yet another photo editing application to keep on your radar. While I have yet to take advantage of their software download, I had a great time messing around with their library of free online photo editing tools.
If you have been looking for an easy way to turn practically any portrait (with at least some potential) into a Warhol rendition, jigsaw puzzle, movie poster, trading card, calendar, rubix cube or mosaic then give BHL a shot.
Another cool feature is the Hi-Res option. Currently BHL is offering a 3 day pass that allows you to download your masterpiece in Hi-Resolution format for $5 USD. This seems like it could be a great service for creating party decor for occasions like birthdays, baby and bridal showers etc.
Check out the latest work done by BMW USA in an effort to educate consumers on their “NO” policy on mass-market vanillaism. To see the full zine inserted into this months Wired Magazine, click on the right hand corner of the image montage above.
Hammer = $10
T-shirts with Dogs & Cats = $25+
Bad Customer Service = Frustration, time & a few wrinkles
Reaction: Priceless
Mona Shaw, a 76 year old retired nurse from Virginia, was recently charged with disorderly conduct after she walked into her local Comcast Cable office and repetitively whacked a computer and telephone near the customer assistance counter with a hammer while shouting ” Now have I got your attention?”.
Mona justified her actions by explaining to the officer on duty the type of unprofessional customer service she had encountered over the past few weeks. Apparently after signing up for a cable/internet/phone plan with Comcast she was stood up by the first technician scheduled to come and then left with a broken telephone after the second technician came days later and abruptly quit.
Determined to get the service up and running, Mona decided to take matters into her own hands and headed to the Comcast office only to have to wait 2 hours to meet with a rude manager who offered no immediate solutions. Needless to say, her last and final trip to the Comcast office (hammer in hand), went smashing.
Dropps is a new eco-friendly laundry detergent compatible with HE and standard washing machines that claims to be a high quality cleaning product aiming to simplify the cleaning process. While Dropps can’t yet separate white versus colors for you, it does eliminate the thought process behind how much detergent to add.
For packaging, rather than adopting the traditional laundry jug and cup like most competitors, Dropps uses individually wrapped laundry “pacs”. Each pac is water soluble and removes itself during the rinse cycle. No more messy spills or pouring action, all you have to do is throw the sac into the washer and get used to seeing a suds-free wash.
Why suds-free you ask? Well apparently those behind the product believe that suds are visual stimulation and really provide no purpose except to leave a layer of grimy film on your clothing blocking the natural fibers in clothing from breathing. Given the amount of dirty benches I have sat on, pasta stains I have inherited and puddles I have walked in i’m not quite sure how much actual breathing space I have given my clothes as is BUT just thinking about sud film gets me closterfabric, ahem I mean closterphobic.
According to the Dropps website, just in the US liquid laundry detergent is used for 25 billion loads per year. If these loads were done with Dropps instead of the usual cup and jug not only would we have a monopoly we would also save:
- 502,441,406 gallons of water
- 6,233,726 gallons of diesel gas in transport
- 622,377 tons of greenhouse gas emissions in transport
- 132,913 tons of cardboard which saves 2,392,425 trees
- 267,968,750 lbs of plastic which equals 133,984 tons
Not sold? Sample two packs of Laundry Dropps (Fresh Scent Blue or Clear Fragrance Free) can be ordered on the website. Shipping and handling comes to $1.94. FYI: Habitual product use with cost you $29.99 per 60 wash loads (shipping is free).
Update: Click here to get a mail in rebate for 20 free loads
