It looks like something from a science fiction movie, but this Volkswagen Formula XL1 plug-in hybrid vehicle will actually be available for sale to real drivers like you and me.

Concept cars such as this are usually built one at a time, gracing trade shows and the pages of flashy auto publications. But according to German site Automobilwoche, this bulbous futuremobile is destined to be a regular production car, albeit part of a small batch of just 100 to start out. The first VW Formula XL1 will be available in Germany, and after that, they’ll roll out in the United States and China.

http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/260mpg-vw-hybrid/

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This is much more efficient  for contractors, it’s 100% free. You just need the right device to use the app.

Promoting relevant and recent content is easier than ever these days.  Smart phones allow us to download apps so we can update our social media accounts, geo-tag our every move and post on our blogs no matter where we are in the world.  There is really no- need to lug around a laptop if you only need internet access to do your job.  Smart phones have integrated photography apps, but there is no comparison to an actual digital camera with over 10 megapixels and editing options.  I always wondered when the day would come that our  sleek digital cameras would have wifi and get a little smarter .

Why is this great for personal branding?

If you are building your brand, it’s more important then ever to keep your content fresh.  If you are at a party, why make everyone wait a week so you could post your pictures?

Click here to see more pictures

If you listen close enough to your TV, you can hear a fuzzy static sound. If you record this, you can import it into your garage band software and separate the sound waves – once you knock out everything but the fuzzy sound you can go ahead and amp up the volume and listen closely, with your head against the speaker.  You ‘ll can hear the words “Shop you fat asses!” lol  just kidding.

But on a serious note, black friday is one of the craziest days of the year for shopping. By definition on wikipedia:

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.^{[citation needed]} On this day many U.S. retailers open very early, often at 5 a.m., and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Because Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, the day after occurs between the 23rd and the 29th of November.

“In many cities it is not uncommon to see shoppers lined up for hours before stores with big sales open.”

So maybe there is a subliminal message being sent out to shoppers to go spend all their money on the holidays.. I know quite a few families that save up at least $5,000 for holiday gifts. What drives people to such madness, if they were in control of their minds – wouldn’t they be able to control this need to spend? Wouldn’t we just understand that a holiday is more than just buying/spending/getting  material gifts? I think everyone would be satisfied if they just received books and little meaningful gifts – maybe cute handcrafted presents – I think that would put some real love back in the holidays – you may throw out a scarf/hat set given by your second cousin from walmart – but you would never throw out a hand made necklace or customized picture frame, or a woven blanket! I have a lot of ideas for gifts that make more sense than material crap – from handmade items to trips, dinners and fitness/health related gifts that will hold more substance than that pair of Tory Burch boots you’ll only wear for 2 months this year.

Try to not let the media and all the pretty lights get to your head this holiday season, spend wisely. It’s not the end of the world if your holiday budget is $200 – invest the $4,800+ you were going to spend into a vacation later this year, donate money and time to charities  – and stay tuned to my list of awesome presents that people ACTUALLY WANT WILL BENEFIT FROM, LOVE AND CHERISH FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!

Have you had an idea in your head for the perfect iphone app for the last 3 years? I know I have -and I can’t wait to make all 100 of them.  Just kidding…

A few friends have approached me asking if I knew anything about app development, and of course  I know people who know people who develop mobile applications – and it costs a bit to even sit down for a consultation with these tech geniuses.  So for the twitter teeny boppers who just want to make a cute daily teen quotes app or the geeks who would love a harry potter calendar – I may have found a new solution for you!

Widgetbox.com -

“Create a mobile web app that visitors can access on the iPhone and Android smartphones.”

http://www.widgetbox.com/mobile/builder/

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions, i’ll do my best to help

Are you super awesome, friendly, helpful, entertaining and informative when it comes to caring for your guests from airbnb.com ?

Maybe you can apply to become a super host?

With a website like airbnb growing so rapidly, you’d have to guess that there may be some kind of worry among people looking for a place to stay.. Me and my boyfriend were a little cautious the first time we traveled using their website, especially since we were taking our first trip to Europe and booking everything within days of our flight out…Our main concern was  – what if the place doesn’t exist once we arrive – and we lose our money - and have to book a hotel after all.

But luckily, everything worked out for us and we had an incredible experience – for a great budget and met beautiful people and caring hosts.

Each day, hundreds of new vacation rentals pop up on airbnb.com.  Many of these listings say “NEW” and have no reviews or recommendations from friends.  So if even one of these listings looks alittle sketchy, has no pictures, or just an istock photo of the state, I know I won’t be booking anytime soon.

As I wqas exploring the site today for new listings in costa rica and san fransisco my next travel destinations. I came across a very interesting new feature, a striking red lightening bolt with the word “super host”.  The woman who had this ranking had over 52 reviews, all which were extremely positive and supportive.  Now you can say, well maybe her friends posted them for her  – or they are rigged, but I doubt it.. When I stayed in Europe, the only way I was able to review a home was when I left – I recieved an email from airbnb with a link to leave one.  So for $90 a night, 52 reviews, 3 night miniumum – The awesome super host – who happens to also be an official san fransisco tour guide – made a miminum of $14,000 within the last year… Pretty cool!

So as for dealing with the sketchy situation of – is my host going to help me out, is my host a good person, will my host kill me in my sleep …  I think, many people are going to start applying for memberships to the super host alliance – for the street creds!

In the past, I wouldn’t have considered vacation rentals a real concrete business (back about 10 years ago) – but now (thanks to the internet), things have changed. Today there are many more options for traveling and renting out a home for your vacation.  Since the internet has introduced social networks, a few amazing ‘travel networks’ have emerged. There are three excellent sites out there -couchsurfing.org , VRBO.com (vacation rentals by owner) and airbnb.com.  On couch surfing, people let you stay on their “couch” or have a bed at their home for free. Couch Surfing hosts love meeting new people from all around the world and enjoy showing their guests around town and sharing their culture. With VRBO –  you deal mostly with long term rentals. You can rent out an entire apartment -condo or house (you also have the option for weekly and weekend rentals too). Airbnb.com, “travel like a human” is the perfect addition to this category.  It has the most options I’ve seen. It’s almost like a blend of couchsurfing and vrbo.  On Airbnb you can rent anything from a “couch to a castle”. You can stay with your host, or rent their entire apartment for a day/week/month.

Airbnb.com allows the host to choose their price, amount of people who can stay and minimum days. I have been viewing homes on this website for the last few months (since I have been planning trips myself). I’ve seen homes ranging from $20 – $1000+ a night.  There are cute, comfy cottages in ireland and beautiful modern lofts in manhattan.  I’ve read excellent reviews about homes, it’s great to read reviews and recommendations.  You can see a unique kind of friendship forming between hosts and travelers, an incredible generous network being built right before your eyes.  The payment process also adds a sense of security. If you pay for a home, it is only booked once the person approves – then it is only processed once you check in at the location. So if something happens during your trip, or if the home didn’t exist, you would get your money back.

I can’t help but get excited, this is really a new business model, something everyone can be a part of. You don’t really have to learn anything new  - you just have to be hospitable, friendly and clean.  Here are some options:

Mobile Business Owners (Work on the laptop) Buy a apartment, fix it up  nice and creative . Start renting it out right away, and travel some where or visit a friend in the meantime.

Work at an office If you work home and need to stay in your city, you can rent out a room, or buy an apartment near by that is used for rental purposes only.  If you have a house and have at least one extra room available, you can put that room up for $60-100 a night ( a reasonable price). You could make 1800 a month on the low end. If you have a primary home and you rent out your other apartment/house for 100 – 200 a night, you could make $3,000 – $6,000 a month in total if you keep business moving, and then take it off airbnb for the summer and allow long term rentals on VRBO or craigslist.

**The idea is to start thinking outside the box. We can complain all we want about the economy and no money and shitty job situation, but there is always  a solution if you seek one**

So now you have your home up for rent, and nobody knows about it. Well get your act together and start cleaning your place up, invest in some funky furniture, extra sheets, cooking supplies and maybe a skateboard or a bicycle (options are fun!).

Now it’s time for marketing.  Get a great photoshoot going of your home with a nice wide-angle-HD lens.  Get all dressed up and have a friend come and help you shoot a video of your home, your own”cribs” style video. Edit it in imovie to make it fun..  Share your video on youtube, facebook and twitter. Sign up and share your info on traveling forums, facebook fan pages, groups. You can cross promote with friends by posting an ad for your place on  their blogs ( if they are also into traveling and hosting- then you can post their ad on your blog as well!) Sign up to craigslist and other websites too just to get the word out about your place, link to your blog always and your airbnb.com listing.

So that’s a new business in a nutshell.  Interested? Get involved. I know I am going to!

http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads/ExeIcon_com_3D_Box_Maker_Trial_Version_68089_p/

Don’t get confused homies, this won’t be like any other wave we have ever experienced…This is a tsunami that we are prepared for, we have a boat ready and willing to cary everyone, but is everyone ready to get on board?

Google is!

The company is investing in the AWC, Atlantic Wind Connection, a plan to erect a 350-mile stretch of wind turbines 10 to 15 miles off the United States’ Atlantic coastline.

Google’s Green Business Operations Director, Rick Needham calls the AWC “a superhighway for clean energy”…

Read more here