Reporters Notebook

March 27, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Adobe has introduced a free online version of its Photoshop software called Photoshop Express, according to a TWICE story.

I haven’t been able to try it yet because my work computer doesn’t have the right version of Adobe Flash Player (and I don’t have the authority to install it), but I imagine it would be worth taking it for a spin. I plan to try the software myself next time I have some time at home.

January 24, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

According to a blog posting on the VH1 Best Week Ever site, a San Diego Best Buy created a makeshift display filled with movies starring Heath Ledger mere hours after the 28-year old actor was found dead in his New York apartment. (Hat tip: Gawker)

I am awaiting a call back from a Best Buy spokesperson for comment, but for now I’ll assume that this was not a corporate-wide move.

If nothing else comes out of it, this can at least serve as an unfortunate example of how our capitalistic instincts should not be allowed to crowd out our common sense when it comes to dealing with customers. I imagine it’s safe to assume that any uptick in sales of Heath Ledger-related DVD...Read More

January 11, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

According to The New York Times, on Tuesday The Federal Trade Commission held its first hearing in a series focused on green marketing and raised the question as to where the “more than $54 million [spent by corporations and shoppers in the United States] last year on carbon offset credits towards tree planting, wind farms, solar plants and other projects to balance the emissions created by, say, using a laptop computer or flying on a jet” is exactly going.

The issue strikes me as particularly timely this week after having spent the couple of days strolling the floor at International CES in Las Vegas. The trend has been growing over time, but to me it seems that an almost overwhelming number of companies have hopped on the green train (a hydrogen fuel cell powered train, I imagine) and ha...Read More

September 24, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported today that the One Laptop Per Child project will be launching a temporary “Give 1 Get 1” promotion that will give individuals the opportunity to donate one of the group’s specially designed laptops to a child in a developing nation and to keep a second one for their own use, all for about $400.

Nicholas Negroponte, founding chairman of the M.I.T. Media Lab and chairman of the One Laptop Per Child project, explained in the article that orders from government officials in the developing countries for which the laptops were intended have been slow so he’s “reaching out to the public to give the laptop campaign a boost.”

The Give 1 Get 1 program is expected to take orders Nov. 12-26.

July 2, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

The New York Times’ Alex Williams shines some light on the arguments of those who critique the green consumerism movement that has cropped up as of late. Many of these critics refer to the trend-driven movement as the “light green” movement.

The suggestion appears to be that these new “eco-friendly” options being presented to consumers have the potential to serve as an easy out for many. Essentially, labels promising eco-sensitive products could be giving consumers license not to examine and modify their overall consumption habits. And if consumers aren’t careful, their new eco-conscious buying habits have the potential to cause a greater negative impact on the planet in the long run because they might feel just...Read More