Savvy Lifestyle

some Wednesday inspiration…

5nonblondes — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:48:50 +0000

passed on from my roommate:

Rebecca_ SF

I <3 Holga

5nonblondes — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:01:34 +0000

I’ve discovered a new love- my Holga camera! For those of you who don’t know, the Holga was designed in 1982 as a toy. The construction is so cheap that you end up with light leaks and this unique low-fidelity aesthetic. I just got my first roll developed and I was sure they would all turn out black. To my surprise, when I opened the envelope and pulled out the prints, I was happy to find these:

I’m excited to do some more experimenting and see what happens with the next rolls!

*Rebecca_SF

Would you buy?

5nonblondes — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:08:33 +0000

In order to complete our business plan, we need your help in completing some market research. You’ve all heard what our goals at Savvy are. We’ve told you about the products we’re trying to release. (Check out the description of the drill here: http://savvylifestyle.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/the-savvy-drill/) The question is, if the drill were available today for $69.99, would you buy one?

If no, is the price not right? Are there other features you think should be added? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Thanks for your help!

Savvy

Younoodle

5nonblondes — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:16:39 +0000

Younoodle is a San Francisco based start-up that claims to be able to predict the viability of newcompanies. Its meant to give venture capitalits and other investors a quick evaluation tool for assessing the potential of new companies seeking funding. They accomplish this with their Startup Predictor software. Companies fill out a lengthy questionnaire that assesses things like the experiences, qualifications, and contacts of the entrepreneurs who start the company, the relationships between members, and what kind of buzz already exists about them. The answers are run through a sophisticated algorithm and presto, they give your company a score out of 1000 and estimate your company’s valuation after 3 years.

The website doesn’t just serve investors either. It’s also set up as a social network for start-ups. Membership is free, but while signing up the users provide data about their companies that YouNoodle can use to refine its predictor algorithm.

Just last week, they took it a step further and released a new product called YouNoodle Scores that quantifies a company’s presence in the market. They partnered with Sean Gourley, a Rhodes Scholar from New Zealand that focuses on how collective intelligence works. He found that you could predict the nature, size and timing of a company’s breakout by looking at things like cultural patterns, news reports, blog posts, etc. Companies are given a score out of 100 and its tracked daily. For example, Craigslist and Facebook are both leading the pack at 98.

They’ve also partnered with Women 2.0 for the upcoming Pitch Night. Whichever company has the most followers by May 1st will win “the Big Noodle: Best Idea” prize. So, check out Savvy Tools’ profile and become one of our followers!

Rebecca_SF

Time for a change

5nonblondes — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:45:59 +0000

Change is good, right? Well, we hope so, because a lot has been changing around here! For starters, we’ve gone from a group of 5 to 3. (One of the reasons we’re switching away from Five Non Blondes.) Jackie is focusing on family and promises to give us Cade updates now and then. Abbie is focusing on her design career and her family as well and we wish them both the absolute best. We’ll miss their input!

We’ve also been re-evaulating our place in the market given this somewhat “uncertain” economic climate and the lack of interest in new investments. We decided to give it one more big push and enter Women 2.0′s Pitch Night 2009. It’s a business plan competition and 5 startups will be chosen to pitch their idea to hundreds of investors at their annual event in May. Wish us luck!

Rebecca_ SF

Happy Holidays!

5nonblondes — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:19:49 +0000

Enjoy the time with family & friends!

We’ll talk to you again in the New Year.

Savvy

The Emerald City

5nonblondes — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:13:57 +0000

I’ve been working in Seattle for the past couple of weeks and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was my first time to visit, so I was anxious to explore all the city has to offer. Alas, I couldn’t skip work during the day, so most of my site seeing was done in the dark or quickly over an hour lunch break, but I still managed fairly well. It’s cold there and those that know me well, know I’m not a fan of that, but the temperature plus all the christmas lights helped get me in a much more festive mood.

Here are just a couple of the highlights:

The Boat Street Cafe- my favorite restaurant that I visited, and I’ve been eating well, so that’s saying a lot. It’s a little gem kind of tucked away off the beaten path. The ambiance was amazing and the food was delicious!

The Seattle Library:

Obviously a must see in the city. It’s by Rem Koolhaas and it opened in 2004. Last year it was named one of the 150 best structures in the US by the AIA (American Institute of Architects).

The Olympic Sculpture Park:

Unfortunately, I only saw this briefly in the rain & cold, so I don’t think I really got to experience how wonderful it is, but I’m definitely planning a trip back during the summer months and this will have to be my first stop. It just opened last year. It covers 9 acres and was a brownfield site occupied by oil and gas companies until the Seattle Art Museum had converted into a public park.

Tom Douglas restaurants:

I’d never heard of Tom Douglas before, but based on a recommendation, I tried one of his restaurants and afterwards made it a goal to try as many of the rest of them as I could during my stay. I tried Lola, The Dahlia Lounge, and Serious Pie. They were all amazing!!! Potato Leek Ravioli with carmelized onions, truffle oil, and a little creme fraiche on top… Need I say more?

I’m obviously barely scratching the surface here. There’s so much to do and many neighborhoods to explore. If it weren’t for the weather, I’d seriously consider moving.

Rebecca _SF

Flour Bakery

5nonblondes — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:26:39 +0000

Practically everyone has a dream job. All of us would obviously like to see Savvy Tools become a reality. My friend Christina would like to open up her own bakery someday. She got the chance to try out her skills at the Frankenartmart this past weekend. It’s a gallery space meant to encourage everyones imaginative side and open up art to all. Leslie, the owner, picks different themes for her shows every few months and invites whoever wants to, to come participate. The current show is called, “Dream Jobs”. You can make an appointment with her and basically “rent” out the space for an evening, a weekend, whatever you’d like. She’s had dentists, fortune tellers, tie dyers, and most recently, a very talented baker.

Christina transformed the space into the Flour Bakery. She had everything from cakes to chocolate covered candied orange peels. It was a great success. If you’re in the area, you should stop by Frankenartmart and say hi to the resident kitties. And, in case you feel like supporting a fellow dreamer, she’s taking custom orders at flourbakery@gmail.com. I promise you, it’s all to die for.

Rebecca_SF

Dominus Winery

5nonblondes — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:03:30 +0000

I had the unique privilege of touring Dominus winery by Herzog & de Meuron yesterday. They’re notorious for not allowing tours or tastings, but once a month to do allow a small architectural tour and I was lucky enough to tag along with a group. The builidng is Herzog & de Meuron’s first in the U.S. and for those of you non-architecture geeks, they’re the same architects that designed the De Young Museum in San Francisco and most recently the Bird’s Nest stadium for the Olympics in Beijing.

Fall has come to Napa and the colors were amazing. Enjoy!

the vineyards

the main arch/ entry

offices on the 2nd floor

Rebecca_SF

Can you change the world?

5nonblondes — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:26:28 +0000

Do you have an idea that could change the world for the better and truly make a difference? Google thinks with all the information out there that some of us must. They created a whole project dedicated to that assumption called 10 to the 100th. For their 10th anniversary they have committed to invest $10 million dollars in a winning idea(s). The deadline to submit ideas on this one has passed (unfortunately, it was Oct. 20th), but you can still sign up to vote for the winners. Voting starts Jan. 27th. Google will post the top 100 ideas, the public will narrow it down to 20 projects, and then an advisory board will select up to 5 for funding.

The intent of the project is to take advantage of “crowdsourcing”. That’s the Internet-age idea that the collective wisdom of mass audiences can be leveraged to find solutions to design tasks. Interesting thought… maybe one person can’t change the world, but together we all can.

Rebecca_ SF