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
Filed under: savvy tools
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: https://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
Filed under: business, savvy tools | Tags: sean gourley, women 2.0, younoodle
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
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
Filed under: fun!
Enjoy the time with family & friends!
We’ll talk to you again in the New Year.
Savvy
Filed under: architecture, travel | Tags: Boat Street Cafe, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, tom douglas
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
Filed under: Food for Thought, fun!, san francisco | Tags: dream jobs, Flour Bakery, Frankenartmart
Filed under: architecture, san francisco, travel | Tags: Dominus, Herzog & de Meuron
offices on the 2nd floor
Rebecca_SF
Filed under: environmental issues, Food for Thought | Tags: 10 to the 100, change the world, google
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
Savvy Lifestyle 