So this is Christmas…

My friends at CI in Vancouver decided against Christmas cards in favour of something a little more sustainable. They created this cool “dark desktop” that saves power while spreading holiday cheer.

… in keeping with the festive spirit we developed a christmas promotion that helps save energy. A black desktop doesn’t use as much power.

You can download it here. Happy holidays!

Flickr stats and big surprises

Flickr launched a simple user stats page today. We get info on how many views our photo stream gets, which of our photos are most popular and where all of that traffic comes from.

I got a shock when I saw how many people are visiting my photos. For starters, it’s more than visit Schoolboy Error ;).

I think we’re going to see a lot more surprised flickr users in the weeks to come. If views make you happy then go ahead and activate your own flickr stats. You’ll be all smiles.

Want to join GigPark?

GigPark, our startup, is humming along. We’ve only been out of beta for a few weeks but already our membership has more than tripled. Yay!

You need to be invited by a member to join GigPark. Luckily I’m a member ;) so if anyone would like an invite just drop me a line: pema AT gigpark DOT com

For those that don’t already know, GigPark is a web community that lets you find the services you need with the help of your friends. Check out the homepage, about and FAQ for more info.

Your new office in Silicon Valley

Noah, Paul and I took a trip to San Francisco last week. We were lucky enough to meet with some incredible tech entrepreneurs and get some great advice on growing GigPark. More about that soon.

Right now I want to mention the brilliant Plug and Play Tech Center.

Plug and Play is an shared office space in Sunnyvale, in the heart of Silicon Valley, completely dedicated to the needs of tech startups. You can rent anything from a single cubical to a 50 person office, and they take care of everything else you might need on a pay per use basis: phone lines, internet connection, meeting room space … even the use of a lecture theatre.

The facilities are great (not fancy but nice) and include a cafeteria on the 3rd floor with an enormous outdoor space for enjoying the CA sun.

Plug and Plays main selling point for me though were the tenants. It is literally crammed with smart people who are all working hard to get tech companies off the ground. The potential for kicking ideas around and sorting out partnerships is amazing. Also, with all of those smart minds together it’s an environment that forces you to be on your game.

If GigPark opens an office in the Valley anytime soon, it will be at Plug and Play.

WiFi – Coming to an airplane near you

Having spent 14 hours on planes this week I’m excited to read that a few major airlines will be introducing wifi access on flights. JetBlue will be first (next week) followed by American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.This is a game changer for me. If an airline could guarantee me full web access and a power outlet I’d switch to them, and be willing to pay a little more. Now I just have to find room to actually open my laptop back here in coach ;).Bonus for Canadian readers: Anyone care to bet how long it will take for Air Canada to rolls this out? 3 years?Photo by Aditya Bhelk.