2006-07-25 – Things Are Good

The One-Click Protest

app picture How-to use Apple’s Automator program as a protest tool:

Using Automator I’ve created an email that will be sent almost automatically to the Canadian Prime Minister about Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan. Using iCal, this email will automatically present itself for sending in front of the user when scheduled. All the user has to do is click ‘Send.’

One thing I hear a lot of is people telling me that they want to do something to make the world better, but they don’t have the time or they don’t know what they should do. This is an easy solution to that problem since all it takes is writing one email then having it resent as often as you’d like until your concern is addressed.

This is an easy and quick way to protest things that you don’t like when you like!

How to create your own Automator Protester:

Step 1

Open Automator and select the mail icon. Then drag the ‘Create new message’ option into the workflow space.

Click for larger image.

Now fill out whom you want to send the email to and then write your message. A simple Google search provides a lot of results for sample protest letters. The sad thing about this world is that there is a lot we should change, the good news is that using this we can hopefully make good change!

I’ve chosen to write mine on Canada’s involvement in the invasion of Afghanistan:

my example email

Step 2

Save it as a workflow and as an application.

Why both? Well, save the workflow so you can come back and easily edit the message for whatever future protesting you desire. Save it as an application because it is necessary for the next step.

Step 3

scheduling in ical

Open iCal (or some calendar application) and schedule in a time when you think you’ll be in front of your computer. I set mine for mid-afternoon on Tuesdays because most Tuesday afternoons I’m using my computer.
In iCal select the option to have an alarm and have it open a file. Select the application you just saved.

Viola!
Done!
Your message is ready to be sent! Just click send.

It’s that easy.

You can download this example workflow here. I hope you use this new found automated power for good and not evil.

Slumming it

In India a fantastic social experiment is literally paying off. Sick of being ignored by their government, some slum residents in India have taken matters in their own hands. They used cunning and unrelenting determination to improve their slum with some good self-directed improvements. Change Makers has the story.

“Three citizen organizations in India have joined forces to turn this scenario upside down. They are helping slum residents organize themselves to gain the skills they need to be powerful advocates for their own interests.

As empowered citizens, these slum residents are learning to recruit local government agencies and banks to help them win control of real estate. They are becoming the architects of their slum’s destruction, replacing it with a new community that they help locate, design, build, and eventually own themselves.”

Soaring Solar

Solar boat It seems that every year solar power efficiency improves and that this increased energy production allows for more and more uses. People also figure out other ways to use the sun’s heat. And what’s technological innovation without a competition? Well, we all know there are solar-powered competitions around the world like the classic World Solar Challenge that travels across Australia.

Did you know that there are solar powered boat competitions? I didn’t. The Frisian Nuon Solar Challenge is all about raising boats that gather power from the sun’s rays. Recently, Technical University of Delft won the competition.

Tempted to get your own solar boat, check out all of these crazy looking solar boats.