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When you run a community site, your registration and minimum profile requirements are like the front porch to your home. As technology bloggers we trick-or-treat to at least a dozen sites per day and when you make your porch scary, we’d just as soon skip your house. If I make it past 10 minutes of forms and service terms only to find you’ve got toothbrushes and raisins for me, I’m going to be pissed off. If you’re looking at redesigning your site, below are 6 points to consider.

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1. Show us the Goods: There’s a reason why sites like Etsy and Ebay let us browse items before registering. Nobody wants to give away their contact info or spend time registering for something if it doesn’t add value to their lives. Even if you aren’t a shopping site, make the first thing people see a value proposition.

2. Embrace Portability: Consider adding OpenID and other identity integration tools to your registration process. By accelerating the signup process you’re reducing the time it takes to collect info and your user is more likely to stick around to enjoy the site.

3. Break It Up: Sites like LinkedIn and Geni allow users to fill out their profiles in stages. This breaks up the registration process and makes it seem less cumbersome to the user.

4. Minimize Your Request: For many sites, the only things you need to capture up front are user name and email address. Password preferences, employment history and likes can be asked during tiered profile requests.

5. Respect the User’s Time: Have you ever called the phone company only to be redirected to a new person who wants you to repeat your name and account number again? When you make a user repeat themselves, you are telling them that you aren’t listening and that you don’t value their time. When it makes sense use drop downs, auto-complete and auto-fill.

If you’re an interaction designer or engineer with more suggestions on how to improve the registration process, let us know in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Frédéric Dupont

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Like me, you’ve probably been watching the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti with a big knot in your stomach and maybe you’ve already donated $10 by texting HAITI to 90999, but if you want to do more (and help out the environment while you’re at it), there’s an easy way to do so.

ReCellular has launched a disaster relief program for the victims of the earthquake called “Phones for Haiti.” All proceeds from donated phones will go straight to the American Red Cross for their work in the country.

If you’re like most people you have an old cell phone lying around somewhere and this is a great way to donate to those in need and keep your electronic waste out of a landfill at the same time.  ReCellular refurbishes the donated phones and then sells them to people in developing countries.  Some phone models like Blackberries or iPhones could contribute up to $100 to the Red Cross.

ReCellular also accepts your old chargers, batteries and other accessories and the shipping is free.  Click here to get started.

via Inhabitat

Answering the call of human-rights advocates, the Obama administration granted temporary protected status to Haitian nationals living in the United States as of Jan. 12.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the announcement this afternoon:

This is a disaster of historic proportions and this designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our country for the next 18 months. Providing a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals who are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be endangered by returning to Haiti is part of this Administration’s continuing efforts to support Haiti’s recovery.

TPS will protect Haitians from deportation for 18 months and allow them to work legally in the United States. Even before this week’s disaster, remittances from Haitians living abroad accounted for more than a quarter of the gross domestic product of Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.

Administration officials told the New York Times that the special status would cover at least 100,000 Haitians believed to be in the United States illegally, along with about 30,000 Haitians who have been ordered deported. The U.S. government already grants TPS to people from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Sudan.

“We are thrilled that at long last deserving Haitians will be getting TPS,” said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. “We hope this will provide some comfort to Haitians here who are suffering in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.”

Just two years ago, people laughed at Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn’s ambition to zoom past Toyota to become the world’s leading producer of automobiles. At that point, VW sold 3 million fewer cars annually than their Japanese target and had a questionable reputation when it came to quality. Toyota was also just poised to overtake GM as the world’s leading producer and seemed untouchable.

Such is not the case today. This past November marked the first time that VW out-built its Japanese rival and while ToMoCo still moves more units per year, VW has closed the gap by half. The quality issue still remains a point of contention for VW, but a series of damaging recalls by the Japanese magnate received much unwelcome attention from the American public.

Winterkorn is seizing the opportunity presented by Toyota’s negative press, and has pulled out all stops. VW has made a deal whereby they are to purchase a 20% stake in Suzuki in a move to target the explosive markets of Southeast Asia and India. He has also committed over $11 billion to Audi over the next three-years to take on BMW and Mercedes-Benz with the introduction of 10 new models.

In the U.S., Winterkorn plans to try the inverse of the failed upmarket attempt that is known as the VW Phaeton and moving in on Ford, Honda, and Toyota customers as the company gets set to introduce a competitor to the $16,000 Toyota Corolla later this year.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: BusinessWeek

In my current house, I have a bathroom that has no windows. I guess a lot of bathrooms have no windows, but it seems like I’ve always had bathroom windows before. (All the scary movies have windows in the bathrooms, too, so the bad guy can sneak in and hide in the shower. Hmm. Maybe I should be glad I don’t have one!) Anyway, when you don’t have windows in a room, you really have to have a bit of color and plenty of lights and mirrors.

I’ve got the mirrors down and I’ve got walls that are a nice peach color, but all the accents are beige. Beige is so…beigey, you know? So, when I saw that The Company Store had a new spring line of bathroom products that are cheerful, colorful and just happen to match my walls, I was a little excited. For those of you who also want to bring a little spring to your bathrooms, here are my two favorites:

The hibiscus flower rugs are very colorful and would be fun in a tropical themed bathroom. I also think one of these rugs would look cute in a little girl’s bedroom.

These towel sets are also very colorful. I absolutely want the pink and peach stripe set. (I like the floral ones, too, but I don’t think the guys would be as excited about them as I am!

Do you plan to brighten up your bathroom for spring?

Photos via The Company Store

Post from: Blisstree

Put Some Spring in Your Bathroom

At the Stanford-in-Washington (SIW) Fall 2009 reunion this week, we discussed the concerns toward our reintegration into life at the Farm. Similar to our classmates who study abroad, we return to campus from a quarter in D.C. experiencing “reverse cultural shock.”

Practical and tangible challenges dominated the conversation: feeling isolated living in non-traditional settings like Oak Creek and Escondido Village (a mom yesterday chided me for endangering the lives of small children by forgetting to close a gate in EV), having to adjust to the rigorous standard of classes at Stanford, dealing with the onslaught of summer internships recruitment and facing the imminent entry into the real world upon graduation. People missed the SIW house, the clear delineation of the day between eight hours of work and evening classes (unfortunately, there is now more potential for time mismanagement), the physical convenience of living in a city and uhmmm…the brunches (yes, SIW has an amazing chef).

The overwhelming attitude toward these challenges was that they can and should be conquered easily, with the passing of time. The focus is on surmounting, rather than understanding such issues. There is nothing like spending time in the nation’s capitol that forces you to be a pragmatist. While some of my peers felt “old and disillusioned,” and commented on the disconcerting insularity, what seemed to be missing from the conversation was a broader discourse about the underlying sources of our displacement. Perhaps struggling more than in this process than others, I am desperate to theorize and seek answers.

As someone who has been on campus continuously for the past two years, the last four months was the first time that I left “the bubble” and lived in an actual American city. For those of us whose being was inherently connected to the movement and rhythm of this place, we deal with the strange paradox of Stanford after some time away–confronting a place that remains the same yet changes rapidly. The world that was my Stanford has become radically different. June 2009 Stanford is not the same as January 2010 Stanford.

Sure, things have stayed constant. As I stroll (okay fine, more like madly dash) around campus, there is comfort in the familiar sights and patterns. The frightening thing was realizing that Stanford goes on without you. It raises the questions: Do we matter? Do our four years here on the Farm make a difference in the long run?

In an uncharacteristic moment of fatalism, our dear columns editor Zachary Warma published a column on Monday that offered a disheartening conclusion: we are not so special. I disagree. A sense of cyclical repetition of experiences and norms certainly govern our time at Stanford. But, we are unique and make distinct contributions to our environments. Individuals matter. Individuals make history.

While it is difficult and almost impossible for us to directly measure and quantify each of our impact on the campus community, our mere presence affects others and inevitably this University. Indeed, the tough readjustment some of us are encountering can be attributed to the change in people. Undoubtedly, the graduation of last year’s class witnessed the departure of some of my closest friends and intellectual and political mentors.

As a result, this place feels different. Whether it is dropping by The Daily office last week or sitting in ASSU meetings, the dynamics and atmosphere seem drastically altered. It is the personalities that define campus institutions and culture. Ideas and ideologies are important. However, without people pushing them forward and driving implementation, they would be insignificant.

The behavior of institutions at Stanford springs from the behavior of individual actors–their idiosyncrasies, ambitions, abilities and foibles. Individuals define the intention of the organization, formulate its priorities and devise its strategies. There is no such thing as inevitability. Individuals are the ones that make decisions. More importantly, our predecessors have laid the foundation for all of us–just as we will be laying the framework for future generations of Stanford students.

Chances are you’ve heard of the text-to-donate system set up by the Red Cross to provide relief to quake-devastated Haiti. It seems that the ease of donating and the immediacy of the disaster have prompted a response far beyond what the Red Cross anticipated. I can understand why: I used the system to donate $10 (not to toot my own horn), and found it as easy as dropping a quarter in a slot at the grocery store. So: good work everyone, and if you haven’t donated yet, give it a shot or check out Google’s catchall page for Haiti relief efforts.

The success of this campaign raises some questions about the way this sort of thing should be handled by the telecoms. A $10 charge will appear on my T-Mobile bill, I’m assuming; they volunteered to support this effort, so I think that’ll be the end of it, but now that I’ve gotten a taste of it, I want more. Not necessarily just for donations, but for mobile charging in general.

By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s, Tech Trader Daily

Intel (INTC) last night reported Q4 results that were, by any measure, well above expectations. Q4 revenue was up 28 percent year-over-year, and EPS beat by a dime, even before backing out the company’s one-time payment to settle its litigation with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The big beat figured to set up the market to rally this morning; but as it often does, the market has defied expectations, and tech stocks are selling off big time.

Several of the more bearish Intel analysts noted this morning that the company’s impressive Q4 gross margin – 64.7 percent, up 7 points sequentially and 12 points year over year – may be as good as it gets. Auriga analyst Daniel Berenbaum this morning wrote in a research note that “gross margin arguably peaked for the cycle in Q4, which could prove a headwind for the stock.”

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For the more fashionable readers at Gizmodo (someone? Anyone? Bueller?) comes these Marc Jacobs USB hubs, disguised as ye olde mixtapes. MIXTAPES. You remember them, right? [The Malcolm via Hypebeast]

You can always count on A.P.C. to present us fashion that’s always sensible, timeless, and classic. Whenever I look at new collections from the label, I’m immediately reminded of the French new wave cinema era, but I’m sure it’s not just me. If ever someone in Hollywood were to recreate the films of Godard and Truffaut, I suggest that any costume designer or wardrobe personnel look to A.P.C. for inspiration. For Spring/Summer 2010, A.P.C. looks to dress you up in simple designs, patterns, and basic silhouettes. However, camouflage is introduce for those who dare to go beyond the brand’s simplistic nature.

Continue reading for more images.

Dear Attorney McKeen,

Thank you for the invitation to respond to your comments and questions.  While I’ll be the first to admit that this was not how I planned to spend my first few days as a candidate for Attorney General,  I believe the question was reasonable given the very vague wording of the statute.   I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond.  My only regret is that there were several media outlets that ran with a “story” before they had all the facts – before they did the proper research and before they gave me time to respond.

The office of Attorney General is one of the most active and professionally demanding in our state government. Connnecticut’s legal system has been fortunate to benefit from twenty years of outstanding service by one of the nation’s premier Attorneys General, my friend Richard Blumenthal.  After two decades of such strong service, we need an Attorney General capable of filling the shoes left by Richard, an Attorney General not just qualified for the office, but ready for its challenging blend of legal practice and large organizational management. I am the only candidate with the experience we need to take on that role starting on Day One.

For over twenty years, I have been honored to actively practice law in Connecticut as a member in good standing of the Connecticut bar. My strong and diverse legal qualifications include 8 years in private practice, and 16 years in public service as an attorney, first as a state legislator and later, as Secretary of the State. There is no legal basis to conclude that “active practice at the bar of this state” excludes those attorneys who are practicing in the public or corporate arenas.  To interpret “active practice” to mean only private practice would be a mistake.

Over the years I have made all filings and paid fees consistent with the filings and fees paid by other practicing attorneys in the state, including the client security fund payment and the attorney occupational tax return. I am also registered on the State of CT Judicial web site as an active attorney in the State.

This makes me eligible for the office of Attorney General. Furthermore, please review the definition of the “practice of law” in the Connecticut Practice Book, which governs attorney conduct in the state which demonstrates that, in my service as Secretary of the State, I am clearly practicing law. The relevant section is: Sec. 2-44A(a)(2), which includes as “practice of law”:

Giving advice or counsel to persons concerning or with respect to their legal rights or responsibilities or with regard to any matter involving the application of legal principles to rights, duties, obligations or liabilities.

My daily and active role in counseling businesses, voters, candidates, and elections officials on their rights and duties easily qualifies me as subject to bar discipline for these aspects of my Secretary of the State role.  That is to say, I am practicing law when I do this. This is not to suggest that this means only a lawyer can be the Secretary of the State; rather, what it means is that any member of the bar who becomes Secretary of the State will be considered by the bar authorities to be “practicing law” and thus needs to go above and beyond a non-attorney Secretary in terms of adhering to the bar rules in his or her work. This is standard; the bar authorities often impose additional ethical and other obligations on attorneys who are doing things that ordinary citizens also might do.

The subject of this question has become a perfect illustration of a key part of the job of the Attorney General: interpreting the practical application of the law of the State of Connecticut.  I view this as an opportunity to preview the comprehensive, measured responses that I will provide the people of Connecticut when serving them as Attorney General and I thank you for that opportunity.

Throughout the campaign, I invite a thorough review of both my qualifications for office, as well as my technical eligibility.  I am confident that, upon close examination, the voters of Connecticut will see that I am the best qualified candidate to serve as their next Attorney General.

by Susan Bysiewicz

Secretary of the State of Connecticut

Candidate for Attorney General

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Audi

It isn’t everyday that you see a beautiful black Audi R8 V10 on the road. But it happens. What never happens is a guy driving up to you in an Audi R8 V10 and walking up to you and handing you the keys. For keeps. That was probably true before a couple weeks ago, but we can’t say that is the case anymore. According to New Zealand’s Independent Online, an unknown businessman has literally given the keys to his R8 to a pair of men he had never met before because he had a dream telling him to take the vehicle to Table Mountain in South Africa.

The generous man’s only request was that the two men, who were given the cars because they had drivers licenses, use the German luxury vehicle to help others without wanting anything in return. To make good on their end of the bargain, Fabrice Manganga Mugala and Desire Shima are delivering food to the homeless and needy people. The two have also cut a slit into the hood of the R8 (since the engine is out back) so others can place donation money and messages therein. The slit appears to have been professionally added to the bonnet, and the inscription around the opening reads “a better future for all.” We’re thinking Fabrice and Desire are already reaping the benefits of a better future, and if the two pay it forward as instructed, they won’t be the only ones to win out.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Independent Online]

Pay It (Fast) Forward: Man reportedly gives away his Audi R8 V10 to pair of valets originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Truck, Work, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Diesel

According to our friends over at PickupTrucks.com, Chevrolet will show off the latest iteration of its Heavy Duty pickup truck at the Chicago Auto Show next month. The 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 and 3500 (2010 model shown above) are expected to be equipped with a new version of the well-regarded 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 engine that will almost assuredly use a urea solution to curb nitrogen oxide emissions. General Motors continues to partner with the diesel experts at Isuzu for the Duramax engine.

Under what’s sure to be somewhat revised sheetmetal will reportedly be an all-new chassis along with some “other surprises,” surmises PickupTrucks.com. We expect a GMC Sierra HD to also be on display, but we can’t say for sure. We’ll be on hand in Chicago to see how GM reacts to the 2011 Ford Super Duty pickups and their all-new 6.7-liter diesel V8 engine, so stay tuned.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Report: 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD to debut in Chicago originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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