Million People Page - Blog (Entries tagged as weblogs)

How many lightbulbs does it take to save the world?

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:42:54 -0500

Scientists confirmed the other day what most of us instinctively knew - that we humans are to blame for global warming. The United Nations panel of 2500 scientists representing 130 countries said there is a 90% certainty that our use of fossil fuels since the start of the industrial revolution in 1750 is contributing to climate change.

The problem seems so immense that it is hard to see how any one individual can make a difference. But there is a way... and it starts with the humble lightbulb.

Energy Saving Lightbulbs (or Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs as they are known in the USA) last 8-10 times longer than regular bulbs, use about 75% less energy, and produce 90% less heat while delivering more light per Watt. For example, a 25 Watt Energy Saving Lightbulb provides the same amount of light as a 100 Watt regular bulb.

Their lower energy requirements means that they reduce the amount of electricity used, which in turn reduces the amount of coal and oil burnt in power stations around the world, and therefore the amount of greenhouse gas (and mercury) pumped into the atmosphere.

Oh, and did we mention that they work out cheaper over the long run too? Around £35 ($66) savings per bulb over their lifetime!

As one influential US blogger pointed out, "If we switched all our bulbs, we could stop importing oil altogether. Without giving up one Hummer."

And yet, only 6% of Americans have even one Energy Saving lightbulb in their homes...

So what has this got to do with 6 degrees of separation and friendship networks? Nothing. Except that it is exactly these types of networks which can pass this kind of idea around the globe in days. And it is a subject that we feel pretty stongly about. And yes, our home has Energy Saving lightbulbs in pretty much every room, and has done for the last 5 years - in fact, we are still using most of our original lightbulbs!.

So please, if you are a blogger - blog about this. Or maybe send a link to this page to everyone you know so they can read about it. Or feel free to copy the text and make your own email. Just please - spread the word!

And change your lightbulbs to save the world.

The funny thing about May 4th...

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Tue, 02 May 2006 17:07:43 -0400

Whilst chatting to the receptionist at my local dental surgery this morning, she told me that May 4th this year will be very special. Actually, two minutes and three seconds past 1am on May 4th, to be precise.

That is because at that time it will be:

01:02:03 on 04/05/06

Well, in the UK anyway... the Americans would have had this special date on 5th April...

We had our first Canadian join the site over the weekend - and looking forward to many more. To make the site more accessible to people worldwide, and encourage more people to join in, we have tweaked the listing criteria so that people without the means to make the $2 payment can list their profile free - we will add such profiles when our advertising revenues and/or donations to the site covers the cost of each free profile.

Free profiles are not guaranteed listing, will contain ads, and the favourite website link will not be clickable, so if you are wanting to promote a website, then paying is still the way to go...

6 degrees of separation

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 11:49:47 -0500

One of the most fascinating theories which prompted this site is that of the 6 degrees of separation - the theory that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else through an average of 6 other people.

To really test this theory as the site grows, I have enhanced the "referred by" feature so that it is possible to move up and down the chains of people more easily.

The more people you refer to the site, the more chains that will end up linking to you - imagine being able to click on a random person and then find out that you are connected to them via distant friends!

So, grab a photo of yourself, add yourself to the site, and then tell all your friends - who knows who you may be connected to!

New Top Websites feature

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 10:36:51 -0500

My very canny wife, Heidi, had the idea of creating a 'Top Sites' page to make the favourite websites feature more prominent, and the site an even better advertising proposition for people primarily wanting to plug a website.

So, here are the top websites on the Million People Page. By Rank, lists the websites chosen by the top ranked people, and By Popularity selects the websites most often chosen by people on the site.

I have also relaxed the validation on the buy a pixel profile page so that only Country and email address are mandatory, as some of my friends let me know that they would love to join in, but were uncomfortable with the information they had to give. So you can leave out anything you don't want to include (like Birthday) or even the photo if you are camera shy. Email addresses are used for ordering purposes only and DO NOT form part of your profile.

On the press front, I have contacted some of the top UK news providers: BBC News; Sky News; and The Register, as well as my favourite magazine, BBC Focus, and radio station, Virgin Radio.

No responses yet, but ever the opimist...

First pixel profiles sold

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 12:21:02 -0500

The pixel pioneers

It was very exciting to login to my email over the weekend and see the first flurry of paypal receipts, plus a heap of emails from friends who think the idea is great. So, the homepage now shows a small pink line in the top left corner representing these pioneers, which you can click to reveal their photos and profiles.

Thanks to everyone for their support so far, and for those of you who have not yet added your profile - I know it is a big decision which photo to use, but the homepage will look much better with you on it! And remember to tell your friends.

Million People Page Launched!

nospam@example.com (Rob and Heidi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 11:47:00 -0500

After nearly a week of frantic keybashing on my Apple Mac in between clients, the Million People Page is finally born! The launch was marked by emailing all the people in my address book and issuing a press release.

The idea is to try and create a unique single page snapshot of the world's internet users and how they are connected. The Million People Page takes the original pixel advertising concept site 'The Million Dollar Homepage' by Alex Tew and adds a unique human twist (because humans are better than adverts).

By adding a photo and your details (which includes a 'favourite website' link for those who want to promote a website) and then emailing everyone you know (telling them your unique Person ID), the site will not only form a unique sample of the world population - the only place you can meet a million people! - but will also track the 6 degrees of separation of all the people on the site and the progress of your email.

So please, please, please, support this by buying a pixel profile for US $2 and then emailing all your friends and urging them to do the same. Or even if you don�t want to add your details, please still tell all the people you know. The result should be really cool, and the site should generate lots of interest, and will potentially be seen by millions of people over the coming years. Forget 15 minutes of fame - this is a minimum 5 years of fame (for you and your favourite website).

Thanks a million!
Rob