gbsi
I have to disagree with you regarding waiting for confirmation from NOAA, NMFS and Green Peace. From strictly personal experience, growing up in the mediterranean and being the 2nd generation of spear fishers, sailors and divers, living in resort/tourist destinations for the majority of my life; waiting for confirmation from resource-strapped government agencies is sticking your head in the sand. I've seen the decline of fish first hand since I was a teenager.
Focussing on the Pacific Ocean, and this specific article would be to forego the magnitude of the problem. We removed smoking areas in restaurants because, as one wise man said it "its like having a pissing area in a pool", I believe the same can be applied to the ocean.
Green Peace have already reported on similar problems [1] So have the NOAA & NMFS [2]
In countries like Mexico, economic stimulus is prioritised as most mayors/local governments live on a 4 year stint to make an impact, resorting to populistic moves that the unfortunately ignorant populace will follow. Prioritising development of real estate, hospitality, touristic developments that are by no means sustainable. Making sure everyone has a job. I'm by no means arguing that these are bad things, I've made my career in the field but these are again, by no means sustainable. Long term investments into education are left secondary, effects of which are already felt [3]. I'm talking about the destruction of sea turtle nesting grounds, the destructions of mangroves that nourish the reefs, water sewage directly in the ocean[4], the killing of sharks[5] and much more.
Italy, where most older fishermen can barely read nor understand what their daily labour actually does to the ocean is facing a crisis across all coasts. There's just no fish left to sustain its industry. [6]
Its hardly new any of this. Jacques Yves Cousteau reported on this long ago. [7]
Know that everything around you will eventually turn into waste, we are at a point in history were we have enough alternatives to not damage. I agree with you that all we really could do is reduce the rate at which we harm the ocean. Its time to make educated choices.
[1] http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/oceans/fish-in-cr...
[2] http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/2012/09/13_secretary_of...
[3] http://noticaribe.com.mx/2013/10/18/sacude-magisterio-a-play...
[4] http://www.quequi.com.mx/2107_solidaridad/1759374_hay-aguas-...
[5] http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1292457
[6] http://www.lastampa.it/2013/10/12/scienza/ambiente/il-caso/c...
[7] http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=309...
Big Data in Travel and Why People Not From These Parts Could Win
An Honest Rainbow
Kickstarter to hit $300m this year?
Google trends, innovation vs profit
http://www.google.com/trends/?q=innovation,+profit
Call me new-age whatever. Maybe its the end of the shareholder era we're seeing. Watching a bunch of stuff on 2012 and what it implies. Call me out for being wrong, and I want you to, or at least try, but the past years have marked a shift in thinking. I'm thoroughly enjoying a pleasant shift of focus and how new values are being laid upon good product over profits.
Nerdlove at its finest.
http://abduzeedo.com/illustrations-nerds-love
Found this on abduzeedo. Quite inspiring, enjoy!
Ask HN: to SF or not?
I found a cheap ticket to SF. I want to move somewhere new.. I'm swedish but have lived in MX for the past 4 years. My main talent is increasing conversion rates for hotels and real estate, buying this ticket would leave me with 500 usd in my pocket landing in SF. Any recommendations? Do it/save more cash/buy it and then what?
As the the businesses in article state;
"We prefer Dobango over other sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, because Dobango has helped bring in higher quality customers that are more likely to come back rather than clients looking for one time low-ball deals, who are not likely to become repeat customers."
This is where the money's at.
User adoption is incredibly important. However, having a community with a large userbase, you have a responsability to keep them happy. To do so, having an inventory/product/service to offer your users is what will keep them coming back, ergo, keeping your suppliers happy is equally important.
Groupon is great, but me in my expertise as a marketing manager/consultant, the cost of marketing was far too great, and the clientele produced wouldn´t really come back again to our hotel. I'm sure groupon works for businesses that can support that high level of discount, such as established franchises and larger corporations, but our hotel, with 15 in staff and 30 rooms, could never run more than one promotion every quarter. It creates a scavangerlike mentality, which is great for groupon but useless for the businesses. Its appealing to the most basic of their animal instincts cheap=awesome. It´s a cheap form of marketing that I highly dissapprove of. I could make a lot more money just telling every single client I've worked with to slash prices and simply undercut the competition, but this is no way of driving innovation forward. You want to create more business, innovate and sell at higher price. Perpetually pricing yourself lower than your competition will eventually leave you like one of the now many defunct, outdated and out-right shitty hotels populating the Cancun beaches. (I'm a hotel marketing consultant in Mexico and the Riviera Maya).
And now i'm done unleashing my frustration over shortsighted marketers.