Holidays

DARK SUMMER

1. OAK Chiffon-Overlay Silk T-Shirt
2. Acne Sunglasses in Metallics
3. AUDEN Soleil 5 Station Necklace
4. Rebecca Minkoff Skylar Mini Cross Body Bag
5. 3.1 Phillip Lim Printed and Plaid Silk Skirt
6. ASOS Multipack of Three Fine Rings
7. Tibi Edita High Heeled Sandal (also here)

Helping passwords better protect you

Knowing how to stay safe and secure online is important, which is why we created our Good to Know site with advice and tips for safe and savvy Internet use. Starting today, we'll also be posting regularly with privacy and security tips. We hope this information helps you understand the choices and control that you have over your online information. -Ed.

It could be your Gmail, your photos or your documents—whatever you have in your Google Account, we work hard to make sure it’s protected from would-be identity thieves, other bad guys, or any illegitimate attempts to access your information.

But you can also help keep your information safe. Think of how upset you would be if someone else got access to your Google Account without your permission, and then take five minutes to follow the steps below and help make it more secure. Let’s start with the key to unlocking your account—your password:

1. Use a different password for each important service
Make sure you have a different password for every important online account you have. Bad guys will steal your username and password from one site, and then use them to try to log into lots of other sites where you might have an account. Even large, reputable sites sometimes have their password databases stolen. If you use the same password across many different sites, there’s a greater chance it might end up on a list of stolen passwords. And the more accounts you have that use that password, the more data you might lose if that password is stolen.

Giving an account its own, strong password helps protect you and your information in that account. Start today by making sure your Google Account has a unique password.

2. Make your password hard to guess
“password.” “123456.” “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” These examples are terrible passwords because everyone knows them—including potential attackers. Making your passwords longer or more complicated makes them harder to guess for both bad guys and people who know you. We know it’s hard: the average password is shorter than 8 characters, and many just contain letters. In a database of 32 million real passwords that were made public in 2009, analysis showed (PDF) only 54 percent included numbers, and only 3.7 percent had special characters like & or $.

One way to build a strong password is to think of a phrase or sentence that other people wouldn’t know and then use that to build your password. For example, for your email you could think of a personal message like “I want to get better at responding to emails quickly and concisely” and then build your password from numbers, symbols, and the first letters of each word—“iw2gb@r2eq&c”. Don’t use popular phrases or lyrics to build your password—research suggests that people gravitate to the same phrases, and you want your password to be something only you know.

Google doesn’t restrict password length, so go wild!

3. Keep your password somewhere safe
Research shows (PDF) that worrying about remembering too many passwords is the chief reason people reuse certain passwords across multiple services. But don’t worry—if you’ve created so many passwords that it’s hard to remember them, it’s OK to make a list and write them down. Just make sure you keep your list in a safe place, where you won’t lose it and others won’t be able to find it. If you’d prefer to manage your passwords digitally, a trusted password manager might be a good option. Chrome and many web browsers have free password managers built into them, and there are many independent options as well—take a few minutes to read through reviews and see what would be best for your needs.

4. Set a recovery option
Have you ever forgotten your password? Has one of your friends ever been locked out of their account? Setting a recovery option, like an alternate email address or a telephone number, helps give the service provider another way to contact you if you are ever locked out of your account. Having an up-to-date recovery phone or email address is the best thing you can do to make sure you can get back into your account fast if there is ever a problem.

If you haven’t set a recovery option for your Google Account, add one now. If you have, just take a second to make sure it’s up to date.

We have more tips on how to pick a good password on our Help Center, and in the video below:

Your online safety and privacy is important to you, and it’s important to us, too. We’ve made a huge amount of progress to help protect your Google Account from people who want to break into it, but for the time being, creating a unique, strong password is still an important way to protect your online accounts. Please take five minutes today to reset your important passwords using the tips above, and stay tuned for more security tips throughout the summer.

Posted by Diana Smetters, Software Engineer

Investing in a South African solar project

As we search for investments that can help speed up the adoption of renewable energy, we’ve been looking beyond the U.S. and Europe to parts of the world where our investments can have an even greater impact. We’ve just closed our first investment in Africa: $12 million USD (103 million Rand) investment in the Jasper Power Project, a 96 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Upon completion, Jasper will be one of the largest solar installations on the continent, capable of generating enough electricity to power 30,000 South African homes. The project, developed and funded by SolarReserve, Intikon Energy and the Kensani Group, is also backed by Rand Merchant Bank, the Public Investment Corporation, Development Bank of South Africa and the PEACE Humansrus Trust.

View Jasper Power Project in a larger map

The Jasper Power Project is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, near Postmasburg

When we consider investing in a renewable energy project, we focus on two key factors. First, we only pursue investments that we believe make financial sense. South Africa’s strong resources and supportive policies for renewable energy make it an attractive place to invest—which is why it had the highest growth in clean energy investment in the world last year. Second, we look for projects that have transformative potential—that is, projects that will bolster the growth of the renewable energy industry and move the world closer to a clean energy future. The Jasper Power Project is one of those transformative opportunities. To explain why, perhaps some background would be helpful.

Back in 2008, South Africa experienced a severe energy shortage, which resulted in blackouts throughout the country and slowed down economic growth. Since then the South African government has been actively supporting the growth of new sources of electricity to power the nation. While today South Africa is primarily dependent on fossil fuels, there’s lots of potential for renewable energy—it’s a country blessed with abundant wind and solar resources—and the government has set an ambitious goal of generating 18 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030 (as a comparison, the entire South African grid is currently 44 GW).

To meet this goal, the South African government has established the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP). Through the program, renewable energy projects compete on the basis of cost and contribution to the local economy to be awarded a contract with Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned energy utility. Jasper and the other projects being developed through the REIPPPP have the potential to transform the South African energy grid. And given South Africa’s position as an economic powerhouse in Africa, a greener grid in South Africa can set an example for the whole continent.

Once constructed, the project will use solar panels like these.

Just as compelling are the economic and social benefits that the project will bring to the local community. Jasper will create approximately 300 construction and 50 permanent jobs in a region experiencing high rates of unemployment, as well as providing rural development and education programs and setting aside a portion of total project revenues—amounting to approximately $26 million over the life of the project—for enterprise and socio-economic development. We appreciate how forward-thinking the South African government has been in designing the REIPPPP to encourage these kinds of local economic benefits.

Google has committed more than $1 billion to renewable energy investments and we continue to search for new opportunities. Our search has brought us from the U.S. to Europe and now to Africa. We’re excited to see where else it might lead.

Posted by Rick Needham, Director, Energy & Sustainability

LOOK AT ME | STATEMENT SUNGLASSES

ph: Gioia

Serious eye candy happening here. Check out my top 20 statement sunglasses picks below...

Botileria

A new inbox that puts you back in control

We get a lot of different types of email: messages from friends, social notifications, deals and offers, confirmations and receipts, and more. All of these emails can compete for our attention and make it harder to focus on the things we need to get done. Sometimes it feels like our inboxes are controlling us, rather than the other way around.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, Gmail is getting a brand new inbox on desktop and mobile that puts you back in control using simple, easy organization.

On the desktop, the new inbox groups your mail into categories which appear as different tabs. You simply choose which categories you want and voilà! Your inbox is organized in a way that lets you see what’s new at a glance and decide which emails you want to read when.


You can easily customize the new inbox—select the tabs you want from all five to none, drag-and-drop to move messages between tabs, set certain senders to always appear in a particular tab and star messages so that they also appear in the Primary tab.

In the Gmail for Android 4.0+ and Gmail for iPhone and iPad apps, you'll see your Primary mail when you open the app and you can easily navigate to the other tabs.
 
If the new inbox isn't quite your style, you can simply switch off all optional tabs to go back to classic view, or switch to any of your other favorite inbox types.

The new inbox is rolling out gradually. The desktop, Android and iOS versions will become available within the next few weeks. If you'd like to try out the new inbox on Desktop sooner, keep an eye on the gear menu and select Configure inbox when it appears in the Settings options.

Posted by Itamar Gilad, Product Manager

Shots from Gran Ferro 2013 - Part 1

Un grande ringraziamento e tanti saluti a tutti gli organizzatori ed i partecipanti all'ultima edizione del Gran Ferro, bellissima manifestazione tenutasi domenica 26 a S. Giovanni in Persiceto (BO). Nella cornice di Villa Prugnolo, il Gran Ferro riunisce auto, moto, bici, musica e tante altre forme d'arte incentrate sulla passione per i motori e non solo!
Tanti i nomi di preparatori ed appassionati che hanno mostrato le fatiche invernali al pubblico che ogni anno apprezza di più la manifestazione.
Date un'occhiata alle foto sapendo che non rendono l'atmosfera ed il piacere di viverlo in prima persona.

Many thanks to organizers and participants at the the last edition of Gran Ferro, beautiful event took place on Sunday 26 in S.Giovanni in Persiceto (BO).
In the setting of Villa Prugnolo, Gran Ferro brings together cars, motorcycles, bikes, music and many other forms of art focused on the passion for engines and more!
A lot of famous artisans and customizers showed winter labors to the public that every year appreciate most the event.

DENIM + POLKA DOTS

ph: Frankie Hearts Fashion

Came across this cute denim + polka dots look on Nicole Levine. It's an easy go-to combo that can be worn year-round, just by making a few tweaks for the warmer or colder months.

Get the look...

Ryan Gosling - Drive

'There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand?' 

...Personal advise, do not forget the soundtrack! 

SHOE CRUSH: GIVENCHY BLUSH + CHAIN SANDALS

Crushing on these blush Givenchy Chain Embellished Sandals- pretty, but with a bit of edge.
Loving this pale pink + plastic pair from Givenchy as well.

ps- The Net-A-Porter SALE is on! So many designer goodies up to 50% off.

Tattoo Girl

Summer is Coming, Cars are Coming Out - Portland 2013 Car Events

Portland Summer Car Events

The rain took a short break today and had all of us fools with cars whose windshield wipers don't work headin for the hills in our jalopies.  I personally took a quick look online to see where I could find other like minded individuals and landed upon the Westside Road Relic's Burgerville Cruise In.

Spring is just an awesome time for car guys, but it can also be a tough time; events are starting but the winter projects have to be wrapped up.  I personally spent a rough month of April welding my inner tub and A and B posts (the frames for the door) back together (more on that at budgetmga.blogspot.com).

I read something last year that says Portland may rival any city in the US for car culture.  The longer I live here the more I believe it.  It seems everyone has a car in the garage; from the bizarre massive custom hearses (complete with halloween scene props), to modern super car machines you can find almost anything in Portland most weekends.

If you happened across this blog because you're looking for Portland car events and you're already tired of me yapping let me point you in the right direction.

This link for PDX Car Culture captures a lot of the events -
http://www.pdxcarculture.com/Events.aspx

The Route 26 Cruisers also do a great job of capturing the local upcoming events as well -
http://www.route26cruisers.com/NW%20Car%20Showst.htm

If you're more into racing, I've been perusing this site looking for the upcoming autocross and road rally opportunities -
http://www.where2race.com/events

Spring is amazing because it's all still exciting.  Tonight I saw a little pinstriping on a fat old pontiac and I loved it,  I looked at every crusty old truck someone painted some scallops on.  By September I'll walk through a car show with 500 cars and see three that interest me.  I think wise old Solomon said it best, "If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it".  In reality, it's probably best that we have winter to reset our expectations.  Could you imagine living in L.A., with it's year around amazing weather?  No wonder such bizarre and over the top creations come out of L.A., it's simply necessary to not die of boredom.

I did stop in at a Moon Speed Shop cruise in the last time I was in L.A..  I have to admit that the creations were amazing and sparked my creative side hard.  I wish I'd see more extreme creativity here.  There are a few Portland cars that even in September will still capture my eye, but I think the personalities of the two towns may also play into the cars you see out and about at the shows.  Let's face it, Portland isn't quite as extravagant as L.A..

Then again I could be speaking out of my rear end.  There's an MGA running around town here that the instant I saw sold me that I had to buy an MGA.  I saw one of the best looking mustangs I've ever seen in Hot Rod magazine a couple months ago and was shocked to learn that it came out of a shop South of town here.

I personally am looking forward to a few favorite events this year - 

Beaches Wednesday Night Cruise Ins - So many cars come out to Beaches Cruise-In, of all types and variety, that there's truly something for everyone.  I burn out if I go too often, but Beaches is a must hit during the summer.  Take some friends that also appreciate cars and it gets exponentially more fun.  And it's fun to park your own car in there and stand about 20 yards away beside another car and watch people's reaction to your baby; it's sometimes humbling, sometimes funny and sometimes heart warming (there's nothing better at car shows than watching from afar an old guy (70+) check out your car, like I saw tonight at the Cruise In). - http://portlandraceway.com/?/events/upcoming_events/cruisein

Portland Historic Races - This year the Portland Historic Races are featuring 60 years of Corvettes.  A focus on vintage corvettes is just cream on top of the cake for an already awesome event.  I love the vintage racing, and my friends tell me there's a low key autocross in the mid-track pit area that's relatively easy to enter. - http://www.portlandhistorics.com/spectators.html

Cruise-In Sherwood - This is just a nice classic small town car show just outside of metro Portland.  I enjoy the town and the cars. - http://cruisinsherwood.com/

And if you're like me, and quickly tire of things that are the same, you'll enjoy not only the cars but also the crowds at the All British Field Meet.  Gone are all dentists wearing Harley leather, polishing their hot rods they spent too much money on, and instead you find the truly dorky car guys.  In between the cars you find people picnicking with their vintage picnic set.  There's odd campers pretending they're in the Sahara with lions as they sleep in genuine accessory Range Rover tents on top of their vintage rover.  They celebrate odd things, like 50 years of the MGB, and saluting the mini-Cooper.  The all British Field Meet is a great excursion into the not trendy. - http://www.abfm-pdx.com/2013

And while you're at it, hit up an SCCA autocross in your car, or a Friday night rally.  Both are open to street legal cars on street tires, and are cheap ways to get a little competition out of your system.
SCCA AutoCross Schedule - http://www.oregonscca.com/content/view/1286/288/
Cascade Car Club Friday Night Rally (note check their calendar, these are not every Friday) - http://www.cascadesportscarclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=171&Itemid=42

Oh, and if you're more into modern and modena, than muscle and mopar, check out the cars and coffee held at both the airport road shopping center, or the lesser known one behind the starbucks in the shopping center with sweet tomatoes and home depot in Tigard.  I hear Oregon City has one too.  I've seen a lot of exotica at these.  I guess yuppies with Porsches like their starbucks!
http://www.carsandcoffeeportland.com/

Leave comments below if you'd like to let readers know about other upcoming Portland events.

All I can hope now is that in September I'll still have enough passion or vision to drive the projects through the winter.  Looking forward to seeing you all out there keeping the scene vibrant!

NATALIE CANTELL | SPORT-CHIC

ph: Citizen Couture | Vogue

Great sport-chic look on Natalie Cantell during Australia Fashion Week.

Get the look...
+ Topshop Pixelated Cross Drop Earrings
+ T by Alexander Wang Paneled Cut-Out Mesh and Jersey Tank Dress
+ Marc by Marc Jacobs Rounded Cat Eye Sunglasses
+ BCBG Carina Metallic Gold Clutch
+ Melissa and Pedro Lourenco Colorblock Platform Sandal

LIKE OMG... MEMORIAL DAY SALES

ph: Clueless

Here are some of the best Memorial Day sales going on. Enjoy!

+ ASOS: Get 20% with code TAKE20. Top pick- Deep V Cami

+ French Connection: Get 25% off with code S13MEM

+ Gap: 20% off with code GAPGIFT. Top pick- these Alaïa-inspired sandals.

+ J.Crew Up to $75 off your purchase using code SHOPNOW. Top pick- Vacationland blouse.

+ Joie: Shoe sale is on! Love these leopard flats.

+ Kelly Wearstler: 30% off select styles with code KWSUMMER. Top pick- this cheetah tee.

+ Last Call by Neiman Marcus : Get 35%+ off women's apparel

+ Les Novelles: 20% off new styles with code SPF20 // Extra 10% off sale items with code SPF10

+ Macy’s: 25% off purchase of $100 with code ICONS

+ Madewell: 20% off tees, tanks + shorts with code SUMMERNOW

+ Nordstrom: Save up to 40%

+ Paige Denim: 15% off any purchase with code RS15. Top picks- Skyline + Lydia.

+ Piperlime: Up to 40% off.

+ Rebecca Minkoff: Up to 60% off

+ Saks Fifth Avenue: Up to 40% off

+ Shopbop: New markdowns for Memorial Day. Top pick- B Brian Atwood Stud Pumps.

+ The Corner.com: 15% off S/S13 + sale items with code MEMORIALATTCSS13.

+ Topshop: 20% select items. Top pick- Gwenda Silver Pumps

+ Victoria’s Secret: Swimwear sale- up to 40% off select bathing suits.

Gran Ferro 2013 - San Giovanni in Persiceto (BO)

Domenica 26 maggio saremo al Gran Ferro 2013.
A Villa Prugnolo (S. Giovanni in Persiceto - BO) vi aspettiamo tra auto e moto da capogiro!
http://www.granferro.it/

Admiral Kunkka's Rum

SUBTLE BEAUTY

ph: Grazia France

Gorgeous subtle, yet bold beauty looks. Love the groomed brows + blue graphic eye-liner.

Get the look...
+ Vince Mixed Media Sheer Muscle Tee
+ Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Prep Kit
+ Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil
+ Lancôme ARTLINER Precision Point EyeLiner in 'Navy'
+ NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in 'Rue Saint-Honor'

Garage

This is what we would see when we open the garage, two wheels ready to take us around relentlessly.

- - - - -

Questo è ciò che vorremmo vedere quando apriamo il garage, due ruote pronte a portarci in giro senza sosta