One the reasons why I like AOK so much is because it’s so many cool things in one package.

One part game, one part donation tool, with hints of our beloved Facebook and Twitter scattered throughout. It’s a way for social media to be incredibly powerful; not only because it showcases real-life, inspiring, and kind acts from all around the world, but in that each and every one of those acts is paid forward to support an awesome cause every month (next up is bullying!). In one app, your iPhone or iPad is a gaming system, donation tool, social media platform and documentary device. Oh, and did you know the website does the same thing?

As a result of its role as this sort of medium, AOK is also a way to voice your social interests wherever they may lie, be it with animals, people, or the environment (or all three and more). Plus, in addition to everything mentioned above, AOK can also be a way to create social action wherever or whenever you may feel the need.

A little overwhelming? I know. The end result is something that even we at AOK sometimes have difficulty explaining.

But above all, I think AOK is a game-changing piece of technology that’s just in the infancy stages of something amazing. Take a look at the video below, and tell me technology isn’t incredible, and becoming more and more incredible on an exponential scale. The possibilities are endless.

“On the Brink” shows this technological boom in one of the best ways I’ve ever seen, and has helped convince me that this revolution has only just begun. AOK, too.

Kudos to Jonna McIver for knowing exactly what will blow my mind.

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In yet another remarkable way to highlight the inter-connectivity between us all, I bring you this video by Luke Rudkowski.

Of the video, Luke writes, “Please let me know what you think about this, honestly I still felt hesitant to release this but I decided to do it anyway to see your reaction and where I should go next with my work. I recently been through a hard time in my life and I am trying to find myself through expressing myself, if I am on the wrong path let me know.”

Dude, this is great!

It’s set in a NYC subway car as Luke, who’s fed up with the train rides’ isolation, begins interviewing his fellow passengers on all sorts of topics ranging from their political views to their thoughts on, “What is the meaning of life?” What he curates is a beautiful and intimate portrait of the people around him, which really, are the people all around us. It seems to me that Luke just opened his eyes.

The background score isn’t bad either. Enjoy.

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I’ve had vulnerability on the brain recently. I first watched Brene Brown’s TEDx Houston talk (above) a few months ago. It’s a charming presentation: Brown is tough, she’s smart, and her argument is compelling. Vulnerability is the key, and she implores us to take the leap. Well, “us,” to me, was really “other people.” I forwarded it to some friends (“So insightful!”) and felt good about spreading the gospel of Brene Brown to those who, ya know, might actually need it, unlike other people who were already doing everything important with deep intuition and innate perfection. Listening to it felt like taking a quiz in some silly magazine (“So weird, I’m the BEST friend a person could have! Fancy that.”) Vulnerability – I crossed it off my to-do list.

It was a conversation a month or two later that practically made me jump out of my seat with the realization of it all. I didn’t have a CLUE about vulnerability. The old Socratic wisdom rang in my ears as I felt the weight of my hubris. Ugh. I watched the talk again, and this time I actually listened. Brene Brown is right, it’s HARD to be vulnerable. It’s HARD to admit that you care about people, or ideas, or your own imperfect self. And it’s got yucky risks – like disconnection, disappointment, and shame. EW! But, alas, it’s the only way. As Brown points out, these emotions are only one side of a very important coin. Joy, creativity, connection, KINDNESS – these things are right there on the flip side, and you can’t have one without sometimes having the other.

So I thought. And then I thought some more. And then I went to Starbucks. And when I came back, I realized that playing AOK, as someone with a sudden awareness of her loathing for vulnerability, is the perfect way to practice this critical necessity. Every little act, every little duck outside the no-man’s land of my buffer zone brings me closer to someone else, the bread and butter of being alive. It may be only for a moment or it may be for a lifetime, but it counts. Every bit of kindness and gentleness towards others is a reminder to be kinder and gentler to ourselves.

There are over a hundred pages of AOKers’ actions to back it up: when we extend ourselves into vulnerability, it’s there we learn that what we do is important. It’s there we learn, as Brown hopes we will always remember, that we are enough.

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Simple. Straightforward. Surprisingly engaging. (Ahem, AOK anyone?) And you said New Yorkers don’t do “nice.” They do, and they do it with a megaphone.

Thanks to Matthew Jensen for bringing this to our attention, and thanks to wooshii for bringing it to his.

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The Let’s Color Project (actually the Let’s COLOUR Project, spelled the UK way) is changing the dull and dirty into the colorful and inspiring, the world over. And with videos like this plus a great track from Jónsi, the whole thing is totally irresistible.

This was just one of the several unique advertisements that made the most of a few short minutes. TED’s Ads Worth Spreading teamed up with YouTube’s “Show and Tell” channel to highlight some of the best storytelling and creative marketing out there. What’s your favorite?

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The AOK team has been talking a lot recently about harnessing the power of flashmobs to highlight the AOK mission – that the micro-acts of kindness we do and see every day are worth celebrating. Whether or not you can read the French fact bubbles throughout this particular clip, it’s strikes me as a wonderful bit of inspiration.

Have you ever participated in a flashmob? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments section below – we’d love to hear from you!

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It seems like everyone is doing battle with their stuff these days. Whether you’re a college student moving your life into a storage pod for the summer or digging out from under years of accumulation in your house, as soon as you start to chip away, more stuff reveals itself. A little overwhelming to say the least.Whenever I meditate on my own possessions I always think back to the much-lauded video and book, The Story of Stuff. Released back in 2007, which feels now like the height of “buy it today, toss it tomorrow” culture, Annie Leonard’s youtube sensation has been around for awhile, certainly, but seeing her work made me consider the larger battles being waged up and down the lines of production the world over. That video has certainly helped me think twice before being led astray by the fleeting thrill of acquisition.With the digitization of pretty much everything and so much of our lives transitioning to the on-line space (even our acts of kindness!), I really hope for a future where technology can save us from crushing ourselves under a mountain of stuff and trashing the planet.Someone else has been pondering this evolution, too. SHFT recently highlighted Nick Gentry, a Central Saint Martins grad whose work focuses on “throwaway culture and technological change.” Lucky for us, he’s found something productive to do with those floppy disks collecting dust in so many attics across America (or rather, the UK, but we can relate). Nick, should you ever lack for materials, have I got a basement for you.Take a look at his artful repurposing work below:

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I’m Good I’m Gone Acoustic Version – Director: Ted Malmros from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

Bullhorns in the hands of musicians. Can’t get enough.

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