In the fast-paced world of smartphones, cloud computing, and social media, techfreaks like myself are not only working more hours, but are also increasing their efficiency. We have learned to wear more than one hat due to the economical hardships of the past few years. As business has steadily increased, however, we are required to continually maximize our efforts and keep the head count as lean as possible. Unfortunately, it doesn’t change the fact that other aspects of our lives have taken the back-seat to our employment. Whether it’s family time, exercise, church events, recreation, or volunteering, we simply don’t have time to that we used to.
Fortunately, creative uses of technology have enabled us to change the world with minimal effort. Here’s a few free options that you can utilize to make a difference:
World Community Grid
The World Community Grid enables you to donate your unused computer time to many research projects. Simply by installing a free program on your computer, you can help conquer cancer, fight hunger, cure Muscular Dystrophy, and more.
The best thing about the software is that you can tune it so that it only runs whenever your computer is idle or at certain times of the day or night. Are you one of those people that constantly leaves their machine running overnight? Why not use the World Community Gird to put that idle time to use?
You can join the World Community Grid by using this link. If you’re interested in joining the “Articulate Community Users” group, you can join by using this link.
For more information on the World Community Grid, check out the informational video below:
CauseWorld
CauseWorld is a free application that is available for both the iPhone and android that enables you to donate “karmas” to support a cause of your choice. The causes range from offsetting carbon to donating a book to children in Southeast Asia, India, Afraid, and more.
To earn “karmas”, simply walk into a store, launch the app, click on the “check-in” button, and select a store.
While the application doesn’t have a leaderboard to compare your karmas and donations to other users, you can earn badges and “level-up” as you donate to various causes. You can also check your own stats right from the application.
For more information on CauseWorld, check out this link.
gazelle.com
Do you have an old gadget sitting around the office or your house that you simply don’t know what to do with? Why not recycle it with gazelle? Not only will they send you a box and pay for the shipping, you may actually receive cash for your old gadget.
Whether you need to get rid of an old personal printer or your business needs to recycle some old laptops, gazelle.com is the free, green, and easy choice.
For more information, check out their website here.
