Mouthee, The Future of Web Recommendations: Friends or Robots?
TechCocktail last week profiled social recommendation app, Mouthee in a feature pitting recommendation apps that utilize social media verses a robot-like algorithm. So, would you rather get book, movie, restaurant, etc. recommendations from your friends or a program that predicts your tastes based on previous choices.
From TechCocktail:
[Mouthee’s] pretty useful – for example, movie recs include movie previews, duration, release data, and a link to buy on iTunes, while restaurants link to OpenTable for making reservations. Unlike some other apps, you can also write negative recommendations.
So Mouthee is taking the “friends” approach to recommendations. It’s based on the belief that our friends know us best, and it mimics word-of-mouth – “Hey, what movie should I see on Friday?”Unsurprisingly, this is also Facebook’s approach with its recommendations box; if you visit external sites like WSJ.com, you can see which content your friends “like” the most. Or, you could just post a status update asking for advice.
The Snackpot gets shout-out from The Onion’s A.V. Club and Crain’s
The Snackpot, a snack-centric review site we’re launching next month, was profiled for its upcoming launch party May 10. The A.V. Club said they were looking forward to the night’s DJ sets, the readings, and of course, the scores of top-notch nosh.
From the A.V. Club:
A new website plans to explore the uncharted terrains of snack criticism, gratifying pretentious snackers and hopefully putting a fork in the whole Doritos Locos taco debate. The site is called The Snackpot, and it will launch this month with reviews, commentary, and testimonials about the most important meal of the day.
Crain’s Chicago Business covers “businesses getting off the ground in and around Chicago.” This week they covered both The Snackpot and Falafill! From Crain’s:
This Chicago-based website, which launched Monday, is all about snacks. Editor-in-Chief Jacob Daneman says it aims to be “the most trusted source for snack reviews and critical evaluation of the snacking zeitgeist.” The first articles include a review of Funyuns (“Their crunch reveals their synthetic nature, their zest leads to taste bud death and their snackability leads to inevitable shame post-consumption”) and an interview with the popular musical remix artist Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, about his favorite snacks. Mr. Daneman is also a music publicist at Pitch Perfect PR, so you can expect an indie-rock vibe at the Snackpot. Watch soon for snack-oriented interviews with Jose Canseco, Len Kasper and members of Fleet Foxes, the Dismemberment Plan and TV on the Radio.
Crain’s on Falafill’s site launch and company growth
This falafel restaurant now has a second location at 72 E. Adams St. in the Loop, with plans to open a third joint soon in Oak Park. Like the original Falafill, at 3202 N. Broadway in Lakeview, the new counter-service restaurant lets customers choose the fresh ingredients that will go into their pita pocket or bowl. According to the Falafill website, “every ingredient in our foods comes to our kitchen fresh and raw.”
The Academy of Global Citizenship wins “Green Ribbon School” award
The Academy of Global Citizenship was declared a “Green Ribbon School” last month by the U.S. Department of Education along with 78 other schools across the country. In the first year of this nationally recognized distinction, AGC was lauded for its efforts in environmental, energy conservation and wellness education.
From the Sun-Times:
At the Academy for Global Citizenship, students start the day with up to 15 minutes of yoga and a scratch, organic breakfast.
“Health and nutrition are incorporated into our core philosophy,’’ said Academy executive director Sarah Elizabeth Ippel.
Some 13,000 square feet of asphalt that surrounds the school has been converted into an “urban center for sustainability’’ featuring a green house, an organic raised-bed garden, a composting bin, a wind turbine and a chicken coop that produces eggs, Ippel said.
Read more from NBC Chicago and Medill Reports.