Sellouts drive for free

In Australia and some European countries (Austria, France), residents can drive for free (or cheap) a car plastered with the advertisements of some savvy companies (Coca Cola, Nike).

A small, city-friendly car (say a Citroen or Smart Car) is covered from nose to tail with a colorful, large advert depicting some well-known consumer product or service. In exchange for driving around their (usually large) city in this mobile billboard, drivers pay little to nothing for the use of a completely maintained vehicle.

Carvertising is not a bad bet for students or young professionals who need a vehicle, cannot easily afford the accompanying costs, and don't mind advertising impotency medication or cellular service while driving to the grocery store.

And now, a word to our sponsors:

Oh, large and clever corporations of the world, please get with the program. See what a viable and powerful advertising vehicle (pun intended) carvertising could be in the U.S. Bring it, and we broke-but-brilliant twenty-somethings will come!

Seen anything worth sharing lately?

Have you ever seen something and desperately wished someone, anyone, was with you to share the experience?

A "They've just GOT to see this!" kind of moment?

1) Stick a yellow arrow to the nearest inanimate object.
2) Send a text message to the Yellow Arrow Web site with a tid bit of info about the place or perhaps a direction to action.
3) You can also take a picture of the arrow in its new home.
4) When someone sees your sticker, they send a text message to the Web site with the sticker's code number.
5) They then immediately receive your previously posted tid bit via text message (from the Web site - you need not spit out clever turns of phrase for complete strangers at all hours of the night and day).
6) Finally, you revel in the knowledge that your experience has been shared.

See, the Yellow Arrow project is an effort to merge grassroots initiative, Internet-fueled connectivity, community interest and public art/notable sights.

Simply, you order some yellow arrow stickers from the site and keep an eye out for interesting, beautiful, horrible or otherwise "shareable" places and things in your neck of the woods.

And/or, keep an eye our for someone else's yellow arrows around town and feel instantly connected.

A way for us to share the profound and mundane moments of life with others. Progressive. Youthful. Sure, it's all of those things. But, mainly, it's cool.