This is soooo cool. I love #6 and would totally do it, if I had an I-Pod that is =P

This is an amazing article from Free Geekery about 22 things that you can get for free. Who knew you could get classes at MIT or language lessons for free. :)

Conventional wisdom holds that you only get what you pay for, but the real free geek knows that with the right knowledge (and maybe a charming smile) pretty much anything, even the good stuff, can be had for less or in the best case scenarios nothing at all. Despite this, there are a number of things out there that don’t seem to scream “free” majority of the time (MIT being one). Here’s a list of a few free things that might surprise you.

1. Classes at MIT If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to get a first class nerd education but never had the money or the grades, MIT offers a majority of its curriculum (graduate and undergraduate) online free of charge. On the downside, the quantum physics class you decide to take won’t count for any actual college credit, but free education is free education whether you get credit or not.
2. Language Lessons The world is an increasingly smaller place, and the ability to communicate in a language other than your native tongue is an increasingly valuable skill to add to your resume. There are a number of resources available on the web to help you learn languages (everything from French to Urdu) via Podcasts. A good one to try is the BBC. There, you can brush up on your Spanish or learn something a more complicated. Best of all, you can load it onto your MP3 player and take it with you to listen to while you’re driving to work or running errands.
3. Business Education Learning to run your own business can be a trying experience, but you can get a little help and advice for free from the Small Business Administration. Local business centers offer classes that can teach you how to write a business plan or even how to take care of all the tax details associated with business ownership.
4. Computer Classes Technology changes so fast these days it can be hard to keep up. There is a solution to at least some of your computer and gadget illiteracy woes, however. Apple stores nationwide offer workshops on a variety of (Apple) software and hardware techniques as well as some computer basics. The classes might not do you a lot of good, however, if you don’t own any Apple products.
5. Museum Admission Going to a museum can be pretty expensive, especially if you’re trying to bring a family along. Many museums offer free days or hours, especially during the summer (like the Art Institute of Chicago summer programs). Why pay $20 to see a Van Gogh when you can study his work for free?
6. Concerts, Movies and Shows Many communities offer a wide variety of free entertainment through local park districts and organizations. While it may not always be the hottest new feature, taking advantage of free entertainment can be a great and cheap way to spend an evening. Many large cities, like Chicago, show series of movies for free during the summer in the parks. You can bring a picnic, refreshing beverages, and enjoy the weather and scenery along with your free movie. Check your local park district’s website to see if there are any events in your area. Certain reward credit cards can get you free VIP access to certain events as well.
7. Pets Choosing to adopt or buy a pet can be a potentially costly endeavor, but there are ways to get around at least some of the initial costs. Sites like Craigslist and PetFinder often offer pets for free. You can find great animals whose owners can no longer keep them do to allergies or living situations. Make sure to meet the animal before you commit to taking it home, though, as not all posters might be as honest as they should be about the temperament of the cat or dog.
8. Gym Membership While more long-term solutions to free gym membership may be more complicated, you can get free passes to visit almost any gym in your area. Beware, however, that you might end up listening to their spiel to sell you on a pricier membership plan. If you aren’t pained by the idea of a sales pitch, you could theoretically shop around at every gym in town to maintain the free access for several weeks, depending upon the size of your town. The best time for free trials is at the beginning of the year, as many people want to make good on their New Year’s resolutions.
9. Photo Prints Many online photo album services not only allow you to share your photos with family and friends through the internet but they’ll give you free prints of your photos as well. Check out Snapfish, Kodak, dotphoto
   and Adorama to see about getting free prints when you sign up. Sometimes you can get anywhere from 15 to 50 prints of your photos depending on the site and the time of year when you register. The photos aren’t entirely free, however, as you do have to pay for shipping; but it’s considerably cheaper than having all those prints made at your local photo store, and usually amounts to mere pennies for each photo.
10. 411 Service Need directory information but don’t want to pay for it? Simply dial 800-373-3411 (800-FREE-411).
    You’ll get free directory assistance from your cell or land line. The catch is, however, that you do have to listen to a short (only 20 seconds) ad before you can ask your question, but really, that’s a small price to pay for a free service.
11. Phone Calls If your long distance charges are getting you down, stop using your phone to make calls and start using your computer. Sign up for Skype or Gizmo Project and you can make computer-to-computer calls for free to anywhere in the world. Hook up your Webcam and you’ll have an instant videophone.
12. Email Reminders Have a terrible memory? Never forget a birthday again by using a free email reminder system like Memo to Me. Simply give them the date you want to remember and your email address and the system will send you a note that will gently remind you to remember your anniversary. Of course, you do have to remember to check your email in order for this to work. If you want to take preemptive action, you can also pick out free eCards to be sent at a later date. Hallmark carries a great collection of free cards, but you can also try out Hipster Cards or CardCow.
13. Ice Cream There is nothing that cures a craving for Chunky Monkey except some actual Chunky Monkey. One glorious day out of the year you can eat all the Ben & Jerry’s you want and not spend a dime. That’s right, Ben & Jerry’s worldwide has a free cone day. The best part is that there is no limit, so you can come back for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
14. Used Books For some people (myself included), buying books is a ridiculous obsession. To find a way to somehow acquire more books for less money is a book lover’s dream. Try out PaperBackSwap or Title Trader. Both operate on
    the principle where you list books you don’t want (that horrible Oprah book club one you’re ashamed to have sitting on the shelf) and then wait for someone to request it. Once someone’s laid claim to it, you simply mail it out and you’re given credit towards getting a book you really want. You will have to pay for shipping your old books out, but on paperbacks it isn’t much and you won’t have to hunt through dusty bins to find the book you want in return.
15. Household Items Have some junk lying around the house thatyou don’t want anymore? List it on Freecycle, a nonprofit community group that encourages users to give away old items instead of throwing them away. You can clean out your old stuff and replace it with new stuff for free. If you see a listing you want, simply respond to it. Keep
    in mind, however, that you are responsible for transporting, shipping, or picking up the items you want.
16. Makeup Want to try out movie star makeup without having to pay movie star prices? Many beauty supply stores will give you free samples of their products to take home with you. Some stores, like Sephora, will offer a generous sample of almost anything in the store to try it out. This free supply might not last forever, but you can look good for at least a little while!
17. Face Cream Want to prevent wrinkles without giving yourself new ones when you think about the cost of your face cream? Many department store brands will give away free samples if you ask nicely enough, but Oil of Olay has a sample program where you can try out their products for free. Any Oil of Olay fan knows that a little bit of this product goes a long way, so this is a great deal.
18. Good Samples While it does require a bit of a time investment on your part, you have potential to get some decent free samples from product surveys. Programs like E-poll and American Consumer Opinion will send you samples of everything from spaghetti sauce to toilet paper to get your opinion on those products. Urban legends even tell of those lucky few who got free TVs to try out (don’t bank on this when you sign up).
19. Comic Books For comic book geeks out there, I have something for you as well. At the beginning of May (the event was held on the 5th this year) you can head into your local comic book retailer and pick up some free comics. The titles range from Spiderman to Gumby, but with almost 30 different titles there should be at least something that you can enjoy for the summer.
20. CPR Courses You may not think you’ll ever have a time in your life when you’ll need to know CPR, but it’s really better to be safe than sorry when it comes to first aid treatment. You can take free CPR classes through many local hospitals, fire departments, or even online. It might sound like a boring way to spend your evening, but your efforts could save a life.
21. Legal Music Not all music available for download online is illegal, though you do have to be careful about what you choose. Many artists contribute songs intended for free download so that they can expand their audience. Check out this list of sites that offer free music. There is bound to be something that will pique your interest, and possibly open your eyes to new music you didn’t know about, without making you get out your MasterCard.
22. Coffee Your morning pick-me-up can be a little cheaper at least a few days a year by taking advantage of free coffee. Starbucks sponsors the Starbucks Coffee Break on March 15th, when they offer free coffee between 10-12 am. If you’re lucky and Starbucks is generous, pastries may be available for sampling as well.

While not everything you want can always be free, there are a lot of free things out there for the taking if you know when to go and where. So take advantage of this list, and start getting all the free stuff you deserve (you’ve worked hard for it).

I don't quite know what it is about these two artists, but I like them a lot.

The first is Rodney Smith. Perhaps you've seen works like the following?







The second is Philippe Halsman. His images look like this:







I generally like colored photographs more, but there is just something about these two that I find intriguing. Are there any black and white photographers that you like?

Tired of portfolios that just look, well bland? Need some flair or touch uniquely yours?

I know for quite some time, I've been trying to figure out a way to present the things I've done for people to see, but I've never been completely satisfied with the status quo. Sure the free ones are great and all but this is only if you're fine presenting your work "just like everyone else."

Introducing Uber

It's a new way of creating online portfolios giving you even more usability in your portfolio's creation.

As Uber explains:

Uber has unlimited storage, better slideshows, a thriving community and tools that make it easy -- and fun -- to build multiple unique photo websites.

And Uber is free.

Uber is a creative-minded community of artists, bloggers,
designers, photographers and writers. We will share our DIY page customization tools with anyone who has something to show the world.

Uber websites are embedded in this community so that you can stay connected, but you decide how public or private you want to be about what you're doing.

What does your Uber look like? :)

EDIT: If you want one of those template sites yet would like something a little less mainstream, Carbonmade is an awesome service to check out. You don't even need any HTML experience.

These designs are amazing. They kind of put to shame all of the cards I have, although they do have fancy gold trim on them :P

Let's start with a cutting edge design. Literally.

And if you managed to cut too deep use this rubber band to stop arterial bleeding.

Which brings me to this bloody cool design. You can play with this forever.

When you're done playing, look at this concept where the card is in a small plastic bag to protect it from getting wet. Naturally this is done for a swimming instructor. Cheap and great.

You can make use of other inexpensive household objects as well to grab the attention and make sure you won't fit into the standard business card holder. Like this clothes pin "card".

Ideally you would need to be relevant to the subject of your profession with your idea. Like this condom pack that is used by a divorce lawyer as his visiting card as well as distributed in bars as a direct marketing piece.

Or this hair grip holder for a hair and make-up artist.

And if you really want to be remembered, give a whoopee cushion. It's certainly great fun on one hand, or I should rather say one cheek. Personally, I wouldn't want my persona to be associated with loud farts.

How about these silly glasses? While it will make my 2 year old laugh for sure, good luck with them on the board meeting.

You can stop cracking jokes and still remain playful by designing a card that germinates and demonstrates your abilities to create a great park in no time, as it is done for this landscaper architect.

Another card that demonstrates a profession is the card of Kevin Mitnick, the famous hacker, which is essentially a lock picking tool set. He always said that the easiest way to get hold of a password is to ask the blond secretary for it in an authoritative tone, so I have no idea why he needs to break in anywhere.

Another metallic card. This one is in the shape of a mini designer working hard at his desk.

One more mini person at your service any time you wish to pull him out of your pocket.

Let's look at more cards that refer to professions. Here is a card that resembles a Larry King microphone for a DJ.

Another done for an architect that features a ruler. Don't expect a Hundertwasser style building from this guy!

This card demonstrates what the National Encyclopedia does. Explains what things are.

Great idea for a simple product. Demonstrate what hinges do directly with your card.

Yes, it's been done too many times, but it still works. A card for a restaurant with a bite. I wonder if I should put ketchup or mustard on my card before eating it. I think I'll put both.

A card for a gift shop with a ribbon and a bow of course. How sweet!

This sandpaper based card is made for a finishing school in India. What the hell do they teach at a finishing school? I wonder what came first. The client or the idea?

Talking about special paper, here is a card made of really shiny paper. Nothing modest about this one. Miss Hilton would love it.

More folding shiny goodness for a puppeteer.

If you can't think of an idea, you can still use a special material for your card and it will still make you stand out from the crowd. Like this one made of fine corrugated cardboard.

This card also uses special material, but in this case it's totally relevant. It's printed on rough textile that is similar to the material of the bags coffee comes in.

Traditionally cards are designed by graphic designers or art directors and copywriters are not part of the process. But you really should involve your writer next time. Check out this funny set of visiting cards.

Another great copy based concept here.

This simple copy based business card reminds me of my dad, who always said it pays to be honest. So, if you can't afford a talented copywriter, just be yourself and be brutally honest. I wonder what this guy's personal card says. I love you(r tits)?

Talk about being broke. Don't print a card at all, just buy a pack of playing cards and write your contact info on it. You can also recycle train or parking tickets. Giving away ATM slips or used sanitary products are not recommended.

If you like the idea of tickets and have the budget to get it printed you can simply copy the design.

Or fake a pack of chewing gums. It will be most popular with the Singapore customs officers.

And while away send miniature postcard-like business cards to prospective clients.

If you feel royal send cards that look like letters stamped with wax .

While you're at it, why don't you introduce the whole company at once. Give your client a whole portfolio of cards.

Or you can make the client come back for the next piece of your corporate puzzle.

If you'd rather stay away from such a frankenface, simply create a series of cards with different designs on their backs and give a new one to your partner for every new assignment. Works great with clients with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Your partner may not have OCD, but have you tested him for color blindness? You may try to do just that with this card that reveals the cardholder's face reproduced with an inkjet printer sporting a stunning 1dpi resolution.

Be careful, a card says a lot about their owner. This clever folding matryoshka doll card for example suggests multiple personality disorder.

To cure these conditions, how about offering a pack of pills?

Going back to fun foldings, here is a card that can be turned into a sundial. It's been created for an antique watch collector.

Another interesting folding will be liked by modelers. Fold a toy car and keep it on your desk.

Please don't overdo these folds. Daniel who? Mr Castor what? This one simply confuses the hell out of me. Great way to intimidate your client into never calling you again.

This one is stripy.

Make your partner work for your contact details. Let them scratch.

Let them find you easier. Make a mini map.

Decorate your card with a bit of fluff.

Cute fold out. Brings back old childhood memories.

Make it look like the product you're selling.

Ooops. It's an impression from my notes.

Add a bit of class and expense. Have gilded edges.

Add teeth impressions if you're a dentist. Thumb prints for a detective. You get the drift.

Spoof a famous logo.

Use shiny metal surface.

Write fun copy.

Pay extra for stylish embossing.

Use metallic ink and a metallic hole.

Teeth floss? Gross!

Combine different papers.

Stay minimal and positive.

Use a thread.

Make an 3D plastic card.

Come up with a fun die-cut.

Dog tag theme.

Cat tail theme.

Use office scrap.

Use fun typography.

Blind date theme.

Simply square with no ink.

Funky shape.

Interchangeable insert in a generic cover.

Free one way ticket to the moon.

Demonstrate your skill.

Forensic evidence?

Metal card. Doubles as a cake cutter.

Is this scratch and sniff or just generous use of white space.

Try the retro look.

Elegantly long and thin. Reminds me of a card I designed for a perfume shop that looked like a scent tester.

Transparent thin.

Transparent thick.

Camera obscura. In case the Nikon breaks it comes handy to get the job done.

Folded and playful.

Expandable rubber to test your strength. One more time. And, one more. One last time. Good job. Now, what was the number again?

Reuse old cards for a second hand shop.

Get rid of the evidence you ever met the headhunter.

A clear message from a debt recovery agent. If you don't pay I'll break your bones. Here's the x-ray of my last client broken finger as proof.

Business card for an acupuncturist with small holes to demonstrate what will happen to your skin.

Perforated cards demonstrate what a separation lawyers does.

If you don't want to separate you can consider marriage counseling with a help of scotch tape.

There is nothing better then a little freebie. In this case a few seeds demonstrating how lush can make your place greener.

A balloon visiting card for a chest physician that is only legible when inflated demonstrates how important it is to have healthy lungs.

Pieces of broken pottery are used to hold the name and phone number for a greek restaurant.

A set of semi-transparent layers allows you to mix and match clothes on the illustrated girl. (Click the image for a larger size.)

Finally, allow me not to explain the meaning of this card for the Toronto hemp company. The target will know exactly what it means.

From creativebits.org