Just when we thought there aren't that many more brilliant ideas that can be discovered out there, we prove ourselves wrong. Time and time again. In a world where everyone keeps reminding everyone about the need for out-of-the-box thinking, someone or something comes along and does exactly that. (Out-of-the-box is one of those nice to hear jargons that makes me want to throw up every time someone uses it in the context of business. It's like collaboration or innovation. Everybody keeps uttering these corporate buzzwords but only a handful really practices them for real, let alone understand in its true form.) Back to the topic. Enterprises have long been told that the solution to high printing costs is investment in efficient multi-function mega printers. Small businesses on the other hand can't afford those monoliths and were pointed to the cheaper ink direction. The ultimate solution of course is to stop majority of printing needs by investing in enterprise workflow solutions. In interactive dashboards and dynamic reports on iPads. In electronic documentation (i.e. invoices, receipts) using electronic approval/routing/signature. In smart people that can execute all of the above. (And in decisive leaders that will rally everyone.) The preceding paragraph is a daunting task and most companies are simply overwhelmed to take action. Apparently, the size and scale alone of transformation projects creates a massive psychological blockade for getting things done. Enter the sustainable font. It's not the ink. It's not the printer. It's... Ryman Eco, a promising new font that claims to use 30% less ink than popular fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia and Verdana. Created by stationary brand Ryman and its creative agency Grey London, the world will save 490 million ink cartridges and 15 million gallons of oil annually if everyone used it. Here's what "the world's most beautiful sustainable font" looks like:
Visually alone, it does make sense how we can save on print costs. A really, really great idea. But is it palatable to the reader, to the avid reader most specifically? It's pretty hard to tell since there aren't that much literature out there written on Ryman Eco. (As I was typing this piece, I did try to make use of Ryman Eco as the main font to better illustrate. Fifteen minutes later, I gave up. Too many steps that lead nowhere.) Well, let's download the darn thing and start saving up on ink. (It is free!) Need further convincing? This video is nice.
P.S. Sustainable fonts aren't exactly new. But it doesn't mean we can't convince more people this time!
(Disclosure: I fully support the unrestrained and unbridled union of same-sex couples in the eyes of both church and state.) Brendan Eich made a small $1,000 donation in favour of Proposition 8 back in 2008. The intention of Prop 8 was to make same-sex marriage illegal in California, which was ultimately declared unconstitutional a few years later. While people knew about this then, Brendan's recent appointment as Mozilla CEO made this character firestorm worth talking about again, apparently. Case in point, OkCupid's bold display of disapproval today:
Mozilla's own employees--and what appears to be majority of the Internet community--are in agreement. Eich should be let go. But should he be? Let's get a few things straight. Certainly, a donation in favor of Prop 8 meant he was against gay marriage. It's a fact and there's no way around that. But if one is against gay marriage, does it equate to rejection of gays and the LGBT community? That's the thing, it does not. Brendan Eich's religious beliefs are clear-cut in that marriage is a sacred union and exclusive between a man and a woman. And while not all of us agree with this particular belief, I'm certain we can agree at the least that a man's beliefs should not bar him from seeking the right of gainful employment. Especially if he can perform the functions of his office.
Speaking of performance and capability, Brendan Eich designed and created the JavaScript programming language. In other words, he is a legend in the craft and easily one of the founding fathers of the Internet we all share. If that is the case, why are we treating Eich as a person not fit to lead Mozilla? JFK's decree in 1961 stated that we must "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." creed: a system of Christian or other religious belief; a faith. So far, Eich hasn't left. And I think he shouldn't. In a recent article, he was defiant: "Mozilla has always worked according to principles of inclusiveness. It may be challenging for a CEO, but everyone in our community can have different beliefs about all sorts of things that may be in conflict. They leave them at the door when they come to work on the Mozilla mission." How many of us can walk through the portals of profession every day and leave our beliefs at the door? I believe same-sex couples must have the right to marry. And I completely disagree with Brendan Eich's opposition of that. But I also believe that those who have beliefs we disagree with has equal right to get a job they've earned over a lifetime of passionate work.
