On this week: Welcome to September!

(It seems as though WordPress took off early for the holiday weekend and left us with technical difficulties. We wouldn’t let you down though, so let’s check out what the first week of September had in store.)

What’s on tap:

“Is Social Media a fad or is it the biggest shift since the industrial revolution?” Well that’s enough to get me to sit through the next 4 minutes and 22 seconds. This video, loaded with statistics about the rise and adoption of social media set to moody music, is definitely a must to welcome in the last third of the year. My favorite statistic you ask? “1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media” Wow! Socialnomics

Thank you Triple Pundit! For offering us a round-up of some exciting predictions and ideas from the Social Capital 09 conference. Predictions, Warnings and Best Practices

The ultimate in collaboration—biological diversity! “In the 1800s, farmers were growing 7,100 named varieties of apples, today 6,800 of those are extinct.” Check out Cary Fowler’s talk on the importance of agricultural biodiversity in a time of great change. His team developed an international secure seedbank (right) for the long term. Saving the world’s seeds for the future of food. Cary Fowler: One seed at a time, protecting the future of Food

As I sit in this very hot office, I have problem to solve, “How can I regulate my temperature?” This seems like a common question, but with the inspiration of Janine Benyus, I have an uncommon but age-old way to try to answer that question—I’ll Ask Nature!  Welcome to a biomimicry mecca, where you can learn how nature solves problems from temperature to construction to community. Oh how I wish I were a skunk cabbage! www.AskNature.org

For those of you with a desire to learn more about the sexual reproductive habits of sea creatures than the first and second seasons of Green Porno could provide, fear not. And behold, Season 3! Yes, Isabella Rossellini is back for the third batch of highly creative and entertaining, yet scientifically accurate stories from the great sea. If you haven’t seen this yet, you can brush up on the first two seasons, and the third season will be out on the 11th! Green Porno

And for the locals:

In NYC: Benjamin Barber invites us all to imagine a new way of viewing and living in public space—more specifically, a new Times Square. Imagine videos from local artists light the square and free music from the mini bandstand provides the sound track. (Thanks for the tip Worldchanging) The Art of Public Space

In SF: The last week of summer was big on local foods and biodiversity. For all you Californians out there, check out the latest on Californis’a Ag Crisis and our Concentrated Food System