As winners of the contest, Daniel and I attended the John Caples Awards, were offered internships at Alloy Media + Marketing to further the Spin the Pen campaign, and received a lump-sum of $5,000 to split among ourselves and those who helped out, JC, Xero, and our cameraman, Josh. Great prizes, right?!

Unfortunately, I was unable to take the internship, but Daniel did a great job there. He continued the Spin the Pen campaign, but focused on the Pentel RSVP, a pen that many pen spinners consider to be the best pen to get started spinning with. I think that was a great move, as many spinners kept telling us that the Recycology products were too light and had too many protruding functions to spin.

His new campaign is called “Spin It to Win It“. The main video is shown above. Check out the website for a tutorial, an introduction to Xero (the featured spinner), and more. You can even upload your video for a chance to win $500! Here’s Xero’s entry:

My congratulations go out to Daniel and Xero! Great site, videos and campaign!!!

Some of the sites are by email invite only — in that case, just leave a comment and don’t forget to include your email address in the form.

BellezaBandida – Discounted beauty products.

Beyond the Rack - An online shopping club featuring designer fashions and accessories at up to 70% off retail.

Billion Dollar Babes - Luxury private sale shopping with prices up to 85% off retail.

Bloomspot - Exceptional offers for weekend getaways and unique local luxury experiences from top-rated merchants.

Bulx - The top brands for your home at up to 75% off.

DD Push – A private sample sale site offering designer goods at 40-80% off retail. (This is an email invite only. Leave a comment below and I will invite you!)

Editors’ Closet - A private sale site offering designer brands at highly discounted prices.

Exclusively.in - a private sale site for Indian-inspired fashion, jewelry and home decor at highly discounted prices.

Eziba – Exclusive deals on the latest home furnishings from leading brands.

Fancy Hands – Personal assistants for everyone.

The Foundary – Coveted home products at up to 70% off.

Gilt Groupe - Luxury designers and fashion brands at prices up to 70% off retail.

Glam List - Find your preferred brands at 40-70% off retail. (This is an email invite only. Leave a comment below and I will invite you!)

Gomatta Girls – A sample sales site offering women’s fashion apparel, shoes and accessories up to 90% off retail.

Hautelook – Limited-time sale events on your favorite designer brands at savings of up to 75% off.

HomeSav – Up to 80% off home decor, furniture and giftware.

ideeli – Exclusive luxury sales of up to 80% off on designer clothing and goods.

Juxzy – An online private sale hub where designer brands are sold at discounted prices. (This is an email invite only. Leave a comment below and I will invite you!)

Joss & Main – 25-70% of home goods and gifts.

Lot18 - a private sale site for wine and epicurean products from coveted producers at attractive discounts.

Modnique - Brand name and designer merchandise at up 50-85% off.

One Kings Lane - The world’s top home decor brands and designers at up to 70% off retail.

Rue La La - The most wanted brands at private sale prices.

ScoreBig – Save 10-60% on live events, including sports, music and the arts.

Secret Style - Up to 75% of on designer brands.

Snappy Tuna - Kitchen and tabletop goods at up to 70% off.

SniqueAway – Travel discounts galore.

The Top Secret – Top brands at sample sale prices.

TripAlertz – A private sale site for travel deals. As bookings go up, prices go down.

Vacationist – Luxury travel deals.

VillageVines - Up to 30% off food & drink bills at top NYC restaurants.

Vitis – Discover wines by the Masters and receive offers based on your preferences at 30-70% off.

Voyage Privé – Dream travel within reach, at prices of up to 75% off. By invitation only.

Click on the links above to become a member of any of these sites. For those sites that are email invite only, just leave a comment and I’ll invite you. After testing out the sites, report back on your experiences in the comments!

Image courtesy of Deucecities Henhouse

Above: The pickup area for NYU academic regalia.

I picked up my academic regalia a few days ago, and the matter left me wondering about how this whole tradition came about. Why are U.S. graduates still sporting gowns, caps and tassels at their commencement ceremonies? I had to get to the bottom of this.

First, let’s start with an overview of the main ingredients, compliments of academicapparel.com. I also found a great diagram. Click it to enlarge!

Robe or Gown: The three types of degrees each have a different style gown. Bachelor’s gowns have pointed sleeves, and are worn closed. Master’s gowns have oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, with the base hanging down, and rear part of the oblong cut square while the front arc cuts away. These robes have fasteners so they can be worn open or closed. Doctoral gowns have bell-shaped sleeves, also designed with fasteners so it is worn closed or opened. For the doctor’s robes also have trimmings including velvet panels down the front and three bars of velvet on the sleeves. All three gowns are usually black, though some colleges and universities use the color of the school.

Hood: Academic Hoods are black, made from the same fabric as the gown. They vary in length depending on the degree from three feet to four feet, and the doctoral hood is wider. Lined with college or university colors, they typically have one field color and one chevron color, though sometimes there are school specific variations. The edge of hoods are velvet in the color of the degree subject.

Cowl: Cowls are typically made from velveteen rather than velvet, and are used for Associate Degrees. They do not display a degree or discipline color, just the institutional colors on the lining. The outside is generally black.

Tam: Tams are typically used for Doctoral degrees, though some Master’s programs do use them. Tams are made from velvet, and usually have a ribbon over the fabric, and in black. Color variations do occur with some colleges. The number of sides vary, and can be four, six, or eight sided. eight, six, or four sides. Four sided is usually only used for Master’s degrees, while six and eight sided are used for Doctor’s degrees depending on which the University prefers. Tams are “poofed” at the top instead of flat, and come with a tassel usually in gold, with one or two buttons and sometimes in a gold bullion color.

Mortarboard or Cap: Mortarboards are flat rather than “poofy” at the top, are not made from velvet, and are also usually black but come in a variety of colors and variations are more frequent than with tams. Mortarboards have only four sides, and typically have a tassel with a single button at the top, usually in the color of the degree-granting institution.

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Ok, so let’s get down to the good stuff! Why are we still wearing these garbs? Where did it all begin?

Think of the two schools in the world where you might expect such habits to have originated… If you’re thinking Oxford and Cambridge, you got it! This crazy practice all begin during the formation of Medieval universities in the late 11th and 12th centuries. These very traditional universities even have prescriptions for what students wear under the gowns. Uptight, right?

Let’s dig a little further now. How did this all come to the United States? I mean, do we always have to copy Europe?

Apparently, its history in the U.S. all begins in Colonial American days, when the first colleges were formed. The time period is coined the Colonial Colleges period and refers to the time before the American Revolution in which nine college institutions were formed. They include the present day Harvard University, The College of William and Mary, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Columbia University, Brown University, Rutgers, and Dartmouth College. Students of most colonial colleges were required to wear the “college habit” at most times – a practice that lasted until the eve of the American Civil War in many institutions of higher learning. The academic attire was highly influenced by European practices and styles.

After the civil war, academic regalia was generally worn at ceremonies or when representing the institution. There was not, however, any standardization among the meanings behind the various costumes. In 1893, an Intercollegiate Commission made up of representatives from leading institutions was created, to establish an acceptable system of academic dress. The Commission met at Columbia University in 1895 and adopted a code of academic regalia, which prescribed the cut and style and materials of the gowns, as well as determined the colors which were to represent the different fields of learning.

Random Fact: The color of purple, as seen in the NYU gowns, is actually the color code for the Law discipline. Interesting…

Now, of course, academic attire is rarely worn outside of commencement ceremonies, and that’s what makes us so balla on that special day! Happy graduation to all my NYU Class of 2009 peeps!!! Can’t wait to look awesome in academic regalia with you on May 13th at Yankee Stadium! WHAT?!!??!! Oh, yeah! That’s how we roll. CHEERS!

So, I figured it out with a little research. There are a few reasons why people paint their tree trunks white:

• It helps prevent sun damage to the trunk tissue, especially if the tree has thin bark. The white paint reflects the sun.
• It acts as a pesticide, keeping bugs from burrowing into the trunk.
• And lastly, many people think that it is aesthetically pleasing and overall more attractive… not sure if I agree yet.

And here’s a video I found that talks a little bit more about the best types of paints to use for your trees:

So there you have it! If you have a problematic tree, try painting its trunk white!