I can’t think of a better use of the term “creative capitalism” than to apply it to open source businesses.

As I recently wrote in a comment of my article “Overwhelm their Fears with Open Source“:

I whole heartedly believe that sealed systems are holding back are growth in its role as fundamental part of our self-centered, greed based society.

Open source is an opportunity, not a business plan (sic business model), not a solution in itself. The opportunity is curiosity, exploration, and innovation, and in a global community this can far exceed any proprietary model.

Sure, you have to be more creative how you pay your bills and make your fortunes today, but it is your only opportunity to consistently better peoples lives and have a lasting legacy.

The fantastic development is that curiosity and exploration will triumph in our life time — if we don’t destroy the planet in the interim — because of us increasingly using technology to connect with people from all the world.

The greatest stumbling point is education, not education of what open source or free culture is, but basic education. Most of the world doesn’t have access to the education to be curious, understand the systems they are curious about, and benefit from their curiosity.

Ironically, Bill Gates, who more than any other single person in personal computing missed the opportunity to take us in this one area beyond our petty selves, today is leading in giving the world’s children the education they so desperately need.

The term “fundraising” in Toni’s article title “Automattic fundraising” reminded me that it was time to donate the money you gave by clicking on the ads here in 2007.

In 2007 that was $475 USD from Google Adsense and nothing from anything else.

$100 was already donated to my uni friend Microserf Nicole Steinbok‘s Great Lake Walk to raise money for Canadian Cancer Society. My $100 donation actually became $400 for the Canadian Cancer Society as I let Nicole donate it in her name so that Microsoft would match her, and her Microserf husband Jeff Steinbok generously matched donations, which Microsoft also matched. I like to stretch my donation dollar. Nicole raised $6301 and walked 49 km!

Just now I donated the rest of the money, $400 to Sami Barker and Esquimalt High friends’ Helping build a playground for youth in San Pancho through GiveMeaning.

San Pancho is a small developing fishing village just north of PV. My Aunt, a resident of the village, has two young boys. She has a close connection with the school, and says the town would benefit from a playground at the elementary school. A group of twelve students from Esquimalt High are participating in a fundraising event to buy supplies. Under the direction of Mr. Ken Henderson, the students will visit the town in March where they will live with the locals, study spanish and hopefully get to help out with the playground’s construction

Thank you for your support

What do you call it? Do you talk nice to it?

Here for your pleasure, super-sized (which doesn’t happen nearly enough these days) and superimposed onto the original size, the Flushing Blue Toilet Cleaner of Death!

Who has an animated version of this image? Thank johnbillion!

The toilet experience really seems to resonate with Microsoft’s team and their customers.

“Toilet paper is sold more effectively than Windows Vista, according to one member of Microsoft’s UK marketing staff, [Allister Frost]“. Allister wrote Why buying Windows Vista should be simpler than Toilet Paper. Allister, if you are reading this, I’m interested in upgrading to Vista Working Edition.

Paul Thurrott writes “Microsoft changed folders completely in Windows Vista, and all that work just got flushed down the virtual toilet.”

doctorbad writes “we will truly see if microsoft can pull vista out of the toilet” in responded to Chris Pirillo’s “Windows Vista Rocks”.

It prompted Microsoft to also update the sounds in Vista to this toilet theme as described in the responses to James Senior article Windows Vista Sounds:

Jane C writes “…the Empty Recycle Bin sound is a flushing toilet…”

Jack Sprat writes “the startup sound in vista is at best a flushing toilet, since thats the sound of your money going down the drain into Bills wallett as you fork over $299 for the Ultimate Vista experience.”

I use Windows Vista because you do! Help a friend out show them your Mac.