Is it finally our time?

Let’s be honest… we’ve been on top of the food chain for a while now.

And we’ve done some pretty cool things – discover agriculture, build megacities, perfect our guacamole recipe…

Some geologists think we’re such a big deal that a name change is under consideration. Currently, we live in the Holocene epoch, which began over 11,000 years ago.

Now the more flattering Anthropocene may be formally proposed in our honor in 2016.

Our very own epoch! Sounds rather fitting.

Although this might seem like a species-wide vanity project, considering all the carbon emissions, radiation, and plastics we’ve dispersed, there’s solid evidence that we’ve changed the Earth for good.

Scholars are debating when the period should start. The line has been drawn anywhere from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution to somewhere in the distant future.

Changing the time scale is a big decision. As one author puts it,

“The geological time scale is as fundamental to the discipline as the periodic table is to chemistry.” 

Science may be ready to formally acknowledge that this is our time. Now, it’s up to us to make the most of it.

Sustainability Marketing & Outreach Intern

at UMBC Office of Administration and Finance

1. Drive awareness on sustainability efforts, including the new vegetated roof at the Administration Building, throughout campus.
2. Work in partnership with the Administration to engage and educate their peers about environmental sustainability and climate change including components of science, social justice, and social responsibility,
3. Engage and educate their peers about UMBC’s commitment to becoming a leading campus in sustainability.
4. Assist the Climate Change Task Force in facilitating behavior changes throughout the community to ensure UMBC is carbon-neutral by 2050, through participation in broader working groups.

Designmodo have just released their latest product, Startup Framework, designed to build sites for new startups and 9 months in the making, it’s built on a modular component basis, enabling you to rapidly combine its parts into hundreds of different combinations.

Based on Twitter Bootstrap, the Startup Framework’s components use a single consistent style, and include Designmodo’s hugely popular Flat UI. What’s more, existing Flat UI Pro customers, can extend the framework by copying and pasting Flat UI Pro into the Flat UI Free folder. The framework’s code has been carefully constructed based on best-practices and is mobile-friendly right out of the box.

As the name suggests, the Startup Framework will principally be of interest to startups that need a site fast and can’t afford the cost or time of a professional designer. To aid with this, Designmodo have also released Generator, their drag and drop website builder for Startup Framework. Generator allows you to create projects by dragging different components from its extensive list and dropping them into your work area. When you’re happy with your design you can export the design to HTML, CSS and Less. It’s a great solution for in-house design.

When asked what inspired Startup Design Framework, Designmodo replied: 

Startup Framework was a logical continuation of all our previous products. We were inspired by the desire to make something new, very beautiful and useful. That’s why we developed the concept of website creation in blocks, and not in website elements. We believe it is more efficient, without altering the overall design of the page and final website.

Designmodo are also keen to increase the number of components in the framework:

We are already preparing new blocks and new samples to be implemented in Startup Framework. We will continue developing new designs and improve old ones so Startup Framework will stay up-to-date and on-trend.

And the future sounds bright, with Designmodo planning future revisions:

I won’t disclose all our plans, but we are going to make something unprecedented in terms of the framework’s functioning. Designers and developers will like that innovation, and it will make project customization even easier.

Plenty of designers are already using Startup Framework with Generator to produce some fantastic websites. Just take a look at what’s possible:

Included in Startup Framework are 25 design samples, which are actually Bootstrap templates. You’re free to use these ‘as is’ or, more usefully, as the basis for fast-tracking your own design. A demo version has also been produced that uses eleven components and two samples, Designmodo have even included a couple of Apple product shots, a Macbook image and an iPad image; ideal for showing off your application to prospective customers—it’s a great way to learn the framework quickly.

Designmodo have created a coupon code for WebdesignerDepot readers, just enter wddepot20 at the checkout for a 20% discount.

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