Crowdsourcing platform Kluster has graced these pages on numerous occasions this year, including the related launches of Knewsroom and NameThis. Turns out Knewsroom was disbanded a few weeks ago—owing primarily to high costs, the Kluster team says—but now the company has introduced support for new private Klusters designed to help groups manage decision making on specific topics.

Private Klusters are designed to enable collaborative brainstorming on myriad different questions by allowing invited participants to share their opinions on a relevant, customized set of criteria. One private Kluster might be focused on finding a new logo, for example. In such a case, participants might rate submitted ideas based on criteria including "uniqueness," "cool," "colour scheme" and "readability." Some decision criteria can be given a heavier weight than others to reflect higher importance, and so can the criteria by which they are judged (e.g., 'profitability' vs. 'commercial feasibility'). Indeed, some participants' opinions can be given more weight as well—such as those of designers in a design-focused decision. Kluster will tell the user how much support an idea has, from whom and why, as well as whose support will be essential to make it succeed. Private Klusters can support unlimited numbers of participants in a secure, personalized environment; ideas can be shared using text, audio, video or virtually any uploadable file. After a 30-day free trial period, pricing begins at USD 27 monthly for up to three projects per month; no long-term contracts are required.

What will be next out of Kluster's crowdsourcing kitchens? We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, one to try out! (Related: Open polls gauge popular opinion in minutes.)

Website: www.kluster.com
Contact: team@kluster.com

Spotted by: Matthew Cua

There may be thousands of fonts available online, but for truly dedicated members of Generation C—who live to create their own, fresh content—that's sometimes not enough. Luckily, help is now at hand in the form of a do-it-yourself font-building tool from digital type retailer FontShop.

FontStruct, which was opened to the public in April, is a free, online tool that lets users quickly and easily create fonts by arranging geometrical shapes in a grid pattern, much like tiles or bricks. Working one letter at a time, users add and remove shapes including blocks and dots to achieve a look they like. Once they're done building, FontStruct generates high-quality TrueType fonts, ready to use in any Mac or Windows application. Users can keep their "FontStructions" private, or they can share them with the FontStruct community for discussion, rating and downloading. They can also display them on other websites or blogs through the FontStruct widget. Several Creative Commons license options are available to allow varying degrees of sharing. The site is supported through links to San Francisco-based FontShop for sales and downloads of its professional, non-modular fonts.

There's no end in sight to the customer-made trend, and legions of prosumers out there are eager for fresh new ways to express their ideas. Give them the tools they need as a token of your free love, and they just may love you back!

Website: fontstruct.fontshop.com
Contact: fontstruct.fontshop.com/contact

Spotted by: Dana Pizzolato

We've seen (and written about) both green taxis and motorcycle taxis before, but never a combination of the two. Sure enough, though, one of our spotters recently came across an all-electric motorcycle service in France.

Citybird's Electri-City operates a fleet of 15 Suzuki Burgman 650cc Executive scooters from its Paris-based headquarters, as well as a number of luxurious Honda Goldwings for use by members of its Citybird Club. All its Suzuki scooters are 100 percent electric, and emit just 125g CO2 per km—significantly less than most motorcycles and 50 to 70 percent less than traditional taxis, according to Climate Mundi. Taking it even further, though, Citybird works with Climate Mundi to offset those remaining emissions, along with those from its own administration. So, it also effectively negates the emissions from manufacturing all the motorcycles and gas it uses, as well as from making the supplies, furniture and computers used in its offices and its waste, energy facilities and movement of personnel.

Electri-City, which has made more than 54,000 trips since 2003, now has 160 companies under contract for its services. It also has partnerships with British Airways and TGV for airport transportation. Fares begin at EUR 25 within Paris, with subscriptions available offering discounts of up to 20 percent. Microphone-equipped helmets are included, as is protective gear in foul weather.

Motorcycle taxis already have an advantage in congested urban areas, but those benefits are multiplied many times over when the service is emissions-free. This one seems like a no-brainer—to be replicated in cities throughout the world!

Website: www.city-bird.com/_electricity
Contact: infos@city-bird.com

Spotted by: Matthew Cua

Guests visiting London's Mandarin Oriental hotel at any other time of the year will miss out on the hotel's latest dining experience: a brand-new outdoor restaurant that's open only in the summer.

Nestled in the shelter of the Mandarin Oriental’s north façade, The Park Terrace restaurant overlooks the southern meadows of Hyde Park below the Serpentine Lake and serves guests from May 1st through September 30th. Soft linens, elegant teak furniture, quarried Portland stonework and a lush floral backdrop combine to create the informal elegance of an English country garden that's available all day long for early morning breakfasts, sunny lunches, traditional afternoon teas and balmy evening dinners. Head Chef Chris Tombling’s highly seasonal menu features fresh, summery dishes. The restaurant's staff, meanwhile, go far beyond just serving food to create what might almost be considered a luxury urban beach. On hot summer days, a Terrace Butler is on hand with a selection of sunscreens, cooling iced towels, water sprays and a sunglasses cleaning service. Guests can also borrow designer sunglasses—including children’s sizes—along with hand-held Mandarin fans, soft pashmina shawls, books from the hotel’s Vintage Classics library, and a selection of magazines and newspapers.

There's nothing like limited-time availability to increase an offering's appeal, as we've noted on numerous occasions before, and reflecting local seasonal rhythms enhances the genuine feel of something that's still made here. Throw in some five-star summer meals and a pampering spot to sun oneself, and you just may have something tourists will return to year after year. (Related: Restaurant to close and reopen every season.)

Website: www.mandarinoriental.com/london/dining/the_park_terrace
Contact: molon-info@mohg.com

Spotted by: RK

A few years ago we wrote about UK-based Omlet and its hen-and-coop kits for urban or suburban gardens. Recognizing that a chicken-keeping venture can be daunting for those who have never done it before, however, an Australian contender is now offering a short-term rental option that lets customers try before they buy.

Sydney-based Rentachook manufactures and sells a variety of coops, as well as selling the "chooks" (as they're known down under) and feed to go with them. For those who want to test the chicken-keeping waters before diving in, the company lets customers try out its Eco-Coop package and see how it goes for as much as six weeks (or even longer by arrangement) before they commit to keeping it. Included in the AUD 360 package are a chicken coop and two hens along with feeder, waterer, food and straw. Customers can try it out and see how well keeping chickens fits in with their lifestyle and garden; if they decide to return the package, they get back AUD 260 of the money they paid. For those who decide to keep the set, on the other hand, benefits include fresh, free-range eggs (up to six per chicken per week, the company says) and an environmentally sustainable pet that eats scraps, removes weeds and turns compost. (Rentachook's coops, incidentally, are also made as sustainably as possible, using Australian grown plantation pine and wheels from old prams.) Delivery and setup ranges from AUD 50 to AUD 80, depending on location.

In a world with skyrocketing food costs and growing interest in organic and sustainable methods, there's plenty of reason for consumers far and wide to produce their own. Make it easier for them—such as by reducing the up-front commitment—and you just may be rewarded with some golden eggs yourself!

Website: www.rentachook.com.au
Contact: MrChicken@optus.ap.blackberry.net

Spotted by: David Haddock