My Startup Story: StartSomeGood (The Guardian)

I usually don’t share these kinds of articles, but I’m fond of this one, plus there’s the added bonus of The Guardian “translating” my article into British English — the first time I’ve ever referenced my “Mum.”

AMP Summit Panel: Mobilizing for Social Good

I’m honored to say that I’ll be speaking at the AMP Summit, on a panel entitled Mobilizing for Social Good: The Changing Face of Philanthropy on September 29.  I’m seriously humbled to be speaking alongside:

Mark Drapeau, Director of Innovative Social Engagement, Microsoft

Tom Serres, Founder and CEO, Rally.org

and Kiersten Regelin of Hewlett-Packard

Interested in joining what promises to be an awesome conference here in DC?  Details for requesting an invitation are on AMP’s homepage.  Hope to see you there!

Oh Hey, I’m on the Kindle

So, I’m still sort of shocked that people actually bought paper copies of my thesis, “Facebook, Twitter and Barack Obama: New media and the 2008 Presidential Election,” considering it’s 60+ pages of econometric analysis and only a couple of bad “friending / liking” jokes.  Seriously, I feel slightly bad for the people now suffering through my “pretend I know something about regression analysis” stage (don’t we all have one of those, though)?

Anyway, always being one to give the people what they want (and also curious to check out the e-publishing process itself), I’m happy to announce that my thesis is now available on Kindle!  Yes that means that you can take me and my multiple-variable probit equations with you wherever you go: on the metro, on vacation, or snuggled up in bed.

It’s available at the low, low price of $2.99 (that’s like 0.0004% of the cost of a degree from Georgetown), and accessible in the US Store, the UK Store and the Germany Store.  

Thus far it’s sold three copies.  I only have two parents, so that means some random person is reading my sweet-little-econometric-nothings somewhere out there in the world.  It’s currently ranked #78 in the “Elections: Bestsellers” category, just one spot behind “The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star.”  If nothing else, shouldn’t that be good motivation to buy my Kindle book?

A Journey to the Center of Iceland

Sorry for the shameless plug, but the Huffington Post just published an article I wrote about my adventures exploring the barren interior of Iceland.  Have a look if you’re interested; I hope you enjoy it and that it feeds your wanderlust!

Overnight Busrides in India

Shameless plug, but check out my first Huffington Post article on my experiences on overnight buses in India!

My Interview with Lonely Planet!

I’m so honored and excited that Lonely Planet took the time to interview me about my experience on Semester at Sea!  

The headline from Lonely Planet: “Travel blogger, technology advocate, media scholar – add ‘sailor’ to that list. Alex Budak tells us about his floating college days with Semester at Sea.”  

Check out the article over on Lonelyplanet.com!

Monkeying Around in Udaipur

Thanks so much to Steph from Twenty-SomethingTravel.com for sharing my most recent ridiculous travel writing about my adventures at a Jewelry store in India.  My buddy was looking to buy a monkey figurine, but it turned out to be an “erotic monkey statue,” so some surgery had to be performed on its “Curious George,” and then craziness ensued.  Check out her site for the whole story!