Rentoid blog

I watched an interesting TED talk recently on the world being full - while it is slightly scary - it is worth considering. Especially given that over consumption is a massive problem in the world. I’m not sure it’s a people problem or a consumption problem?

The good people at Virgin Airlines had a terrific story in their monthly ‘Voyuer‘ magazine which featured Rentoid.com

It was a story on the idea of Collaborative Consumption and featured a few sites which like us, are into it.

You can read the entire story from just click here and go to page 92 for some nice reading.

It’s a really great story on the simple ways you can make money out of the idle assets in your home. Some really good examples in the story too - not to mention the uber awesome 8Bit style retro imagery. Good job guys!

Rentoid team.

Here’s some stuff people are requesting a zillion times each day which we just don’t have any or enough of.

1. 3D printers - We estimate a 4 week payback period on investing in 1 to rent. By the way - the type of techie nerds who would rent this would definitely not damage it… (we reckon)

2. iPads - The iPad 2 we have very few of, and hundreds of requests and searches daily.

3. Galaxy Tabs - Again people are doing their comparisons on which one to buy.

4. XBox Kinnect - Not just for gaming. People ant to test their software mashups.

5. Car Roof boxes - Thule are most popular.

6. Caravans & Camping gear - Basic idea of temporary needs.(Get your tents on rentoid peeps)

7. Projectors - People are sick of hotels & conference rooms charging $300 a day for a simple laptop projector and would rather rent yours for a reasonable price.

8. Chainsaws - the ultimate temporary need for when a tree falls down.

9. Trailers - You could really spin some money if you have one sitting in your drive way.

10. Ski gear - Same lesson here. peope would rather rent your ski / snow gear at a reasoanble price than get ripped off at the mountain.

rentoid-ers.

Somehow we made an error on our rules page, and stated the cost was free to list (which is was for 1 month) now that we are charging the ever so hefty price of $4 to put an item on rentoid, we should’ve made sure it said so on the site.

If you encountered this and it sent you are away crying, let us know and we’ll give you an awesome freebie.

Love rentoid.

A few weeks ago techcrunch broke the news that p2p accommodation startup Airbnb is in the final stages of closing a $100 million funding round which values the company at $1 billion. This comes after a phenomenal performance in 2010 with their service growing by 800% , booking more than 1.6 million rooms and securing $7.2 million in seed funding in December.

This is another piece of evidence that a new economy, driven by collaborative consumption, is on its way. And many people said that such a business model, could not, and would not work. Who would rent a bed out to complete strangers….? turns out lots of people would and do.

The future is not like the past. And we are glad about that here at rentoid.

Here is a presentation by one of the founders of Airbnb talking about how the company got started and the journey to where it is now - on the video inserted below:

Kudos to the guys at Airbnb.

PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2011: Joe Gebbia from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo.

I read this really cool article a while back and thought it would be a good one to share.

http://unbridledspeculation.com/2011/03/17/the-exponential-gains-in-solar-power-per-dollar/

Summary:

The sun is a super-abundant source of energy - ‘In 14 and a half seconds, the sun provides as much energy to Earth as humanity uses in a day’. The problem is that we aren’t very good at capturing it. Currently, solar produces only about 0.2% of humanity’s energy because ‘up until now, while solar energy has been abundant, the systems to capture it have been expensive and inefficient’. But things are changing.

The cost of solar energy has been decreasing exponentially for 30 years from $22 in 1980 to under $3 today.

The things driving this change are that firstly, manufacturers are learning how to do more with less and reduce their costs. Secondly, researchers are continually improving the efficiency of cells.

What does this mean? It is projected that in the US in 2020 the price of solar electricity will cost the same amount as electricity from fossil fuels. In 2030 it will cost half of that…Amazing!

Geordie - the rentoid team.

Although the BZE plan is not new, I thought it would be good to write about in case any of our readers haven’t heard about it. Here is my summary of the synopsis, of the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Plan.

Climate scientists predict severe impacts from even the lowest estimates of global warming. Atmospheric CO2 already exceeds safe levels. The threat comes from dangerous ‘tipping point’ mechanisms such as melting of sub-artic permafrost, which can be triggered by excessive temperatures and would prevent us from returning to safe climate conditions.

To make an immediate transition, we can use only the solutions that are available to us today. The ZCA2020 Plan has specified the 100% renewable grid based on proven technologies that are already commercially available and that have already been demonstrated in large industries. With a combination of energy efficiency, fuel switching from gas and oil to electrified energy services, then using a combination of commercially available renewable energy technologies, Australia’s energy needs can be met with 100% renewables. Wind and Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) with Molten Salt Storage are the two primary technologies used, with minimal contingency backup from biomass and existing hydro.

Implementing the proposed renewable infrastructure over a ten-year timescale would require a small percentage of Australia’s industrial capacity, in terms of resources and labour force. The required investment of $37 Billion/year is the equivalent of 3% of GDP.

Source: http://www.energy.unimelb.edu.au/uploads/ZCA2020_Stationary_Energy_Report_v1.pdf

Note: content has been mixed and mashed by me in order to condense it

In my own words - It is possible to transition to 100% renewable energy within 10 years with technology that exists today. It would cost 37 billion dollars, or 3% of GDP per annum. The challenges of a transition to renewable energy are social and political, not a technical or economic.

Go to http://beyondzeroemissions.org/zero-carbon-australia-2020 for more information.

Geordie - the rentoid team.

Our current paradigm, our current way of living is deeply flawed and unsustainable. The threats of peak oil, climate change, water & food shortages, deforestation, mass extinction etc are all clear examples of a need for change. Not to mention that we still live in a world where war and poverty are common. It is logically inescapable that you cannot have infinite growth on a planet with finite resources.

Why are these things so obvious to some people and denied so vehemently by others? I’m not a psychologist but my guess is that, to people who tend to avoid these topics, discussing them calls into question everything they’ve know, everything they have grown up believing and by extension their identity - who they are. It’s just too difficult or maybe even scary, I don’t know.

In my opinion, this is where I see the environmental movement as having failed - in its communication, or maybe even their approach generally. To me the environmental movement seems very alienating in nature as it comes across as saying - ‘your current lifestyle is bad, you are hurting the planet, you need to pay for it by reducing your consumption, which in the minds of many people translates into - you must reduce your standard of living’. For many of those people, it is a price too great and they reject it.

Now, we could sit here all day playing the blame game and recycling arguments, getting really cranky with each other and going nowhere fast. Or, we could do something different. Something better. This is what Rentoid, and others working in the collaborative consumption space are all about - providing an alternative win/win solution:

By sharing what we already have, we can reduce our consumption without reducing our standard of living. In fact it can even enhance living standards by reducing the burdens of ownership (cost, maintenance, worry etc) and also by creating new value from underutilised resources.

What makes this solution so special is that because it benefits everyone who participates and the environment, not either/or, it is finally possible to get everybody working on the same team.

This is why I love rentoid.

Geordie, the rentoid team.

There isn’t much to say about some of the whacky things that people have put up on rentoid apart from that they are freakin’ awesome and hilarious, or just plain weird. My thanks go out to them for brightening my day!

Wife - ‘does not nag! Supportive & Respects Shows Love Happy to do House chores’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/1WIFEFORRENT-AustraliaWide-9076

Air band - ‘This is not a joke - we will play at your party - and we rock out and are always dressed up in killer 80\’s cock rock fashion’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/Airband-Werribee-9217

7 Seater bike - ‘The most enjoyment you will have with your pants on!

http://www.rentoid.com/item/7SeaterBike-SouthMelbourne-7221

StarWars Chewbacca Supreme Edition Costume - ‘Great for dress up parties and special events…

Body-suit and mask completely covered with hand layered multicolored long hair fur, for an authentic blended look’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/StarWarsChewbaccaSupremeEditionCostume-Whittington-4650

High striker - ‘Adults and teenagers alike can never resist testing their strength by swinging the big hammer and trying to ring the bell’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/Highstriker-Cheltenham-5075

Private Jet - Seats 8 in comfort, leather seats, in-flight refreshment centre & restrooms… Special event? Why not travel in absolute comfort and live the high life’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/Privatejet-Melbourne-5359

Segway - ‘The ultimate in personal transportation’

http://www.rentoid.com/item/Segwayi2-Sydney-7502

Cheers, Geordie

Ten things I wish were listed on rentoid in my local area:

1 -5 More people. I would love have the option to hire the services of the people in my local community for whatever need I may have at the time.

A few examples off the top of my head:

1. Cooking

2. Cleaning

3. Entertainment

4. Driving me around if I don’t have access to a car

5. Teaching me a new skill

6. More accommodation. The more people list spare rooms, the more competition, the lower prices will go (in theory). Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could go on a holiday and not have to stay in a hotel? Or even if instead of living in one place as we normally do you could stay somewhere new each night. This kind of lifestyle obviously wouldn’t suit everyone but for me personally I think it would awesome! It would make life much more interesting. Think about all the amazing people you meet and friends you make when you go traveling. What if you could live like that all the time?!

7. Bicycles, mine sucks! I would much rather rent a decent one for a reasonable price when I need it than endure what I’ve got (ok that sounds a bit dramatic, but still!).

8. A shaver! I like to keep my hair short. It needs to get cut about once every 2 months. For something I need to use that rarely I shouldn’t have to own one myself, so wasteful! - Ok so this might not be the type of thing many people would share… oh well…

9. Gym equipment. Gym membership is expensive and why should I pay that much when I’m sure there are people that live nearby with equipment that’s perfectly good, that they probably hardly ever use and that is just sitting there!

10. Media. Think about what is actually around you in the houses of your neighbours. I bet there are soooo many great books I have never read and heaps of movies I have never seen. Let’s get renting!

Cheers, Geordie