Sutherland Shire Libraries in NSW (yep, in Australia) posted about a great idea called Reading Around Our Region. They are using the Motivational Poster toy to express how they feel about reading and then sharing those posters on their blogs, websites, and Flickr groups. The toy is free for everyone and you can use your posters for any purpose.

Calling all librarians: It sounds like a great idea whether you’re in Australia or not. You can read more about it on their blog.

I get a lot of questions from folks asking how to use their Hi-Res passes or buy prints. So I’ve created a new handy reference in the FAQ for just those questions. You can read it here. The main thing to remember is that BigHugeLabs.com does not allow anyone to make high resolution files or buy prints of images that do not belong to them. This is to protect photographers’ copyrights and it’s the right thing to do.

To buy a print or make a high resolution poster, you need to either: upload the source image directly from your computer or use a photo from your linked Flickr account.

From right now until Friday July 25th, receive a 10% discount on all poster print orders. The discount is applied automatically during checkout.

It’s that time again… Enter code “freejuly08″ on the Hi-Res Pass ordering page to get a free 3-day pass. There are limited quantities so get one fast.

I don’t know who started it but this game is spreading like crazy. It seems to have originally been called “Pete’s Game” (Hey, Pete! Where are you?) but after several weeks has taken on a name and life of it’s own, now known simply as “The Game.” Here’s how it works:

The concept:

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s Mosaic Maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

Share your creation on your blog, upload it to Flickr, even add it to The Game pool.

Above mosaic by Taffy Designs.

Just a quick note to let you all know that we will be not be processing print orders from Sunday the 22nd through Wednesday the 25th of June. However, you may still place orders during that period and we’ll process them all on the 26th. All orders placed before 9PM PDT June 21st will be processed before we close.

Previously, Hi-res passes (a super-easy way to get unlimited print-ready versions of your BigHugeLabs creations that you can print yourself) were available at $5 for 3 days, $15 for 12 days, and $30 for 30 days. Effective immediately, you can now get a 7-day pass for $5. Everyone who has purchased a 3-day pass within the last week has been upgraded to a 7-day pass.

In addition, all 1-year and Lifetime PRO subscribers now get a Hi-res pass valid for the entire duration of their membership. All existing annual and lifetime subscribers should already have their passes. Have fun!
All PRO memberships include ad-free browsing, priority email support, pro-only features, and an enhanced sense of well-being. Click here for more information about upgrading.

BigHugeLabs fan Through Joanne’s eye noted that the Flickr Toys group on Flickr has just passed the 10,000 member mark. The group is a great place to share the stuff you’ve created with any of the toys.

I’m also proud to report that BigHugeLabs now has: 78,000 registered users, 173,000 linked Flickr accounts, and 913,000 unique visitors in the past 30 days who’ve created millions and millions of thingies!

Thank you all for using the site!

Video support has been added to the Favorite Surfer. More video support is on the way for other toys where appropriate.

Since 2005, BigHugeLabs.com–home of fd’s Flickr Toys–has offered a valuable free service that lets anyone do fun stuff with their digital photographs. BigHugeLabs.com has always been and will continue to be a free service for everyone. But, as you can imagine, running a site of this size isn’t cheap. Not only are there technology costs, there is a very real cost for support and continued improvement of the site. The only way to cover those costs was through the sale of printed products and advertising.

Now you can support BigHugeLabs.com more directly. By upgrading to a PRO account for a small one-time or monthly donation, you will be directly supporting the continued operation and improvement of BigHugeLabs.com for years to come. If you think BigHugeLabs.com is a valuable service, please consider supporting the site by upgrading your account.

Here’s the deal: Pay only what you think it’s worth–literally, name your own price–or continue using BigHugeLabs.com for free. In return for your donation, you’ll get the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you’ve given your support to a valuable service you use regularly. Oh, and you’ll also get an ad-free version of the site, priority email support, and PRO-only enhancements (coming soon).

Can’t make a donation? No problem. Please continue using the site for free, no strings attached.

Click here to upgrade →

Thank you for your support.