Canada launches a government-backed digital currencyA new initiative recently proposed by the Royal Canadian Mint proposes to create the MintChip, a digital currency that is backed by the Canadian government.
Touchscreen voting station enables Helsinki residents to have their say on new galleryCitizens are having their say as to whether the government should invest in a new branch of the Guggenheim Museum in Helsinki thanks to Facebook-style voting stations set up by advertising agency HeyDay.
In Spain, trains offer first chapter of novels through QR codesThe Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government Railways) has placed posters offering download links to the first chapters of books on its trains as part of the National Reading Plan, with aims to improve literacy.
QR codes used to encourage citizens to adopt neighborhood treesThe District of Columbia Department of Transportation’s Canopy Keepers project has hung QR codes on newly-planted trees in the state, enabling residents to easily sign up to care for them.
In Mexico, scheme exchanges rubbish for fresh produceLaunched in Mexico City, the government-led Mercado de Trueque is a barter service which offers fresh food in exchange for recyclable materials.
Bordeaux citizens design bike for city-wide rental schemeThe City of Bordeaux has crowdsourced the design of its Bike of the Future for its public bike rental system.
Platform aims to crowdsource job creation in IrelandConnectIreland is encouraging the crowds to pass on the details of business contacts looking to expand in Europe, in exchange for monetary imbursement.
Bomb-proof London recycling solution features LCD displaysLondon’s new recycling points feature built-in screens to alert City workers with up-to-date information ranging from weather reports to the latest stock market results.
Customizable Christmas cards of live festive scenesWebsite enables visitors to take photos of a live traditional Christmas scene to be made into a festive greeting card.
Chinese letters routed via spacecraft and postmarked from spaceThe Chinese Post Office have launched a service for letters to be postmarked from space.