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So Much Global, Don't Forget Local: Trends In Mass Production


STILL MADE HERE (reprinted from trendwatching.com)


Last month, Trendwatching discussed TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY. The month before that, it was all about CROWD CLOUT. Two trends firmly rooted in the online revolution, offering further proof that the most disruptive innovations are now to be found online.

However, that’s not to say the bricks-and-mortar world has become an innovation backwater. Two mega-trends of our time, the greening of consumption and the proliferation of alternative status symbols, hold the promise of vast new riches for real-world entrepreneurs, while wreaking havoc on those that lag behind. Which brings us to the (STILL) MADE HERE trend: the comeback of all things local, all things with a sense of place, and how they're surfacing in a world dominated by globalization.

“(STILL) MADE HERE encompasses new and enduring manufacturers and purveyors of the local. In a world that is seemingly ruled by globalization, mass production and ‘cheapest of the cheapest’, a growing number of consumers are seeking out the local, and thereby the authentic, the storied, the eco-friendly and the obscure.”

In this briefing, they (trendwatching) focus on three big drivers behind this trend — social responsibility, status and support. There are more, but we'll save those for a future update. Oh, and don’t worry, we’re not going to wax on for hours and hours about farmers' markets ;-)

Now, let’s start with everyone's favorite 800-pound gorilla: social responsibility, from eco to ethics.

Eco and ethics


Global vs. local
THE story of 2006, 2007, 2008 and many years to come? Consumers, governments and business leaders are finally feeling the pressure to confront and act upon the fact that unbridled production and consumption comes with mounting pollution and at a significant human/animal/earth cost. Now, since virtually every think tank, trend firm, eco-blog, former US presidential candidate and oil company has chimed in on the issue, we'll refrain from rehashing endless studies and scenarios on the globe's future. Instead, we'll focus on one sub-trend — locality — that is still emerging and as such can offer brands additional inspiration to come up with new goods, services and experiences that are part of the solution, not the problem.

Let's start with 'eco'. Now that carbon footprinting has become a household term in mature consumer societies, expect consumers' desire to find out about the origins of a product to become a given. Questions no one ever asked a few years ago will become an integral part of the purchasing process. How was the product made? By whom? How did it get to its point of sale? What effects on the environment will it have after purchasing?

Increasingly, this transparency will pit distant production against local production. Above all, local production holds the promise of less pollution due to less transport. And, in prosperous and regulated nations, chances of inhumane labor practices are smaller, too.

A slew of projects and publications are fanning the current debate on local versus global production. Not too surprising, it’s the food and beverage sector — which can be both closest to, and most removed from nature — that finds itself at the forefront of the eco-meets-local debate, while the apparel industry (sweatshop, anyone?) is feeling the impact of ethics-meets-local more than any other industry.

To stick with our promise to not repeat too much that others have already effectively investigated, we'll gladly refer you to the books and projects below: they all deal with the specifics of how local consumption may (or may not!) trump more wasteful global activities.



Life story labels
Now, to stick to our usual approach, let's look at some brands that are already experimenting with attaching ‘life story labels' to their products, satisfying consumers who are ready to spend their dollars, euros, pounds and yens on whatever does the least harm:


UK supermarket Tesco plans to introduce carbon footprint labels on all 70,000 products it sells to allow shoppers to compare carbon impacts. Implementation will take a while: the company is currently investigating how to develop a “universally accepted and commonly understood” measuring system.


Last year, footwear manufacturer Timberland started placing a "nutritional label" on each shoe box, educating consumers about the product they are purchasing, including where it was manufactured, how it was produced and what effect it has on the environment. Nice touch: messaging inside the box asks customers "what kind of footprint will you leave?" and provides a call to action for them after purchase. Hey, it takes two to tango!


Dole Organic lets consumers “travel to the origin of each organic product”. By typing in a fruit sticker's three-digit Farm Code on Dole Organic's website, customers can read background info, view photos of the farm and workers and learn more about the origin of Dole products.


What works for bananas, works for eggs. Aptly naming their site wheresyoursfrom, UK-based Chippindale Foods was the first company to offer customers full egg traceability. Also check out intermediary MyFreshEgg, which aims to be bringing the same services to a host of farms and egg producers.


And the examples keep rolling in: from Nature and More to Lloyd Maunder West Country to Aceites Borges Olive Oil.

The latter gives each bottle of olive oil a Numero de Lote (batch number), informing customers about the geographic origin of the olives, the pressing date, oil producer, place of pressing, liters bottled under the same batch number, date of bottling, degree of acidity, tasting score and tasting notes.



Next for these 'life story' labels? Integration with ‘supply-chain’ codes like barcodes, QR codes and RFID, of course. Which will really take flight when, as is already the case in Japan, millions of consumers have code reading software on their camera-phones. Which means that infinite amounts of information (including images and videos) can be 'attached' to products, satisfying even the most seriously INFOLUSTY consumers. To be continued, though probably not a bad idea to start mapping out your product life stories strategy as soon as possible?

Taking back production

Now, books and labels are fun, but how about setting up entirely new (STILL) MADE HERE ventures? Expect local companies to take back production that's currently based in regions less concerned with eco and ethics. Some examples:


American Apparel The most famous advocate of (STILL) MADE HERE deals with ethical concerns in a radical way: by manufacturing its garments in… high-cost LA. American Apparel now operates the country's largest garment factory, employs more than 5,000 people and operates 145 retail locations in 11 countries. Workers are paid (on average) USD 12 an hour, almost twice as much as California's minimum wage.



American Apparel
isn't the only brand to do so: NoSweatApparel calls itself the pioneer of fair trade fashion and footwear, setting (in their own words) an empowered, unionized workforce as the gold standard for fair trade clothing.


And for those of you needing more proof that (STILL) MADE HERE can be profitable and sexy: Ujena offers one of the largest selections of swimwear in the world, yet still manufactures its products in the United States.

Back to edibles: Dutch start-up Happy Shrimp is Europe’s first tropical shrimp farm, located in the very non-tropical port of Rotterdam. Promising fresh (‘superfresh’) shrimp, aimed at local restaurants, the business is taking on low cost shrimp farming in Asia. It does so by smartly capitalizing on trends that the competition may find hard to latch on to.

First of all, Happy Shrimp is thoroughly eco-friendly. Its farm is located next to a power plant and benefits from a heat-exchange system, using waste heat that would otherwise be released into the air. Farm waste, meanwhile, is used in a biological filter bed (many existing shrimp farms in the southern hemisphere pollute coastal wetlands).

Secondly, Happy Shrimp promises demanding consumers that the food on their plate is safe and unpolluted. An ISO 22,000 system is implemented throughout the whole process, while the farm is a closed recirculation system, which means nothing can enter or exit.

Thirdly, as the current trend in food and beverage is all about freshness, with supermarkets increasingly shifting from packed and canned goods to fresh, if not produced on the premises offerings (STILL MADE HERE indeed!), Happy Shrimps prides itself on being able to deliver shrimp to local restaurants within hours after ‘harvesting’, without freezing or month-long travels on mega-freighters. To feast on Happy Shrimp, locals will have to wait until the end of this year: the first baby shrimps arrived at the farm early May, and they’ll be ready for consumption this Christmas.


To completely eliminate transit between source and table — and the need for egg traceability labels — British Omlet brings hens to consumers' gardens and fresh eggs to their table every morning. The company designed a hen kit for urban and suburban gardens, aimed at first-time chicken owners, families and eco-savvy individuals. How it works? Omlet supplies organically reared and fully vaccinated female chickens (no early morning cock-a-doodle-doo), at a cost of GBP 365 (USD 700 / EUR 550). The two-hen service comes complete with an Eglu, an eye-catching, 21st century version of the henhouse. In its first three years of business, the company sold 10,500 Eglus and is now also offering a larger version, the Eglu Cube, capable of housing up to 10 chickens.

Read the rest of this interesting article here .

Now You Can Mine Debeers Diamonds Online


It's June. The month of marriage and weddings. Therefore, this month, there will be posts occasionally dedicated to those who are tying the knot. So, let's start at the beginning, shall we? With the traditional purchase of the rock/stone/bling/ice/diamond......



DeBeers Enters The World of E-Commerce


Last week Luxist mentioned the expansion of Blue Nile's diamonds for sale online, now the diamond behemoth DeBeers is finally joining the internet jewelry business. WWD reports that DeBeers is launching e-commerce on their website. The company will let you spend up to $30,000 for a diamond engagement ring (1.5 carat center stone with two side stones) so far, with plans to let people spend more in the future. The website doesn't include everything that is available in their brick-and-mortar stores, focusing instead on products that are easier to buy without seeing in person such as diamond earrings or tennis bracelets.

For pieces from the High Jewelry collection, such as the Grey and Orange Diamond Ring shown above (11.5 carats of white and fancy-colored diamonds set in platinum) you will still need to make an appointment to see the goods in person. For DeBeers, the good news is that unlike opening a brick-and-mortar store, no one shows up to protest when you open up online.



Article from Women's Wear Daily By Sophia Chabbott below

De Beers and its diamonds are entering cyberspace.

This month, De Beers Diamond Jewelers, the joint venture between South African mining firm De Beers SA and luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is launching e-commerce on its Web site at debeers.com.


E-commerce will be exclusive to the U.S. market and will offer diamond jewelry ranging from a $500 gold pendant detailed with diamonds to a $30,000 engagement ring with a 1.5-carat center stone flanked by two side stones. Prices will climb higher than $30,000 in the future.

The launch comes at a time when luxury goods, namely designer apparel, fine jewelry and handbags, are selling strongly on the Internet on sites such as neimanmarcus.com, Net-a-porter.com and eBay.

The jewelry Web site Bluenile.com has gotten lots of attention and considers itself the largest online retailer of certified diamonds, while smaller Web sites such as Angara.com specialize in novelty diamond jewelry, such as a bib necklace featuring fancy yellow and white diamonds, that climbs well over the $100,000 mark.

Many such sites say engagement rings are top sellers and that consumers can save up to 40 percent shopping online rather than purchasing in a brick-and-mortar store.



De Beers' site offers no such discount incentive, but rather access to the firm's branded jewelry in cities where it doesn't have stores.

The six-year-old brand opened its first store in the U.S. in 2005, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Stores in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas soon followed. Additional units are on deck, including a 1,353-square-foot shop in Houston set to open in August, and a 4,700-square-foot store in San Francisco and a 2,082-square-foot location in Washington, both planned for November. The firm has 14 stores outside the U.S., including locations in London, Paris and Dubai and expects to have 28 to 30 stores internationally by the year's end. But it's the middle of the country that chief executive Guy Leymarie anticipates will drive the site's sales thanks to the brand's cachet.

"Today, e-commerce is clearly the new route [for selling], including goods like diamonds," said Leymarie. "It suits a new concept, a new behavior. [We're] not only [offering] entry prices, but also the very high end."

While competitors like Tiffany & Co. and Cartier have extensive Web sites where consumers can view anything from watches to jewelry, diamond engagement rings are only sold in-store. Cartier doesn't sell online, but Tiffany does.

Leymarie said the firm started its e-commerce effort with the U.S. because the country consumes the most diamonds of any other place on the planet.

De Beers' designer collections, Talisman and Radiance, will also be sold on the site, in addition to classic styles like tennis bracelets and studs.


Above: Necklace from the Talisman Collection available online


"The products that we put on the site are what we consider products that are easy to buy," he added. "For more complex stones or pieces that require more explanation, we'll invite [consumers] to the store for a more complete retail experience so they can benefit from the knowledge of our staff."

All diamonds on the site include De Beers Passport, guaranteeing the provenance of the diamond.


Above: Guy Leymarie

Leymarie declined to give sales projections for the e-commerce business, but said branding is key to the initiative.

"When you think diamonds, you think of De Beers," he said. "Our heritage is not denied. We have a brand name with a very high level of awareness."

Some industry watchers said offering its goods online could take brand awareness to an even higher level.

"Obviously, e-commerce has exploded in a variety of different areas. Some had strong fits and starts," said Andrew Jassin, managing director of Jassin & O'Rourke Group, a New York industry consulting firm. "Being that De Beers is a cornerstone of the diamond business and the luxury business, there's a possibility that they may be more successful than others. [However], the fact is that most customers accustomed to buying luxury jewelry purchases need to feel [the products] and see them to complete the purchase. To a large degree, De Beers in this country is not so well-known. The Web-based business can improve the knowledge of who De Beers is."

Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at Kurt Salmon Associates, said by democratizing diamond engagement rings via selling online, De Beers has the opportunity to grow its business significantly.


above: Rings from the Talisman Collection available online

The company has been trying to expand so that it is not only known for diamond stud earrings and engagement rings, but as a diamond jewelry house. Hollywood jeweler Neil Lane designs a collection for the firm and British jeweler Stephen Webster, who is known for his sense of rock 'n' roll and bedecking Madonna in his Gothic-inspired pieces, has just signed on to do a men's line.

In October, De Beers is slated to introduce a watch line in conjunction with a Swiss manufacturer. The watches will be within the Talisman collection, which focuses on rough, uncut diamonds.

The Newest Office Chair:Worknest. Available Any Day Now


First it was The Aeron Chair. Then the Mirra. And now, the... Worknest.

Worknest by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, 2006
Worknest is quite the opposite to technical in appearance, deliberately stressing as it does homely features. In the consistency of its design, and its calm, yet emotional shape, it exudes sheer comfort and ingeniously conceals the technical features. Even the armrests are covered with knitted fabric, its extreme elasticity ensuring that the functions are fully maintained. As such Worknest’s invisible, cutting-edge mechanism ensures the harmonious operation of all moving parts while offering maximum ergonomic quality. Available as of summer 2007.

More info:
With the office furniture system Joyn, which was launched in the year 2002, Vitra presented an innovative concept for the contemporary office interior. The marketing success of the Joyn system, developed in collaboration with Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, has proven its validity as a forward-looking response to the ongoing transformation of working methods and organisation.

At Orgatec 2006, Vitra is now introducing Worknest, an ideal companion chair for the Joyn desking system that was likewise developed in collaboration with the Bouroullec brothers. The office swivel chair Worknest facilitates teamwork, easy communication and interaction, on the one hand. On the other hand – and herein lies its special quality – Worknest reflects a fundamental commitment to the "Nesting" concept. It accommodates the need of employees for a semi-private space, for individuality and a sense of personal well-being – a need that has been previously neglected in the open plan office.

Especially in an open space work environment, the desire for privacy and a touch of domesticity is not merely legitimate: its fulfilment is extremely important for the inspiration and motivation of individuals. This awareness was the impetus for the development of Worknest.

For this reason, special consideration was given to emotional aspects of the chair's design. With its curving, enveloping shape and comparatively soft upholstery, the chair gives an immediate impression of calm invitation. The armrests, which seem to grow naturally out of the seat cushion, are not just a uniquely recognisable design element of Worknest: Together with the actual seat cushion and backrest, they define an interior space that gives the user a pleasant feeling of cosy comfort, like an armchair.



Colour is a fundamental design element of Worknest. The psychological effect of colours and their influence on people's sense of well-being is long established, having been substantiated by many scientific studies. While working on this chair, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec took the aptly articulated observation of Verner Panton to heart: "One sits more comfortably on a colour that one likes."
For the upholstery cover, they assembled a palette of seven different hues, whose earthy warmth has an effect that is both calming and invigorating. The carefully chosen colours not only emphasise the homelike character of Worknest; they also contribute to a positive identification with the office environment.



State-of-the-art knitting technology has been used to produce the precisely fitted upholstery covers for Worknest. This robust knit enhances the quality of the chair and contributes to its functional longevity. Because of its extraordinary elasticity, the knitted cover fabric adapts effortlessly to the height adjustment of the armrests. Thanks to its special characteristics, this knit offers further advantages: the cover is custom fit to the shape of the chair, thereby eliminating the need for seams or folds, which can be irritating. In addition, the high breathability of the knit cover, in comparison to denser woven fabrics, enhances seating comfort.



Worknest naturally incorporates all of the technical features that are expected of an office swivel chair in the modern work environment: a synchronised mechanism, adaptable backrest resistance, height-adjustable armrests and an individually adjustable lumbar support. However, this hidden technology plays a subordinate role in the chair's appearance. For the exemplary degree to which Worknest fulfils the demands placed on a contemporary office chair is not evidenced in its technical features, but in the calming, homelike touches it brings to the highly standardised, even sterile world of the office.

Click here for more information and /or to order

Olympic Logo Causes Seizures

....And not just because it is UGLY!





Olympic logo launch beset with problems
Associated Press
June 6, 2007

LONDON -- An animated display of London's jigsaw-style 2012 Olympics logo, which has drawn an unfavorable public response, was removed from an official Web site Tuesday following concern it could trigger epileptic seizures.
Epilepsy Action, a British health charity, said 10 people had complained about the animation and some had suffered seizures from watching images depicting a diver plunging into a pool.
The Olympic group said it has taken steps to remove the animation from the Web site and will now re-edit the film.
The design is made up of four jagged pieces that form the numbers 2012 in a variety of colors. It cost $796,000 and was targeted at young people. The logo was unveiled Monday and within hours an online petition was established asking for a new design.
London's Design Museum founder Stephen Bayley said the logo was "a puerile mess, an artistic flop and a commercial scandal."


BELOW IS THE ACTUAL SPOT- DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE EPILEPSY!


I am not responsible for any reaction to the post.


Anyone Seen An 18k Gold Bathtub Wandering Around?



Japanese Hotel Loses $1.2 Million Gold Bathtub



On May 30th, A glittering bathtub made of gold, worth Y120 million ($A1.21 million) was stolen from a resort hotel near Tokyo.

A worker at Kominato Hotel Mikazuki in Kamogawa, south of Tokyo, notified police the fancy tub was missing from the hotel's guest bathroom on the 10th floor of its building, according to a local police official.

The round tub, 1.21 metres in diameter and 71 centimetres tall, was made of 18-karat gold weighing 80 kilograms, the official said.

The tub, flanked by two crane statues, has been a main feature of the hotel's shared bathroom.

Visitors can take a dip in the tub, but it is only available a few hours a day "for security reasons," the hotel's website said.

Someone apparently cut the chain attached to the door of a small section of the bathroom where the bathtub was placed, but not riveted, and made off with the tub, the police official said.

The cranes were left untouched.

"We have no witness information and there are no video cameras," the official said.

Direct from tokyo:


TOKYO, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - A gold bath worth an estimated $1 million has been stolen from a luxury hotel in the Japanese town of Kamogawa, near Tokyo, local police said.

They said a hotel employee discovered the theft during a routine check Wednesday, but when the theft took place remains a mystery.

According to investigators, it most likely happened early Wednesday morning.


An image from the hotel's website touting the 18k gold bathtub

The tub weighing 80 kilograms (approximately 176 pounds), stolen from a gentlemen's bathroom on the tenth floor, was one of three gold baths in the hotel chain. When not in use, this bathroom is normally locked.

Anyone seeing a gold bathtub being lugged around the streets of Tokyo, is urged to contact local authorities immediately...;-)

Corian®: 40 years, 40 Designers


above: David Rockwell's Golden Grain, made of Corian®

DuPont, the manufacturer of Corian, has marked the composite material’s 40th birthday by commissioning 40 designers to create products using the material.

Solid Surface Innovator Marks 40 Years of International Design Excellence

WILMINGTON, Del., May 15, 2007 - To mark its 40th anniversary and its continued leadership in innovative and contemporary design, DuPont™ Corian® presents the exhibition, “40 Years/40 Designers.” DuPont invited 40 multinational designers to create an original, functional ‘objet d’art’ for the table or desktop that reflects their imaginative vision and demonstrates the endless possibilities of Corian® .

After being unveiled at the 2007 Milan Salone del Mobile, the exhibition will be shown at Design Within Reach – Chelsea in New York City from May 19 – 31. Additionally, several of the objects will be showcased at the DuPont booth during the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair® (ICFF), North America’s singular showcase for contemporary design May 19 – 22 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Some of the featured designers include: Werner Aisslinger, the duo, Laura Aquili & Ergian Alberg, Harry Allen, Matali Crasset, Jeffrey Bernett, Christian Ghion, Arik Levy, Ximo Roca, David Rockwell, Martin Ryan, Katrina Olina Young.


above: Luca Casini's mirror fruit bowls made of Corian®

“Since the 1967 introduction of the solid surface category by DuPont, Corian® has earned trust and respect as a proven design material with an ever-increasing variety of innovative uses,” said Tom Powell, vice president and general manager – DuPont Building Innovations. “This exhibition demonstrates how Corian® enables designers to push the boundaries of how we use and see objects.”

“Our contribution to this exhibition merges fine craftsmanship with advanced technology to create a rich, yet subtle metallic wood grain pattern. The end result – Gold Grain tabletop objects and occasional tables – are a sophisticated and glamorous play on the natural and the manmade,” said David Rockwell, of the Rockwell Group. “Due to the Corian® high tech material and the organic feel of the decorative tabletop design, we were able to evoke both glamour and wit, mimicking nature with subtly glittering man-made materials.”


Above: Katrina Olina Young's Demons and Daises placemants made of Corian®

The genuinely functional objects highlight the inherent characteristics of Corian®, such as its formability, its expansive range of colors, and its ability to be routed, lighted and engraved. Non-porous Corian® is a high-performing, easy to clean, stain-resistant solid surface material that is durable and renewable. Scratches are easily removed without marring its beauty and uniformity of color. Available in over 140 colors, Corian® can be thermoformed or shaped into virtually any conceivable design, as well as sandblasted, routed, carved, laser-etched and backlit.


Above: Monika Kobiakov's desk set made of Corian®

DuPont Building Innovations is a strategic business unit of DuPont that manufactures and markets Corian® solid surfaces and Zodiaq® quartz surfaces. DuPont™ Corian® is a well-known global brand in the solid surface category.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.


above: Harry Allen's Tic Tac Toe, made of Corian®

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of DuPont™ Corian® solid surface material, DuPont has presented in Milan (April 18 to 23, at the new “Corian® Design – Milano Store” showroom of DuPont), “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers”, a travelling exhibition consisting of new creations by 40 designers (individual professionals, design studios or design teams) from around the world. After having been exhibited in Milan, the exhibition will be moved to other locations in Europe and in the USA. A selection of these objects will be produced in limited edition and commercialized.

The 40 designers participating in “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers” are:
01) Aquili Alberg, Italy
02) Arik Levy, France
03) Atrium (Anton Nadtochy & Vera Butko), Russia
04) Beat Karrer, Switzerland
05) Christian Ghion, France
06) Christine Van Gemert, The Netherlands
07) David Rockwell, USA
08) Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Austria
09) Demet Bilici, Turkey
10) Emma Lewis, UK
11) Francesco Draisci & Paolo D'Ippolito, UK
12) Gamze Güven, Turkey
13) Graft, Germany
14) Hans Schoonemeijer (HP Design), The Netherlands
15) Harry Allen, USA
16) Igor.MarQ arquitectos & Pedro Nuñez, Spain
17) Imogen Lawson, UK
18) India Mahdavi, France
19) Ingenhoven Architekten, Germany
20) Jeffrey Bernett, USA 21) John Sebastian, Denmark
22) Katrin Olina Young, Iceland 23) Luca Casini, Italy
24) Marie Garnier, France
25) Martin Ryan, UK
26) Matali Crasset, France
27) Matteo Ragni, Italy
28) Miguel Milá, Spain
29) Miriam Mirri, Italy
30) Monika Kobiakov, UK
31) Nils Kjeldsen, Denmark 32) Noé Duchafour-Lawrance, France
33) Nucleo (Piergiorgio Robino, Stefania Fersini), Italy 34) Piers Mansfield-Scadden, UK 35) Savinkin-Kuzmin project group (Poledesign), Russia 36) sieger design (Benedikt Sauerland), Germany
37) Tanju Ozelgin, Turkey
38) Werner Aisslinger, Germany
39) Ximo Roca, Spain
40) YES Architecture (Ruth Berktold), Germany

See all the work here.

Product Pick Of The Week: Self-Standing Umbrella





Spotted at Charles and Marie, this handy functional umbrella is genius.

below is the description from their site:
The last time we checked the weather here in California it was bright and sunny and there was no sign of rain. But we have been told that it is still raining in quite a few other places around the world and so we thought it would just be appropriate to tell you about this pretty nifty accessory for those rainy days...

Now granted, it's not rocket science as it is nothing more than an umbrella, but the beauty lies in its pretty neat feet. Yup, feet. Umbrellas of yore have a point and are placed into a corner to stand when it's closed. Not this little fellow here, it comes with 3 little feet that add impressive stability and make it stand on its own, so whether dry or wet, he needs not lean against anything to prevent him from falling into the dirt.

Also in black.
buy it for $60.00 USD here.

Street Level Google Brings Some Serious Fun


A few days ago Garret Rogers of ZDnet wrote that Google would be launching a “street view” after he spotted some suspicious domain registration activity (see paragraph below):

On may 25th, Google registered several variations of the domain “googlestreetview.com” — normally Garret would think the feature would be months away, but given Where 2.0 starts on Tuesday, it will likely be available (or at least announced) by the end of the month. This functionality is likely in addition to the 3D buildings they are expected to announce at the same conference.

Below are the domains that were being snapped up by Google.


GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.COM
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.NET
GOOGLE-MAPS-STREET-VIEW.ORG
GOOGLEMAPSSTREETVIEW.ORG
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.COM
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.NET
GOOGLESTREETVIEW.ORG)

Well, — indeed, that is what happened.

On may 30th,at the Where 2.0 conference, Google announced a feature in Google Maps that puts you in the drivers seat for 5 US cities including: San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, New York and Miami.




Those cities do not have complete coverage by any means, but the data provided by Immersive Media is sure to grow and improve as time goes on. It will be interesting to see if 3D buildings will be announced at the Where 2.0 conference tomorrow too.

OKAY, so now that Google has launched this, sites are popping up everywhere with street level images. It's clear that there are some bugs...but if anything, they make viewing the images even more amusing.

here's a few from Stan Schroeder, found on that awesome site, NOTCOT:
Top 15 Google Street View Sightings, May 31, 2007 — 11:05 AM PDT — by Stan Schroeder

Google’s Street View feature for Google Maps, which enables users to see certain parts of several big US cities through panoramic images, has caused a new trend: StreetSpotting (we just invented that). We’ve gone through the avalanche of reports about funny, weird or even sexy things spotted on Street View, and chosen 15 that we like most.

15. The Woz

Street named after Steve Wozniak. OK, it’s not such a big deal, but this is number 15, we’re just getting warmed up here, OK?

14. Speed Limit

The laws are there to be broken
Well, at least he’s not speeding by much.

13. The Void

And to your left, you can see the endless void that consumes all life. Please stick to the right side of the street.

12. Your face called…
…it wants its left side back.


11. He sees things we cannot see
The cameras that Google is using for this aren’t really working all that well.


10. Giant Pumpkin
It’s a giant pumpkin. Right there in the field. Turn the image 180 degrees for a weird pink smoky…thing, too.


09. The guy with no head.
This guy shouldn’t complain, at least it’s hard to identify him.


08. Semi-naked babe
We could open our web browser and find zillions of pictures of hot babes within seconds. In better quality. And more naked. But, there’s something about finding a blurry pic of a semi-naked babe drawn on a truck on Google Maps that makes our heart race.


07. The Internet sucks
“The Internet sucks, come here for your erotic needs”, they say. Well, is Tera Patrick being all naked and naughty in there? Is she? Didn’t think so.


06. Cornelius and his dog
There’s a sad background story to this one. Read it here.


05. Girls sunbathing
A couple of girls sunbathing on a lawn isn’t exactly spectacular, but it’s better than the blurry picture of the semi-naked babe on a truck.


04. Guy getting into the adult book store.
Hey, it could have been worse. He could have been going out of a strip club, or something.


03. Guy getting out of strip club
We’re gonna have to be honest here: the guy looks like he’s merely paying for parking. But, that’s a strip club behind him, and we will, of course, assume he just spent some sexy time with Mimi and Peaches. Is that a happy grin on his face? Sure it is.


02. Crime in progress
Maybe the guy just forgot his keys. Or he’s practicing for the free climbing contest. Hey, is that a lockpicking set dangling out of his pocket?



01. ET
Some might say it’s a lens flare. Some might argue it’s a camera malfunction. It’s the sunlight reflecting off the…lamp post…and a lens flare….and a camera malfunction, skeptics will yell!
But deep in your heart you all know it’s ET. Phooooone. Hooooome.


Another reader brought this link of photos to our attention:


As you see, technology doesn't only bring about conveniences and innovations, but online amusement as well.
Enjoy! And keep your eyes on the road!

Summer Fun: the Best New Outdoor Furniture

It's June 1st! Time to upgrade that ratty outdoor furniture from last year.
Below are just some of the cool new products on the market.

Just click on the pic below to see more photos, for more information and/or to purchase.
laurasweet's recommendations at ThisNext


I've come across some beautiful some fun, and certainly some unusual outdoor furniture for this summer. Whether it's the funky Dutchtub (a portable wood burning jacuzzi) or the brilliant Obelisk (four outdoor chairs and table that stack to form an outdoor sculpture) or one of the stunning outdoor daybeds and tea houses on the market, you can simply click on the image to learn more about them and where to purchase.

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