Spock’s most oft quoted lines are surprisingly fitting for a business card holder. There is not much arguing that in business most folks want to “prosper” and in life, just about everyone wants to “live long”.
Targeting consumers who want to consume less energy but also enjoy shiny new gadgets, Canadian Ecobee has developed a smart thermostat that enables easy remote control of a home’s energy use.
Installation involves hooking up the device to a customer’s existing wifi network and then registering it online, so that users can log in to Ecobee’s portal and control their thermostat from wherever they can access the web. While regular programmable thermostats stick to fixed routines, Ecobee’s online access means that users have flexible control over home heating and cooling, adjusting as needed if they’ll be home earlier or later than expected.
The Smart Thermostat is priced at USD 385 plus shipping and installation, plus USD 35 per year access to Ecobee’s portal. Besides direct sales to consumers in Canada and the US, Ecobee is also pitching its device and platform to utility companies. By adding pricing visualization to the thermostat’s information mix, utilities can make consumers even more aware of their energy use, which could have the added benefit of reducing peak loads.
Thanks Springwise
These electroluminescent glowing tees are pretty common these days. You can get ones that feature everything from a working graphic EQ, to a simulated game of Pong to a backlit whiteboard.
But since there’s a Star Trek film in theaters right now that seems to be pretty popular with the kids (I’ll get around to seeing it at some point) I figured I’d throw up this light-up tee which features the classic Star Trek logo and the Enterprise blasting through the darkness of space. Or maybe it just happens to be a black t-shirt. Either way it’s a good effect, and you can order one from Gadgets.co.uk for about $46.
Louis Vuitton has recently had an online presence (November 2007), but not for very long. But this time alone, the Monogram Tote bag has been the first designer bag that has been launched even before it is released to stores. The spacious and trendy bag will retail for $1000 until the 1st of June. Louis Vuitton has also decided to step into the world of Twitter, the social networking website, and offering its fans latest information on new Louis Vuitton events and products.
Broberg and Ridderstråle let their manifold minds do the work and accomplished the most simple yet totally captivating design piece of a grill just to comply the order of Scandinavians design forefront in home appliances, Röshults. The Röshults Grill is a sophisticated cross-road between functionality, art, and conviction assuming the shape of an immaculate design grill that consciously infiltrates and absorbs its whole circumambient attention. The sturdy steel structure accommodates space for storage of firewood and essential accessories, and features a detachable stainless preparation area, seamlessly adjustable airflow and grill heights. $1800
Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda knew something was amiss almost immediately after the jetliner left Chicago.
He’d looked out the window and saw what he thought was a fuel leak. He’d know, because he’s a boom operator with the 909th Air Refueling Station based at Kadena Air Base in Japan. That’s where he was headed. He was one of 300 people aboard the flight bound for Narita.
Still, he wanted to be sure, so he kept close watch on the situation. After an hour, he was convinced the plane had a serious problem. He alerted the flight attendant, who appeared unconcerned. He started filming the leak. No one knew it at the time, but the plane was losing 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour. He showed the flight attendant the video.
“Ma’am, it’s an emergency,” he told her after identifying himself, according to the U.S. Air Force. “You need to inform the captain before we go oceanic.”
That convinced her. She told the captain. He watched the video. He announced that the plane was returning to Chicago, then decided to continue on to San Francisco. It was the only place passengers could catch another flight to Narita.
Bachleda’s actions may have saved the lives of everyone aboard that flight, which the Air Force did not identify. Upon landing, the captain told Bachleda the plane wouldn’t have made it to Japan.
Thanks Wired
Thanks to Apple the standard of marketing undertaken by computer and tech companies has dramatically increased. Apple showed the world that tech products can be ’sexy’ and marketed creatively. The latest brand in this realm to take a creative approach to advertising is Microsoft. New Zealand agency Y&R zoomed in on the idea of home entertainment for this series of ads for the software giant. Promoting Microsoft Vista, which allows you to access your phone, music and photos etc from your PC, the ads are anchored around the idea of making your home a theme park of entertainment - a bouncy castle of fun.
Small cars are one of the solutions to our energy problems, but this guy’s gone too far. Thanks to 47-year-old Terry Watkins of the U.K., you’re now looking at the world’s smallest car, an absurd 39 inches tall, 26 inches wide and 51 inches long (that’s almost half the size of the current world record holder), and powered by an engine normally seen on lawn mowers.
The chassis started out as a children’s toy car, and after Watkins bolted on working headlights and tail lights, windshield wipers, turn signals and a horn, he was allowed to tack on a license plate and make it fully street legal. Now, you might see him scooting around the streets of Staffordshire in this little crazy car at speeds of up to 40mph.
Never mind what would happen to you if this puny vehicle got into an accident — it gets 70 miles per gallon!
The “$1 Million Off” coupon is an interesting marketing ploy to lure investment in luxury real estate, when it stands as one of the worst hit sectors due to the global economic meltdown. A Florida realtor is hoping to attract the well-heeled crowd into buying multi-million dollar properties. The Palm Beach realtor has got this one-of-a-kind ad running in the Palm Beach Daily News. “FREE $1,000,000 with this coupon,” the ad reads. “Offer expires May 31, 2009.” The coupon is valid for a 2,000-square-foot oceanfront condo at the Sun & Surf condo at 100 Sunrise Blvd. in Palm Beach. The asking price was $3.7 million, but it’s a mere $2.7 million with the coupon. Gulden says, “Tough times call for attention-grabbing marketing gimmicks. The volume is significantly off — you don’t need a Ph.D. in finance to know that.” Since the ad started running earlier this month, she says, “I’ve been busier than a one-armed paper hanger showing it.” Will it or won’t it is something that has to be seen, but Gulden sure has got her act right – what’s your take?
Coca-Cola have launched a new version of their timeless bottle design, made for the London department store, Selfridges.
The limited edition bottle sports a yellow hue, accented with red Coca-Cola script and matching bottle cap.
They are now available in the “Wonder Room” until the end of May 2009 at Selfridges London. Price: £1.29 per bottle.