Iconoculture: Our current alternative energy source of choice is “crowd farming.” That practice — which turns the energy people create as they walk, run and otherwise go about their daily activities into electricity. The system could be installed in areas of high pedestrian traffic, placing blocks below the normal flooring that bounce and rub up against each other as they’re […]
Energy Walk
Plug and Play Hotel
BusinessWeek: There are hotels built on stilts in the ocean, hotels fashioned out of former royal palaces, even hotels set among jungle treetops. So why not craft a hotel that can be plugged into an existing space in any city in the world? That was the thinking behind Qbic Hotels, a low-cost, high-design concept made up of prefabricated rooms that […]
Button That Keeps Your Temper Down
Shiny Shiny: Sometimes you want something attached to your computer which you can just BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF – and with the USB Stress Button you’re actually supposed to! It has three modes, Explosion, Punch-Out and Worksheet, and each button-mash switches it to the next. Explosion mode generates a countdown with a graphic, satisfying explosion; Punch-Out shows a cartoon […]
Retro Arcade Gamble
Iconoculture: One-armed bandits make way for the one-paddle bandit — Bally Technologies is rolling out a video slot machine based on Atari’s 1972 table tennis-based game Pong. Luck still needs to be a lady; gamblers must spin a trio of bonus icons on the five-reel monitor during regular play to activate a 45-second Pong showdown against a computer opponent. It’s […]
Cellphone Advertising
BizReport: The study was commissioned by Ball State University and found that just over 55% of college aged kids are open to receiving ad messages on their cell phones as long as they get something in return for looking at the message. Michael Hanley, a marketing profession at Ball State said, “All you have to do is offer free ring […]
Foodie Timer
Iconoculture: The fridge can be a graveyard for random doggie bags. Now a device called DaysAgo Digital Day Counter seeks to save those yummies from an untimely demise. Don’t know when you opened those hot dogs? Forgot how long that slice of pizza has been chillin’? Just attach the magnet- or suction-backed digital timer to anything that needs day-tracking. The […]
Eat Without Your Sight
Entrepreneur Daily: Some food connoisseurs in Paris, London, Sydney and Beijing seem to think so. That’s right, the new trend in dining is to enjoy your meal without being able to see it. According to this New York Times article, the idea is that by depriving one’s sight, their other senses will be heightened. So how does this work? Some […]
Healthy Rewards
Iconoculture: Good health may be its own reward, but a little pampering can’t hurt. The Westin New York at Times Square’s Walk This Way program encourages physical activity and a healthy lifestyle while on the road by offering pedestrian guests a 15% discount at their in-house spa and an upgrade to a WestinWORKOUT room on a future visit. Armed with […]
Customizable Card Booklets
Shinebox Print: Shinebox Print allows users to create customizable business card booklets so they can carry their cards with convenience and flair. The guiding principle behind Shinebox Print product is that business cards ought to be more than informational. They should be fun, eye-catching, even entertaining. Customers enjoy the convenience of carrying many cards at once in a compact, highly […]
Gaming Advertising
BizReport: It should, therefore, come as no surprise to learn that Google is expanding into the world of video games. Bernie Stolar, Google’s Dean of Games, is adamant that Google won’t be publishing its own games or building its own console, but that they do have plans for a new system, called “AdSense for Games”. For Google, in-game advertising was […]