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January 28, 2008

Marking the Spot

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Xerox Corporation recently unveiled its first major rebranding in more than 40 years, coming on the heels of two years of global research. The new lowercase treatment to its name is accompanied by a brilliant red sphere, (Pantone 797) marked with two “connectors” that form an X. The company feels it is this X that best represents their connection to their customers, employees and partners. Further a palette of eight new colours accompanies the makeover. With over 57,000 employees, the Xerox brand has been valued at $6 billion.

http://www.xerox.com

Power to the People

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Audience members of the Chinese TV show, Happy Boy Voice gather for a taping of the popular program. It was estimated last year that China’s television audience reached 1.205 billion aged four and over, placing this version of American Idol among the most viewed broadcasts in the world. It’s believed that 99.9% of Chinese households own at least one television set, making the upcoming Olympics in Beijing an unprecedented hotbed of advertising potential.

Endangered Species

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The gene MC1R is what gives someone red hair, but because it’s a recessive gene, only about 4% of the world’s population carry the trait and only about 2% of us actually have red hair. Some experts currently expect redheads to be extinct from our species by 2100. To combat going the way of the dodo, Steve Warrington invented redhedd.com, an on-line dating site that caters to carrot-topped singles. This American idealist’s strategy is called “intra-marry, then inter-marry”; in other words, they’re hoping to strengthen their own numbers, and then, as Warrington puts it, “spread the red.”

http://www.redhedd.com

And the winner is...

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The American Dialect Society recently chose the word “subprime” as 2007’s Word of the Year. While the word has been around for some time, it’s only with the recent mortgage foreclosure crisis in the U.S. that the term has hit the mainstream. The prefix “sub” translates roughly to “below the standard”, while “prime” refers to something considered to be the best. Students have started using the word in reference to tests. “I’m going to subprime this exam; I’m really going to mess it up.” 2006’s Word of the Year was “plutoed”, meaning devalued or demoted.

http://www.americandialect.org/

January 10, 2008

We Are Happy to Serve You

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It's instantly recognizable and omnipresent. The Greek-key inspired, New York City coffee cup was born in 1963 and over 180,000,000 of them leave neighborhood delis every single year. Too many of them though end up crushed and used as coin collection vessels for many of the city's homeless. Artist George Skelcher was inspired by the cup's journey and designed the Lucky Beggar Change Purse, the perfect gift for Law & Order fans. A portion of the sale of each leather coin purse goes directly to HELP USA, an organization that combats homelessness. Be sure to check out the ceramic version of the coffee cup also sold on wishingfish.com.

http://wishingfish.com/luckybeggar.html

http://wishingfish.com/210596.html

Chew this over

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Introducing The Nibble, a weekly newsletter for foodies and those aspiring to be. It’s free to sign up and every Tuesday, you’ll receive in your inbox, their Top Pick of the Week, a simple recommendation contending with a specialty food along with a weblink and instructions for finding the item in your neck of the woods. Pretty pictures and smart tips make this free offer one you can’t refuse.

http://www.thenibble.com/zine/index.asp

Very Well Done

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wrap annual report in foil.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Discover prosperity (or loss).
Do not overcook.

If you’re a lucky shareholder in the food company Podravka, you will have received their innovative annual report, designed by Croatian design firm Bruketa & Zinić. Entitled “Well Done”, the little book appears to be blank until it’s cooked to specification. Only then does the report’s invisible thermo-reactive ink become legible, revealing some promising figures (ideally), smart images (pleasingly) and a whole slew of Podravka recipes (cleverly). This alone is worth the investment.

http://www.dezeen.com/2007/11/13/well-done-a-food-company-annual-report-that-has-to-be-cooked-first/

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