Skylove

Tesla is building a nationwide network of Supercharger stations in the U.S. to help give its growing fleet of consumer vehicles the juice they need to conquer the nation’s highways, and now we at TechCrunch have an inside look at how they’re approaching partners to help them expand. Tesla’s footing the bill for the Supercharger spots, asking only for time and access from partners with parking lots, and promising the keys to the future in return.

For “prospective hosts” of Tesla Superchargers, the ask isn’t too steep: Tesla covers all costs, upfront and ongoing associated with installing supercharger stations, according to the documents obtained by TechCrunch. That covers maintenance, as well as power costs, with Tesla optionally offering to install a dedicated meter just for the charging station alone, from which the bill will go directly to Tesla itself.

The cost for Tesla is between $100,000 and $175,000 depending on the station, and a lot of those come from the permanent modifications needed at the site to support the Supercharger itself. It’s more expensive than putting in a charger for a standard electric car, like a Nissan Leaf for instance, but the Supercharger can deliver around five times the power of those stations in the same amount of time, and is more demanding in terms of infrastructure changes as a result.

A property owner doesn’t have to stake any monetary commitment, but it does have to offer up between four or five spaces on average, plus around 200 to 600 square feet for Superchargers and equipment. Most agreements involve four “dedicated” stations, designed such that only Tesla owners can use them (prevents a driver arriving and not being able to find a spot), as well as between four and six additional stations that can accommodate both normal cars and provide supercharging for Teslas. This doesn’t need to be prime real estate either, though Tesla does stipulate it be well-lit, and close to existing power infrastructure if possible.

Partners are asked to commit to the program for a minimum of five years, with an option to expand, and most agreements range from five to ten years. The length of the commitment required reflects the large cost of the initial install. In exchange, Tesla is selling essentially the image benefits associated with its brand; partners get the mystique and influence of being a Tesla location, attracting its drivers to their on-site businesses, yes, but also offering up press and social media profile bumps. Plus, for companies with environmental sustainability programs and priorities, the brand association benefits are obviously attractive, too.

The Tesla docs also show a high rate of usage at its stations, with some installations seeing as many as 17 sessions per day during their peak usage periods, a fact which it can use to convince partners that the space provided will result in more traffic to their stores and businesses. Installation of the Supercharger requires between 12 and 20 weeks to complete, but only between two and four of those actually take place on-site, with the rest consisting of paperwork, business arrangements and obtaining local permits and approvals.

If Tesla’s footing the entire bill, it might seem like a no-brainer to get a Supercharger installed at your roadside business, but there is a significant cost involved in terms of construction time and space committed, so it’s understandable that the electric car company has to make its case through these pitch documents. For us, they provide an interesting look at what’s required from all parties involved to help pave the way for the future of electric transport.

Sometimes, certain foods are just tastier or best eaten using your hands. There’s chicken, for one, and let’s not forget ribs. You can use your fork and knife to maintain poise, but for low-key evenings at home, using your hands is the way to go – especially if you want to get all of the meat.

The only annoying thing is that the smell and mess often sticks with your fingers. Whatever you’re eating could be finger lickin’ good, but smelly fingers are not good at all. So for all your finger-eating needs, there’s Trongs.

They’re basically ridged finger tongs that you can use to grab your food. You’ll be eating using your hands, minus the mess because you’ll be doing so without direct contact. It seems more hygienic that way, and you won’t have to worry about smelly and greasy fingers afterwards.

A six-pair pack of Trongs are available from Amazon for $24.95 (USD).

[via 7gadgets]

Not everyone approves of what this woman on a Tokyo subway is doing, but I think that it's clever. She can stay firmly in place and choose a different anchoring point at will. And, of course, if she needs to unclog a toilet on her way to work, she's prepared.

Link

(Photo: Hamusoku)

Leo Burnett London’s new Pub Loo Shocker campaign for the Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign is scary as hell and will hopefully be enough to wake up any person hoping to drive home with a few drinks or two in them.

The post Pub Loo Shocker: An anti-drunk driving campaign that will scare you appeared first on Doobybrain.com.

When you think Rangoon Road, I’m sure the first thing you think of is probably ‘super shiok’ Bak Kut Teh, right? Well, we’re going to give you another reason to drop by this foodie paradise.

As of this year, the infamous road now houses a new gem, the new Jewel Café + Bar. (Pun intended.) Armed with a roaster, a dream and the passion to make cups of exceptional coffee, owner Adrian Khong, has set up the second Jewel outlet. This will be the first full-fledged café and bar to appease our coffee pangs!

“When we chanced upon this old shophouse, we were completely taken by its high ceilings and spaciousness, as well as the rich cultural heritage of this quaint neighbourhood.”

Unlike the other tenants on the bustling street, Jewel boasts an industrial chic exterior that would catch anybody’s eye. The interior is warm and inviting with luminescent lighting coming from glittering crystal ‘The Great Gatsby-esque’ light bulbs. If you are looking for a laidback and quirky little establishment to chill out at, Jewel Café + Bar would be your ideal place to take a chill pill.

Note: Please prepare tissue and any drool wiping device because most of the pictures after this one will leave you salivating (wet).

We started off the evening’s culinary adventure with an exquisite citrus concoction, the No. 1 Yuzu ($16), which marries vodka and Yuzu juice that is trending both in Singapore and in Japan. It was light on the palate and had a fairy familiar taste.

The French Onion Soup ($8) was not one of those outstanding dishes, however I enjoyed the comforting mix of Swiss Cheese, Parmesan, and Gruyere that was melted on top of the baguette croutons. It is definitely a go to dish on a cold rainy day!

If sinful needed a dish to describe it, it would be the Fat Soldiers ($9). Imagine coating slices of freshly toasted baguette with a very generous dollop of bacon jam. It resembles a steaming pot of Chili, however, it doesn’t taste like beefy goodness. The bacon jam is everything from sweet to savoury, it packs so much flavor that it’s close to impossible singling out individual ingredients with one tasting. I honestly spent most of the meal trying to figure out what went into the making of ‘God’s Gift to Men’. The taste is slightly similar to the traditional Chinese New Year favorite, Bak Kwa, but slightly more spiced? It’s definitely worth the try! (If anyone has figured what goes into this, please feel free to hit us up. )

The unique Shio-Koji Octopoke ($12), Jewel’s rendition of the poke, a Hawaiian raw fish salad, that’s given a touch of Japanese glamour. The dish consists of tender cubed pan-seared octopus which are tossed in shio-koji (a fermented rice-based salt substitute), wasabi and extra virgin olive oil, and paired with creamy avocado and shredded ginger flower for extra zing. Surprisingly the contrast of all the flavors, complimented each other very well and it was one of my personal favorites!

Luncheon meat in a burger? This is the first time I’ve tried such a decadent burger right here in the super health conscious shores of Singapore. The OMG! ($20) burger is a hefty decadent stack of crispy bacon, luncheon meat, beef patty, cheddar, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a sunny-side-up. All the burgers here are made with USDA beef patties, soft sesame Brioche buns and are served with a generous portion of salad and fries. The burgers here a MUST TRY due to the fact that they are simply.. Amazing. Adrian actually took the responsibility to perfect all the burger recipes, the team had to try can after can of tinned meat just to find ‘The One’!

This was one of the lows of the meal. The Umami Prawn Capellini ($22) was only an average tasting dish.The pasta consists of al dente capellini, grilled prawns, homemade crustacean oil, and Jewel’s secret umami ‘magic dust’. It looked good and tasted good but it didn’t have that ‘OMG I WANT MORE’ factor that most of the other dishes possessed.

Next up was the Black Cod ($32), a perfectly pan-fried black cod with parsnip mash, sautéed vegetable with cardinal sauce. This was undeniably amazing, the cod was oily, sweet, juicy and left me wanting more. The parsnip mash was not so heavy on the palate and complimented the fish very well. Fans of fish dishes and oily Cod goodness will love this dish!

Fusion food gets two thumbs up any day, this Japanese- Spanish mash up may not be any meat lovers favorite, but is exceptionally good. The Miso Presa Iberico ($34) is a dish that features the prized Iberico pork marinated with miso and mirin, and oven baked to a precise pink-centred medium doneness. It is accompanied with a lavish amount of mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I suggest eating this slightly less well done because there’s more juicy goodness and you can actually taste more of the japanese infused flavor.

Finally the sweet stuff! I am sucker for maple drenched, oh so sweet desserts! The Brioche French Toast ($13) may look intimidating due to the large portion of battered bread, however I am sure after your first few bites you will unknowingly finish up the rest of the dish. The toast comes served with lemon zest mascarpone, strawerries, blueberries and caramalized bananas. (Hold on, wiping off drool from the keyboard.)

The Best Palate Cleanser/ Super Hot Day Snack Award goes to the Pan-Seared Watermelon Steaks ($9). This was so refreshing and I totally did not feel like I packed on a few pounds right after my meal. The tangy homemade pineapple sorbet made the sweet watermelon slices taste even better and the sea salt that is sprinkled on top of the dish gave the dish it’s extra ‘BOOM BOOM POW’. The mere thought of this is giving me hunger pangs, I hope it’s giving you hunger pangs too!

“We decided to offer only single origin coffee as I wanted to help our customers appreciate the subtle differences between the beans.”

I ended the evening with an Iced Mocha. The ratio of chocolate, coffee and milk really did hit the spot got me feeling so stuffed! Yes, I did sleep really well that night. The amount of effort and time taken to make a coffee experience not only unique but educational is commendable. For all you coffee snobs out there that require no less than a double shot of espresso, Jewel will be your new favorite coffee place. All their espresso-based coffee specialties are served in its signature double shot style are lovingly pulled using the Italian state-of-the-art La Marzocco Strada Machine and freshly ground single origin coffee beans from different countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia and Sumatra. I’m a blend kinda girl but the single origin coffee was honestly pretty good and I enjoyed it!

Jewel Café + Bar

129 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218407

Contact: +65 6298 9216

Open:

Tuesday – Thursday: 9AM to 10PM

Friday and Saturday: 9AM to 12MN

Sunday: 9AM to 10PM

Closed on Mondays

Happy Hour: 20% off alcoholic drinks, 3PM – 7PM daily. (Here is your reason to drop by after work to try their much raved about cocktails.)

Images c/o Sixth Sense Communications & PR Consultancy Pte Ltd

It is no secret that local radio station Lush 99.5 has struggled to maintain strong ratings in the past, and the pressure to perform has urged the station to appeal to its loyal listeners and fans for help in keeping the station alive.

Creative Director Georgina Chang has taken to the radio station’s Facebook page, expressing gratitude for all of their listeners’ support, and asking them to complete a survey in an effort to understand why listeners have not been tuning in.

With a scope as broad as having an “eclectic blend of chill-out music, samba, electro, jazz, alternative and more”, it is not surprising that Singapore’s potentially most ‘alternative’ radio station is struggling to keep ratings up.

One of thirteen radio stations owned by MediaCorp, the largest media broadcaster and provider in Singapore, Lush 99.5 competes directly against its more successful sister stations including 987FM, and Chinese radio station YES. 99.3, two of the highest rated stations in the country.

The listener survey consists of several rate-your-satisfaction questions relating to the quality and variety of music played, as well as ratings for their programmes and DJs, and questions about listeners’ tune-in habits and preferences.

Complete the survey here to help keep Lush 99.5 “alive and vibrant”.

By Melissa Yong

Victoria's Kitchen in West London made these amazing book cupcakes featuring a variety of modern and classic book titles. My question is, do the Twilight cakes taste like blood...or barf?

Link Via Book Patrol

It's graduation time and many of those college graduates are moving back in with their original roommates—their parents.

Bloomberg Businessweek is targeting twenty-somethings with a campaign encouraging those ‘boomerang kids’ to head-out on their own with the lure of a one-year subscription to the magazine. The “Bloomberg Businessweek Gets You Ahead” campaign website offers 42 e-gift cards that parents and friends can send to Gen Y-ers still living at home for an added kick in the behind—and a good laugh.[more]

The cards are designed to be sent with 12 free issues of Bloomberg Businessweek, either in print or on the iPad, and physical renderings are available at stationery chain Papyrus. 

According to The Pew Research Center, “The share of Americans living in multi-generational family households is the highest it has been since the 1950s, having increased significantly in the past five years. Adults ages 25 to 34 are among the most likely to be living in multi-generational households: In 2010, 21.6% lived in this type of household, up from 15.8% in 2000 (the vast majority were living with their parents)."

A Bloomberg Businessweek rep said the 18 to 31 target demographic that's living at home is a "growing demo" and the campaign "is not too subtle, and that's what we liked about it." A recent Time cover focused on millennials, labeling them "entitled narcissists," which quickly spiraled into an internet meme. 

One thing's for sure, Bloomberg's 'Gets You Ahead' campaign is a welcome departure from the usual "get 12 issues for the price of 6" and if nothing, it may at least get more millennials reading. 

LONDON, United Kingdom — Asos Plc, the U.K.’s largest online-only fashion retailer, said it plans to start a new website in China next financial year after first-half profit climbed 19 percent, meeting analysts’ expectations.

Profit before tax rose to 25.7 million pounds ($40 million) in the six months through February, the London-based retailer said in a statement today. That matched the average estimate of six analysts compiled by Bloomberg.

Asos, whose shares have doubled in value in the last 12 months, is outpacing rivals with its lower-priced own-brand offering in the U.K. and a focus on new fashion content like its FashionFinder micro-site in markets like France, Germany and the U.S. The retailer said it will start in Russia next month and in China in the new financial year after an internal review found a new operating model was necessary for the world’s most populous country.

“Momentum is strong, and we remain positive in our outlook for 2012/13” Chief Executive Officer Nick Robertson said in the statement.

The Chinese business will differ from the company’s other international models as it will have its own standalone technology platform, local third-party distribution center, and a larger in-country team, costing up to 6 million pounds a year for the first two years, according to the statement. The retailer reiterated its target of 1 billion pounds of sales by 2015.

The shares rose 3 percent to 3,076 pence in London trading yesterday. That boosted this year’s gain to 14 percent.

By: Sarah Shannon in London, editors: John Bowker, David Risser

The post Asos Plans New China Entry as First-Half Profit Gains 19 Percent appeared first on BoF - The Business of Fashion.

OK Go (the band behind hit music videos like “This Too Shall Pass” and “Here It Goes Again”) launched its very own game for iOS and Android earlier this month.

You can play the game, titled Say The Same Thing, with one of your friends or with a randomly chosen player. (If you sign up now, you can also participate in a temporary promotion where people are randomly selected to play with a band member.) Each player types in a word, then you see what the other player said, and you use that as prompt for another word. As the game’s title implies, you win when each of you enters the same word.

It helps if you understand the other player’s interests. For example, I was playing with Graphicly‘s Micah Baldwin — after several rounds, I entered “Perry White,” he entered “Smallville,” and we won by both entering “Lana Lang.”

I also got a chance to play the game with OK Go’s lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash. (Like how I just dropped that in casually?) I don’t want to give away exactly what happens in the video, but I will say that we totally nailed it.

This isn’t just an app that OK Go stuck its name on, either — Kulash said it was programmed by the band’s guitarist Andy Ross. Apparently band members play a live version of the game together, so eventually they decided to turn it into an app:

At some point we realized, hey, there’s no reason why we need to just put out songs. We can put out everything we want — we make videos, we make shows, why not make apps. … We’ve always been interested in tech as a sort of canvas. We try to make art for the world we live in, and this is where we live now. We live on Skype, we live on our laptops and on our phones.

Traditional recordings of music live in this space really well. Like, we’re making an album right now that will be finished sometime this summer, and we’ll probably put it out in the fall or maybe in the winter, and it’s great to listen to on your phone, it’s great to listen to on your laptop, but there’s all these other things that your laptop and your phone can do that musicians 30 years ago couldn’t imagine and artists 30 years ago couldn’t imagine. I think working in these spaces has always been exciting to us, and we’re just lucky that we have a programmer in our band, because it means that we can test things out like this.

The "Live Free" logo on the back of a jacket or the big, red "??" ("Freedom") on the sleeve of Harley-Davidson riders in China may seem a wild bit of irony. To those who buy into China as the brutal 1984-like state dry of any freedom, it may seem like a bold, almost rebellious political statement but to the riders displaying them, it's neither.

The idea of freedom through consumption is exploding in China. More and more brands—both foreign and domestic—are using the message every day. While the concept of consumer choices and products offering "freedom" is global, the idea of "freedom" in China is very unique.

A recent Reuters photo essay showed the world what a China Harley-Davidson rally is like. There were more than a few cultural differences. While the Sturgis Rally is held in the dusty backwater of South Dakota, China's recent Harley rally was at a private lake resort just outside of Shanghai. China's Harley enthusiasts tend to be CEOs or the very wealthy, but Harley-Davidson ownership is booming in China for some of the same reasons as in the west. "For me [Harley] represents freedom, total freedom,” a rider named Phillip Chu told Reuters.[more]

The "Harley means freedom for China" story is hardly new. For example, PRI's Marketplace has done one a year since 2011. "It gives me a sense of freedom," a wealthy developer named Jerry Gong told the program last year.

In China, this idea of "freedom" or "??" (zìyóu) is not at all an exclusive position of Harley's. Volvo's new message about its V40 model in China is all about the idea. "A little more freedom" reads the ad's message. It's a freedom message many automakers have used in the China market before Volvo, including everyone from Hyundai to Audi to domestics like BYD and Geely.

Smartphone maker Oppo recently told Chinese consumers to grab its new Ulike2 handset and "enjoy freedom." That was after Lenovo promoted its "?Phone" ("Music Phone") as "????" or "music freedom." Tech company Qiyi spent millions of dollars on a brand positioning campaign based on the motto "??? ???" or "Love Qiyi, Watch Freely." Adidas' current China message for its youth-focused NEO Label is "???," or, loosely, "Go your own way." 

Taiwan's tourism authority has even used "freedom" messaging when addressing potential mainland tourists. Two years ago, large billboards graced Beijing and Shanghai skylines with the message "???" or "travel freely," a message countering the usual, highly organized tour group method employed by many Chinese tours.

Geya said its wrist-watches give the "freedom to escape." A new campaign for Ice Tea starring Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne talks about how the beverage allows for freedom. An attractive lass speaking on behalf of China's Blue Beer (????) tells consumers that "when your heart feels free / that is real freedom" (above), and recent Iron Man 3 star and one of China's best known celebrities, Fan Bingbing, starred in a sanitary napkin ad for the brand "Freemore" (???).

"Freedom" as a brand message is hardly unique to modern China. Nike's  freedom-focused "Free Run" positioning is in the US and Europe as well. In Chase bank's case, its "Freedom Card" promise of freedom is directly tied to a cash back offer. Frequently, the platform is one of freedom "from" something, such as Samsung's "Freedom from Wires" or Sprite's "Freedom from Thirst" messages. Alternatively, the literal word "freedom" is usually expressed in less direct terms. For example, Trojan calls its new ad for its Pure Ecstasy Condoms its "'Freedom' commercial" even though the word is only mentioned in passing in favor of the tagline "Feels like nothing's there (i.e., a condom that gives you freedom "from" a condom).

But this "freedom" concept is far more complicated in a place like China where, while far more freedoms are enjoyed than in the recent past, the lack of "freedom" is still a conscious reality for many. While it's well known that in post-modern America, marketers worked hard to associate "freedom" with consumption, this was not an either-or conceit, with those seeking freedom through consumption being genuinely free individuals. That is to say, Americans' emotional self-identification with the freedom represented by Ford or the Marlboro Man has always been one of personal, consumer freedom that was not a substitute for a lack of genuine political freedom.

But what about China? Does the popularity of the freedom message mean consumers are finding in products a substitute for the real thing?

Ask Chinese consumers about this concept of freedom substitution and you are likely to get some smashed-together brows. I did exactly that and got exactly that. For the dozen young Chinese I spoke with about it, the theory was far from something any were able to speak confidently about. Even the four who told me the message of "freedom" was appealing could not easily intellectually rationalize that appeal one way or the other.

"It's safe, and generic, and aimed at consumers, not change agents," explained Mary Bergstrom, author of "All Eyes East: Lessons from the Front Lines of Marketing to China's Youth" and founder of the The Bergstrom Group. Bergstrom said the term is "more fashion than function." Bergstrom added that while US consumers have been "bred" to expect freedom to choose, Chinese consumers are still dabbling with the concept, free to choose which brand, but not always a lot else. "Now, they have some degree of opportunity but they are constrained by expectations to succeed, to buy a house, to get a wife. They are empowered but I don't think many would identify as being 'free'," said Bergstrom.

"The Western notion focuses on civil and political rights, whereas the Chinese tend to emphasize economic, social and cultural rights as being the most important," said Saurabh Sharma, Planning Partner at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Beijing.

In a place as sensative as China though, there are probably limits to using the freedom message. China has banned salacious ads and those that "offend the nation's dignity." It bans "overtly political" ads as well; in a recent interview with Marketplace, veteran China adman and Asia Pacific CEO of J. Walther Thompson, Tom Doctoroff, recalled how China banned an ad featuring a child standing on a desk and advocating for Pizza Hut. A lesson that taught him to avoid "advertising that in any shape or form be considered rabble rousing."

"In this broader context, I don't think it's tricky to talk about freedom in China," said Ogilvy's Sharma. "Brands can think of new dimensions of freedom vis-à-vis development as freedom, progress as freedom, economic well being as freedom among others." As an example, Sharma points to economic progress as a platform for newly found "freedom" of the Chinese to travel abroad. "This is also a kind of freedom and there is nothing stopping a hospitality company or an educational organization from using it."

Avery Booker, Vice President of Marketing for China at Bomoda.com concurs, and does not see the message declining or losing its power anytime soon. "In terms of losing its meaning due to overuse, I don't think this is likely because freedom (??) is in many ways a more pragmatic term than 'freedom'." Booker says that to Chinese the idea of "??" is "more about personalizing existing items rather than freedom as it's understood in the American context."

Like freedom itself, not all consumer-focused freedom messaging is equal and foreign brands that have a genuine pedigree in the subject stand a better chance in China. "I think the term freedom has less to do with Volvo or Adidas as brands but it is a value that Harley could lay claim to. Its product and its brand are much more about freedom than a pair of sneakers or a safe car," concluded Bergstrom.

In their 2010 paper "Consumer-Citizens of China: The Role of Foreign Brands in the Imagined Future China," Kelly Tian and Lily Dong argue for "Western brands as instruments of freedom," through which Chinese consumers find freedom in the form of intellectualization, exposure to a world beyond China and "as symbols of achieving a wealthy leisure class status." Or in other words, freedom from the lack of choice dictated by poverty. All three of these "freedom" values are represented by Harley in China, a reason it remains one of the consumer brands with the most genuine claims to offering "??."

At top, in February Vogue China reported on the creation of Harley-Davidson's “????” or "Freedom Jacket." During a 2,000-km, 100th Harley anniversary ride from Xining to Lhasa, Tibet, a rider reportedly painted the word "??" on the sleeve after those he encountered on the trip told him it's the word they felt the Harley-Davidson brand most stood for. Harley has reportedly put the jacket in its Milwaukee museum and began issuing other “????” in China for special occassions.

I’m totally trademarking that name BTW! Separating egg whites from the yolk can take some serious skill! That is… unless you have this modern whisk by Ivan Zhang. By slightly modifying the shape with a circular indention, the whisk catches the yolk, allowing the white to drip down. The whisk can then be used as normal to beat the eggs or stir your mixture. It makes separating effortless and better yet, keeps your hands clean of egg goo!

Designer: Ivan Zhang

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Yanko Design
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(The Eggstractor was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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For the not-so-serious businessman/woman, the Clip Bag playfully borrows its form from a common office item… the binder clip! Constructed of wool felt and aluminum tubing, the bag functions so well you might forget just how clever it is.

Designer: Peter Bristol

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
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(Clip Chic was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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There’s a reason why in-home treadmills often become a place to hang clothes rather than an exercise machine….they’re B-O-R-I-N-G! When you can’t run outside, this is the next best thing. The Voyager is a smart-treadmill that features a large screen and interactive system that together simulate the user’s favorite places to run. Pairing with your smartphone, you can even play games or challenge your friends in an endless library of programs and settings. Do want!

Designer: Il-Seop Yoon

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Yanko Design
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(The Only Cool Treadmill…Ever was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Aptly put by the designers, the Lizard Umbrella sheds its handle as a defensive mechanism against thieves. What this means is that you get to take the umbrella handle with you, when it needs to be deposited in a public place, like a restaurant’s umbrella stand. Without its handle, the umbrella appears to be broken and less desirable!

The tip of the umbrella stem is embossed with lines that slot only into the matching handle – much like how a key only fits into its corresponding lock. This prevents Lizard Umbrella users from mistaking someone else’s umbrella or their own.

Designers: Kim Seokhui, Kim Seongjin & Kim Dasol

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Yanko Design
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(You Can’t Touch This! was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Does my music do better on Facebook or Twitter? Where should my next tour be? Is my new song too repetitive? Musicians can get free answers to these questions and more from BeatDeck, a Y Combinator analytics company launching today. BeatDeck plans to license this data to labels and music stores to help them sign and recommend tomorrow’s superstars. Yep, BeatDeck is an enterprise music startup.

Everyone (who isn’t a cold-hearted robot) loves music. That’s led lots of entrepreneurs to start companies aiming to help listeners discover new artists and songs. But the fact is that selling music is a tough business. Selling what music to listen on someone else’s service is even tougher. BeatDeck is different. It does nothing for the listener. Zero consumer products. Instead, it focuses solely on the music industry — the artists, the labels signing them, and the stores selling them.

The first part of the equation launches today on BeatDeck.com. Artists sign up and connect their social media accounts like Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Last.fm. This lets them track their performance and compare it across channels, as well as see their fans’ age, gender, and location demographics. Artists also get fan influence and sentiment breakdowns thanks to reputation measurement and natural language processing.

For even deeper analytics about their music, artists can share their songs to social networks through BeatDeck’s publishing system. This gives them a heatmap of which parts of their songs users are skiping to, pausing at, or rewinding to so they can listen again. Conversion metrics indicate which channels best turn listeners into fans, and where they’re getting reshared. It’s valuable data mosts indie rockers don’t have the skills or time to track by hand. It could tell them where to book their next tour date, which part of their song to pitch for commercials, and which social networks they should focus on.

That’s phase one. Soon, BeatDeck will start selling enterprise licenses for its data to record labels and A&R departments (the people who decide which artists a label or management agency should sign). BeatDeck will let them monitor their artists and find new ones to catapult into fame. “We’re already in talks and worked out a couple of deals for enterprise solutions” says BeatDeck co-founder Josh Mangel. He explains that with just six big customers, which would have to include most of the big record labels, BeatDeck can be a sustainable business.

“Sustainable business” isn’t what being a startup is all about, though. BeatDeck will need additional revenue streams to truly succeed. Luckily, I was able to squeeze out of Mangel that the company is working on making its data useful to online music stores. One day it could have iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon paying it to tell them whose music to recommend to you. BeatDeck could tell them that people who try to listen to screechy industrial dubstep hero Skrillex, but pause 20-seconds in, should be recommended a lesser known artist like Robert Delong who is somewhat similar but easier to listen to.

There are plenty of music stores out there that could benefit from these kind of insights. BeatDeck will be battling it out with fellow music analytics services Next Big Sound and Musicmetric. However, they charge artists to monitor their music, and most musicians can’t afford to pay. BeatDeck’s free analytics for artists could win it lots of sign-ups who will fill it with data it can sell. It’s going to be a long, hard road convincing independent musicians that they need analytics, and bundling their data into something lots of companies want to buy.

In the end, the hope is that BeatDeck can help fledgling artists grow and get noticed by the bigwigs. Mangel concludes, “Right now the business isn’t really fair. Artists are not getting big because they’re talented, but because they’re backed by a lot of money. We want to make the music industry a meritocracy.”

As far as kitchen appliances go, we have seen very little action with the hand blender. Limited innovations mean a lot of scope for improvement; maybe this is why I fancy this Mini Hand Blender concept. It’s an all-in-one deal that can be operated with one hand. The rechargeable unit can be turned on or off with the flick of the wrist. The Blender case, Blender, and mixing bowl are designed as a single unit so that the blades are kept hygienically stored and safe.

Mini Hand Blender is a 2013 iF Design award – concept design entry.

Designers: Eunhye Lim & Hyunjung Kim

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(The Mini Blender was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Founded in 1956 to preserve the historical craft of handmade carpets, Hong Kong's Tai Ping has grown into a global leader in quality carpeting. In recent years the renowned maker of woven Axminster, hand-tufted, machine-tufted, printed carpet and Axminster carpet tile designs introduced...
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The grow-your-own trend is one that’s really taken off in recent years, and while startups such as the UK’s Allotinabox have provided homeowners with the basic materials to start their own home gardening projects, our latest spotting goes that little bit further. Patch is a self-watering herb planter that makes urban gardening projects easier, delivered through the letterbox.

Now seeking funding on Kickstarter, the 12 x 6 x 6-inch device is made of Tyvek – a type of recyclable paper-like plastic that can be folded into an envelope shape for easy delivery. Once assembled, users can fill it with soil, plant their desired seeds and load the water reservoir. A wicking mechanism means that only the right amount of water is made available to the plants and the device needs filling just once a week. Currently designed to hold herbs and leafy greens, Patch hopes to expand its range in the near future to include devices suitable for growing other vegetables such as peppers and cucumbers. Patch planters retail at CAD 39.95 and come in three different designs – plain white, gray and patterned. The video below shows the planter being assembled:

With more than half of the population of the world now living in urban environments, innovations such as this could help encourage city-dwellers to rely less on supermarkets and be able to know exactly where their food comes from. How else can the urban gardening revolution be supported?

Website: www.letspatch.com
Contact: www.twitter.com/letspatch

Music lovers are now well versed in buying albums and singles off the web, whether through downloading or online stores. But what about live events? In the past startups such as eMusic Live have enabled fans to buy video of the show they just saw at on-site kiosks, but EVNTLIVE is an online concert venue that lets users watch a customizable live feed of shows with friends.

While many consumers may have good intentions about attending live shows, their time and location-sensitive means that it’s not always possible – and tickets to see popular artists can either be too expensive or sell out before they get the chance. Those logging onto EVNTLIVE can browse the shows that are coming up – in the past it has broadcast concerts by bands such as Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly and Bon Jovi – and buy a ticket. Shows run on a pay-per-view basis, typically costing around USD 3 or 4 to watch. Users are notified when their concert is about to begin and can see if any of their Facebook friends have also bought a ticket. During the broadcast, fans have control over the camera angle to personalize their experience. After the show is over, the video is free to watch.

EVNTLIVE offers a way for consumers to see sold out shows as they happen, while also opening up an extra avenue for income for bands and event organizers. Are there other ways live events can be brought into the digital world?

Website: www.evntliveinc.com
Contact: inquiries@evntlive.com

Foldable bicycles may bring unsurpassed convenience to the pedal-powered commuting world, but with their attractive flexibility can sometimes come a price in comfort. Integral suspension systems are often sacrificed for that foldable convenience, but the Loopwheels – a spokeless wheel from UK-based Jelly Products – aims to offer a more comfortable ride.

“Most folding bikes do not have suspension because conventional suspension forks add weight and bulk to the bicycle,” explains Jelly Products. “Replacing the spoked wheels with Loopwheels provides full suspension in a bike which hasn’t got room for a traditional suspension system.” A patent-pending design, the 20-inch Loopwheels feature a spring system instead of spokes to cushion the rider. However, each Loopwheel weighs only about 300g more than its spoked equivalent, offering a more comfortable ride with only minimal weight gain.

Loopwheels recently surpassed by some 50 percent their GBP 40,000 funding goal in a Kickstarter campaign. Cycle-minded entrepreneurs: one to get involved in?

Website: www.loopwheels.com
Contact: info@jellyproducts.co.uk

Authorities in charge of Australia’s Sydney Harbor Tunnel have installed the 'Softstop' to increase safety.

Microsoft Excel isn't only for spreadsheets. It can also be used to create art. Don't believe me? Just ask 73 year-old Tatsuo Horiuchi. He'll tell ya.

But why Excel? "Other specialized graphic software is expensive, and Excel came pre-installed in PCs," Horiuchi told Japanese website PC Online, adding that he found the program easy to use and more capable than actual paint.

The retiree said that he didn't use Excel at his job. "I saw other people neatly drawing graphs, and I thought it seemed like Excel could be used to draw art." Before he retired from his company, he felt like he wanted to do something new, bought a computer, and started using Excel. And in the last ten years, he has established himself as a digital artist, showing his work in exhibitions.

Other artists have used Excel to draw and paint in, sure. However, how many of them are senior citizens creating traditional and stunning Japanese motifs? Not many!

堀内辰男のエクセルで描くパソコン画 [Tatsuo Horiuchi]

エクセルで本格的な絵画を描く、油絵や日本画の画家が「仲間」[PC Online]

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

All the logos you see around you? They're eventually going to change some day. It might be because they get outdated or it might be because of a new CEO's quirky taste or it might because the company has some vain hope to rebrand themselves as more modern or more friendly or more whatever it is to get you to buy more of their products. Just take a look at some logos of famous brands. Even those that still look the same have added some embossing or shading.

My favorite company logos are the ones that change the least. [Daily Infographic]

Traditionally, researchers have thought of "placebo effects" as something phony. Placebos are drug study controls, not the real treatment. And, the idea of sugar pills as effective medicine was almost an affront to science.

Recently, though, attitudes have changed. Amid evidence that placebo effects are strengthening, researchers have started looking at the phenomenon as something more positive. They’ve shown the experience can produce physiological effects, and can even be beneficial when patients know what’s going on.

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Music maketh the man, and vice versa.