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Commodity prices may be dropping at the moment, but with recent spikes in food prices around the globe, it's no wonder consumers are showing new interest in growing their own. For those not fortunate enough to have a garden, a new UK initiative seeks to match would-be gardeners with landowners willing to share their arable land. Seeking to provide an alternative to the UK's already oversubscribed land-allotment lists, the Landshare campaign—which is being promoted by TV host Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on his Channel 4 series River Cottage—aims instead to convert underused land back into productive use for growing fresh fruit and vegetables. The project's site currently asks potential participants to register their interest in anticipation of a launch early this year. Visitors can register as a Grower, Landowner, Land-spotter—someone who knows of some unused land—or Facilitator, who wants to help elderly gardeners and others in need of assistance. A mapping function is coming soon to help pinpoint gardeners and plots of land. We've already written about several initiatives that use permaculture and expertise to make the most of suburban farms. Next, how about sponsoring an effort that combines such ideas with one like Landshare, to ensure every last scrap of arable land gets used to its fullest? Now *that* could be a recession-proof plan.... (Related: Boosting suburban farms — Homegrown vegetables, no green thumb needed — More homegrown veggies without the sweat.) Website: www.landshare.net |
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For many passionate runners, listening to the right music is the key to a good workout. No real surprise, then, that a number of services have popped up to help runners get the best mix for them. UK-based AudioFuel, for example, offers 20-, 30- and 40-minute compilations of music designed to fuel workouts with varying levels of intensity. Since the runner's foot typically meets the pavement on each beat, each AudioFuel compilation comes with a graph illustrating the number of beats per minute on each included track, thereby giving an indication of the compilation's intensity. Voice-over coaching, meanwhile, includes counting aloud to the beat, motivational statements and tips on running style. Warm-up and cool-down guidance is also included, as is a printable guide to running and related issues. Starting this month, a range of programs will provide workout sessions designed with a particular goal in mind, such as getting fit for the first time or training for a specific event. Prices range from GBP 5 to GBP 10 for AudioFuel's compilations. MP3 Running, meanwhile, offers tracks both with and without voice-over coaching to help runners get the most out of their training sessions. A variety of paces and intensity levels are available, as are both male and female coaching voices, training packages and new tracks each month. Packages are available for 30, 45 and 60-minute sessions; pricing begins at USD 5.99. It's a fitness-challenged world out there, so anything that helps consumers achieve their goals is bound to be met with a warm reception. Possibilities for this one? How about offering something like it as a perk for members of a health club, running group or other fitness-related organization, possibly sponsored by a well-known fitness brand? Or, to return to one of our favourite themes, how about letting customers design their own....? (Related: Gyms for kids use gaming to keep them hooked — More sightseeing on the run.) Website: www.audiofuel.co.uk — www.mp3running.com |
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Now that the holiday gift-giving season has come to an end, it's fairly certain there are many consumers around the world left holding gift cards they don't really want. Enter GiftCardRescue, a service that provides a way out by allowing users to exchange their unwanted cards either for different ones or for cash. Consumers begin by creating an account and providing the details of the card they have; its value must be between USD 25 and USD 200. GiftCardRescue will then indicate the redemption value it's willing to pay—typically between 60 percent and 80 percent of the card's value. The consumer can then elect either to receive cash via PayPal, or they can select a new gift card from the site, up to the redemption value of their original card. Either way, they ship their card to GiftCardRescue, and the transaction concludes; if they've chosen to get a new card, that one is shipped out to them free. Maryland-based GiftCardRescue also sells gift cards at discounted prices. As beleaguered consumers around the world try to recover from their holiday spending, you can bet more than a few will be weighing the value of the gifts they received more carefully than ever. Help them make those gifts more useful, and you could receive some nice rewards yourself! ;-) (Related: Parties help guests sell their gold — Marketplace for jewelry from ex-boyfriends.) Website: www.giftcardrescue.com |
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As the inauguration of Barack Obama draws nearer, global fascination with the US president-elect is reaching a fever pitch. To wit: across the Atlantic, doughnut purveyor Krispy Kreme UK this week is giving out free Americano coffees emblazoned with Obama's image. To take advantage of the promotion, which runs through Friday, customers need only enter a participating Krispy Kreme UK shop and say, "Yes we can" to its barista. They'll then walk away with a free Americano coffee sporting Obama's image in the foam—created using an intricately designed coffee stencil made specially for the occasion. Most Krispy Kreme UK stores are participating, with the exception of those at the major airports and in Waterloo. As the world watches the changing of the guard in the United States, it's probably safe to say the majority view it as a change for the better. What better way to celebrate than with a shot of sympvertising in some strong, hot free love...? ;-) Correction: the coffee art won’t be available on Americanos in-store as the art created is a one-off to highlight the campaign. Customers can claim their free Americano until Friday but unfortunately it won’t have Obama’s face on it. Website: www.krispykreme.co.uk |
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Last summer we wrote about Lifebooker, a free service that lets users search, browse and book discounted appointments at health and beauty spots in New York City. In much the same vein—and in the same city—ZocDoc brings similar time-saving capabilities to the booking of appointments with doctors and dentists. Aiming to make healthcare simpler, ZocDoc lets users make appointments with the Big Apple's dentists and doctors instantly and online, 24/7. Users simply search for the type of appointment they need—the site currently offers primary care, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT, orthopedics, OB/GYN and dentistry—and they get a list of immediately bookable appointments in their area. Background details and patient reviews are available for each doctor and dentist listed on the site, and ZocDoc can also filter results by location and insurance accepted. Launched into beta in late 2007, the site is free to use. Last month, ZocDoc was named the winner of the Forbes.com Boost Your Business Contest. And, of particular note for Springwise readers, the site is working with Dr. Jay Parkinson—whose ideas for Web 2.0 medicine we've covered twice before—with an API for Hello Health's platform. One to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world....? Website: www.zocdoc.com |
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It was back in 2007 that we wrote about MommyMixer and its networking events for babysitters and moms, and the company has since expanded to include many more cities throughout North America. Since we like seeing a good idea spread, we were gratified to learn of a similar venture that recently popped up in Tampa called Sitter Soirees. Much like MommyMixer—which does, incidentally, operate in Tampa as well—Sitter Soirees organizes events to help parents and babysitters connect. Before being invited to attend, every babysitter must go through an approval process with Sitter Soirees' staff that includes a four-point inspection, a spot check on references and an interview. All must be college students, and all must have at least one year of babysitting experience. Those accepted are then invited to the next one-hour soiree, which parents pay USD 60 to attend. Between 10 and 15 parents and the same number of sitters attend each event, providing ample opportunity for participants on both sides to mingle and connect. Once they do, it is up to babysitters and parents to negotiate schedules and rates. Parents also get a copy of the resumes and photos of all babysitters who attend the event. Sitter Soirees events are held at local boutiques and include light refreshments; participants are also given discounts at the host boutique. For USD 150, Sitter Soirees can organize personalized soirees for individual moms as well, including five babysitter candidates. That's two companies now focused on efficiently connecting sitters and moms in North America; how about bringing something similar to time-strapped parents in the rest of the world...? (Related: Sitters with a creative touch.) Website: www.sittersoirees.com |
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The waste associated with kids' school lunches is something we've noted before, particularly when we covered Kids Konserve's reusable lunch kits last year. Zeroing in on paper napkins—USD 200 of which the average kid uses each year—North Carolina-based Happikins recently launched an eye-pleasing line of reusable lunch box napkins. Available in packages of five, Happikins are 12-by-12-inch cotton or cotton-blend napkins featuring kid-friendly colours and designs. Each set comes with a durable pouch that fits neatly in a lunch box and can even be written on with a dry-erase marker to send little messages to the kids who use them. Both the napkins and the pouch are machine-washable, and Happikins can even be monogrammed. Sets include designs on the themes of "Critters and Creatures," "League of Sports" and "Sugar and Spice." Pricing begins at USD 29.95 per set of five. Bulk orders for "Clean Cafeteria" and fundraising programs are also available. And so another bit of waste bites the dust, thanks to some green, and eco-iconic, innovation. Coming soon to a lunch box near you! ;-) (Related: Happy healthy meals.) Website: www.happikins.com |
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The first few days and weeks of any new year are notorious for testing—and too often defeating—the resolve of resolution-makers around the world. Similar to Pfizer's recent Times Square effort aimed at those trying to quit smoking, a new site out of Estonia uses financial incentives and a social approach to help make consumers' resolutions stick. Tallinn-based Pledgehammer gives people a way to make their resolutions public, whether it's stopping smoking, losing 20 lbs. or—to take an example from the more than 100 on the site—taking better care of one's tractor. When they make their pledge, users are asked to choose a deadline—say, by a year from today—as well as some amount of money to give to charity should they fail to keep their promise. Members of the site can create profiles and then post updates of their progress toward their goal over time, as well as cheering other people's efforts. They can also edit or delete their vow if they get cold feet. Otherwise, when their deadline arrives, Pledgehammer sends users an e-mail asking if they kept to their vow. If they admit that they didn't, it directs them to the websites of its charity partners, where they can make their donation—a small part of which gets paid back to Pledgehammer, the site says. Participating charities currently include ChildLine, PDSA and the World Land Trust. The site explains: "This way your unsuccessful pledge may help to save the rainforest or support families in third world countries, making it not all that unsuccessful after all." Similar in some ways also to WeightNags, which we covered last year, Pledgehammer promises to transform consumers' persistent challenges into a win-win-win that benefits those in need as well. Were the site broken down by resolution type—a section for those who want to quit smoking, say, and another for those aiming to exercise or lose weight—it seems to us the community and advertising possibilities would multiply. One to emulate in the niche of your choice....? Website: www.pledgehammer.com |
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Last year, we featured two ventures offering online music tutorials by professional and famous artists: Now Play It—with tutorials by artists including Paul McCartney, Au Revoir Simone and The Dandy Warhols—and Mucony, which focuses on classical music and features tutorials by musicians from the New York Philharmonic, faculty members of the Juilliard School, and other esteemed musicians and teachers. Smart concepts, since they give (aspiring) musicians easy access to a level of teaching they could otherwise only dream of. So we were pleased to see that Apple is now offering something similar: earlier this week, Apple announced that it has added Artist Lessons to its popular GarageBand application (part of the iLife software suite). Lessons are sold separately through GarageBand's Lesson Store, for USD 4.99 a piece, and participating artists at launch include Sting, Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan. Like Now Play It, the tutorials include step-by-step instructions for chords, finger positions, and techniques. Artist Lessons also allow students to slow down playback for easier learning, and let them control a song's mix and instrumentation, enabling them to tune out Sting and play with his band, for example. |
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Hobbyist leagues have long offered amateur athletes a way to enjoy their favourite sport—whether it's hockey, baseball or bowling—in an organized way. It wasn't until recently, however, that amateur rock musicians had something similar. The League of Rock is a music-based community that lets hobbyist rock musicians join a band for 10-week sessions. Designed for people with day jobs in other professions, the group lets members enjoy playing in authentic rehearsal spaces, live venues and recording studios, as well as participating in hands-on workshops with a long list of professionals including Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, Robin Le Mesurier of Rod Stewart fame, Rik Emmett of Triumph and Dan Clancy of Lighthouse. Each session costs CDN 98 per week, and members begin by picking a name for their band along with three songs to focus on. The ensuing weeks include rehearsals, workshops, and live performances, culminating with a studio session to record the band's work on CD and a showcase performance that's open to the public. The League of Rock's first chapter is about to celebrate its second anniversary in Toronto, and other chapters are planned for Vancouver, Winnipeg and St. Johns in Canada, along with major American and European markets, the group says. League of Rock also offers music-based incentive and rewards events for corporate clients. Sponsors include Gibson, Blackberry and the Toronto Argonauts. The lesson to be learned? Find a part of Generation C that doesn't yet have a full-fledged outlet for its content-producing proclivities, and make it happen. Don't forget to add community and some status stories through professional involvement. Next, open the doors and stand back, because the resulting mix is likely to be a hit! ;-) (Related: Music school for generation YouTube.) Website: www.leagueofrock.com |
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One of the sad realities in the culinary world is that even expertly cooked food tends to cool off—often much sooner than one would like. While there are a variety of electric plate warmers on the market to try to keep things warm, a new innovation from Iowa-based Roccia Bollente Dining Stones uses natural granite to keep meals steamy until the last bite. Each Dining Stone set includes a precision-cut granite stone disc—available in a variety of colours—and a custom-fitted wooden tray to hold it in cherry, alder or ash. The stones take just 15 minutes to heat in a 350-degree oven; once they're hot, they are simply placed under dinner plates to keep food warm. Even after 45 minutes, their surface temperature is still 220 degrees, Roccia Bollente says. And while the primary motivation behind their creation was keeping hot food warm, the stones are equally useful for keeping chilled foods cold—an hour in the freezer makes them cold enough to keep salads crisp and drinks icy, the company says. A 9-inch set was designed to warm dinner plates, while a smaller, 6-inch version was designed with chilled salad plates in mind, but consumers can use each for either purpose. Pricing begins at USD 40 for the smaller set, and USD 60 for the larger version. Launched this fall, Roccia Bollente plans to sell its Dining Stones to restaurants, caterers, wholesalers, kitchen stores and gift shops. One to get in on early....? Website: www.diningstones.com
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Los Angeles tweens can already design their own clothes onsite at retail store Fashionology LA, as we noted last summer. Now they can do something similar online through Est. Today, an online design studio and community for tweens focused on creating, sharing and buying clothes. Est. Today's Design Studio, which recently launched into beta, offers tweens an online canvas along with a set of tools for creating the T-shirt of their dreams. Users begin by picking a style of T-shirt to work with—white, pink or grey—along with a theme for their design; options include "charms," "fun sayings," "glam" and "athletic." They then drag and drop the designs they like onto the shirt they've chosen, including background, accents and logo, until they're happy with their creation. Custom-design tees can then be shared with the Est. Today community and submitted in the site's contests; they can also be purchased for USD 18. New York-based Est. Today sells a variety of other clothing in its online shop as well. Items are available only within the US, and are typically shipped out within one to two days. Is there any demographic that *doesn't* like doing it themselves? No end in sight to the customer-made trend! (Related: Avatar fashion for the real world.) Website: www.esttoday.com Spotted by: Jane Tabachnick |
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Eco-minded consumers are already well-acquainted with the impact of printing and copying on the world's supply of trees. What's less widely considered, however, is the ink that's typically used. Looking beyond paper, Dutch creative agency Spranq has developed a new font called the Ecofont that's designed to extend the life of ink cartridges and toner. Setting out to explore how much of a letter could be removed while maintaining readability, the group found that the best results were achieved using a font in which tiny circles were intentionally left blank in the middle of each line, much like Swiss cheese. The result is based on the Vera Sans, an open source letter, and uses up to 20 percent less ink than traditional fonts, Spranq says. Available for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux, it's also free to download and use. The Ecofont works best in OpenOffice, AppleWorks and MS Office 2007 at the 9- or 10-point size, says Spranq, which invites designers from around the world to participate in its further development. Arabic and Hebrew versions are reportedly in the works as well, according to the AP. What's even more eco-iconic than recycled paper when it comes to printing? An eco-minded font, of course. One to boost the eco-credentials of every business and individual under the sun! ;-) (Related: Free tool for DIY font design — White lines make paper stand out.) Website: www.ecofont.eu Spotted by: David Templeman |
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We've written about numerous no-frills hotels before, but it's just possible a new hotel in Switzerland may offer the fewest frills we've seen. That's because it's set up in an air-raid shelter, and it dispenses with nearly all the amenities hotel guests typically take for granted. Located in the Sevelen commune in the St. Gallen canton of Switzerland, the Zero Star Hotel is essentially a low-budget hostel in which guests sleep in a shared, barracks-style room. Walls are concrete, there are no windows or heating—hot water bottles are all that's on hand to keep guests warm—and hot water itself is at a minimum. Beds range from bunks to more traditional double accommodations reclaimed from a nearby hotel that recently shut down, and guests must take turns showering in a communal bathroom. A live-cam broadcasting images from outside is the closest thing to a view. Flowers and scattered artwork supplied by artist-twins and founders Frank and Patrik Riklin of the Atelier für Sonderaufgaben are the only embellishments to the spartan, military style of the bunker, which must, by Swiss law, be convertible back to military use within 24 hours. Fifteen guests spent an inaugural night at the hotel in October, but it won't be available for public use until early this year. Rates will be between EUR 6 and EUR 16 per night, its founders say. As belts tighten ever more, consumers may well be satisfied with fewer and fewer frills—particularly when presented in an artistic and creative way that creates a unique experience and provides rich storytelling fodder to share with friends. One to bring to a bunker near you....? (Related: Wine selling & storytelling.) Website: www.null-stern-hotel.ch Spotted by: Susanna Haynie |
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As consumers around the world make their New Year's resolutions for 2009, it's a pretty safe bet that quitting smoking ranks high on the list of the most common ones. With that in mind, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer recently launched a novel campaign to publish the photos of those who plan to quit in no less a public place than a Times Square billboard. Pfizer's Make 2009 Your Time program is designed to encourage smokers who have decided to quit smoking in 2009 and give them the chance to share their resolution with the world. Interested smokers need only email or upload their photo to the My Time to Quit website; alternatively, a designated street photographer is available onsite in Times Square through Jan. 15. Either way, submitted photos get screened for their compliance with the contest's terms and conditions, and users are notified if their photo will be published or not. Those accepted are then posted on the Reuters or NASDAQ billboards in the heart of New York City's Times Square sometime before Jan. 31, which marks the end of the program. Of course, the Make 2009 Your Time program not only lets Pfizer offer quitting smokers a healthy dose of gravanity, sympvertising and very public support, it also gives the company a chance to promote Chantix, its pharmaceutical treatment for quitting smoking. It's a win-win for both sides, and just possibly a prescription for mutual success ;-) Website: newyears.mytimetoquit.com Spotted by: Judy McRae |
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