ten inquisitive owls

I don’t have a new calendar this year but fear not Johanna Basford has come to my rescue with her downloadable calendar. In fact not only can you print it off you can also tweet her suggestions for the coming months and she will illustrate them. Beautiful

Need to write a cv?

How about presenting it as infographics – what a great CV definitely makes you want to read it

Micheal Anderson

But will they see it?

Fresh from Google Labs: Google Browser Size, a nifty visualization tool for checking how much of a web page sits “above the fold,” i.e., what’s visible in Google without scrolling. Just type in any URL to see how the site looks. Color contours show different window sizes and the percentage of users that have this size or larger. (Presumably these percentages are based on Google’s own statistics.) For instance, in the example above, the “donate now” button falls within the 80% contour, meaning that 20% of users cannot see this button when they first visit the page. If getting donations is a priority of the site, the web design team now knows they ought to position the button higher on the page.

The tool works as an overlay, allowing you to interact normally with the page you’re examining. Thus you can easily review other pages on the site as well. This tool also works for designs that are still in development–you are able to view a .png on a project site.
via dynamicdiagrams

New Year New Phone

Why not combine a love all things Vampire and the latest technology – this implant uses your blood to create a display which can then work as a phone, MP3 player or even video – this is very weird

via geekologie

Tiny gingerbread house

this is the cutest ever – though not for those short of time or a bit slapdash – rules out everyone I know then! If you do have time and can cut in a straight line then check out the instructions from Not Martha

Not Martha

Stormtroopers for every day of the year

Ahh the simple pleasure of toys doing silly things

Subscribe to stefans feed and he will send you a new photo of stormtroopers on their days off every day of the year – that has got to make you smile

Ultimate chocolate buttons

Many of my friends are afraid of buttons !?! but surely they could overcome their fear for these edible delights – get them from hotel chocolat

Thornback and Peel

I once had dreams of opening a shop and then the credit crunch hit. If I had opened the shop one thing I wanted to stock was Thornback and Peel I love their teatowels but now they have added cushions and bags – and the cutest baby wear ever – mmmmm check them out with their online shop – bags are a bit too expensive i think at £50 a pop. thornback and peel

Do you want a dog for christmas?

I have one but would happily make home for this beautiful set of felt sculptures. Unfortunately they all seem to have sold but the kits are available – ohh how exciting sitting round a wood fire with dog making a dog – heaven get them here

Hewlett Packard – D&AD competition

Tom Wrigglesworth and Matt Robinson show how to use an HP workstation to the greatest creative effect – beautiful

HP – invent from Tom and Matt on Vimeo.

 

Ad response fakes

My new favourite wind up site . Below is the latest but there are many more favourites on there – icluding black glossy kitten and basic weapons for kids – read and weep

This is a collection of e-mails I have sent to people who post classified ads. My goal is to mess with them, confuse them, and/or piss them off. These are the ones that succeeded.http://www.dontevenreply.com/index.php

Original ad:
DOG WATCHER WANTED! we are leaving town for a week and need someone to take care of our 6-year-old rottweiler. he is very friendly! we are looking for someone trustworthy with experience, so we will need references. will pay $30 per day. email if interested!

From Tyrone Jackson to ************@******.org
yo wat up! i saw your ad looking for someone to take care of your rottweiler. ill do it no problem. i live in the area and can pick him up.

From Tanya ****** to Me
tyrone do you have any references? can you tell us a little about yourself?

From Tyrone Jackson to Tanya *******
yea i got some references. you can talk to my bro devon, or my associate g-ice. ill have them hit u up. a little about myself: i love taking care of dogs and shit

now you said your rottweiler is friendly. how friendly is he? would he be able to fight another dog if they were both put in a ring? just wonderin.

also can you pay me the money up front straight cash? i need it to enter in a contest.

From Tanya ****** to Me
I dont want you watching my dog!!!! find someone else for your dog fighting ring sicko!!!!!!!

From Tyrone Jackson to Tanya *******
whoa whoa slow yo role! who said anything about dog fighting? i was just wondering if your dog could protect itself, in case an angrier dog tries to start some shit while im walkin him. you need to chill the fuck out and stop jumpin to conclusions

From Tyrone Jackson to Tanya *******
look you triflin bitch just gimme the dog. i need it, the fight is tonight! ill pay you 200 cash plus 20 percent of whatever i win

From Tanya ****** to Me
STOP IT

A few hours later…

From G Ice to Tanya ******
ay yo wat up woman, its ya boy tyrone’s boy G Ice. tyrone was sayin he needed a reference for ur dog babysittin job so here i am. tyrone be great with dogs. he loves em so much and will care the shit out of them. my boy tyrone is definitely the right man for the job, i aint playin

From Tanya ****** to Me
GO AWAY

The periodic typeface table

If you want this as your new wallpaper (and who wouldn’t then click here)

Once you click you just can’t stop

Amusing Pringles banner ad 

Once the only entertainment online was a few lines of javascript, that produced endless OK/Cancel dialogue boxes with amusing text like, “are you bored yet?” and “but you can’t stop clicking can’t you?” Looks like the agency producing ad banners for Pringles have as long a memory for this crap (ahhhh)- and it  supports the proposition “once you pop you just can’t stop” – never loved a banner ad before but i love this

Pringles ad

Calling Soulja boy

Rap artist Soulja boy has put a couple in oldhams telephone number in his video – their number is featured on over a 300,000 sites

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8127643.stm

The year the media died

 

Great remake of American Pie to tell the story of the decline of traditional advertising. Believe me it is very good – might even make you feel nostalgic particulalry if like me you LOVE mad men

 

If you wonder what Mad Men is then watch this great clip showing Don Draper creative director of a Madison Avenue Ad agency conduct a pitch to Kodak (can’t embed for legal reasons)  so click here

Brilliant literal bonnie Tyler video

there are loads of literal videos and most are NOT funny but this is wonderful and LOL

sh! – calling all fresh new talent in Yorkshire

After I am back from holiday I will be helping judge the Sh! awards. If you want to come to the awards then visit the site and drop them a line. http://www.brahm.com/sh/ and listen to the lovely music.   

Do you know a student that think they can cut it in design, digital or advertising?

Have they got the raw talent but just need a little polishing? Then here’s a gem of an opportunity. The Sh! Awards 2009 is a unique showcase designed for young creative talent in Yorkshire, the event is judged by some of the biggest names in the industry, and has some fantastic prizes – including a paid placement – up for grabs.

It couldn’t be easier to enter the Sh! Awards 2009. It doesn’t cost anything and there’s no extra work to do. All they need to do is send us their best piece of coursework – and that’s it! All we ask is that entrants are in their second or final year from an HND or degree course in advertising, design or digital in Yorkshire this year.

Says John Morgan, Chief Executive at Brahm: “The Sh! Awards are a unique opportunity to get your work in front of a judging panel comprising of some of the most talented and successful individuals working in design, digital and advertising today. The chance to meet them and pick their brains is invaluable.

Past winners of the Sh! Awards have gone onto work for leading agencies including Brahm, Swamp, Love, Thompson Design, B&W Studio, Elmwood and Interbrand and one has even been awarded Designer of the Year at last year’s The Drum Awards”.

Deadline for entry is 5th June with shortlisted entrants being invited to interview with the judges the week commencing 15th June. The winners in each category will then be announced at an awards evening on 25th June where all the shortlisted work will be on display. Further details can be found at www.brahm.com/sh

What shall we have for tea?

So delighted to discover that curry stops dementia. Scientists have now shown that an active ingredient in turmeric helps fight dementia. It must be true as the BBc had it all over their site this week http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8080630.stm extract below

The key ingredient is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.

Curcumin appears to prevent the spread of amyloid protein plaques – thought to cause dementia – in the brain.

But the theory, presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ annual meeting, has been given a lukewarm reception by UK experts.

 

If you have a good diet and take plenty of exercise, eating curry regularly could help prevent dementia Professor Murali Doraiswamy Duke University

Amyloid plaques, along with tangles of nerve fibres, are thought to contribute to the degradation of the wiring in brain cells, eventually leading to symptoms of dementia.

Professor Murali Doraiswamy, of Duke University in North Carolina, said there was evidence that people who eat a curry meal two or three times a week have a lower risk of dementia.

He said researchers were testing the impact of higher doses – the equivalent of going on a curry spree for a week – to see if they could maximise the effect.

Animal studies

Professor Doraiswamy told the meeting: “There is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic research on animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits.”

“You can modify a mouse so that at about 12 months its brain is riddled with plaques.

“If you feed this rat a curcumin-rich diet it dissolves these plaques. The same diet prevented younger mice from forming new plaques.

“The next step is to test curcumin on human amyloid plaque formation using newer brain scans and there are plans for that.”

Professor Doraiswamy said a clinical trial was now underway at the University of California, Los Angeles, to test curcumin’s effects in Alzheimer’s patients.

He said research had also examined turmeric’s therapeutic potential for treating conditions such as cancer and arthritis.

Good diet

He stressed that eating a curry could not counter-balance the increased risk of dementia associated with a poor diet.

 

Indian communities that regularly eat curcumin have a surprisingly low incidence of Alzheimer’s disease but we don’t yet know why Dr Susanne Sorensen Alzheimer’s Society

However, he said: “If you have a good diet and take plenty of exercise, eating curry regularly could help prevent dementia.”

Professor Doraiswamy predicted it might be possible to develop a curry pill which had the same therapeutic effect.

However, Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, stressed that people would need to eat a lot of curry – over 100g of turmeric curry powder – to get a clinical dose of curcumin.

She said: “Professor Doraiswamy’s unpublished research applies only to animal models; his hypothesis has not been confirmed in human clinical trials.

“We look forward to the results of the human curcumin trial at UCLA.”

Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Indian communities that regularly eat curcumin have a surprisingly low incidence of Alzheimer’s disease but we don’t yet know why.

“Alzheimer’s Society is keen to explore the potential benefits of curcumin in protecting the brain and we are conducting our own research into this area.

“A cheap, accessible and safe treatment could transform the quality of life of thousands of people with the condition.”

.net developer in Leeds

Anybody want to come be a .net developer earn lots of cash (well £25k ish) and get to work in a great office with lovely views in Leeds if so drop me a line and more information will be given

Popbitch the new source of internet data

“The most prolific 10% of Twitter users account for over 90% of tweets. And most of them are men.”

so says Popbitch and why would they lie? answers on a postcard