run mice run rat run

I think local commercials are hysterical. While living in St. Louis I couldn't not laugh when a "Becky's Carpet and Tile" commercial came on. I mean what's not to love about a women in her 50s with heavy makeup, a pageant crown, and a prom dress flying around the Arch on a magic carpet.

The East Coast certainly does not disappoint. I just saw a great one tonight for a local company called "Run Mice Run Rat Run." The commercial is of a guy in a mouse costume jumping on a bed and then running out of a house. The product is just a spray that keeps rodents out of the house and apparently it's a green product. Even the local guys are cashing in on the green trend.

Having DVR means that I rarely see these local gems, but it's nice to know they are still out there.

zink

I'm a bit of a Polaroid maniac. I have hundreds...Sadly Polaroid announced earlier this year their plans to discontinue making the film at the end of 2009. For the moment I'm stockpiling, but instead of worrying about what's to come with the classic film I thought I would talk about a new product created by Polaroid. ZINK!

Short for "Zero Ink," Zink is thermal printing paper. Now you may be thinking ok sounds great, but what does that mean. The short version is that it is paper embedded with dye crystals of the primary ink colors - Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta. At first glance the paper is colorless and appears to be nothing special, however when you load it into the thermal printer it goes through a developing process that produces professional quality prints.

So what does this mean for the common recreational photographer? Well since Zink requires no ink cartridges printers can be a fraction of the size, not to mention that you'll never again need to worry about running out of ink. There is even talk of incorporating printers into cell phones & digital cameras, so perhaps you'll finally print out all those digital pictures.

Plus the prints are water-resistant, smudge proof and tear proof. Coming in at a cost of 30 cents a print, they are far less expensive then traditional Polaroids to boot. Even more motivation to print out all those great digital images just sitting on your memory cards.

Zink and Zink products enter the market this fall. Visit the official Zink site to learn more: http://www.zink.com/ OR watch the "What is Zink" video below from Zink.com

fredric j. baur

Fredric J. Baur, the designer of the Pringles potato chip packaging system died on May 4th leaving his family with a slightly odd request for burial arrangements. He was so proud of his design for Pringles that he asked to be buried in one of the cans. His family honored his request and a portion of his ashes were buried in the iconic can. This begs the question of what variety of Pringles he opted for or if he went with the original red can.


While this seems a bit unusual one must give credit to those with Mr Baur's burial creativity. Plus he's not the first. My favorite alternative to the ho hum coffin/ urn are the custom made coffins from Ghana. I first came across these brightly colored creations at the American Visionary Arts Museum a few years back. Basically they will make you a coffin in any shape, size or color you desire. Not to mention the craftsmanship is exquisite. Some of the ones I've seen are; a pineapple, a BMW, a shoe, an airplane and a bottle of beer. If you're gonna be buried why not have your coffin be an expression of your passions during life!

To read more about Fredric Baur check out the CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/02/pringles.burial.ap/index.html

For more on the coffin traditions from Ghana check out the following article from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/africanlives/ghana/ghana.htm

superheroes - fashion and fantasy

I love fashion and superheroes, so imagine my excitement when I heard the Metropolitan Museum of Art was having a special exhibition called "Superheroes Fashion and Fantasy." Made possible by none other than Giorgio Armani.

The MET's description of the show is as follows:

"The symbolic and metaphorical associations between fashion and the superhero are explored in this compelling exhibition. Featuring movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, it reveals how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body. Objects are organized thematically around particular superheroes, whose movie costumes and superpowers are catalysts for the discussion of key concepts of superheroism and their expression in fashion."

Sounds like a great concept and I've yet to be disappointed by one of the Met's fashion exhibits (Gianni Versace, Channel, Costume Institutes's yearly show, etc...)

The exhibition runs from May 7, 2008 through September 1, 2008 in the Special Exhibition Galleries on the 1st floor of the Met. To read more about the show check out the Met's Website: http://www.metmuseum.org/special/superheroes/index.asp