word. daily. (it should be noted that today’s date is 9-02-10 – see you at the Peach Pit)

Now Smell This: Replay, an Israeli perfume company, has a molecule in its perfume called cyclodextrin.  Now, I don’t want to talk down to you because you probably already know cyclodextrin is – but essentially it releases the scent of the perfume when it comes in contact with water. To play up this technology, Replay tied thousands of water guns to trees, bikes and benches in order to encourage the best-smelling water fight ever.

 Paperless Class: The University of Notre Dame is testing an iPad-based class model. The Fightin’ Irish who are taking Project Management 118 Section 7* are encouraged to use the pad for class – as well as everyday life.

*completely inaccurate

FashionStake: Founded by two Harvard grads last fall, FashionStake allows consumers to help fund and shape a designer’s collection before it’s been manufactured. Members can provide feedback to a designer, preorder from the to-be collection and/or throw some dollars the way of the designers so they can produce their pieces. (via @ARBetts)

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—Lauren M.

word. daily. (september 1, 2010)

Do-Re-Mi: Each label on a Tuned Pale Ale bottle depicts a musical scale – the more you drink, the higher note the bottle will produce when blown into. And the packaging turns into a drumming box – we’re predicting this will be a competitor to Rock Band.

Between the Covers: Word Bookstore in Greenpoint has introduced a dating service for book lovas – the store put up a billboard and visitors are encouraged to list their must-reads and contact information. (cc: @elisehelene)

Unhear it: Need to get J.Lo’s “My Love Don’t Cost a Thing” out of your head? I sure do. Using the latest advancements in “reverse-auditory-melodic-unstickification” technology, Unhear It claims to make you forget the catchy tune you have stuck it your head by replacing it with a new one.

TEAL: Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson traveled through 33 states – not to eat at the best places or visit the grand ole sites, but to see how many typos they could find. So the two friends started the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL) and took a 2 1/2-month journey around the country to call attention to typos in signs and attempt to fix them.

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—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 31, 2010)

House of Dots: Some key words and images that come to mind when we think of Detroit: 8 Mile Road, past auto industry hot spot and Tim Taylor’s hoodless Lions sweatshirt. Well now, we can add “The Heidelberg Project” to that list. Tyree Guyton, an artistic director, has been breathing new life into the abandoned houses in the city. He paints large polka dots all over, affixes stuffed animals to the facade, etc. Take a look here.

Baby Carrots: Carrot growers have united to fund the first-ever marketing campaign for the tiny orange veggie. The industry is releasing baby carrots packaged in junk food-esque bags to rivals other orange snacks like Doritos, Fritos and Cheetos. Chris Kuechenmeister at Frito Lay says they “are happy to serve as an inspiration,” adding, “We know people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, we applaud any effort to provide consumers with a wider range of snacking options.” 

Tape Art: We love this tape art outside the Opera House in Bordeaux, France. Paper tape artist Aakash Nihalani created a neon green tape 3-D rectangle on the steps of the building.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 30, 2010)

Marty McFly: Nike seems to have filed patent papers for a shoe that will automatically lace itself - citizens of Maine will be relieved to hear this, since it’s illegal to walk down the street with your shoes untied there.

Ping Pong Wine: To try to create some buzz for their in-house package designers, Rethink created a series of table wines to show off their skills. (Sample text from one of the labels: “At Rethink, we believe great package design is like a ping-pong table: it should inspire intense competition and heated dialogue. Not to mention the occasional fist pump and victory dance”). We love the self-promo and wish wine was really labeled and packaged this way.

Boardwalk Empire: Take a look at this ad for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, a new series taking place during Prohibition in, of all places, Atlantic City. The MTA bus station ad features a glass bottle filled with moonshine — each day closer to the premiere, the liquid in the bottle goes down, smoothly. (via @mattrichardson)

Get Your Sweet On: Not for any other reason than besides showing their sweet side (and, ahem, to drive traffic to the store), Opening Ceremony is offering in-store Candygrams. You can leave a card and lollipop candygram for a special someone and the swoonee can only get it by picking it up from the store - someone can do this for me at their Ace Hotel location.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 27, 2010)

Bueller, Bueller?: For the upcoming school year, the New Canaan Public School system is implementing  the use of RFID tags to help track students, faculty and equipment (something M Booth could use for those Flip cams — right, Alfredo?). RFID chips will be placed in student ID cards and on valuable property, but this has become highly objected situation and there are talks of making it optional.

Snip Snip: Master scissor artist Karl Johnson comes to NYC this September to use his skillz and handcraft black paper silhouettes of anyone who wants them.

Adapt to Change: Created by PhilippeBecker, a design agency in San Fran, Winged Wisdom will stand in the Presidio National Park for a year to house the American robin. They created 3-D letters out of bird-friendly materials and arranged them in a way that forms sentences that showcase the robins’ behaviors – one being “resolve conflict with a song.” Ten other designers were showcased and this is the first-ever public art project for a National Park.  

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 26, 2010)

Hello There, Wall: Non-profit organization Wasted Spaces takes vacant properties and spaces and turns them into “art experiences.” Most recently, they took over a building in London to create an interactive installation where the public can use Twitter to control the wall. A person tweets at @thehellowall a shape, color and command, and the wall obeys.

Luxurious Potties: Thought peeing in public only happened at college campuses and the Jersey Shore? Well, you’d be mistaken. Public urination has been a problem in New Delhi, so officials have installed luxury toilets in hopes of tackling it.

Google Phone Booths: Recently becoming open to all users, Google Voice has taken a more physical form – a phone booth. Google wants to show people how GV’s voice quality compares to other services and will be rolling out a British red phone booth (complete with rotary phone) to several universities and airports in the new few weeks. Oh, and calls within the U.S. and Canada are free. Take a sneak peek inside the booth here.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 25, 2010)

Scenic Spots: To celebrate Britain’s best views, Chevrolet adorned the sites with large picture frames, turning nature into “scenic art.” People are encouraged to park in front of the frame so they can take in the beautiful scene as if it were a picture in their living room, only better.

Speedy Gonzalez: To capture speed in a visual form, UPS Express Delivery placed these art installations in public spaces.

Signing Off: To fight off his internet addiction, Mark Malkoff (the guy who tried to visit all 171 Starbucks stores in Manhattan, lived in an IKEA store for a week and lived on an AirTran plane for a month) decided to spend five days in his New York City bathroom. He doesn’t have his iPhone or laptop but has a to-do list that should keep him occupied: memorize the location of every country in the world, learn how to sew on a button and read Gravity’s Rainbow.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 24, 2010)

Let’s Go Fly a Kite: The Athenaeum Hotel in London is a popular destination for families as it is – and by adding multiple spoons full of sugar it just got a whole lot sweeter. The hotel has announced that they have hired three Mary Poppins-esque nannies, the best in all of the UK, to look after children – complimentary for the month of September. The potential nannies were asked questions like, “What’s your favorite bug?” and “What would you put in a magic garden” and were picked via a panel consisting of children, a hotel staffer, and a celebrity.

Cute as a Cardboard: We love how Nikki (blogger/etsy-er, WhiMSy Love) decorated her living room for a friend to crash. She slapped down a blow up mattress and then added some cardboard cutout decorations to cheer it up.

Sleek Scale: Check out this scale which can accommodate anything from a beagle to a human to an elephant to my suitcase (yes, that is listed by weight, from lightest to heaviest). It can even recognize your footprints and will record your weight and BMI then send it to you computer using a wireless connection.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 23, 2010)

Reverse Branding: Jersey Shore’s Snooki was always seen toting around a Coach bag on season one - but on the second season and recently while out on the town, she’s been photographed carrying various designers. According to the New York Observer, many designers are sending her free swag - but not their own brands. The fashion houses think the reality TV star(?) disgusts fans and anything she touches won’t sell, so by sending her competitor’s products, their product will do better.

Picture Poll: When trying to take a group picture in front of a landmark, you always face two difficult options: 1) One person has to take the picture and therefore is left out or 2) Ask a stranger to take the picture with the possibility of him running away with your new Canon SLR. Enter fotopol - a camera mount in tourist spots, one freestanding, and one made for balconies, so everyone can be in the pic.

Cloudy With a Chance of Music Video: Upon entering singer/songwriter Lissie’s website, you’ll be prompted to enter your ZIP code. Then, the first thing you’ll see, will be her music video for her song “Cuckoo” and the weather in the video is determined by the weather at your current location. You can also zoom in on any part of the world and the video’s weather will change accordingly.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 20, 2010)

Bottled Up: Schweppes is exploding. Literally. The seltzer brand transformed a geyser into an installation in the shape of their bottle, which will stay that way for the next year.

Beat It: The New York Times put out an article yesterday about the trials and tribulations one must overcome to be a Foursquare mayor and mentioned a new site called When Will I Be Mayor? To beat out @sirronnyc as mayor of M Booth, you would need over 36 check-ins (that’s all you’ve got, Richardson?). My own personal goal is to beat out that lousy Nick G. as mayor of the Bellmore Train Station – 27 check-ins to go! Check out Guest of a Guest’s list for hot NYC mayorships, too!

Lounging for Lunch: We spend a majority of our day feverishly typing and staring at our computer screens – and when lunch comes, we pretty much do the same. Going out to restaurants often takes up too much time and finding a place to sit for a quick bite often proves challenging. Designer Alexandra Pulver seeks a fix for this with her Pop-Up Lunch initiative. She created a lunch bag that doubles as a portable seat.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 19, 2010)

Talk Dirty (Laundry) to Me: Kenmore released a series of washer/dryers that come equipped with pretty fresh technology – when you have a service issue, you press some buttons on the machine, then hold your cell phone up to the unit (the service number will have already been dialed) and the machine will transmit data through the phone to the company and pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

What Would You Do For a Cool Mil?: Yesterday, we saw some pretty bizarre offerings – British billionaire Alki David will give a million dollars to the first person to flash President Obama – the one condition: “Battlecam” must be written across that person’s chest. Check out the explanation for that one here. The second – Anderson Cooper was offered a sweet mil by a company promoting Go Away Gray – a pill that will apparently turn gray hair back to it’s original color. Don’t do it, Andy!

A Dollar Is What I Need: The Dollar ReDe$ign Project hopes by rebranding US bills, we can rebuild our economy, and their latest entry by graphic design firm Dowling Duncan is making waves.

Save the English Language: In an attempt to take back the English language from our LOL-laden society, the Oxford University Press developed a new website, Save The Words. Along with simply browsing words that are almost extinct (most don’t even come up on Dictionary.com, gasp!), the site gives you humorous tips on how to revitalize these words, extends a “word-a-day” email offering (not to be confused with yours truly, “word. daily.”) and allows you to “adopt a word.” My foster word is “traboccant” – meaning SUPER abundant. Used in a sentence: I have a traboccant yearning for a Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 18, 2010)

The Straddler: Take a look at this bus concept introduced at the Beijing International High-tech Expo back in May. Designed for high traffic, this public bus can hold up to 1,400 passengers and has a hollow undersection, allowing cars and other low-to-the-ground vehicles to drive underneath it. 

Snow Stamp: Last winter, when the U.K. was covered in a blanket of snow, a team from Polo Mints hit the streets to make their mark – using a large branded stamp to replicate their iconic white mint, they left Polo Mint imprints in the fresh snow.

Virtual Insanity: We love the premise of this iPhone game that marries physical and virtual worlds – iPawn uses the iPhone touchscreen as a board and each player is given a small pawn (which is matter-of-factly better than Life and Monopoly pieces…combined) to participate in a role-playing conversation.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. daily. (august 17, 2010)

Twitter Quest for a Job: We’ve seen some pretty interesting job-getting tactics the past few months, and this one is no exception. Mark Trueblood (apparently, his real last name), an unemployed copywriter, is using a “choose your own adventure” set of tweets to send people to his website.

You’re a Good (Lookin’) Man, Charlie Brown: To celebrate their 60^th anniversary, the Peanuts cartoon gang has teamed up with Lacoste (almost as unusual as that Lilly Pulitzer/Barnum Animal Crackers collab in May). Debuting this fall, the pair will release a shirt that features the polo maker’s famed alligator somehow interacting with Charlie Brown and his crew. No word on whether or not Brown will to pop his collar. (via word. Secretary of State @roblongert)

Unsuck It: Ever wish Google Translate could take those ridiculous buzzwords your boss used in your meeting this morning and put them into layman’s terms? Check out this new tool that takes industry jargon and translates it into plain ole English.

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren M.

word. august.

It’s August 16. Do you know what that means? One, it is National Tell a Joke Day, so we are listening to our favorite Carrot Top bits.  And (AND!) if that wasn’t momentous enough, it is also the day that we bring you word. monthly.

We promise that it is burn-the-barn-down-fantastic this month, so take a look. What was that link again, you ask? Well, it’s right here. Enjoy!

-Andrew & Lauren

word. daily. (august 13, 2010)

Major Spillage: Toyota has launched an app to teach us how to lower our fuel consumption by changing our pedal-to-the-metal driving tactics (aggressive driving and frequent braking are huge fuel wasters — the less fuel, the fewer CO2 emissions). The Glass of Water app is a virtual glass of water that reacts to your driving as if this glass is actually on your dashboard. The app captures distance, driving time, average speed, idle time and water spillage, and you can analyze the results more closely at the website they’ve set up. Disclaimer: Do not check to see how much water you’ve spilled while still operating the motor vehicle. 

Let Me Take You Down: To promote the new Lennon exhibition at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the establishment “planted” die-cut strawberries in the Strawberry Field section of Central Park. Curious passersby picked the strawberries to reveal info about the exhibition.

Hearts Will Go On: Providing a look at the Titanic we’ve never seen before, the Expedition Titanic team (no Bill Paxton, unfortunately) will be diving the depths later this August to explore the famous shipwreck — in 3-D. Not only will there be this 3-D footage, but thanks to current social media and digital technology, the team will update Flickr and YouTube in real time and divers themselves will tweet about exploring the wreckage (once they come up for air, we hope).

Click here to let us know that you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the monthly edition of “word.”

—Lauren