word. daily. (july 30, 2010)

All Hail the Giants: The New Meadowlands Stadium opening this fall will have a lot more than flat screens like their Texas rivals – there will be a suite of apps on-lookers can use to check game stats, watch video replays and monitor live feeds from other games around the country. Oh – and let’s not forget – one app lets you check the concession stand lines to see which is the shortest.

Mail Art: Riitta Ikonen sends her friend Margaret Huber some of the most interesting/amazing mail – since 2004, Ikonen has sent Huber mail art made from hair, fish, a broken record, etc. Over 100 “postcards” were sent and you can count the ones that were returned on your fingers.

Not Your Average Wedding Video: Check out this music video wedding video done for Lauren and JP down in Georgia. Instead of the traditional vid with the best man’s sloppy speech and the DJ blasting “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” – they took a more creative approach. Filmed by Matt Odom of Rock and Roll Hearts (iconic engagement & wedding photos & videos for couples who rock), watch it 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

word. daily. (july 29, 2010)

One a Days: Back in January Y2K, at age 19, Noah Kalina started a photography project called “Everyday” – where he was to take one picture of himself each day –take a look here for the eleven years worth of photos. (Spoiler Alert: he gains weight and loses hair).

Street Art: Graffiti just got a heck of a lot easier (but perhaps lost the talent…) – Artist Felix Vorreiter created a “one-hand-guerillia-tool” – by inputting your phrase into this hand held machine, then rolling it against a flat service, you (debatably) become a pro.

Be the One: Did you see the star-studded “Be the One” video last week urging people to sign a petition for restoration of the Gulf? If you didn’t, you can watch it here. But yesterday, ScanLife, makers of mobile bar code scanning technology, have backed the cause and have created a QR code as a call-to-action – the code will send users to a site where they can watch the video and sign the said petition. The code is floating online, t-shirts, and on the Thompson-Reuters billboard in Times Square.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 28, 2010)

Sweet Dreams: Adele is on maternity leave from her job as a advertising copywriter – and as her “maternity leave hobby” she started a blog – while her baby is napping, she creates a scene of what baby Mila could be dreaming about – and snaps some pictures.

The Country’s Best: TCBY has rebranded itself (looks like their people took some inspiration from Pinkberry, if you ask us…) but thank sweet sassy molassey that they’ve updated their look. Their new concept store (including a self serve station!) had a soft opening recently in Salt Lake City.  Check it out – it actually has us excited about FroYo again.

Shady Grilled Cheese: Long known as a family-friendly food, grilled cheese gets an underworld makeover thanks to the East Village’s Bread.Butter.Cheese which adopts the business and delivery model of a drug dealer.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 27, 2010)

Seen in a New Light: Some may find lighting extremely important for mood setting – brighter lights for more motivation, dimmer lights for more romance. GE has released an iPhone app that lets you snap a picture of your room, and change the lighting according to mood – affects range from cozy to dramatic.

Why Chew When You Can Sip?: Jamba Juice is less than thrilled about Mickey D’s introducing their “real fruit” smoothies – and they are declaring a smoothie war against the fast-food giant. JJ put out a fo-mmercial for their “Cheeseburger Chili Smoothie” – a “delightful mix of real beefy goodness, smothered in cheese, loaded with your favorite condiments and blended to creamy perfection.”

Billygram: IKEA launched a Facebook app to celebrate their “BILLY” bookcases’ 30^th birthday – users are able to create letterboard style messages with the storages racks and books.

Draper Hedcut: The Wall Street Journal was quick to react to the season 4 opener of Mad Men where the Journal is seen interviewing La Draper. To capitalize on the buzz the paper released this hedcut of the fictional ad man – putting to rest much internet speculation about how you could properly capture Don’s dreamy bedroom eyes using only black ink.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 26, 2010)

+ Pool: Designers and architects are coming together to support the + pool - a pool floating in the rivers of NYC. The pool, which will use filtered water from the rivers, will be shaped like a plus sign to accommodate multiple activities simultaneously.

Cupcake Tree: To encourage children and parents to bake, UK-based agri-processor Tate & Lyle held The Mad Artist Tea Party - kids got to pick cupcakes from trees (our dream come true!)

Oatmeal: It’s What’s For Breakfast: Swedish designer Niklas Hessman created concept packaging for a Swedish line of oatmeal. Hessman takes “breakfast” literally, having the eater break the package in half.

Food Wins!: To promote the launch of Man v. Food in London, 10 chefs took a week to prepare a huge picnic. In Kensington Gardens, sausage the size of a cricket bat and eggs bigger than footballs sat atop a larger-than-life plate. Food: 1, Man: 0. 

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (things that are awesome edition)

Flirting 101: Germany’s Potsdam University will be offering an “instruction in flirting” class for it’s IT students. Students will be taught the apparent art of flirtatious text messaging, how to impress at parties, and how to deal with rejection. This master’s course is a part of the Socially Awkward degree program.

Money Tree: Online banking site RaboDirect of Australia put together a money tree in Sydney - $5 bills were dripping from tree limbs and almost 100 people passed by without even realizing. Get your head in the game, mates!

It’s the End of the World As We Know It: The world’s strongest beer is also the weirdest. Scottish brewery BrewDog has released “The End of History” - a 55% ABV kept in - what else but - a taxidermied squirrel. 

Wrap It Up: We love this packing tape printed with hinges - shipping next fall, it will make your boxes looks like they are sealed with hardware.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 22, 2010)

Don’t Send the Wrong Message: Have you ever asked your cubemate to read over an email to make sure it “sounds okay”? Has there been a time when you’ve reread an email and realize you came off like a total B? In a world of text-based communication, words and phrases commonly get misinterpreted. So, here to save the day is ToneCheck - an interface for Outlook that checks the tone of your email.

Ah, Push It: Amid all the mosquitoes in Florida, cake shop Sprinkles Custom Cakes was able to pump out a top-notch idea bug-free. They recently introduced a cake shooter – three layers of cake and icing in a push-up pop.

Butter-Fy Yourself: Yesterday, The Midwest Dairy Association launched a new Facebook app that allows you to – of all things – create a butter statue of yourself. Who knew churners could have such a sense of humor? (Seriously, did anyone know this?)

Anthroposts: Digital artist Noah Pedrini started a web project involving my one true love, Post-Its. He feels in a digital age, the beauty of handwriting is often lost, so Pedrini collected notes he found on the street, scanned them, and put them online for us to see.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 21, 2010)

Sci-Fi or Scary?: In Japan, digital billboards are using cameras to identify the sex and age of those who walk past and change the billboard message accordingly.

One Photo Reviews: Scott Davis is a movie reviewer – but instead or writing down what he thinks, he posts pictures that capture his reaction to the movie. Davis posts one picture that he feels has the right expression (“oy yoy yoy” for The Last Airbender, “debatable” for The A-Team) and posts it on his blog, One Photo Reviews.

You Spin Me Right Round: In attempts to tire out children before a flight, 1^st Bank placed rotating billboards in airports. The whole idea is that kids will place their hands on a picture of a hand, and as the billboard spins, the child will walk round and round and eventually get tired – or throw up.

We All Bark For Ice Cream: Cruising the streets in Britain playing the Scooby Doo theme song is the K99 van – an ice cream truck for dogs – flavors sold (how do the dogs pay?) are: “Dog Eat Hog World,” a mixture of gammon and chicken sorbet and “Canine Cookie Crunch,” a mixture of dog biscuits, bones, and ice cream.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 20, 2010)

Chili’s Fights Back: During the ESPYs, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd mimicked Lebron James and “The Decision.” Unlike James’ decision, Carell had to choose between Outback and Chili’s – and he chose the former. It seems as though Chili’s isn’t happy with Carell’s decision and the president of the chain, Wyman T. Roberts has issued a letter expressing his outrage – typed up in Comic Sans.

Jelloware: Design consultant agency, The Way We See The World has developed their own version of disposable cups – Jelloware. The cups are made from a type of gelatin – agar agar – which is commonly found in desserts. Once drank from or semi-eaten, the cup can be tossed on the grass where the gelatin would nurture the soil.

Swedes on the go: IKEA promotes their curtains by replacing movie screen curtains with their own. IKEA also recently turned their 2011 catalog into an exhibit for social media buffs and consumers.

Check-in, do good: Spotted in San Fran: a transit ad using Foursquare to raise funds and awareness. Check-in at the “Earthjustice ad” on transit platforms and a local donor will donate $10 to Earthjustice – a non-profit dedicated to protecting the natural environment.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 19, 2010)

Dirty Water: Over the weekend, UNICEF kicked off World Water Week by placing a vending machine in Union Square stocked with “Dirty Water” to raise money and awareness about the unclean water that millions in developing nations drink. They bottled up “hepatitis,” “malaria,” and “typhoid” - to name a few - and tried to sell it on the streets. 

3D TV: Samsung recently completed a projection mapping campaign in Amsterdam to promote their new 3D LED TVs. The chosen shapes (a hand, a cracked building) were projected onto a historic building in the city where it appears to have stopped onlookers in their tracks.

Dumpster Pool: The city will be placing dumpster pools on Park Ave between 40th and 41st this summer to cool things down for New Yorkers. The “pools” are coming from last summer’s invitation-only pool parties in Gowanus and will be available to anyone who waits in line for a bracelet. 

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 16, 2010)

DentBetty: Finding the best price for your auto repair takes a lot of effort – you drive from one shop to the next looking for the best deal – but DentBetty hopes their site will eliminate most of this back-and-forth. The site lets users upload photos of the damaged car and local repair shops bid for your business in return.

Five Day Weekend: The two-day weekend was created in 1930 and Roy McCrerey and his gang think it should be made a little longer. They are proposing five-day weekend – believing that Americans are overworked and usually don’t take their vacation days.

Tweet-ssorize: Golf champ Stewart Cink headed to St. Andrews earlier in the week for the British Open – and he brought his blinged-out golf bag with him. Nike and Cink teamed up to decorate his bag with dozens of tweets, including his favorite, from user @supaman212 – “Guide yourself with Grace, and Glory and Greatness will come.”

Stitch in Time: Seeking to give a physical manifestation to the change of time, industrial designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen created a clock that knits a scarf.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 15, 2010)

Fan-Funded: First, crowdsourced dating, now crowdsourced movie making. Director David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive) has asked his fans for moolah to make his new movie. This documentary of his life will be centered around him (duh!) but those who donate will also get a chance to offer their input. Also, if you feel so inclined to cut your good pal David a check, you’ll get an original print of his self-portrait.

CK Uncensored: Known for their only-jeans-wearing models, Calvin Klein Jeans has opted to take some of their scandalous billboards down and replace them with something a little less racy – QR codes (okay, so, that’s a lot less racy). Tagged with the phrase “Get It Uncensored,” passersby can take a picture using their smartphone which will bring them to a 40-second commercial they can then share with their friends. Snap your pic now, they’ll only be up a week!

Toss It: Over time we all amass a lot of things. In my case, it would be cheap shades. In Joe Garden’s, it would be T-shirts. So, the features editor of The Onion has chosen to toss some – based on public opinion. Besides cleaning up his closet, The Tee-Shirt Project has answered some questions like, Is that a coffee stain or blood? Are ringer tees ever okay? And, Will the cat hair come off?

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 14, 2010)

Getting Personal: In the recent weeks, we saw some pretty cool Old Spice commercials. We turned to one another and said, “This can’t get any better.” So, just to prove us wrong, Old Spice and Isaiah Mustafa hit the internet yesterday with personalized YouTube responses to those who have commented about the campaign at some point – people he sent messages to include: @kevinrose, @alyssa_milano, and YouTube user bballgirlsl981.

First of Its Kind: Filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone 4 is the most recent commercial for custom-mixed cereal brand, mymuesli. Over the weekend the spot aired on TV in Germany and Austria – take a look here.

Horn Exchange: The World Cup is over and with some still celebrating, and some still wallowing, most are extremely relieved they don’t have to hear the background noise of the vuvuzela. But, what to do with your vuvuzela? You can save it for the next World Cup, but it will most likely get stored and “lost” in a closet along with your brother’s roller skates and your father’s “vintage” bell bottoms. So, KFC (looking to comfort downtrodden fans with comfort food) is kicking off a “Vuvuzela Exchange Program” where a retired hornblower can send in his or her vuvuzela and get a gift certificate for a Doublicious sandwich.

Oil Paintings: Photographer Jane Fulton lives on Lake Michigan and has no idea what those living on the Gulf Coast are going though in regards to the oil spill – but she manages to capture the catastrophe through her series of photos, Crude Awakening.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 13, 2010)

Show Us Your Pizza: Domino’s is unhappy with current pizza marketing – they think pizza doesn’t need to be retouched in advertisements to look good – and as a result of these anti-Photoshopping feelings, Domino’s is launching a “real beauty” campaign this week. As a part of this, all TV, print and online ads won’t be Photoshopped and consumers are encouraged to upload their own pizza pictures with the chance of winning ca$hmoney if their shot is featured in an ad.

Old Mr. Zuckerberg Had a Farm: Farmville, Facebook’s online social game, is running a promotion where its items are being sold physically in stores. In 7-Elevens, you’ll find the branded goods and earn codes to use online to get special items.

30 Dates, 30 Nights: Brian is new to the Big Apple and an inexperienced dater – so how should he meet people in a city of 8 million? Well, he’s going the crowdsourcing route. Brian launched a site, Dating Brian, as a social experiment where he will attempt to go on 30 dates in 30 days with the sole help of users via his site, Twitter and Facebook.

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

—Lauren

word. daily. (july 12, 2010)

Sound Spot: A Burger King in Japan added a new relaxing component to their fine dining restaurant - a “sound spot.” Transparent umbrellas (acting as speakers) hang from the ceiling and customers can connect their iPods or iPhones to listen to their choice of music.

One Man’s Trash: Designer Changzhi Lee packages his portfolio in unique fashion – mailed to creative types, Lee sends them a mini trash bag containing a USB with his work.

Buzz: Try to guess what brand took the vuvuzela noise and turned it into a relevant message for their product. 

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

—Lauren