Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Device That Will Help You Drink Responsibly

Alcohoot

While spending time in the Israeli military, Jonathan Ofir discovered an alarming statistic: more soldiers died from drunk driving than in combat. In addition to his findings, every year in the US alone, there are more than 10K deaths related to drunk driving. Both realizations were the inspiration for Alcohoot, a creative solution to a growing problem and an interactive way to monitor your drinking habits and make responsible decisions. The device is easy to use and provides consistent and accurate results.

How it works: Download the app on Apple or Android, then plug the police-grade sensor into your phone, breath into the custom mouthpiece and the app uses your gender, age, weight and height to determine your blood alcohol level (BAC) on-the-go. Alcohoot can also suggest local restaurants around you or call you a taxi home. You can even set a target BAC level and the app will set a countdown timer, so you know how long it will take for the effects of that cocktail to wear off.

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Alcohoot is a winner of The 2014 Red Dot Design Award. A prize awarded for high design quality.

What Sparks Our Fire: A useful and simple device that can help you make smarter, safer choices.

Would you give Alcohoot a try?

Say Goodbye To Old Fashioned Window Cleaning

winbot

Cleaning a window can be a difficult task, especially if you have floor to ceiling windows. But, imagine you had a robot that could do it for you. Winbot works indoors and out, so no need to hire window cleaners ever again. This little guy is designed to clean glass windows and mirrors until they are streak-free and spotless, all on its own. Winboat is very easy to use: all you need to do is place the robot on the window that needs to be cleaned, it will then calculate the size of the surface and map out the optimal cleaning path. When all is done and set, just press Start. Below is the gadget in motion:

What Sparks Our Fire: A smart robot can think for itself and save us from the hassle of window cleaning.

Are you ready to trade in your old cleaning tools?

The Pen That Can Turn Your Drawing To Reality

Imagine if what you drew came to life? The 3Doodler pen by Wobble Works allows you to draw infinite variety of shapes and items in thin air or on surfaces. The pen works by releasing heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong steady structure. How cool is that?

All you need to do is charge the pen with the color pack of your choice then plug it into a power source to get started. Take a look of what amazing things you can create with the 3Doodle. 3Doodler also has a Pinterest page for inspiration.

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What Sparks Our Fire: A pen that can turn your favorite drawing into reality

What will you create?

Marc-eting 101: Hello Digital, Meet Analog

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Today, most businesses are riding the waves of digital marketing. When asked, “Where do you think the non-digital brand experience fits in?” here is what Marc Sampogna, Canopy’s Managing Director, had to say…

As we continue to see the world of marketing shift further and further into digital, we have to ask ourselves: Does the analog (print, TV, OOH) brand experience fit in anymore? Well, of course it does. But it’s really a matter of how brands and marketers want to spend their budgets. As we know, digital is the most efficient means to reach an audience, measure it, and do it with more modest budgets. But does it leave the profound impact that non-digital channels and tactics leave? The answer is…. not yet! Traditional media has made efforts to tie-in their digital platforms to ensure their brands are accessible, relevant and shareable. But digital isn’t designed to return the favor. So, what’s the outcome? Well, as marketers, we need to recognize the new paradigm, and be very picky about how and where we want to connect with our target. It comes down to who they are and where they get information. Gen X, Y, Millennials, are all digitally connected and rely on this to drive their purchasing patterns. And that makes up a significant piece of the market. Boomers and above are adjusting, but have greater appreciation for traditional because they grew up with it. And while I continue to ramble on, I’m not sure if I’m answering the question of whether or not non-digital/traditional/analog brand experiences fit in anywhere. But if I look at how cyclical trends have become, from fashion to art, I’d have to say this would apply to marketing. Digital will at some point evolve to finally turning around and introducing itself to analog, and who knows, maybe they’ll get along.

 

Are We Planning Our Future Memories?

Cameras are powerful tools to control the memories we make. In a 2010 TED Talk, psychologist and Nobel Prize winner professor Daniel Kahneman, presented the idea that millennials see the present as an “anticipated memory.” In other words, when a person takes an Instagram picture, that person is both experiencing the present reality and actively shaping how that reality will be remembered in the future. As a result, many will argue they are betraying the present by not living in the moment. But, are the memories the real motive why the ‘Instagram generation’ is so addicted to capturing the moment?

Internet surveys indicate over 80% of social media posts to sites like Instagram, Twitter and others amount to “announcements about one’s own immediate experiences”. We post pictures of what we eat, drink, where we’ve been and calmly await for the next tsunami of likes. But what is it that makes us post those pictures on Instagram? Can’t we keep those for our private use? It is undeniable we like the attention but, why do we like the attention so much?

In 2012, Harvard University National Academy of Sciences conducted a study to assess how much people liked talking about themselves and why. The results is that Humans get a biochemical buzz from self-disclosure. We devote almost 40% of conversation sharing our own experience. Sharing personal information activates the reward areas of the brain. The same as we experience after sex, food or getting money. Talking about other people in contrast does not activate the rewarding part of the brain. What is most interesting is the findings also revealed people actually love self-disclosure if they knew people were listening. All of this goes along way toward explaining the appeal of self-promoting social-media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What Sparks Our Fire: The power of self-disclosure on social media through pictures.

Do you agree with Daniel Kahneman’s statement or do you think this entire generation is sharing Instagram pictures with the ultimate goal of a social validation? We would like to hear your thoughts.