Dunkin' Donuts and ''hate couture''

''Dunkin' Donuts and politics go together like … Well, they don't, and that seems to be the problem of late. First, the doughnut franchise served as a hideout for Lebanese Army troops and a CNN correspondent when violence erupted in Beirut last month. Then this week the company found itself smack dab in the center of more political tumult. A recent ad by the doughnut giant was deemed dangerous by a handful of conservative bloggers because of its potential ties to the Arab world. The bloggers went on the attack when they saw spokesgal Rachael Ray wearing what they felt was a kaffiyeh, or Arab headdress, as a neck scarf.''

(credit: Newsweek)

Telescope links London to....New York???

What do you get when you mix Victorian invention with modern-day technology and an eye for art? Would you believe, an underground telescope allowing Londoners to wave hallow to New Yorkers walking their dogs? As of today, a new contraption called ''the Telectroscope'' is open to the public following ...well, years of digging underneath the Atlantic to connect the two cities? "Spectators who step right up will have a real-time, life-size view across the pond 24 hours a day." Sound incredible? That's because it is, in a way. Read more to get the full story. It's a brilliant mix of art and storytelling. Good fun.

(credit: NYT)

Switching lanes

You know that split second when you're waiting for an ATM machine or in traffic where you consider switching lanes? As far as decision-making goes, that has to be one of our more irrational processes. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research looks specifically at why we switch lines at the grocery store. They found out that our decision is linked to our tendency to compare ourselves to the unfortunate people in line behind us. As someone who stood in line for close to 5 hours to see the Sistine Chapel, I can definitely relate.

Pangea Day

Will let the video do the talking. Mark your calendars.

The LadyBag feels with you

As Carrie says, “I'm thinking balls are to men what purses are to women. It's just a little bag, but we feel naked in public without it” (Sex and the City).

I don't know about it being a 'little bag' but these LadyBags deliver a few things way beyond anything that man's anatomy ever could. The LadyBag is a new concept in purses that not only has emoticons that light up according to your mood, but also reminds you when you've forgotten your cell phone or your keys!

The picture shown above might just be the PMS emoticon. Not sure. Thoughts?

(credit: LadyBag Project)

When rabbits melt...

...it makes for good art. The music is perfect.

''Total Sale'' during Belgrade riots

A video of two young women looting during the latest rioting in Belgrade has fast become a hit on YouTube. The women, running amok, go on a free ''shopping spree'' grabbing handbags and Adidas shoes and clothing from the swankiest stores...sometimes in their teeth - all the while filmed by an amateur cameraman. I post this video to highlight what I find to be an intriguing aspect of human behaviour when social order breaks down - people remain brand hungry. Definite potential for a dissertation. hmmm.

(source: Reuters)

An entire apartment in a box

Inside this box, is an armoire, a desk, a height-adjustable stool, two extra stools, a six-shelf bookcase, and a bed with a mattress! Click here to see more pictures and a video of how this award winning design by Marcel Krings & Sebastian Mühlhäuser works.

(credit: Treehugger.com)

No red roses for Saudi

A few days ahead of Valentine's Day, the Saudi authorities have banned red roses and any other scarlet coloured items from being sold at florists and gift shops across the country. I always thought the whole rose thing was a bit overdone anyway. This could possibly encourage couples to seek out more creative ways of expressing their undying lurve for one another.

Alternatively, you could just buy a dozen white roses and spray-paint them red. ''A'' for effort?

(credit: Reuters)

The Decapitator is back - modding newspapers

Adidas' Marathon Boost - how cool is this?!

"The 2007 adidas Auckland Marathon had 11,000 runners determined to reach their impossible. With the finish line 42 kilometres away, they needed more motivation. At the 17 km mark, they got 50 knots of it from a custom built, hurricane fan created by TBWA Whybin Auckland. Exhausted runners opted in to the adiBOOST lane and were pushed from behind by a massive blast of air. Giving them a much-needed second wind to power them through to the finish line."

(credit: TBWA\Whybin Auckland)

IKEA, take me home with you

Over the weekend, I probably wasn't the biggest fan - considering it took me 4 hours to put together some bed slats I bought. But someone just sent me the link to IKEA's new website on dream kitchens, which is just absolutely incredibly crafted. It really is worth taking a look to see how they brought everything to life - and I'm so not a kitchen person, but my jaw dropped. I thware.

"The Decapitator"

A street-artist going by 'The Decapitator' is having a field day in London. As his pseudonym suggests, his signature mark involves a guillotine and some gory humour applied to a variety of posters around town - cartoon characters are not spared.

(credit: The Decapitator)

Packing tape art

I can make a seriously jumbled-up mess with sticky brown packing tape. This artist from Kiev, Ukraine uses that same tape to create some really nice pieces of art. It's only a matter of time before 3M or Scotch make an ad out of this...

Dentists win Lacoste crocodile logo battle

"Two dentists have won a second legal battle with French fashion giant Lacoste over the right to use a toothy crocodile on the sign outside their surgery, the government trademark body said on Thursday.

Dentists Dr Simon Moore and Dr Tim Rumney said they chose a crocodile for their logo because the reptile is famous for having a mouth full of teeth.

But Lacoste argued that the dentists' sign was too similar to their own emblem, a green crocodile that adorns millions of polo shirts around the world."

(source: Reuters)

Audi R8 Commercial - BBH

A stunningly beautiful commercial by BBH London for the launch of Audi's R8. A big part of the brief was to make the process of building the car as beautiful as the car itself - something I think these guys have achieved. The soundtrack by Simone White ('the beep beep song') is just goose-bumpy. And I don't think I've read a better end-line in a long time either.

BBH London Recruitment ad

Farting chipmunks and Lynx chicks - I think that explains why most of us are in this business. This latest recruitment ad from BBH London is just great (if you can get the kid's accent!).

Googling yourself? You're not alone

"About half of the online adult population has looked up themselves or someone else online, according to a survey released Sunday. A good 36 percent said they have searched the Web for someone with whom they've lost touch, and 9 percent have dug up information on someone they were dating. At the same time, 60 percent said they are not worried about how much information about them is on the Internet."

(source: San Francisco Chronicle)

Crack Cocaine from Hershey's?

Packaging gone wrong? You be the judge.

"Ice Breakers Pacs, which hit the stores this month, are dissolvable pouches in blue or orange that look uncannily like tiny heat-sealed bags of cocaine, crack, heroin or any other powdered drug.

The Pacs, filled with powdered mint and sweetener, are meant to dissolve on the tongue like breath strips.

They're even packaged in a plastic slide-top case similar to the magnetic key cases drug dealers use to hide their wares under cars."

(source: Philly.com)

Falcon Beer - seriously thick

(credit: Saatchi & Saatchi, Stockholm)