May 2012 – Page 5 – everydaysparks

Shoot the light(s) out

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Cate

Even if, like me, you don’t like guns or shooting, I think you’ll agree that this is pretty cool. And you’ll like it even more if you’re cranky about electricity prices or you think desk lamps are pathetic or you enjoy threatening inanimate objects.

This lamp was recently featured on Fab.com – it’s made by the clever folk at bitplay, who apparently like to add the element of surprise to the every day. Which sounds good to me!

This is the BANG! Remote Lamp – a desk lamp with a gun shaped remote control. In a nutshell: Fire the gun to turn the light off and as the light goes out, the lampshade knocks to the side, showing that it’s been hit. To turn it back on, shoot it again and watch as the lampshade slowly rises up and turns the light back on at the same time.

But if that’s not clear enough for you, the website helpfully provides a graphic to explain further…

Aha! The lamp retails for around $300, but is not widely available at this stage. If you’re in the market for a lamp or a gun, why not combine the two with a BANG! (Remote lamp). You can check it out here.

Sparky gifts

Ethical Eco Enviro Elephants

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Cate

By now, I think you will have gathered that I like quirky stuff and love to give quirky gifts. But the downside is that they are all too often made without care for the people who produce them or the environment around them. And we people who have waaay too much stuff say, “Aww, cute” and then shortly thereafter say, “Aww, landfill”.

But we have to give something to that little kid / colleague / neighbour / friend to mark a special occasion, right? And a card telling them that you bought a chicken for a family in South America instead of a present for them doesn’t always go down too well. So I was excited to find these guys on the very cool Australian site Ethical Gifts.

They are animals made in Africa out of recycled flip flops (or thongs, or jandals). Apparently, this idea started back in 1997, when women and children started to collect all of the rubber shoes washing up on the beaches off the northeast coast of Kenya. They turned them into toys, buoys and cushion stuffing. The FlipFlop Project was born.

In 2005, the UniquEco brand was created to expand on the FlipFlop Project and support the local people to clean up their beaches, recycle the rubber, earn an income, and produce fantastic animal friends (and jewellery, keyrings etc) to share with the world.

You can check out the range of gifts at Ethical Gifts here and read more

about the story behind UniquEco and the FlipFlop Project here.

EverydaySparks, CEO Idea #37.

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Cate

I think I could write a separate blog about some of the ideas I have to revolutionise the corporate world. Granted, not all of them are legal / would work / are possible to implement, but those issues would be the problem of the COO, not me as the CEO. Because I said so. But today I am not writing about strategies and business plans (phew, I hear you sigh). I’m writing about how I’d decorate the hallway leading to the boardroom. Or the foyer, where visitors wait on beanbags (now there’s a status equaliser) or retro lounges. Because at EverydaySparks Inc, it’s the little things that count.

I found this collection by The French Gallery on etsy and felt that they looked suitably professional and businesslike at first glance, and suitably kooky and quirky on second glance. This would serve to both impress and confuse visitors to the office, which has got to be a good introduction to EverydaySparks Inc.

The portraits would be lined up along the wall, each with a short tribute etched on the gold(plated) plaque underneath. Something like, Entrepreneur Sir Barnaby Lion founded the company whilst studying at MIT. An irreverant but brilliant businessman, Sir Barnaby has since turned his love of hot air ballooning and space travel into a bzillion dollar empire. Or Linda Lioness joined the company as the first HR Director and kept Sir Barnaby in line whilst establishing the company as an employer of choice for women, non-smokers, ex-circus performers and people who love marshmallows.

And With a sharp eye for detail, Dr Charles Owlinson was the company’s first lawyer, taking an active role in the many court cases brought against Sir Barnaby by competitors, customers and ex-wives. Dr Owlinson played the banjo and was a hoot at company Christmas parties. Then CIO Bernard Catman built the software and systems that were the cornerstone of the company’s early success. Bernie’s love for Sudoku puzzles was matched by his passion for badminton and he moved to Siam to lead the company’s expansion into Southeast Asia.