Tag: quirky

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Book ’em, Danno

Posted on by Cate

I love books. And when I saw a headline for ‘an eclectic collection of books’ by Melville House featured on Fab.com recently, my curiosity was piqued. An eclectic collection indeed. You can keep your alleged classics like War and Peace or Ulysses, I’ll take How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees, a master in “the age-old art of manual pencil sharpening”. According to the hardcover of this 224 page book, it’s perfect for flange turners, anglesmiths and civil servants. I don’t know any of them folk, but I do know some contractors and apparently it’ll be right up their street too. (On another note, if you do know a flange turner or anglesmith, please let me know. And tell me what they do.)

Or maybe Drunk is more your thing. (No judgement.) Written by word nut Paul Dickson, it’s basically a list of 2,964 synonyms for ‘drunk’ (including such classics as roasted, whazood, whiskey frisky and Boris Yeltsinned). So now you know.

But the choice doesn’t end there – oh no. How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive or I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed By Me or the beautifully covered (yes, I know the old saying, but I’m shallow) Rotis – Roasts for every day of the week (including slightly off-putting pictures of cute animal faces).

So, whether you’re an avid reader, love a pretty bookshelf or you’re a flange turner looking for a helpful tome, this collection could be eclectic enough to suit!

Posted in Fashion Sparks, Sparks in the wild, WWWhat?

Foul Weather Friend

Posted on by Cate

I am lucky to work with Jo, a lovely lass who shares my interest in all things wacky. Last week, we were talking about the amazing Samurai Sword umbrella that I wrote about here recently. And Jo started reminiscing about a special sort of umbrella that she had seen somewhere. I listened politely, thinking that it surely couldn’t be as good as the Samurai Sword. Then Jo sent me a website link. And I was momentarily speechless. IT’S A HANDS FREE UMBRELLA.

Nubrella Inc. is a New York company that has patented this space-age looking ‘weather protection device’, which they claim takes over where the traditional umbrella stops! And there are more exclamations where that came from: Nubrella blocks windchill! A far safer and more reliable product! Can be used completely hands free! All supported by fantastic photos of the Nubrella in action – in the snow, in gale-force winds, in torrential rain: look ma, I can talk on my mobile phone AND wave to a passerby AND stay dry all at once!

Although we all know that nothing this great comes easily – there are tutorials on how to open your Nubrella and how to close your Nubrella. And the man in the photos does appear to be concentrating quite hard as he sorts out his weather protection device.

But once your Nubrella has popped open, you just drop it over your head and adjust the shoulder straps and supports. It’s transparent, so you can just walk straight away and see where you are walking all of the time. And according to a slightly bizarre comparison on the website: The result is an eye catching new aerodynamic design that many are saying is simply a better “mousetrap”.

A better mousetrap it may be, but I think it’s so much more. Wouldn’t the world be a better place – a funnier place, at the very least – if your neighbourhood was full of Nubrella People? At around $50 per device, it’s a bargain: umbrella, hat, stylish personal-space-preserving-bubble and mousetrap in one. If you’re tempted, the dream starts here at Nubrella HQ.

Posted in WWWhat?

Thanksgiving, every day

Posted on by Cate

“Leah Dieterich’s mother always told her to write thank you notes. So she does. To everything. thxthxthx is her daily exercise in gratitude.”

Leah collects the notes on her website, which is a nice place to look every now and again (or every day, if you’re so inclined) for reminders about the little things that are good.

The happiness / positive psychology experts say that gratitude is one of the keys to happiness, but I like that Leah’s website doesn’t get too deep or preachy about that. Hers is more of the quirky thank you – to the people, things, places that you mightn’t normally think about. Like using your toothbrush, three day weekends, coffee and Mariah Carey. Leah’s website is here if you want to have a look.

Posted in WWWhat?

Face it

Posted on by Cate

I stumbled across this guy on a Sunday afternoon stroll through the virtual world and thought it was a story worth sharing. Essentially because he has a cool name and a funny face and a crazy idea. An irresistable combination!

Jack Blankenship is a student at the University of Alabama and he recently became something of a late night talk show celebrity in the USA due to his genius idea of bringing a giant cutout of his face (twisted into a pretty kooky expression) to college basketball games to distract the opposing team. Not sure where he puts his Face when his team is scoring (cos that Face will take everyone’s focus off the game) and I haven’t seen stats on the University of Alabama’s success rate, but I really like this idea.

And I see such potential beyond the basketball court… Babysitting troubles? Bring out that giant cutout of Cranky Daddy and that should do the trick! Productivity issues in the office? Hello giant CEO Face hanging from the ceiling panels! Worried about amorous teenagers on a date? Not when Grandma Annie’s frowning face is towering over them from the next row in the cinema! And if you could hook the giant Face up with eye-cams and speakers, teachers wouldn’t have to set foot in the classroom.

Nice work, Blankenship – am sure your funny face has a big future. I’m thinking of a “Just say no” sort of tie-in with giant billboards for an anti-drugs campaign or anti-speeding campaign. Or a new Happy Meal at McDonald’s. Something like that.


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Posted in Fashion Sparks, Sparks in the wild, WWWhat?

Sayonara, raindrops

Posted on by Cate

Rainy days make a lot of people cranky. Wet socks in wet shoes, wet hair on wet face, wet hands on wet iphones. And don’t even get me started on the disaster of an unexpected downpour when you’re wearing white. Let’s just say all those strangers aren’t staring because they’re concerned for your welfare.

But now you can take control of the elements and show those raindrops who’s boss. This Japanese (of course) umbrella design will help keep you dry and should also help to scare away any creepy dudes you may meet in dark alleys. (NB, if you are already able to fly above the rooftops, Crouching Tiger-style, this of course won’t be an important feature for you.)

I first spotted the umbrella on the fantastic Matomeno site (you will find it in the Rain Goods section) – it’s made by Kikkerland and is the perfect combo of function and form. It comes with a handy cover and carrying strap so you are always ready for action. There is also a mini version in case you prefer to keep your samurai skills on the down-low and want to tuck the umbrella in your handbag. You can see it on the Matomeno site here and buy it on the very cool Rakuten site here. Fear not the raindrops (or the dark-alley-dwellers), brave warrior.