I have this special spot in my heart for the skymall catalogue (magazine available in your seat pocket on American flights that is of random gadgets)…I seriously would like to meet one of the buyers one day and hear what kid of ideas they reject because so far it looks like anyone with an idea can get their item listed in this catalogue shop in the sky.

The most recent gadget was intrigued with….Solafeet foot tanner -  because nothing is more embarrassing than tan lines on your feet and ankles (right, that’s way more embarrassing than taking off your shoes and tanning your feet in your office while using the world’s oldest desktop computer).

It can be yours for only $220

Other skymall finds - bug vacuum, trailer hitch hanging chair, truck antlers

I am all for new ways to promote things but this spin on ‘banner advertising’ ‘bugs’ me (lol this makes more sense when you watch it)

The promotion was at a book fair in Germany and was for a publisher who’s logo is a giant bug.  The campaign involved attaching ultralight banners to real live house flies.  The banners were attached by  natural wax which eventually disintegrated allowing the banner fall off so the flies can continue on to eating garbage and sh*t.  I am glad I wasn’t at this event (not that I would be at a book fair in Germany) as if one of those things landed on me I would have either screamed and run away or smashed it with a book.

Observe…. (you may want to turn your sound off – the music is nauseating)

For months now they have been working on this fancy cross walk at Oxford Street and Regent Street (corner of shopping and more shopping).  It is inspired by a Japanese design and is meant to move more people across the street faster…me I see it as a fancy death trap or a strange orchestrated pedestrian dance (video below).

I am going to have to wander down there at lunch one and see the £5million refurbishment for myself  but until then I can’t stop watching this video….I am particularly amused by the  group of confused people that get stuck in the centre of the crosswalk that almost look like they are going to lock arms and ’swing their partner round and round’  then as the light starts to change I watch anxiously at the stragglers run for their life – I can’t imagine it will be long before some doddler gets a bus bumper in the a**.

I can’t embed this video but you can  click here to watch the BBC Video

or here for one from the Guardian – not sure if non UK viewer can see them but let me know as I am sure more videos will be added in the coming days.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/nov/02/oxford-street-diagonal-crossing

Thanks to DKB for sending this to me

Last night we went on a zombie themed pub crawl in celebration of our friend’s 30th birthday and halloween.  I hadn’t done the whole gory costume thing before and have always had an aversion toward fake blood so wasn’t sure how the costume situation would work out.  In the end the hubby and I decided to go as zombie golfers, the hubby was the golfer and I was the caddy – complete with bloody golf balls stuck in our head and golf tee injuries.

Unfortunately the hubby had plans prior to the pub crawl so I had to take the tube covered in fake blood all by myself.  Also it was only 3pm I was well and truly the only person on the tube all dressed up – I got some pretty strange looks from fellow passengers and fearful glances from kids.  The most awkward was when an older woman got on the tube and sat down across from me.  She looked at me then looked away then looked at me again then started digging in her purse.  At this point she carefully unfolded two tissues and handed them across the tube to me presumably so I could wipe the blood off my face.  I politely declined following which she looked at me and started shaking her head like ‘ tisk tisk – kids these days, they just go running around with blood dripping out of their head’.  Anyway I felt  a bit bad but luckily mine was the next stop so I safely got away from the disapproving passenger.

Overall it was a great night filled with gory and bloody costumes – I am pretty sure it wasn’t the only one that woke up with a headache and red stained skin (and hair) from the fake blood – I am hoping it will fade before work tomorrow.

Pic’s below of parts of our costume and below that a link to a halloween song that they used to make us listen to in French class every year.  I haven’t a bloody clue what they are saying but I had the chorus ‘c’est l’halloween, hey’ stuck in my head all weekend – I hope you find it as annoying as I do.

Contrary to popular belief there were not elastics in the golf ball when we cut it open, just solid plasticy stuff

Golf tee injury - what the woman was offering me tissues to clean off

The hubby's head wound

C’est l’halloween song….(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy5V1lD_0Rs)

So I figured I would go with a halloween theme as I do enjoy the creativity behind outrageous costumes.  I have already posted about cat wigs and dressing babies like food items but today’s theme is dogs.  How can you not love the bemused faces on these adorable little fur balls!

Nope, we definitely aren't in Kansas anymore

This guy invented the downward dog (a little yoga joke cause I went to classes...or one class...whatever)

This guy could get his orienteering badge in his sleep

How can you not love this one...this is like one of those 'stars without makeup' pictures but is more 'stars without waxing'

And cause I just couldn’t resist the faces on these little ones….two baby costumes

I am not sure the gag here is to actually sit on the thing, but then again maybe it is? (yes, you probably should not leave me alone with your kids)

Again, not sure you are actually supposed to hang this from your rear view mirror but it might add to the effect

Dog pictures unabashedly stolen from: New York Magazine

WTF?Friday

Halloween here doesn’t come with as much of the hoopla as it does in Canada and the US.  It does seem that people do dress up for parties.   After a discussion with a colleague however we realised that their costumes tend to have a scary/spooky theme versus at home where most girls use it as a chance to dress up as their slutty alter egos and guys dress up in whatever is lying around the house that can qualify as a costume so they can be at the same party as the aforementioned gals.

They also don’t seem to go door to door trick or treating here like they do at home which is good cause I was never good at giving away candy – I don’t share well

Anyhoo while in the US last month I couldn’t resist taking pictures of some of the many Halloween themed items.

Nothing says halloween like a card featuring Obama – who gives halloween cards anyway??

Toothpaste and hand wash? – apparently the containers even glow in the dark!

Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of the halloween plasters (band aids), kitchen roll (paper towel) or plastic lunch containers….overkill??

Today we set our clocks back an hour and when discussing it with some Brits on Saturday night I recited the ’spring ahead fall behind’ rhyme to them as they were saying they could never remember which way the clocks went…I was met with blank stares as they dont call this season Fall here so falling behind didnt seem to make much sense.

Fall is something that leaves do off of trees or drunk people do to the tracks on the tube every so often (often enough that they have posters in the tube warning you of the dangers of falling on the tracks)   The season here is called Autumn which sounds more posh than fall – the more I think about it, fall is a bit of a weird word to use to describe a season. ‘Its a nice fall day’  – to those used to using the word autumn sound more like a pleasant day to hurt yourself versus a day to jump in a pile of leaves.

Above and beyond the use of Autumn for the season I have also heard the word autumnal (ah-tom-null) used more than I ever thought I would hear a word which means autumn like or has characteristics of autumn. This dish is made of autumnal vegetables  or the weather feels very autumnal.  When I needed something to explain fall characteristics I would just say fall-like ie ‘its a fall like day out there today’.  Which admittedly sounds like I am a teenager who over uses the word ‘like’ um like its cold and like fall-like outside.

Regardless, I successfully changed my clocks back and enjoyed a very autumnal day – although it was gorgeous and sunny here and warm enough to be out without a coat which felt more spring-like or springtumnal.

Loved this video cause once you see it you know this penguin is thinking WTF?
Forward to the 41 second mark…quick synopsis – hungry whales chasing delectable penguin

The 90’s wasn’t all Super Mario brothers and New Kids on the Block…it was also Glamour Shots! The best in shopping mall photography studios complete with mood lighting, bedazzled shirts and collar popping.  Every  girl wanted to see what she would look like behind a filtered lens with teased hair.

Anyhoo it seems that this concept has evolved a bit and Estee Lauder is inventing glamour shots 2.0 – Your Beauty, Your Style, Your Profile – a makeover and photo shoot for you to use on your social networking site.

And I quote Estee Lauder – ‘From a sultry look for your dating profile to a clean chic photo for your professional page’ (ha!  love it…and by sultry they mean slutty and chic they mean slutty)

I do actually think this is a great idea and is a very creative way for a brand to interact with the world of social networking .  It also speaks to their target female market whom obsesses over profile pictures and spends days untagging themselves from unflattering pictures (presumably the picture will be glaringly subtly branded so all the other girls know where to get one of their own).

I only wish they were doing it here in the UK as I never did get to get a real  jean shirt/blue eyeshadow/collar popping/feathered bangs glamour shot done.

I know I tend to complain about customer service but this one takes the cake.You  can read the full story on the eye witness’s blog but his post goes like this (read his, its better).

A tube train was approaching a station and unbeknownst to the travellers on the tube, it was terminating at that stop. Everyone had to get off the train onto the crowded platform. An elderly gentleman was slow to get out of the train carriage so as he was getting off the doors closed trapping his arm. Once released from the door he calmly told the story to a TFL staff member called Ian whom didn’t find feel he had a relevant complaining so started yelling expletives at him to stand back from the platform as a train was coming.  After a few minutes of Ian’s special brand of customer service the blogger whom was a witness in the crowd took out his video camera to film the well handled complaints process…. listen around the 50 second mark when he recommends slinging the guy under the train.

PS – Ian, the TFL employee has since lost his job – surprisingly, I thought that might be grounds for a promotion, the nerve of the old man to take his time getting off the train.

Thanks to Tim for sending me the story