The Espresso: Edition 126
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Wednesday January 25 2012

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Letter From The Editor- Edition 126

Looking Back

Everyone is back and your Chrstmas and New Year break is all but a distant memory. Over the Christmas period, as I normally do on weekends, I spent a fair bit of time on the tractor thinking, pondering, dreaming and taking care of paddock maintenance. On one particular day I was clearing a paddock with the slasher when I stopped to clear some rocks. I jumped back on the slasher and continued to work when after going around 400 metres I looked back and realised that I hadn't engaged the blades and I had in fact done a lap of 400 metres and got no result. If the slasher is not engaged then it is not cutting! The lesson for me is that quite often we get so intent on taking care of our work and we are so focused on whats ahead we forget to stop, look over our shoulder and make sure that everything is working and to appreciate whats gone on. Before you start jumping into your new years resolutions, your goals, dreams and aspirations for 2012 make sure you have a good look over your shoulder and appreciate all that has happened; the good; the bad and the ugly in 2011. Children in schools are good at reflection but as we get older we get so caught up in our 'to do' lists  and our goals we forget to appreciate and reflect. A famous cowboy in America once said that the fastest way to move cattle is slowly. Had I slowed down and gazed at the blades behind me it would have been a more productive session. Had I taken the time to reflect I would have had more productive results. This is also important if you own a leadership position; that you stop with your team and reflect, reward, think about, analyse and correct before charging into the new year.

Beverage

My Moet 

Its a no brainer thank you gift to give a bottle of wine. You go to the bottle shop grab a bottle, write on a card and attach it. Well now luxury Champagne brand Moet & Chandon have unveiled a limited edition keepsake that takes giving a bottle of wine to a whole new level. The Gold Premium Jeroboam is a hand made iconic imperial bottle which can be customised by adding a hand written message. The bottle is wrapped in gold leaves, hand guilt by artiasn Arthus Bertrand and it features a gold medalllion and a real wax seal. It also comes with a specially crafted pen that you can use to add your own personal touch by signing the bottle and putting a hand written message on it. We have written before about the trend of personalisation and this is a unuique way for Moet & Chandon to personalise their product and provide a great gift giving idea and taking the thought out of what to buy for that difficult to buy person. 

Retail

The Shipping Container to the Rescue

Last year we talked about the shipping container in Shoreditch Park in East London; the first pop-up shopping centre made from shipping containers. We have talked about the shipping container being a cafe, a jail, a supermarket for food deserts, a retail store, a house and a series of condominiums. Now the humble shipping container is being used a temporary retail centre on the site of a shopping mall destroyed during the Christchurch earthquakes. Restart have used shipping containers to form a temporary retail centre on the site of the Kashall Mall that was destroyed in last February's earthquakes. The precinct currently features 27 shops including a series of cafes and entertainment precincts. There is no doubt that we have started a revolution for the humble shipping container and it's safe to say that it will never be seen or considered just for its primary use.

Technology

Tracking Oldies

Inspired by the high profile missing child case in the US company GTX Corp has developed a shoe with a built-in GPS that can monitor and locate old people with Alzheimer's disease. Designed as a fashion shoe with a compartment that can have a small tracking device added, family members and carers can now rest easy as by simply using their computer or iPhone they can track where a loved one with Alzheimer's may be. The shoe can also be programmed to identify certain boundaries and if the person wearing the show crosses certain boundaries an alert is sent to the family member or carer notifying them of the activity. With nearly 5 million people in the US suffering from the disease this is sure to find a market. We believe that similar shoes have been developed for monitoring children and the elderly. It makes perfect sense and we are delighted to share news of something which makes the world a better place for those in need.

Outdoors

Comfort and Security

Anyone inspired by Ewan McGregor's adventures on his motorcycle travelling across countries will love this idea. It may even appeal to a few mountain bikers. If you are travelling across country on your bike and roughing it in a tent it can be challenging to get a good nights sleep when you are worried about the security of your motorcycle outside. Now Redvers has created its first motorcycle friendly tent. The Series Two Expedition Tent features a spacious garage bay that could be used to not only shelter your motorbike but also in bad weather you could use the space to cook or just use it to store more stuff. Pretty cool idea that was born out necessity and we believe is sure to find a market.

Community

The New Pirate Radio

New York commuters were the first to be able to use the pirate Wi-Fi network The L Train Notwork. Setup by a creative collective called We Make Cool Shit the L Train Notwork is a project that only ran between 8.00 am and 10.00am each moring for five days in November. The pirate Wi-Fi network enabled people on the L Train to talk to each other and also give them access to exclusive writings and images each morning. It's the kind of cool stuff that people will find attractive and it certainly is a sign of more stuff to come as creative collaboration, crowd sourcing and boundaries are pushed. Click the link below to see how it went.

The L Train Notwork
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