The Espresso: Edition 130
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Wednesday February 22 2012

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Letter From The Editor- Edition 130

The Gentle Art of Creativity

During a speech in Brisbane recently I happened to speak to a CEO of an organisation who told the story about his back pain. He had been suffering lower back pain for some time and it was starting to hinder him at his favourite sport, being tennis. In his younger days he competed on a professional level but had been finding that these days his back was preventing him from playing pretty much at all and when he did play he had to wear a back brace. He was recommended to a physio who gave him some gentle exercises which after doing two weeks later had freed him up and now he is playing tennis as well as he was when he was a kid. He said that it was hard to believe that such gentle exercises were able to do the trick. It's the same thing with creativity. Everybody is after the silver bullet or the new technique or tool to find new and great ideas yet by using the gentle art of creativity and going back to the fundamentals you can start to unlock great ideas. The gentle art of creativity is taking time to think. It's being still and quiet. It's about focusing on one thing at a time and doing one thing at a time; and that is thinking. It's disconnecting from technology and going for a long walk, it's sitting under a tree with a piece of paper and truly concentrating on one issue and pondering it in your own mind through 'what else, what else'. It's believing in your ability and making creativity a priority in your day. It's not that hard but is surprising how few people can do it. Maybe its time to go back to the gentle art of idea generation and stop trying to be creative by use of a sledgehammer. 

Health

Gotta Get Some Sleep

Is there anything worse than trying to get some sleep when you are next to somebody that snores? Tokyo’s Waseda University have developed a Polar Bear Robot that is thought to be a step towards helping those that snore. Known as Jukusui-Kun, the polar bear shaped robotic pillow is designed to measure and respond to blood oxygen levels and the snorer's sound levels to help alleviate this issue. Essentially what happens is that the bear is connected to your hand which measures your oxygen levels while the microphone embedded in the pillow records your noise levels. This is then wisely attached to a terminal which analyses the data material. When they reach a certain level the polar bear gently rubs its hand across your face encouraging you to roll over. Apparently Sports Illustrated Magazine are also prototyping a version where a supermodel rolls over and whispers in your ear.

Fashion

What The...

Every now and then you come across an ad campaign which really stops you in your tracks. When a subscriber recently sent us a link to a site using a male model as the talent for a push-up bra campaign we were stopped in our tracks. Imagine the creative who sat in the boardroom of the agency and pondered the concept of not using a well endowed female in their advertisement, instead hiring a Serbian male supermodel to be the headline star in their lingerie ad campaign. Apparently this male supermodel has modelled as a woman previously but still it’s a pretty interesting spin and an amazing innovation which will no doubt attract plenty of street talk!

Fitness

On The Road

Every gym these days seems to have televisions mounted to the wall that enable people who are exercising to be distracted whilst they spend their time getting fit or losing kilos. Now US company Virtual Active and bitgym have come up with a free app that enables you to virtually travel through iconic locations around the world whilst you are on the exercise bike or treadmill. It's all done through the first person point of view and by placing the device on your exercise machine the app will monitor your pace and adjust the screen speed to your actual pace. Using vibration based exercise tracking it monitors your speed and if you decide to take a break and stop exercising then the screen will also stop moving. Apparently it is compatible with treadmills, stationary bikes and the like and there are 10 different videos which you can purchase. The app is free but if you want to use it then you have to pay…go figure. I guess if you need to concentrate on something else apart from what you are actually doing i.e exercising then this will be a great app for you. Judging by the number of people who are distracted by their iPhones in the gym then there is probably a big market for this.

Music

Pin It On me

Back in the day pins with the picture or name of your favourite artist were big business. Today Playbutton have paired the concept of a great album pin with a wearable music device. The front of the button typically features the artwork of the album cover while the button itself acts as a small music player allowing you to play the music from that album. Not dissimilar to an iPod Shuffle, you can't re-arrange the songs on the album but you do have controls such as play, pause, skip and volume control. Powered by a lithium battery this one will certainly be for early adopters.

Technology

Whats on TV

There is no doubt that we are now barely scratching the surface on just how the iPad can be used. VLux iPad stands now turns your iPad into a TV. Setup like an old 1950’s style TV set and available in three different finishes (Walnut, Cherry and African Mahogany) the Vlux TV Stand offers cable access for audio and power and a hidden speaker cabinet that allows you to swivel and tilt the screen making it more like a TV. We are going to see more and more innovations based around the use of the iPad and the accessories that go with it.
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