We know that the brain needs exercise in order to develop and get better. Here's a simple exercise to try either during the morning or evenings in your journal.

Successful podcast host James Attacher talks about creativity and suggests that each day we sit with our journal and write down 10 ideas for something. Pick any topic, and write down the ideas that come to mind. 10 in total. They can be really outlandish or even ridiculous. The idea is to exercise your brain, make it work and in turn make it better and more creative.

My version would be to pick a single word and then write down 10 words that rhyme with that. There's no time constraints, no judgement , it’s just a daily exercise that can get your brain working by creating and building new connections.

The outcome is that it helps your creativity and your innovative spirit.  Pick random words and the words you make up don't even need to exist - that's all part of the fun.
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It's your journal, your creativity, your innovative spirit, all deployed to improve your own brain. 
© GB

Okay, we have serious truck envy here in the Espresso office.  The Nicola One Electric Semitruck is a 2000 hp, 6 x 6 all wheel drive electric powertrain, that is driven by natural gas. It can haul nearly 2000 pounds more that its competitors, accelerates twice as fast, and goes up to 1200 miles without needing a fill up.

The design is cool inside as well. There are two full size beds inside, plus a full size fridge freezer, a cutting edge TV and a 15 inch touchscreen to control the action. It's got massive cabin space and check out the panoramic views from the space age cabin.

Who's behind the design?  Of course it's Tesla.

Super 8 Motels, a chain of hotels across United States of America, are upgrading all their rooms and in doing so, selling the art that has become synonymous with the hotel brand for decades. Many would say that the art is tacky, however what's interesting is the brand has created a pop-up in New York to sell this tacky art as they make way for more contemporary art.

The irony of the art is that the people who are actually buying this art from the pop-up New York store are exactly the people that they're trying to attract by updating their art in their motels.
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As part of their brand strategy you need to look backwards as well as look forwards.
Super 8 are famous for being everywhere and for being welcoming and perhaps the fact that their art is selling so well in New York is a claim that the brand and its identity is actually in better shape than they think.

Google has gotten together with Levi’s to create a space age trucker jacket that looks and feels like a regular jacket  one very big difference - It is woven with conductive yarn, it recognises touch and gestures allowing a jacket that can handle incoming calls, adjust volume, and even bring up navigation information.

The jacket talks to your phone over Bluetooth and with a little electronic loop on the cuff, can be removed when it's time to throw the jacket in the washer.

It is in production and is soon to hit the market but the Espresso likes it because it is a sign of things to come, not only in terms of great collaborations but also where interactive technology meets fabric and clothing.

Melissa Ambrosini is an international bestselling author, speaker and self love teacher. We catch up with Melissa after her return from the USA where she has been launching her newest book "Mastering Your Mean Girl".
Melissa’s work is centred around the mastering of your inner voice, your inner critic.  Melissa teaches us how to master your inner Mean Girl, smash through limiting beliefs, and ditch the self-doubt so that you can start truly living the life of your dreams.
If you feel held back, you will love this show. 

Stephen Covey, famous author of 7 habits of highly effective people said “ most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply”. Never a truer phrase was stated than this. Test it for yourself. When next you are in a coffee shop, or in a line at the supermarket, standing with friends, or sitting in a board meeting, listen to the conversations.
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Generally there is no one listening to truly understand – there is no curiosity. There is no asking of questions, it is purely an exchange of statements.  In most cases most people are not even listening to the person talking, they are thinking about their next comment, or worse still have their face in a digital device oblivious to what is being said and concentrating on other matters
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.
When you get home tonight to your loved ones, look them in the eye, and listen with true intent to understand  - lean in, smile, keep eye contact, be completely theirs in the conversation, ask questions, be curious, and magic will happen. 

Roam is a new network of co-living spaces offering a lease which lets you continually move from place to place. Once you pay your rent, you can then move to co-living spaces in places like Madrid, Miami, Bali or Singapore.

Roam plans to secure more locations throughout the world so that the digital nomads can move can pay one rent and then move from location to location at their own desire. They are not holiday homes they are instead an alternative way to think about work and living quarters. If you are a person on the move, working remotely and explore the world, then Roam may be a good option for you.

By combining co-living with nomadism the idea is that Roam will help alleviate the loneliness of coming to a new city and culture but not knowing anyone. Essentially once you have paid your rent, you lob into a Roam venue. You have your own bedroom, however you share living space, bathroom and amenities with others who are there. They may have been there for a while – they know the city or area you are in, so rather than turn up alone and not know anyone or anyplace, you have connectivity. Although the digital nomad is on the move, collaboration is a massive part of this culture.
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They are in beautiful locations, and if it takes your fancy to live the digital nomad life, then you will definitely want to look up Roam.

Trains in France have brought art into our commute. Thanks to a partnership with 3M the French rail system will now feature impressionist works in their train cars. The cars will carry artistic landscapes to the interior of all French rail cars by covering them in graphics which will depict impressionist art from the Musee D’Orsay, as well as the architecture of the palace of Versailles and images from the Cinema Gaumont.

The Espresso loves this idea in that we know the colour, designs and beautiful visuals can help the creative process. It may unlock people’s ideas whilst staring ahead or up during a commute. What’s more one of the more unexpected upsides is that it is believed to be linked to a decrease in vandalism and graffiti on French trains.
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Pretty cool concept and should this continue to work, and one that you could see transportation systems around the world copying.

Innovation is happening in very area of business.

For a long while, insurance, finance and financial planning and accountancy and the service industry believed that innovation was not important in their institutional world. Ideas like Trov are changing their view and mindset rapidly.

Trov is an insurance program done completely online which allows millenials to insure products one at a time. With the whole movement to minimalism, and simplification, millenials don’t want a whole lot of stuff, but what they do have is terribly valuable and needs to be looked after.

Trov is an on-demand insurance product done; completely via mobile, and allows you to look after the stuff which is most important to you. Phones, laptops, TVs, monitors, tablets, appliances, gaming, headphones, musical equipment, cameras, sports equipment – it is all covered by Trov.
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This is super cool concept and claims are as easy as sending a few text messages.  Trove covers against accidental damage, loss and theft. One to check out and if you are in an institution or service industry, have a look as it is coming to a town near you.
 

The Espresso loves ingenuity. Ingenuity normally comes when faced with a challenge or hardship which demands it.

In Kenya, Rural African farmers are using beehives set up strategically every 10 metres around their crops to keep elephants from trampling their produce. It turns out elephants re not very keen on bees and by having these beehives hung every 10 metres around their fields. It is having great success in keeping the elephants off their paddocks.
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The idea is that the bee hives, separated by 10 metres are linked up by a wire If the elephant hits the wire, it starts to swing the hive, and the swaying hive releases the bees, and hence the elephants are inclined to buzz off. The fences are affordable to produce and the upside is not only are the fields being protected, but the system is yielding  honey for the farmers their personal use or to on sell. A pretty clever idea and one that we love. 

Since 2007, Tour de Cure riders,volunteers, support crew, corporate sponsors and other supporters have raised in excess of $23 million and funded over 242 cancer research, support and prevention projects -  leading to 18 cancer breakthroughs. In their 10th Year they revisit the original ride from Brisbane to Sydney.
In this episode Gary reports from the road, and chats to Olympians, TV Journalists and Tour Support staff about the trials and tribulations of the road, their motivation for undertaking such a massive journey, and also gets behind the facade as they open up about some of the heart breaking stories that drive them to take part.
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To donate visit tourdecure.com.au/pages/donate#tdc_donation
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Unlock your Great Ideas, In and Out of your Workplace.
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One of our favourite guests, Nicola Newman is an artist, author, speaker, entrepreneur, business developer, gardening teacher, digital nomad and creativity-advocate. Nicola lives ‘an unconventional life’ and creativity has been the basis for Nicola’s life as it unfolds.
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We catch up with Nicola whilst travelling as a Digital Nomad around Australia. This show unlocks the tips and tools to allow you to push past your creative blocks and help unlock cracking new ideas. The ability to be able to problem solve is your greatest asset, and in this show, we talk about the ways and means to enhance your creative thinking ability.  

Execution is to be WorshippedEach week I am privileged to be able to speak to audiences around the country about the ways and means of generating cracking new ideas and unlocking your next great thought. Innovation and creativity is, and always will be, your greatest asset in life or business.

The way you solve a problem is unique to you and you alone. What goes on inside your mind can't be copied. However, ideas alone won't make you rich.

Consultant Danny Gilbert said "Innovation is rewarded but execution is worshipped". The true value of a great creative or innovative person is the ability to sit, ponder, stay with the thought, work it into an idea, and then most importantly, and step away from the coffee table and take the first step. No matter how small the step, take the first step.

Execution is sadly lacking in many areas of business and our personal lives today due to the fact that we don't break it down to the smallest possible piece to execute upon. Remember that many an idea die in boardrooms all across the world at this very minute because no-one stepped back from the table and took the first step towards their idea or dream.
I think that Danny Gilbert, is correct when he says that innovation is rewarded, but truly execution is to be worshipped. 
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Take one step today to bring your next great idea to life. 

Recently in the Espresso we spoke of the trend in work/lifestyle, with digital nomads equipped with nothing more than a laptop busy taking to the road in tiny homes – in order to design their perfect lifestyle whilst incorporating a job!
Now we have found the digital nomads next novel approach to their work environment: pod living in a LA co-working space. Podshare is a membership based co-living and working space which rents out sleep space to mobile workers.
The Espresso has spoken before about wireless shared work environments but this one incorporates both work and sleep environments allowing you a smaller space for both your work and personal needs. At the same time it encourages your creativity in the space by encouraging social, travel and freelance collaboration.
The digital nomad embraces collaboration, and the pod share space is equipped with modular murphy beds, working desk, lamps, flat screen TV’s, and of course, wi-fi.
This is a cool concept and we are no doubt going to see more of these life/work communities evolving as people look to cater for the digital nomad.

The bane of any cyclists’ life is the flat!

Now an inventor, Benjamin Krempel has developed a bike tube called the pumptire,  which uses the rhythmic compression of your tyres whilst you ride to automatically refill them, set a pressure and keep it there.

As the tyre goes round and round, a valve on the outside of the tube draws air into a pumping device that is naturally powered by the motion of the tyre moving across the pavement. Once the tyre reaches the desired level, it shuts off.  It also means, if you loose pressure in your tyres, it will automatically refill your tyre. The latest version has incorporated an anti-puncture layer, which offers additional protection from hazards such as nails, glass and thorns that normally create a flat.
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Currently on kickstarter, if you are an early adopter, you may like to jump on and check it out. 

Nutonomy is a Singapore start up that is trialling self drive cars on the freeways of Singapore. Could this be a sign of things to come?

Nutonomy have designed these robotic cars that use algorithms to safely and efficiently navigate complex environments, easily handle parallel, head on or back end parking, and carry decision making software which interpret the rules of the road and can safely navigate you from point A to point B.
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Currently working with world leading auto brands such as Jag and Land Rover, the Nutonomy is getting loads of talk from around the world and is surely one to watch! 

Industrial design is finding its way into all aspects of our lives: clean, simple minimalist and stylish is the order of the day. The Espresso team love the design of the Pavilion speaker that ticks all the boxes. It is a beautiful, sleek looking blue tooth speaker, and would easily suit any stylish home.  
It has been labelled “architectural audio". The spiralled copper pipe is not just for show – as that is what gives it its extra boost of base frequency. The oak top serves as a capacitive touch control, and the high-density concrete bottom helps eliminate rattles.  Looks hot and if you hook up a second unit, you get true stereo.
We like the design, we love the idea of it and we think it demonstrates how today’s homes are simple, stylish and minimalist.

Our personal lives have become more visually literate. Businesses now need to become more visually literate. That means that the look, style and images you portray are becoming ever more important for your customers and clients.

Photography has upped its game due to the visual nature of Facebook, Instagram and the like. At every event, concert, school performance, conference room meeting or social event. Everyone grabs for their phone to take a great snap.

However, some folk are into their photography and crave the old school camera.

Well now you can combine your iPhone with the look and feel of a regular camera with the Pictar iPhone Camera grip it gives you dual stage shutter release that lets you lock focus and exposure like an SLR as well as wheels for taking control of exposure compensation, zoom and ISO and or shutter speed Its got a strap to make sure you don’t drop it and it has the feeling and mounts like a normal camera. Its battery life ranges in months not hours or days supposedly.
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Pretty cool looking unit and one that those who love the functionality and ease of an iPhone but want something that feels more like a camera.  Currently available on Kickstarter, so jump on!

Crowd sourcing has become an every day part of our society and it is now even making its way into politics.
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Officials in Mexico City, have been looking to crowd source the city’s new constitution.  It is the world’s biggest experiment in social democracy.

The City’s nearly 9 million residents can now petition for issues they want to have included in the final document in the new constitution for Mexico City through change.org. If they get more than 5000 supporters, there is an official workgroup composed of representatives of the local civic society, academics, and other specialists who will then respond to the suggestions.
If more than 10,000 signatures are submitted, there is the opportunity to present your case in person in front of this committee.

This is a very interesting concept and one that is sure to spark interest as organisations, charities and government bodies look to truly see what their voters, listeners, and buyers want from their business.