Regular readers know I publish on the side at Trendhunter, a cool community that scores the net in search of everything trendy.
Actually if you are really curious to know into what direction fashion, style, architecture, design, hotels, marketing, advertizing and many more topics are moving: Trendhunter offers you a daily one stop opportunity to remain up to date.
Like me, you could consider to become a free member and enjoy the thrill of a hyper trendy and creative community.
Being part of that community enables me to share with you a sneak preview of a very interesting upcoming book by the chief of the tribe, Jeremy Gutsche, Exploiting Chaos.
Jeremy is becoming one of the trend gurus by his own of this era. More than 30,000 members of the community contribute he skillfully knitted together contribute trends to the TrendHunter site. Like no one else Jeremy has his finger on the pulse of the crowds, or the tribes like Seth Godin likes to call us. He offers great insight and a chance to reflect on the near future.
DID YOU KNOW THAT Hewlett-Packard, Disney, Hyatt, MTV, CNN, Microsoft, Burger King, and GE all started during periods of economic recession? Periods of uncertainty fuel tremendous opportunity, but they also reshuffle the deck and change the rules of the game. That’s where EXPLOITING CHAOS comes in…
Read in the Sneak Preview about the fast changes that affect big companies and how small entrepreneurs were and will be able to thrive on new ideas.
The book will be available in the bookstores from September 1, 2009.
You can now download a 45 page Sneak Preview for free!
Probably you all have seen the Ipod design for the Mini Rooftop. I Love it!
You might also know Mini offers an on line tool to Design Your Own Mini Roof Top. Unfortunately it is not possible to add your own image or logo in this tool. In the USA there is another Mini site: Roofstudio. However, I cannot get it working even after downloading the correct shockwave version to check if you can add your own design….I’m yet too busy to try it in photoshop, but I might.
Anyway, a Dutch Mini Website Top of Mini has held a competition for designers up to the age of 30 and recently announced the winners. I would like to share a few with you that I particularly like, some of them are winners, some not:
The winner and also my first choice is the one with the typical Checkered Dutch linnen or cotton pattern known under the name “Boerenbont” (i.e. something as “Checkered Farmer’s” see for more info in English Babylon). I don’t doubt this pattern is known elsewhere, as Dutch Merchants seem having it introduced almost everywhere. I certainly do like the association with the checkered flag that was used on many original Mini.
My second choice is the Knitted Dutch Flag. I have already predicted that in the direct future we are on out way back to knitting under the present economic down slide.
My third choice is the Google Map Mini. Almost impossible to make a stronger statement. Satellites know to find you.
Talking about maps: This one is very Dutch with a map of The Netherlands 1:300,000 on its roof.
Also very Dutch is this Delft Blue tiles design. Delft Blue is still an very touristy item for Dutch export. The Royal Delft Factory is worth a visit and attracts many visitors annually. And do you see that when you click? There is also a Marcel Wanders collection for sale.
There is also a Traffic Jammed British Flag nicely referring both to the British legacy of the Mini and the horrible daily Dutch traffic jams.
There are many more, but maybe another time.
via Design.nl Dutch Design on the Road
This is about the only prediction I’ll make for the future: We’ll be going back to knitting
As adults discover Facebook and Second Life, the cool kids are realizing that one reality is enough for anyone and are discovering knitting.
Found it while cleaning up my drafts in a (still) interesting article in the Independent by Rupert Steiner.
When, after a long flight, you are awaiting a bit groggily at the airport luggage check out for your luggage to appear, it can happen that your suitcase travels three times the carousel without you noticing it. At least that has happened to me. That won’t happen anymore when you apply the “Pop Top personalize your luggage idea” of Public, a British design studio working in a range of fields from graphic design to product design.:
PopTop is a new type of hard-shell luggage. Using a matrix of multi-coloured dots to create a glossy surface graphic, the further one gets away from the piece, the clearer the image becomes. Lines will initially be limited to a few designs, but PopTop hope to make a web-based design-it-yourself range in the future. Public was charged with delivering the concept as well as a PDF presentation to take to retailers.
Love the idea.
Director of Sleep
In my prior post I asked: “What is a Director of Sleep?”
I probed a bit further.
Usually a Director of Sleep is someone in a Hospital, a Mental or a Geriatric Institution who has specialized in sleep deprivation.
Thanks to the Learning Journey Blog and Cater Research I now know a bit more about the Director of Sleep of Travelodge.
As first Director of Sleep at a hefty UK pnd 60,000 Travelodge appointed Wayne Munnelly in January 2006: “To ensure that guests get a good night’s sleep in the hotel group’s 25,000 UK beds.” Apparently he was succeeded by Leigh McCarron.
He does not “sit on” the Board of Travelodge and he is not “married with children”. Puns intended, because although English is not my mother tongue I doubt Travelodge is using proper English on their site.
So where other hotels only have a Pillow Menu, Travelodge has real pro and he shows it:
According to an April 7th, 2008 Press Release Research by OnePoll in March 2008 carried out among 2248 Britons showed that the top 5 artists getting Britons sound asleep are:
1. Coldplay
2. James Blunt
3. Snow Patrol
4. Take That, and
5. Norah Jones
I kind of like it. I may even continue with a separate category: “The Director of Sleep Sez”
The Bar of the SO Hotel
The So Hotel
Hotel SO in Christchurch, New Zealand is another and massive (284 rooms of which 190 are pod size) Pod Hotel that opened on 6 November 2007. Room rates for a double start at an affordable NZ $ 89.
Its Team
The team is made up of people from industries as diverse as property development, hotel management, marketing and advertising. They believe this diversity in backgrounds is essential in providing the fresh perspective needed to develop an experience unencumbered by the traditional ways of designing and managing a hotel.
Its Philosophy
Some hotels offer a budget experience at a cheap price. Others offer a luxurious experience at a high price. SO believes that great design, great technology and great service should be available to everyone at a great price. Other than the “strict” pod hotels like Yotel Qbic and Easy Hotel it also offers bar, restaurant and business facilities.
Its History
Looking into its history and background is interesting. The Hotel has been developed by Dave Henderson who became famous in the middle 90ies for his struggle with the NZ tax authorities. It started when he claimed a tax refund that resulted in a tax review with a huge back taxes claim. It even put him into bankruptcy from which he was able to come back when he successfully overturned the tax claim. The whole story is documented in the feature film We’re Here to Help. The NZ release of the film coincided with the Hotel opening. (Note to myself: Have to advise Filmgirl whether it is feasible to have this film released at the Rotterdam film Festival).
The funniest thing is that the hotel is located in….the former Tax Office. After Henderson bought the property he refused to extend the lease of the Tax Office and after having them vacate the building he started converting the building in a hotel.
More Reading
It is also featured by The Guardian and
USA Today
VibAgent’s youngest Hotel Inspector Julian P. reviews Villa d’Este
Photo © Anne P.
On November 14, 2007 VibeAgent was officially launched. Read the official Press Release here at their Blog VibeAgent Launches to The World.
With much pleasure I have acted as a Beta tester for VibeAgent, see also my post VibeAgent: The Ultimate Web 2.0 Hotel Site? of June 13, 2007, because many of my comments and rants were taken very seriously and where possible used to enhance the quality of the site. The people behind VibeAgent have done a tremendous job at bringing it where it is now.
I choose this lovely photo of Julian P.,”VibeAgent’s youngest Hotel Inspector”, to celebrate this official launch, because this youngster will undoubtedly see many more exciting changes the Internet will bring to the travelers than I, or many of you, dear readers, will live to see.
His mom Anne reviewed Villa D’Este and graciously gave me permission to use this photo of Julian for a post. Since VibeAgent is out of Beta, I can direct my readers to her VibeAgent review of Villa D’Este without necessitating them to sign up or log in into VibeAgent’s site, although the experience of signing up is highly recommended!
When launched Qbic got featured on CNN. I didn’t see it myself. I red the transcript once, but thanks to fellow Blogger Época Alta I found the Youtube link:
The first Qbic Hotel is four months in operation now and its occupancy rates are reportedly over 90%.
