CapsuleBlog

Post holiday blues

Is anyone else suffering from a bad case of post-Festivus blues? Now that the tree is wilting, the once pristine cookies are gathering mold and the anticipation has fizzled, it's really tough to get back into the swing of things. The worst time, though, is yet to come - right now, you see, we still have New Year's Eve (and another day off) in our midst. You just wait til this time next week.

In the meantime, though, what did you get for Christmas? At the recommendation of Brian Adducci and Dan Baggenstoss, I bought my significant other the ever-so-sexy gadget Jambox by Jawbone. It looks gorgeous and sounds decent - once you are able to rip it out of the armageddon-proofed packaging. It didn't quite ruin Christmas, but the ten minutes it took to figure out how to wedge the damn thing out of the plastic box was a buzz kill.

The one other time I had a serious issue with plastic clamshell type packaging involved me, a tent in the northern Minnesota boundary waters wilderness area, a large unidentifed animal prowling the campsite and an indestructible bottle of bear spray that I could not, for the life of me (literally), remove from the plastic packaging. Please, don't ask me to relive the whole story. Let's just say I am still here, still functional and willing to carry a pair of scissors on my next canoe/camping trip.

Have you heard about Giant Steps?

There's a cool event happening on October 1st we want to spread the word about. Giant Steps is a one-day, interactive conference plus an evening concert/after-party taking place in the Twin Cities on Friday, October 1, 2010. According to the website, it's a gathering of inspiring folks forging their own paths and designing their vision of work and life.

The daytime portion of Giant Steps will include interactive, large-group sessions with insights from some of our amazing contributors. There will be tons of info about -

• Getting started
• How they've evolved their work and their outlooks along the way
• What's worked...and what hasn't worked
• Interesting ideas and models for new ways of doing things

There will also be small-group workshops on a variety of practical subjects and focused group discussions. Some of the workshop topics and "mini-panel" discussions include:

• Understanding basic personal finance and links to your business finance
• Legal topics for entrepreneurs, artists, and independents
• How to write an amazing bio
• Networking and promotion
• Using social media effectively
• Gaining access and coverage for your work in the media
• Working with (other) artists
• Building an audience for your business / art
• Working with youth--for income and inspiration
• Exploring alternative funding models
• Building an on-line presence for you and your work

In addition, there will be photographers providing FREE headshots, a forum for exchanging information about useful resources, and The Storefront for Ideas from Works Progress.

There will be many opportunities--both organized and organic--to mix, mingle and meet the other amazing people in the room.

Capsule's Aaron Keller will be on one of the panels and we know this is going to be great!

The eternal office struggle...

Perhaps I should be thankful that more people aren't aware of this amazing decoy in the fight against lunch thieves worldwide. We wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing so many wonderful passive-aggressive notes.

Images from www.walyou.com

Genius

Admittedly, it is winter in the northern hemisphere right now and so you may not be thinking about the importance of solar energy at the moment, especially if you're anywhere near Capsule's home city of Minneapolis.

However, spring is only a few months away and before you know it most of us will be complaining about the heat all over again. Yours truly is blogging from Down Under at the moment and so in this blazing, sweltering place they call Australia, it's not difficult to see just how brilliant this idea is.

Yanko Design has come up with some sleek sunglasses that harness the power of the sun so that all you gadget geeks can charge your iPhones, iPods and other small electronic devices. How sweet is that?

Do you have your holiday cards done?

Congratulations to those of you who already have your holiday cards and letters done. But, if you are like me, another holiday season will pass by without a Christmas family photo taken or a year-in-review letter written.

But, let's be honest. The photos, if they are very lucky, will make it to your fridge for a month or so. The letters will get a quick once over and tossed into your junk drawer.

Of course, if I received cards that were as intriguing as this one, I might keep them for the mantle. The first thing that comes to my mind. OMG! She's passed away. Enjoy these at the Gallery of Unusual Christmas Cards. Link.

What Hell May Look Like

Imagine if your wall resembled your desktop. For some of us, it would be quite organized. For others, including myself, it would be a nightmare. A German company, Wir Gestalten designed this, I think. Of course, I have not studied German in 14 years.

It's interesting to imagine our virtual world moving into our physical space. Perhaps Monday I'll come to work dressed as my Yahoo Avatar.
Link.

Poo Paper?

Capsule is always looking for what's new in sustainability and what's better for the environment. As a design firm, we are no strangers to the impact paper manufacturing has on both our energy supply and our environment. Here's a interesting solution from Creative Paper Wales - the only craft paper mill in Wales, UK. Enjoy! Link.

Colorstrology

Having trouble picking a palette for redecorating? Can't decide between that navy or ruby sweater? Sage or pumpkin towels? Perhaps Colorstrology can help guide you. It provides you with Pantones that correspond to your innermost being based on your birthday. Our friend Lee Tran at VooDoo told us to check it out.

Just think, you can control your family's mood simply by painting their bedrooms the right colors.

I am a "Gifted Independent Communicator" and apparently, I need more lavender herb in my life for balance. Lavender herb? Sure, why not? Link.

Colorgenics

Here's a great time killer. Add it to your list of things that distract from work including checking your daily horoscope, your MySpace account and BoingBoing. I was left wondering, however, what happened to brown? I love brown.Link.

Bored at work?

Never fear! Readmechs are free toys designed to fit 8.5 X11 paper. So, when no one is looking, download the PDF and print it. Assembly should kill 10 - 15 minutes and then you can enjoy hours of playtime after that. You just need a little tape and the office printer.Link.