Paper Robots: Stimulating the Brain through Hand Crafting…

There’s something pretty cool about a company (Magnote) whose motto is “reaching beyond,” a product (PIPEROID) that beckons you to “create your creativity” by a process of “Cut, Fold, Connect” and its designer (Takashi Tsunoda) who strongly believes in “Teaching Values Through Handcrafts.” But what’s even cooler is the looks… more »

It’s for Real and it’s a Rosenthal…

Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle had a full page ad for Bloomingdale’s promoting their “Fun & Festive” gifts for $100 or under. So I perused it and noticed what looked like a broken vase in the lower left corner. ??? Was that a joke? Did someone muck up the photoshoot? So… more »

Need for Speed: Notable Quotable from Pixar’s “Maverick Director”

Steve Pond’s column for The Wrap (Pixar’s Maverick Director: How I’d Tweak Our Formula for Success) had an awesome notable quotable: “…I came out of TV animation, where you work on the kind of schedule where you don’t have time to doodle. It was a really good testing ground, because… more »

Milk Industry: Got Crisis?

The headline shouted, “The U.S. Milk Business Is in Crisis’ .”  The Wall Street Journal ran a story on the front of the Marketplace section about how the decline in milk consumption has got dairy farmers, milk processors and grocery chains concerned. Really? I say welcome to the new normal…. more »

Express Yourself: Apple Store’s In-and-Out Service…

I was in the Apple Store in downtown Walnut Creek yesterday to get my MacBook Pro looked at by a Genius Bar technician. On my way out, I was taken aback by the rows and rows of iPod Shuffles, Nanos, regular iPods in all colors. What the…? Maybe you’ve been… more »