I am an Apple fan 100%, so this Ad caught me by surprise….interesting that this problem even exists and is bad enough to spend money on!!!
This is a campaign run in Australia aimed at creating awareness of the number of teenagers dying as a result of listening to iPods whilst crossing the road…can you believe that one!
Story originally see on Coolhunter.
Posted by: Candice
I think this year is going to be bigger and better than 2007….there is something about that sharp seven that I didn’t really like….now the new chubby 8 of 2008 is going to be a cracker. Big decisions, big drama’s just big everything …. not saying it’ll be way better than 2007 (hopefully) – but just way bigger. I’m excited!
Posted by: Donna
Filed under: Blogging, Life, Organic, Technology, Work/Life Balance | Tags: balance, Cyber hippy, freedom, freedom fighters, Technology
For a while now I have been grappling with a ‘secret’ contradiction… I have a problem with balancing my quest for freedom vs. my love of ‘most things’ technological.
I often preach that the internet is the one final frontier left for ‘freedom fighters’, BUT I keep thinking that at some point there may be an ‘up-swell’ of people that will reject the world of the computer/intenet/mobile to once again ‘find freedom and themselves’… On one side I get this [and I may even join the group.. if I can bring my laptop and iburst!]….NO really…..it would be cool to sometimes just go into total ‘switch off mode’ [eeekk!] and run away from the world and its noise.
The reality though, is that technology has become such a part of my life [I can just hear some of you saying.. sooo sad] and no matter how I try to reject it, I simply cant. I feel isolated, cut off and insular without it.. far from free…
So that got me thinking, will we ever get to the machines vs. humans [ala Matrix] stage? Are we pushing forward to fast and hard…forgetting [in part] what makes us human…personal interaction? Part of me wants to throw off my shoes and run carefree [wind in the hair etc etc] in a green meadow with grazing sheep, feeling the earth ooze beneath my feet.. I am a hippy at heart BUT the other part wants to create, surf, dig and interact with as much new technology as I can get my hands on… can I have it all?? Maybe I should call myself a cyber hippy?!
In the end I suppose its about finding my personal balance in a world of high speed and change.. not an easy one….
Posted by: Cyber Hippy [aka Candice]
Filed under: Life, Lifestyle, Work/Life Balance | Tags: Life, Work/Life Balance, Yoga
Work-Life balance…….? In life its all about enjoying the journey and not rushing to the destination – just like Yoga!
On Monday I took my first Bikram class in Jozi. I’ve done tons of Sivananda Yoga when I was living in LA – I actually even signed up to do a Teachers Training Course in Grass Valley- Cali, but I had a little bubba instead. I’m still thinking I should do a part time course here in SA it’s just a matter of finding the right place to do it. My first Bikram class turned out to be a huge hit, today my body is aching all over but that is purely because I have practiced the practice for ages. The class started at 5:30am but you had to get to the studio at 5:00am if you were a new comer. I got there 15 minutes late my bad luck, but I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, being yogis no-one stresses – right? WRONG! The woman at the front desk was abrupt and stated in a rude manor that we were 15 minutes late and that we had to register and that she had to run through the breathing techniques for the class. I thought that was very un-yogi-fied but it didn’t stop me wanting to try out the class. It turned out that she was the teacher – great thats my kinda luck!!!
Well the day got brighter with a few stars.. from all the heat in the studio! I don’t recommend this for the faint hearted – if you can‘t stand the heat in the kitchen then you’ll have serious difficulty lasting in here. You walk into a room of extreme heat, it’s like Durbs in the summer with highest humidity ever – but I love that even with the frizzy hair! Throughout the class you do slow moving asanas with with rythmic breathing. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I managed to sustain the full 90 minutes and the after feeling – wow it’s priceless!! What a great way to start the day, it beats any Kelloggs. I highly recommend you get on it and maybe I’ll see you there. If I get to go twice a week.. that’s depending on my 11 month old daughter, if she gives me the time of day to focus my third eye.
“Expand. Evolve. Grow. Forget not the goal. Awake. Achieve the goal”.
Yoga is the Way!!!
www.bikramyoga.co.za
www.sivananda.org
Posted by: Donna
Filed under: Branding, Design, Life, Trends | Tags: Branding, Design, Life, Trends
In the past couple of weeks, I have been doing research on the current international trends in the field of Visual Communication and after observing I noticed that in countries like the USA, U.K. and Japan, Graphic designers in those places have already formulated some form of and Identity / branding that makes their countries stand out. This is basically through the fact that not only are creatives in these so called trendsetting countries inspired by their surrounding but they always emphasizes/incorporate some form of inspiration from their countries. This is what gives each country a form of visual Identity, which I feel many South African designers still lack in emphasizing in the design work that they do.
Why aren’t designers taking full advantage of our diversity, culture that South Africa has to offer/offers. The more designers continue to basically follow every contemporary trend out there, the further we are from formulating a trend that is truly African and authentic in terms our our cultural heritage. I feel it is about time designers realized the greatest inspiration we have and that is South Africa.
Take the Japanese for example, a country very much proud of there cultures heritage and is the main essence of inspiration with everything that they do. They “Flaunt” it in every thing that they do which is why they are in the forefront of everything that they do. They don’t follow trends, but become trendsetters through finding inspiration from culture and their country basically.
We as South African Designers should -every now and then- put switch off those Macs and go outside and draw some inspiration from South Africa. I say this basically as I feel it is just the remedy we should utilize in setting a Design Visual Identity which will make the rest of the world stand up and follow our trends for a change. All in all, take time every now and then to explore your environment whether be it Soweto, Sandton or even the Karoo, I for one have to stop typing and hurry up to catch the Taxi from Sandton to Alexandra then to Randburg now that’s what I call true inspiration…hehehehehehehehehe.
Posted by: Mpumelelo
Some of the team were fortunate enough to meet [da man] Robin Sharma [author of the best seller The Monk That Sold His Ferrari] – hence the cheesy title of this blog. What a cool aura the guy has.. Check us out! HA! Famous [by default for 1 second]!
Filed under: Environment, Global Warming, Life | Tags: earth, emergency, green, recycling, tips, vegetarian
COME ON PEOPLE!!! It’s about time you became green (a recycler or even better a vegetarian), but I know it’s a tall order for most humans, giving up what they love (meat-heads) and practicing karma yoga (cleaning up after ourselves).
So hopefully I can turn one more person into an Earth Child or an Earth Addict if you’re not one already. If you’re not then you have a lot to learn so start educating yourself, I can help you out with 10 great tips that will make a difference to Mother Earth:
- Turn off equipment like televisions and stereos when you’re not using them. That little red standby light means they’re still using power – and that means a contribution to global warming.
- Save water:
- turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
- collect the water used to wash vegetables and salad to water your houseplants. - Recycle your paper, glass, plastics and other waste. Drop off at Recycling Depot that’s closest to you. [Department of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning].
- Use rechargeable batteries
- Send e-greetings instead of paper cards.
- Take your own bags to the shops to carry home your groceries and shopping – Woolies have great ones in all cool colours.
- Buy organically grown fruits, vegetables, cotton clothing, and hemp-fibre products. Become a vegetarian!!!
- Don’t buy bottled water if you know your tap water is safe – transporting water from its source to the supermarket shelves is an expensive waste of energy. And the plastic and glass bottles add to the already-high mountains of rubbish that we produce. Find out from your municipality about your tap water. If you do buy bottled water, buy from a local source (read the labels) and buy water that comes in recyclable glass or plastic.
- Choose biodegradable cleaning products so that the chemicals have fewer negative impacts on the soil and water system.
- Use recycled paper.
FURTHER READING:
The Green Consumer Guide by I Elkington and I Hailes. Collancz, 1988.
How to be Green by J Button, Century, 1988.
Once is Not Enough, Recycling Directory, Argus, 1990.
Your Guide to Green Living in South Africa, W McLintock, Londolozi, 1990.
USEFUL ADDRESSES:
Wildlife Society, P O Box 44189, Linden, 2104.
Earthlife Africa, P O Box 176, Observatory, 7935.
Cape Recycling Network, P O Box 238, Hout Bay, 7872.
Posted by: Donna
