The Espresso: Edition 108
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Wednesday August 24 2011

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Letter From the Editor- Edition 108

The Big Opening

Quite often before I'm about to speak at a conference the CEO or managing director will want to say a few words. Invariably the boss steps up and will gibber on for 10 or 15 minutes before departing to the back of the room and eventually out the door and off to something far more important than being with his troops at a conference. It doesn't happen just sometimes but all too often. Generally when they do address the team it is not prepared, has no structure, no message, doesn't communicate a vision and at the end of it you are left with a big 'so what'? So last week when I was about to run an innovation session, the head of strategy from a huge consulting firm addressed the troops. I was delighted when the message was articulate, inspiring, motivating and challenged the group to raise the roof to find the next great idea. If it's you and you are the leader and you are about to give that address, take some time to think. Actually prepare, put yourself in the shoes of the person sitting in the seat in front of you and make sure when you leave the stage or the front of the room you leave them with a 'so what?'. Leave them with something that they can do to be better. If you walk in as most do unprepared and just gibber for 20 minutes, then you are not demonstrating leadership, if anything you are sucking the mojo out of the room and having people question whether they are in the right company or not. Speaking is more about the thinking time you put into preparation, planning and design and less about what is actually being said on the stage itself. 

Entertainment

Shine a Light on Me

We are not sure what to make of this. It's innovative but also just a bit spooky. The Pan-Asian Restaurant Inamo uses some unique technology called E-Table which is designed to give its diners more control over their dining experience. Here's how it works. There are projectors mounted in the ceiling which turn the top of your table into a computer monitor. You use a touch mouse pad on the table to navigate your way around the table that has images of the meal that you may like to order projected onto your plate. Essentially this is an interactive computer screen which is projected onto your table which also gives you a live webcam feed of the kitchen to see what the chefs are up against. The scary part is that you can also play games and find out about whats happening in the neighbourhood near the restaurant. As if we needed more distractions or reasons not to talk to our dinner partner, now we can play with an interactive computer screen on our dining room table. The jury is out for us on this one.

Education

E-Renting

Its been reported that Amazon are now selling more e-books than hard copy. Once again they are teaching the publishing industry about the moving trends towards mobility. No surprises there. But this innovation did catch our eye: Amazon are now offering students to swap their big piles of textbooks carried from room to room and their backpack for a lighter, electronic e-book version for their e-readers, the difference being you can rent them. Obviously students prefer the lower prices that they can get by receiving e-versions of books which they may not want to keep forever. Amazon now allows students to rent single text-books on a pay-by-time rate with savings of up to 80 percent on 30 day rentals. Students can rent the books for a chosen period between 30 and 360 days and they only pay for the time they want.  IThis innovative system is now available on tens of thousands of text books and access through various reading apps like Kindle, iPad, Blackberries etc. A cool idea that will no doubt spread to others in the publishing industry. 

People

The Marriage Machine

The Espresso delights in bringing you new and interesting ideas, concepts and services that can unlock your great ideas. We also love bringing you the absolutely absurd. Whats absurd for one person might be a garden full of opportunity for another. We are pretty sure we know which camp this one falls into. The AutoWed Wedding Machine is part parking metre, part Cadillac, part cathedral. You wont believe this but it marries you. You press one for heterosexual, two for gay, 3 for lesbian and button four even helps you and your BFF tie the knot. Complete with plastic rings, the wedding march, soundtrack and tof course la creme de la creme....a divorce button to reverse the deal. This machine has it all. It's the perfect machine for those busy executives on the move who have five minutes between meetings to seal the deal. We are thinking of installing one at The Ideas Vault in Sydney so that in the morning tea break or after you have gotten your coffee you can get married before your session recommences. 

Technology

Not Under the Doormat

There was a time back in the day where you would never leave home without your wallet and your car keys. More recently it was wallet, car keys and mobile phone. Going forward it will just be your mobile phone. US based service Lockitron is removing the need to carry separate keys. Your mobile phone will soon do the job. It all works using a base hub which connects to your internet router and a specifically designed deadbolt system powered by four AA batteries. You then use your smart phone to unlock a pre-configured door from up to 15 feet away. Its astonishing what your mobile phone will already do for you and what equipment it has replaced from credit cards to cameras, MP3 players, photo albums and so the list goes on. This one according to Lockatron is compatible with most lock styles and comes complete with all the technology needed to set it up. No doubt there is an app to show you how it all works!

 

Recreation

The Swiss Army Camp

The Swiss Army Knife is the must have gadget. No doubt taking inspiration from the Swiss Army Knife the Swiss Room Box has created a portable modular living system which can be transferred from car to car. Essentially by sliding the box shaped unit over, holiday makers can access a sink, hob, dining table, picnic table, chairs, shower and even a double bed. Supposedly you can set up the whole thing without tools in under 15 minutes by fixing the base frame to your car. The only thing you need is make some extra connections to the electrics of your car to run the pump, water boiler, fridge and computer chargers. A pretty cool kit that would fit into the boot of any station wagon. The only downside is that you wont be taking any luggage unless you have some roof-racks!
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The Espresso is a weekly free newspaper designed specifically for those who want to look at things differently.

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Gary scours the world to find interesting tips, tools and news to give you a new or different perspective on the world around you.