Not mushroom for good names

After going to the cinema last night, I was hit by the usual previews for horror films that appear at this time of year. However, it seems that as the Halloweens have past, all the good horror names have been taken (then remade about 5 times each).

So, in the next few weeks I'll be looking forward to seeing the terrifying 'Pathology' and the gruesome 'Shrooms'. They don't kill 'em like they used to.

A recent post by NP on confidence when presenting work made me think about my own approach to it. Last Friday, my team and I had to do a group presentation to win the chance to win the chance to win the chance to present at Cannes. We had some good plans for making the EU more appealing in the UK and this got us past the first round, but then something strange happened...
I realised I actually enjoy doing presentations. It may not seem like a big deal, but compared to when I first arrived at Uni and felt like I was talking to a group of (vaguely interested) lions, it's quite a change.

Exactly what has caused this change I don't know. It may just be the sheer volume of presentations I've done has made me lose the sense of pressure involved. On the other hand, it may be that I'm just proud of the work I do now.

I feel like my ideas and insights are actually worthwhile and relevant these days, so rather than needing to do a presentation to pass the course, I now want to do them to show something I have found, or come up with, that I think people will find interesting.

Plus I like using pretty pictures....

You'd better read, read, read, read, read, read, read...

Having recently been thinking of song titles/lyrics for a project I was working on, I was reminded of how important it is to think about everything to do with that song/band/scene etc. before using it.

One of the funniest examples I can remember of this going wrong is with Smile.co.uk. the Internet bank.

Now while I love the song 'Smile' by the Supernaturals, it does mean that I continue to sing it in my head after the advert finishes and unfortunately for them, I remember that the next line after the cut is:

'You'd better smile... because that's all you've got left.'

Probably not the best tag-line for a bank...

Card Sell

A quick question for any business types out there. Would you still keep a business card if it was slightly thicker (about 2x) then a regular one? And keep in mind, it would be a visual delight! All opinions appreciated, even if they're just a personal, curse filled attack on my character... Thanks!

Juice + Fashion =

I recently came across 'Doy Bags' (www.doybags.com). A company run by a women's co-operative in the Philippines, that uses old recycled juice packs to create some pretty cool looking bags.

To me, the company seems exactly how a business of this kind should be run. The items are really good, but not overly priced, it is environmental in a way that is innovative and can be easily seen, but most of all, the website makes the whole business seem very transparent, even using pictures of the workers and the recycling/making process.

My only complaint is that I don't know a lot of the juice companies used in the items. The moment they get an Innocent man-bag, I'm there!

What would Jesus drink?

There are so many energy drinks out these days, that the only way I can decide which one to buy is by mentally playing out a fight between the animals they're named after. Which is why the poor Red Rooster will never pass my lips... I just can't picture it beating a bull or a bear, let alone a shark!

Luckily Coca-Cola have made a new energy drink ridiculous enough to beat them all. Sure, it would be pleasant to have the energy of a bull, but why bother when I could be a 'RELENTLESS INFERNO'.

A Relentless Inferno! Take a moment to fully comprehend the power of those words. I'm fairly confident that if I drank it, I would explode in a ball of very alert fire.

And all of this is backed up by a can with such dark colours and ludicrously unreadable writing, that it manages to look like a cross between a real Ale and the Bible. I also received a money off voucher for it, which included the line 'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the energy to change the things I can'. It's like some sort of holy miracle can!

I love things that are over the top and a biblical energy drink is just about silly enough to earn my money. Plus it would easily kill a bull...