In through the outfield

MUST get1.com

As many inventors are all too aware there are many sharks out there ready to rip-off those less experienced. So it comes as a pleasant surprise to find a commercial website that wants to to help bring new products to market without the sting.

As well as selling innovative products (many first seen on Dragon’s Den) MUST get1 gives useful information and advice to inventors and would be entrepreneurs. New products very often début first on MG1 either as full launch products or as marketing trials.

As well as my old friend the Milli-grip spanner I came across a remarkable new take on that old favourite the umbrella, which according to Wikipedia dates back to at least 2,000 years BCE. This one is called the Fanbrella and avoids all of the complicated and dangerous springs and spars of the traditional folding design.

Unfortunately the promotional website is not as professional or detailed as I would have liked, so I can’t get a clear view of how it works.

ebic 2008 and Flight Memory.com

I’m off to ebic 2008 on Wednesday for the TFPL organised conference of which I was a regular attendee a ten years or so ago. After a gap of a couple of years they have revamped it in the form of a “networking event for people working in the knowledge and information arena”.

I am looking forward to meeting some old and new faces from the profession, and to seeing Berlin again after a ten year gap. At that time it was the largest building site in Europe as it adjusted to the removal of ‘the wall’.

Appropriately today’s Net@Nite with Leo and Amber included Flight Memory, a new flight tracking website which enables you to record previous trips and produce cumulative data. It also generates a map similar to the ones found in the back of the airline magazines showing where your flight routes.

They will also calculate your total time in the air, distance flown and even keep track of aircraft types and airlines. All they need to add is the amount you have added to global warming to complete the picture.

Dead Wringers and the Thatcher Nut Cracker

I’m not sure if the current trend for politically inspired products indicates a growing disenchantment with politicians (of all flavours). Or is just another unexplored niche in the crowded household products market.

One of our success stories Bill Anderson has developed a range of salt and pepper grinders under the brand Dead Wringers. He hopes to expand the range beyond the existing set of politicians and royals to include celebrities. You get the chance to vote for who’s neck should be next on the line.

Bill hopes Dead Wringers will put some much needed colour and fun back into politics. “For seven years I lived directly underneath Screaming Lord Sutch of the Monster Raving Loony Party. Some of his spirit of mischievous wit must have trickled down through the ceiling.”

A more recent, and even less respectful, product is the Thatcher Nut Cracker

“The Iron Lady is back one last time to serve her country, crushing nuts between her steely thighs. Walnut, Macadamia, you name it - there’s no nut that’s a match for Maggie’s mighty pins!”

This entry was posted on 28 September 2008 at 2:49 pm an

You can’t afford not to be green

Well, according to the YUDU Green book anyway. This carbon free publication contains “51ways that your business can save money and the planet”.

The ‘book’ is a great way for YUDU to promote themselves and their carbon neutral approach to publishing.

“Carbon Neutral Publishing: From the planet’s favourite publisher!

YUDU believes in lessening the environmental impact of printing. While there will always be a desire for printed publications, we want to cut out the unnecessary use of trees and energy to help reduce carbon footprints.

But it’s not just the act of felling trees; the whole process of printing and distribution is harmful:

1. Logging - disturbs wildlife and uses fuel
2. Pulp mills - use natural resources and create pollution
3. Transportation - creates pollution
4. Printing - uses natural resources and chemicals
5. Waste - cleaning and recycling uses resources and energy

So it’s not difficult to appreciate the environmental benefits when you publish with YUDU.

But hard as we try, we cannot be completely energy free. The computer servers that process, host and serve YUDU publications all consume energy.

So to make sure all YUDU digital publications are as carbon neutral as possible, we completely offset all our CO2 emissions by donating money to Carbon Clear, a leading carbon management company. They invest in projects that improve living standards in developing countries and which provide global climate benefits with clean energy projects and reforestation initiatives.

All YUDU publications carry a carbon neutral stamp.”

Manchester’s Commercial Library and Ask About Business service

Today I visited Manchester’s Commercial Library and Ask About Business service with my colleague Nigel Spencer. The weather was spectacular all day which made for wonderful views from the train over Cheshire and the Peak District. But also put a lie to Manchester’s reputation as grey and wet city. Walking along the canal past Victorian industrial palaces and modern glass and steel offices to the impressive circular building (apparently based on the Pantheon in Rome) was a delight.

The meeting was to compare dev elopments in our respective services and to explore how we can support each other in future. They demonstrated their recently launched Ask About Business service, which is particularly impressive.

“Ask About Business is a new partnership between eleven library authorities in Greater Manchester, Blackpool, and Blackburn with Darwen.  Led by Manchester Library & Information Service, Ask About Business provides access through libraries to information that supports: Pre-Start and new businesses, Existing business, Jobseekers, Consumers, Inventors, Business students”

What is particularly inspiring was the decision to use their numerous local libraries as the front line for this new service. Customers are then referred to business information specialists on a case by case basis.

It was flattering to hear that some of their initiatives (such as workshops and use of success stories) were inspired by our activities in the Business & IP Centre. Considering the limited budget they have been working to, their achievements are even more extraordinary.

Providing remote free access to the Cobra (Complete Business Reference Adviser) database (one of our most useful sources for business startups) is inspired.

Walkit.com gets me to work on time

Having regularly walked from London Bridge station to work at St Pancras for nearly three years I thought I knew all the routes. Including the fastest ones which avoided busy and noisy roads.

However the newly improved Walkit.com website has shown me the error of my ways. Thanks to them I managed to cut nearly ten minutes off my 55 minute standard walk time. In addition their route gave me more time enjoying the view along the Thames before cutting up through the amazing inns of court including Middle Temple and Gray’s Inn Gardens.

Middle Temple Gardens

Gray's Inn Square

 

Feeling good about ethical fashion

The British Library had it’s own contribution to London Fashion week in the form of Feelgood Fashion. We brought together a panel of pioneering design and fashion entrepreneurs to talk about ethical fashion.

Jen Ruppert, founder of eco-fashion company Revamp

Ed Gillespie, creative director and co-founder of communications agency Futerra

Safia Minney, founder and director of People Tree, an environmental and Fair Trade label available in TopShop.

After the presentations and question and answer sessions we were treated to a fashion show in the main entrance of the British Libary. The creativity and quality of the re-cycled clothing was spectacular.

Maurice Collins and his Weird and Wonderful collection

Maurice Collins, the man behind our very popular Weird and Wonderful small display currently in the Centre, gave a very entertaining talk last night.

We had a full house of over 100 interested visitors, and Maurice entertained the audience with a mixture of slides and items from his collection. Often he would test to see if they could guess what the mysterious object actually did, and was greeted with a wide range of suggestions.

Two of his favourites kept the audience baffled for quite some time. Eventually someone guessed what the applicator for pile ointment was for. But the brothel clock had everyone stumped.

This BBC news story has images of eight more of the gadgets in his collection.

Journey of an invention blog

The British Library has always had a strong fan base, particularly when our funding seemed to be threatened. However it is great to see a new fan in the shape of Liz Joseph an inventor. She has started a brand new blog to follow her journey of discovery as she develops her mass-market product.

She has started her route to success by making full use of the wide range of services we offer, and it is great to see her positive comments on the practical benefits these give.

She has already put in for a detailed patent search, so fingers crossed for a positive result there. I look forward to following her adventures as the days and weeks go by.

Blind tours of London?

The ever wonderful source of ideas Springwise has come up with Blind Tours. In this instance Lisboa Sensorial organizes blindfolded walking tours of Lisbon.

After being securely blindfolded, participants are steered through Alfama’s narrow streets by blind guides from the ACAPO (Portuguese Association for the Visually Impaired). The guide share their experience of the surroundings, and encourages participants to fully explore their altered perception of “the narrow streets, the smell of grilled sardines, the sound of a Fado that can be heard from afar.” A guide with historical knowledge of the area also accompanies each group.

The project has two main goals: to provide participants with a new sensory experience of their surroundings through the stimuli of smell, touch, taste and hearing, and the absence of vision.

Secondly, they aim to make sighted people more aware of how the visually impaired experience the world.

As Springwise point out - this seems like a concept that’s worth copying to other cities such as London.

I am trying to imagine the sounds and smells of my various routes to work in London, in particular through Covent Garden and past Monmouth Street Coffee Shop (the best coffee in London IMHO).