The sadness in his eyes…
Hidden behind a veil of indifference
Yet —
Deep in his wounded soul
A broken heart
Posts Tagged ‘ideas’
365great: parking balloons
27
June
2014
When I first saw this fun solution for parking woes, I thought it was pretty cool. It’s such a simple idea and striking because of how simple and effective it can be. From my office, we’re able to look down and see how painful it is for cars to find a parking spot in a busy open lot. A whole lot of time is wasted circling around trying to find an open space, not knowing there’s one just two aisles over. A bird’s eye view look allows us to see all this happening, but there’s nothing we can do. It reminded me of this parking balloon solution I’d seen awhile back. Take a look at the video! It’s certainly not perfect and has its weaknesses, but I think it starts to think about an issue in a creative way that can lead to great results.
365great Day 209: new
09
October
2013
That fresh out of the box look of any product is quite satisfying. We have an obsession with new in many cultures and I’m certainly not immune. Still, there’s something wonderful about opening a box and taking out new items for the first time, treating them so gently in those initial encounters. Tonight I spent most of my time setting up my new laptop to keep everything I still want about how I did things on my old laptop while discarding some things I had accumulated without intending to. New is the perfect opportunity to transition to another phase, carrying over what you want to preserve and letting go of what you don’t want anymore. It’s a fresh start and a way to alter your course. That’s why I liked moving a lot as a kid, because each time I got a chance to rework my room and find some things I’d been missing. New is also a chance to discover what you haven’t encountered yet for a great learning experience.
Introducing 365great
laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, goals, ideas, pictures, products, project, services, sharing
15
March
2013
Something great, every day.
Whether it’s a fresh idea, a wonderful company/brand, or an awesome experience – I’m challenging myself to my own version of a 365 photo project by posting about some of the wonderful things I come across every single day. As I mentioned in my recent post, great things are abound and I’d love to share what I find to be wonderful things and thoughts. Some of it might blow you away and some of it might just make you muse. A lot of it will probably be as simple as appreciating the little things in life!
Whatever the case, I’ll aim to not only share that great thing of the day, but pair it with an image. After all, people love pictures, so what better way to share ideas than using both the power of words and images?
I invite you to join me if you’re just as passionate about greatness in our world (and in particular, sharing it). Use whichever medium of sharing you like best, but put those wonderful thoughts out in the world and let’s all learn from each other. If you want to share on social media forums, use the hashtag #365great so we can find your “sharings” easily. Find my postings across these sites:
- on Facebook at the 365great page
- on this blog under the “365great” category
- on Instagram as laelene, where I also attempt other photo a day challenges
- on my 365great Pinterest board
- on Tumblr, with a collection of random snippets I call “snipplets”
- on Flickr in my 365great set
- on the Twitterverse as laelene, interspersed with other tweets
And if you decide to join in, I’d be more than happy to connect through the Facebook page, create a collaborative Pinterest board, or interact on other sites. Just let me know and I’ll create it!
Here’s a running list of all the things I find great:
MARCH
03.15.13 Day 1 – Fleksy [typing without looking!]
03.16.13 Day 2 – Yuzen [bringing you zen in a box :)]
03.17.13 Day 3 – TED [sharing ideas worth spreading]
03.18.13 Day 4 – Squishable [giant balls of squishy love]
03.19.13 Day 5 – BzzAgent [a hassle-free sampling program]
03.20.13 Day 6 – shea-infused socks [novel, cute, and soft footwear]
03.21.13 Day 7 – Girl Scout Cookies [delicious treats & a lesson in business]
03.22.13 Day 8 – cats! [my furry favorites]
03.23.13 Day 9 – touchscreen gloves [saving you from frostbite]
03.24.13 Day 10 – aromatherapy [tapping into the power of smell]
03.25.13 Day 11 – snow [a gorgeous and magical bit of weather]
03.26.13 Day 12 – Coursera [bringing education online for free via MOOCs]
03.27.13 Day 13 – notebooks [helping you capture inspiration as it strikes]
03.28.13 Day 14 – sea monkeys [cheap and entertaining low-maintenance pets]
03.29.13 Day 15 – Daily Grommet [delightful finds carefully curated for you]
03.30.13 Day 16 – massage oils [pampering skin hydration w/o greasy residue]
03.31.13 Day 17 – photo challenges [opening up a world of creativity]
APRIL
04.01.13 Day 18 – dust plugs [pretty and practical accessories for your device]
04.02.13 Day 19 – cupcake in a jar [delicious, compact, and oh so fun]
04.03.13 Day 20 – packages [doesn’t the thought just make you smile?]
04.04.13 Day 21 – bb cream [turning 5 beauty steps into 1]
04.05.13 Day 22 – marinated mushrooms [tart morsels of delight]
04.06.13 Day 23 – handmade [personalized & made with care]
04.07.13 Day 24 – Korean BBQ [tasty all-you-can-eat]
04.08.13 Day 25 – foaming cleansers [making cleaning your skin fun]
04.09.13 Day 26 – scented pens [colorful, playful, and oh-so-wonderful-smelling]
04.10.13 Day 27 – micro-entrepreneurism [empowering anyone to work flexibly]
04.11.13 Day 28 – eos [uniquely-shaped natural skincare products]
04.12.13 Day 29 – Teatulia [eco-conscious, socially responsible tea]
04.13.13 Day 30 – kaolin clay [soothing, gentle impurity & oil absorber]
04.14.13 Day 31 – freshly baked [mouthwateringly wonderful and warm]
04.15.13 Day 32 – body pillows [amazing to snuggle with for a toasty time]
04.16.13 Day 33 – dry erase boards [reusable office tool great for lists]
04.17.13 Day 34 – spring [a lovely season of renewal]
04.18.13 Day 35 – LUSH [fresh & delicious-looking skincare]
04.19.13 Day 36 – plasma balls [sweet science in action!]
04.20.13 Day 37 – terrariums [mini living sculptures of nature]
04.21.13 Day 38 – 1 Second Everyday [awesome app to record a second of each day]
04.22.13 Day 39 – nature [bringing beauty and peace to our daily lives]
04.23.13 Day 40 – TBD [tune in tomorrow!]
Great ideas
12
March
2013
I’m pretty addicted to learning about great new things, which I’m currently doing as I read through the profiles of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2013. It never ceases to amaze me (and I should hope it never will) the cool things that are becoming realities and even commonplace in our lives. I love that we live in a world with such wonderful ideas. One of my recent favorites, which I wrote about before, is crowd-sourced, crowd-powered community marketplaces. I love how it empowers people to be their own micro-entrepreneurs and removes so many barriers to more traditional ways of doing things.
One in particular that I’ve learned to see in a new light is Airbnb – not only are they allowing anyone to rent out their space to bring in extra revenue, something else that has blossomed from their service is the availability of unique spaces. I mean, how else would you have gotten to stay in a repurposed jet or an igloo or a treehouse? These are the sorts of things that I only would have dreamed of previously, but now are an attainable reality. I find that truly breathtaking.
Another thing that I’m sure most other people are familiar with by now are those wearable bands (and other technology that is meant to monitor your day-to-day movement). There’s a quiet revolution building up in these gadgets, which at once are high-tech and high-fashion. While right now most of the applications are for health-related issues, I see a lot of potential here. So much data can be gathered about each and every one of us, which can be presented to us in meaningful ways: how active were you today? What places did you visit? How much time did you spend here or there, doing this or that? With each of those answers, we are empowered to understand our lives more and make better choices with that information. More lifestyle changes are coming!
Oh, and speaking of a change in how we do things – I’ve discovered Fleksy, which allows you to type without looking. Quite accurately too. How wonderful would it be to walk down the street and not have to look down at your device? To send out messages on your tablet while watching a show or even taking notes while keeping full eye contact with your professor? These are the kinds of things we’re used to with keyboards that give feedback via clicks and physical movement. Now we can do it on a completely flat screen without any feedback while typing! They’ve tested this on blind people with great success and us seeing folk do pretty well with it too. No more pudgy finger syndrome! Gotta love that. Let’s just hope that Apple actually lets them integrate this sort of technology into iOS, which they currently aren’t. AND, I hadn’t realized how intuitively I type with my thumbs without looking! Added bonus: this app makes you feel smarter. 😉
There are so many great things out in the world, constantly changing and upgrading and becoming even more awe-inspiring. Maybe instead of a photo a day blog, I should do a 365 great ideas blog. Then, I can share something I learned every single day (and that would encourage me to actually be consistently seeking new information). I might just have to do that…
Driving thoughts
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: business, driving, experiences, ideas, opinion
11
December
2012
Driving is a great time for me to think – in fact, I think it’s even more effective than showering. It used to be that I’d get tons of reflection and inspiration while showering, since you don’t have much to think about beyond your routine. However, now that I’ve taken to really enjoying all the bath products I’ve gotten, I tend to think just about those brands, why I like the products, and how I feel about it all. Doesn’t leave me as much thinking space as I used to get. Nowadays I’ve found that it’s driving time that is really precious and useful. From reflections of life to rehashing business ideas, it’s an ideal way for me to get some creative juices flowing.
Unfortunately it’s not like I can sit there and take notes about what I’m brainstorming, and I always found it challenging to try to dictate my thoughts to remember. So, I’m getting used to summing up those thoughts into a few to-dos and dictating that to my phone. I set a few reminders to trigger sometime after I get home, and then I can sit and reflect some more. It’s a decent system and I kind of wish I had more driving to do! Perhaps I’ll take up some other similar activity like biking, jogging, or getting back on my beloved longboard.
