Repurposed telephones light up the Crosby Street Hotel

Here's a great example of reusing old stuff and keeping it out of the landfill. These repurposed telephones have been converted into quirky light fixtures in the lounge / restaurant at the Crosby Street Hotel in NYC.

Advertising interest rates is boring. But Interac nails it.

When I worked in marketing and advertising in the financial services industry, one of the ongoing challenges was doing something interesting and clever with interest rates to attract attention while delivering a poignant message. Even harder: do it in less than eight words and make it readable at a glance on a billboard. Here's a great recent example of a well-executed billboard in Vancouver from Interac.

No anesthesia? No problem.

Anyone who has experienced general anesthesia for surgery knows that waking up afterwards is no picnic. Problem is, that's the method vets typically use to keep Rover from thrashing about when his teeth are being cleaned. But this dental hygienist / dog-whisperer in Vancouver, BC doesn't use anesthesia. I can attest that our dogs don't seem to be tormented or emotionally scarred by the process. Before and after photos show an impressive improvement, which is important, because dogs can suffer from dental problems from poor hygiene (just like humans).

Cure for cancer may be a huge irony

In what must be the greatest irony of all time, researchers at La Trobe University in Australia believe they have found the secret to curing cancer. What's the irony? The cure may come from tobacco plants.

Check out their news release here.

Minetta Tavern: Worth the racket?

Okay, the other distinctive thing about Minetta Tavern is the acoustics. It's not the sort of place you'd go for a quiet, romantic dinner. The restaurant and adjacent bar are insanely popular and the plentiful hard surfaces mean the sound bounces around like a game of "Pong" sped up 800 percent. Anyone remember Pong? Never mind.

So I found a clever iPhone app called Sound Level. This app measures the ambient sound intensity wherever you happen to be. Depending on the jurisdiction, health and safety guidelines generally indicate that prolonged exposure to 85 decibels or higher can damage your hearing. Sound Level's red zone begins at 90 decibels. The reading above was taken at Minetta Tavern during a "quiet" moment.

You might want to give this app a try and consider bringing ear plugs to some of your favourite restaurants.

Minetta Tavern: Clever interior design

Speaking of NYC restaurants, Minetta Tavern is one of several go-to places when I'm in NYC. Pastis and Balthazar are other Keith McNally restaurants at the top of my list. Minetta Tavern opened in 2009, yet the ambience is so masterfully designed that you're convinced the establishment has been in the neighbourhood since the 1930's. Notice the water stains inside the picture frames above? So many restaurants try to pull off a nostalgic feel, but it all seems contrived. There's another distinctive aspect about Minetta Tavern. Read about it in my next post.

Do you know how clean is your favourite restaurant is?

Like many jurisdictions, NYC does periodic health inspections of all restaurants in the city. But New York takes the program one step further and actually requires the most recent rating to be posted in the window of each establishment. Explanations for the various grades (A, B, C) are available online. You're going to want to stick to the A's.

More "natural" goodness

If you liked my last post about misuse of the word "natural", you're going to love this.

Not all things "natural" are good for you (or your best friend)

This clever viral video makes a good point about how the word "natural" is misused in advertising and labelling.

Matcha tea a well-kept, healthy secret

Matcha tea has been consumed by Japanese monks for hundreds of years because it promotes mental clarity and relaxation. Apparently, that's a good thing when meditating.

What's clever about this form of Japanese green tea is that the leaves are ground into a fine powder. When you consume matcha, you actually consume the entire leaf (powder) whisked with water. With other teas, the leaves are seeped through water and you drink the resulting liquid. Because you consume the entire matcha leaf, this tea is exponentially higher in antioxidants and other good stuff.

Matcha tea can be hard to find, but Harney & Sons in NYC is a good source. They carry several grades from everyday to ceremonial. David's Tea, Urban Fare and Teaja are good sources in Canada.