Recently by Tim Donnelly

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For me, one of the interesting things about design has always been how changing seemingly small items can have amazingly large results.

And I'm not talking about a 24% rise in sales because someone decided to make the logo bigger.

More about huge cost savings (and environmental savings) when there's a Designer clever enough to rethink a product's packaging.

Over at the GreenerComputing blog, Claudia Girrbach visited with several members of Cisco's supply chain team, who are working on an environmentally sound packaging program. In the pilot program alone, which only focuses on a few of their high volume products, promises to yield $24 million in annual savings.

She goes on to say, "...by focusing on packaging material content, volume and transport container efficiency, the company will save on materials and transportation costs as well."

When you're talking numbers like that, you can pretty much guarantee that your senior management might listen up, even if you're "just" a Designer working down in Creative.

In the article, Claudia outlines her three best practices for a product's packaging diet: Eliminate, Right Size, and Sustain.

Cisco was kind enough to provide a PDF outlining their process.

It makes me proud to own a Cisco phone, I tell you!


(Photo by Steve Keys)

  

Yesterday I was standing for a good period of time outside two restroom doors, one labeled "Bronco", the other "Cactus". I had been waiting for someone exit, so I could at long last decipher which bathroom I was supposed to use.

After five minutes, I started to realize that I had spent too much time enjoying the fine drink and company in the other room and should have sorted this issue out much earlier. It was getting late for these kinds of decisions, if you understand what I mean.

There are, if you think of it, many similarities concerning broncos and cactuses. And an abundance of differences. My problem was that none of those differences lent themselves to conjure up an image of a man or woman.

I am not a dullard. I graduated cum laude from a well-respected university. Neither am I unfamiliar with so-called clever bathroom names, having seen my share of "Buoys" & "Gulls", "Laddies" & "Lassies", and "Bucks" & "Does" in my travels over the years.

I was even able to decipher, after being led by a series of "TO THE JOHNS" signs, the correct choice between two doors labeled "Elton John" & "Olivia Newton John" (though I did catch my breath as I entered the former).

Yet yesterday afternoon I stood there in front of these particularly enigmatic doors with time running out.

Years ago, when I was confronted with similar doors marked "Gilts" & "Shoats", I was fortunate enough to catch a young lady eventually exiting. In Hawaii, I opted to use the facilities at a gas station across the street from a restaurant where I'd just spent ten minutes trying to translate "Kane" and "Wahine". (I, by the way, am both a "Kane" and "Shoat", though the latter is pushing it, even by the low standards set up by the establishment).

I will also inform you that there is nothing worse than finishing up in a restroom (say, when the choice is between "Pointers & Strikers") only to be greeted by the opposite sex upon departure.

Many times I have avoided confusion at these establishments by simply noting the inevitable line outside a women's room.

But I had no such fortune on this day.

I had waited an eternity and I could delay no more.

I impatiently summoned a passing employee and informed him I needed to use the facilities at once and demanded that he quickly inform me in which of these two rooms was I to relieve myself!

"I hope neither, sir," he answered. "These are both private dining rooms."

He looked me up and down then pointed to a door down the hall clearly marked "Men's Room".

Now this story would not be worth retelling, nor particularly amusing, if I failed to add that upon returning to my table I told my colleagues nothing of the incident and kept each of them drinking until they absolutely had to make the same trip down the hallway.

Or that I'm taking my wife back tomorrow.

As the company Vice President you may have seen nearly passed out in a stall in the men's room at last night's company party, I hope you'll recognize that today we are both working toward a common goal (the good of the corporation) and will let bygones be bygones.

This means comments such as, "Nothing like a night on the tiles!" and "Vodka's better going in than coming out, isn't it?" will be unnecessary.

And that whatever went on in the hydrangea bushes is really my business and no one else's.

I had quite a bit of time to think while lying against that cold tile floor, and I was hoping to straighten out a few things this morning.

Though during our wonderful company celebration I may have told some of you (repeatedly) to call me "King Wassup!", I hope in the sobering light of day you will refer to me only by my given name so we can keep matters at a professional level.

You may not have known previously that I have a weakness to "shake my groove thing" every time I hear the song "Funky Town." Now that you do, I hope you will see fit to delete any photos or movies you have of me and a certain group of Administrative Assistants off your digital cameras.

I do not want to be seeing myself on YouTube.

I assure you, though I do feel it's important to get together with one's "compadres," loosen neckties, and down a few single malt scotches, I do not, as a rule, drink from a coworker's loafer while others yell, "All hail the King! All hail the King!"

I'd also like to note that while I am fond of ice cream, I do not usually smear it on my face and pretend to be an aboriginal Tasmanian, nor pull my trousers down just below my waistline to mock a current women's fashion statement for others' amusement.

If you heard me describe my morning commute as "The Daily Funeral Procession," I assure you that I enjoy my tenure here at Krupsberg, LLC. and I look forward to driving to this company for years to come.

Perhaps with the exception of this morning.

Even though I felt compelled to announce from the top of table 18 that left-handed persons are "godless commies," I actually believe no such thing. Nor do I deem anyone who plays our state lottery "a tree-swinging cretin," as I understand a good portion of that money goes to our children's education.

I'd like to clarify a few points made in the heat of the moment during last night's celebration: Burnt Sienna is not a crayon for pansies, Pat Sajak should not be strung up by his thumbs and beaten with 9-irons, and I do not believe hemp products are "wearable crack."

As curious a phenomenon as it may seem, I do not have any idea why I can recite all the words to "It's Raining Men," nor do I have confidence that I can do it again. So please don't ask for a repeat performance.

I trust you will recognize this morning I am not quite at the top of my game. Should I fall asleep during your meeting or presentation, I hope you would be so kind as to e-mail me the notes and wake me if I begin to snore.

I'm sure you will also be in agreement that it is neither effective nor productive to tell someone, "You look like hell," when they don't feel their best. If I could lie down on a couch all day with an ice pack on my head ala Nick and Nora Charles, it would give me great pleasure, but we've got a lot of work to do this week.

If you liberated me from the men's room middle stall, fished out my driver's license, and told the cab driver to deliver me safely home, I am truly in your debt.

I wish, however, you would have had the wherewithal to wipe off the newly inked "Long Live the King!" from my forehead before I arrived home to my recently awakened wife.

By the way, would the person responsible for putting permanent markers on each table during last night's event please see me in my office ASAP?

Thank you.

James W. Barrett
Vice President of Operations

Since the 1990's SunChips have been Frito-Lay's healthy option for their snack line.

For years, however, the brand never really seemed to take off. In fact, sales seemed to stall over time.

Then a few years back, their brand team discovered that many of the people who buy brands like SunChips also happen to be environmentally minded. In an interview with BrandWeek, Frito-Lay VP of Marketing Gannon Jones said:

"We started to see that there was an intersection of people who were concerned with their health and with the planet's health. Out of that was born the hypothesis that we could begin to connect SunChips more prominently with the environment so [the brand would become] a small step for me and the planet."

The brand seemed to take the message to heart and remake themselves - and not just greenwash their image.

* They started producing some of their chips in a Modesto, California manufacturing plant that is completely solar powered. (It's one of their eight of their manufacturing facilities.)
* They buy green energy credits to offset the electricity to produce their snacks.
* They partnered with National Geographic to launch a "Green Effect" contest, which encouraged people to submit environmentally-friendly local projects. They would fund the winners' ideas for up to $20K each.

And, if you managed to miss their barrage of ads during the Olympics, they've just developed the compostable chip bag to be release in America on (of course) Earth Day. Yes, in a mere 14 weeks, that pesky SunChips bag in the vacant lot across the street will be dust. Or plant materials, more likely. (They've retained both Ketchum and OMD to get the word out for their compostable bag).

So, how's all this greening of their brand working out for them?

According to Frito-Lay, sales grew 17.6 percent to $201.8 million in 2008 and has tripled its household penetration in the past four years.

I don't know about you, but those sound like pretty sustainable numbers to me.
 

(Photo by cogdogblog)

Corporal Rules by Roderick J. Clamors

Two identical men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, working in what came to be called the Cinema Age. Why had both chosen the same city to practice occupations at such opposite ends of the moral spectrum?

The answer is a mystery this page-turning book will unravel.

Could they be brothers, mysteriously separated at birth and fated to meet as Cop and Thief, dead by each other's hands and never finding out their true identities?

Um.

Well, yes, they actually are estranged identical brothers, but you don't find that out until page 324.

But that shouldn't stop you from buying this book anyway, because it's really, really good. Really.

Six chapters into it you'll learn exactly why their mother had abandoned them and moved from the Bronx to Los Angeles (she was a high-priced call girl, slated to marry Bobby Vixon, Hollywood star, and had to put both children up for adoption in different cities before she met him at The Brown Derby).

Quite a twist, huh?

And when you find out Bobby Vixon is actually a mob boss setting up both brothers the whole time, you're just going to lose it!

Even if you know the ending and these key plot points, there's no way I could possibly cover all the great dialogue in this excellent tome.

For example when Vixon tells a nosy reporter, "Tell St. Peter that Bobby Vixon sent you!" then shoots him right on the red carpet!

That is seriously the best line in the book, don't you think?

Dang, I just spilled Dijon Mustard on here. I hope my boss doesn't see that.

And some is on my tie, too. I will never get that out.

Hey, you know what? If you like this book, you'll really LOVE the book I'm currently working on, called "The Joke Killer"! (Well, it may not be called that by the time the Publishers are done with it, but while I'm crafting it on my trusty Royal Typewriter, it sure as heck is.)

Set in the South Side of Chicago in 2030 AD, a scientist creates a sinister psychopath out of genetic material from Jack the Ripper and Woody Allen.

Every night the deranged lunatic is compelled to scour the city to find victims. Unfortunately he winds up feeling so guilty that he ends up taking them out for Chinese food and a good movie back at his apartment.

If you're at all interested, feel free to e-mail me at greatpen@imawriter.com, and I'll send you a preliminary copy.

By the way, if you're going to give me a bunch of notes like, "Making the protagonist's uncle the police detective who captures him is a little far-fetched" like my friend Todd just did, don't bother. I've got enough critics already.

But if you're a publisher, or know someone in the publishing industry who can actually help me (as opposed to anyone here, who couldn't tell Tolstoy from a hole in the ground), please let me know!

It's really a heck of a lot better than this book you have in your hands, which has had something like five Editors working around the clock to make sure this baby made bookshelves before Spring Break.

Speaking of which...

The author, Roderick J. Clamors, lives in Seattle with his wife, two daughters, and a Boston terrier.

He's going to make a killing if this thing hits the NY Times Bestseller list, like his last book.

But don't count on it.

This one's kind of a washout.

Remember, "The Joke Killer"!

Valentine's Day. Mardi Gras. Chinese New Year. Black History Month. President's Day.

As far as months go, the especially short month of February seems to be pretty well packed.

In case you hadn't scrolled that far down on this blog, or like me, have ADD when it comes to reading on screen, we list local and national events down there on the lower right hand side of the "page".

If nothing listed inspires you, just click More Events to go over to the events portion of the Aquent site. You can browse by location and most of the events are in chronological order (long museum dates always sort of throw me).

I'm charged with updating much of the events page, and am always ready, willing, and able to put up events that would be relevant to anyone coming to this Aquent blog (read: I will not be promoting the Stamp Collectors Annual Meetup). So, if you have something you might thing folks would like to attend, send it my way!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

(Photo by ajagendorf25)

"And now the weather report, with Weather Bob!"

"What's it like outside, Bob?"


"Well, Carol, as many of you Seattlites are already experiencing, it's raining outside.

We're getting the traffic snarls and hiccups you'd expect from this much continuous rain, so take it easy during your morning commute!

Here's the extended forecast for the rest of the week:

Thursday... Rain.

Friday... Rain.

Saturday... Rain.

Sunday... Rain.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that every day next week in Seattle is also going to be misting, drizzling, pouring rain, or storming.

Going a little farther out on the limb, I'm indicating that the entire month will be nothing but sprinkles, cloudbursts, scattered showers, downpours, thundershowers, and torrential, monsoon-like rains.

In my humble meteorological opinion, during the next six months, you, me, and everyone watching this station will see nothing but clouds and precipitation in the form of buckets of falling rain.

For Pete's sake!

People, tell me, why in the heck did we move here?

What were we thinking?!

I haven't seen the sun in MONTHS!

MONTHS, I tell you!

I've got that MAD, SAD, or whatever the heck you call it, when all you want to do is stay in bed all day and drink.

I need sun!

I swear last night I actually got out my old Paul Simon albums, put them on and just about wanted to slit my wrists, I was so depressed.

PAUL SIMON!

I would have, too, except that I knew the paramedics would have to drag my sorry body out into the deluge.

I'm a weatherman, people, and all I do is tell you about rain! Why the heck are so many of you tuning in day after day? What could you possibly expect?

Look out your window and tell me what you see?

RAIN? YES, RAIN!!

Rain coming down in torrents!!

I suppose I could let you know if the rain was cold or warm, so you could pick out just the perfect rain jacket, but honestly WHAT'S THE POINT?

Or did you expect that I, like the Eskimos and their snow, would come up with 100 words for rain?

In fact I have dozens of words for rain, but regrettably I'm not allowed to say any of them on network television.

I'm sick of me, and my gosh, you should be sick of me, too!!!

You know what? Tomorrow morning I'm going to come in here and tell everyone watching that it's going to be hot and sunny all day. Ha!

Want a laugh? Tell everyone in your office to tune into my weather report tomorrow and they'll get the weather report of their lives.

Then, when they show up at your office drenched to the bone in their short sleeves and espadrilles you can laugh...

HA!

HA HA!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ha.

Sigh.

Back to you, Barbara."

New from Golden Tamarind Studios!

Your all-time favorite films now available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc with exciting extras only a studio like Golden Tamarind can offer!

Other Hollywood studios can promise their DVDs and Blu-ray Discs offer behind-the-scenes action, but would they really include the Director's commentary telling you that you've wasted your money and how his dramatic vision of this film never really to came to light?

Well, if it came from Golden Tamarind Studios, you bet your boots it would!

On all our films you'll hear about everything that happened on set, from incidental bickering between actors to full descriptions of the snacks and varieties of Snapple available to the cast and crew.

You'll discover everything you ever wanted to know about a big Hollywood movie production from the people who aren't afraid to speak out:

People protected by their unions.

It just makes good sense. If you want to know which of your favorite actors has clogged pores, you've got to talk to their Makeup Artist.

And talk they do!

And talk and talk and talk and talk!

Sometimes well over the time they were allotted (all of which are available as 2 Disc sets).

Here's just a small sample of what you'll experience in the comfort of your own home:

First, the ACTUAL scene from our semi-critically acclaimed feature, "Whole Lotta Mafia".

Eddie: I thought you was gonna be on time.
Rocco: I got stuck in traffic.
E: Where?
R: Down on Lex.
E: By that Starbucks?
R: No, up North. Right where that beauty school was.
E: I know the place. Accident?
R: Someone hit a squirrel that run outta the park.
E: That's a shame. I like squirrels.
R: Me, too. People don't drive too careful down there.
E: Ain't that the truth.


That, of course, is only HALF the story!

Let's hear what Jeff, the Caterer, thought of the scene!

Jeff: I remember that guy who played Eddie, the one on the left. He wanted a dry tuna sandwich for lunch. "Dry?" I asked him. "Yup," he says, like he's Bill Gates. So I get out a can of tuna and put it, still in the can, between two slices of wheat bread. I tell him, "You can't get much drier than that!" But he didn't have much of a sense of humor and tried to complain to the Script Supervisor.

------------------

How about Jules, the Costumer?

Jules: They told me this whole scene was going to be shot outside on an Autumn morning in New York. I had chosen two beautiful cashmere overcoats and sharp gabardine slacks for both Eddie and Rocco. But look at this scene, it's a Summer afternoon! That idiot Director changed his mind at the last minute and no one thought to tell me. So I had to race through my wardrobe and grab anything I could get, which is what you see here. These guys look terrible. But it's not my fault, as you can see.

------------------

What about Capt. Robert Ellis, Off-Duty Policeman?

Captain Ellis: They hired me to make sure no one would walk through the scene and mess the whole thing up. Problem was, it was really hard to tell the actors and extras from everyone else on the street. Plus, my wife had just called me to say that our grandson Jimmy had the mumps and I had to pick him up at the elementary school. That's why you see this homeless guy crossing in here. The Director decided to leave it in because it was realistic, so I was thankful for that. Oh, and Jimmy didn't have the mumps, he was just faking to get some attention.

------------------

And Bill Jones, Summer Intern and NYC Film Student?

Bill: By this point I had no interest in helping anymore with this film, but they insisted on my staying on or I wouldn't get two credits. I've never seen a worse collection of Actors, Producers, or Union Joes. People were improvising their lines, we were lying to security guards to set up shots we had no permission to take - I thought I'd be working with someone like Scorsese, but this is what I got. I almost said, "Keep your two credits". Honestly, that's what I should have done. But nooooooo, I got my diploma and ended up working in the mortgage industry. I'm still paying for NYC Film School, by the way.

------------------

Don't forget J. Glick III, Extra!

JG III: You can't see me yet because I'm just out of the frame, right behind that building. I was doing my breathing exercises while these guys were trying to act. I was up for the role of Rocco, but they went a different direction. I guess that direction was "lame" because this guy reeks. Oooh, here I come. See, I've got my back to the camera as I'm walking through, that's what I thought my character would do.

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And there's so much more, with every single release from Golden Tamarind Studios now available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc!

It's like actually being on the set without all that sitting and waiting around all day in an uncomfortable canvas chair.

So run, don't walk to your favorite retailer and snap up a copy of any of our Golden Tamarind hits for a Hollywood experience so authentic, you'll yell "Cut!" after every scene!

Our friends over at the Rich Media Institute are in feeling in a generous mood these days and are offering two free online Flash courses this months to any and all takers.

Through Feb. 15th, R. Blank's Comprehensive ActionScript 3 will be available. (And yes, they mean comprehensive. The course is 9+ hours.)

For those who like the Lite side of things, through Feb. 28th, Introduction to ActionScript Development with FDT is being offered gratis. (It's 37 minutes. Which means you could eat dinner and watch it.)

And yes, since it's online, even though the Rich Media Institute is based in LA's Venice section, you can attend from anywhere!

Except, possibly, from North Korea.

Or China.


Photo by John Kratz

Our friends over at the Rich Media Institute are in feeling in a generous mood these days and are offering two free online Flash courses this months to any and all takers.

Through Feb. 15th, R. Blank's Comprehensive ActionScript 3 will be available. (And yes, they mean comprehensive. The course is 9+ hours.)

For those who like the Lite side of things, through Feb. 28th, Introduction to ActionScript Development with FDT is being offered gratis. (It's 37 minutes. Which means you could eat dinner and watch it.)

And yes, since it's online, even though the Rich Media Institute is based in LA's Venice section, you can attend from anywhere!

Except, possibly, from North Korea.

Or China.


Photo by John Kratz