QR Code Chocolate

RFID in Japan: A bit late for this year’s valentine’s day but Nippon COMSYS Corporation and Mary’s Chocolate co-developed a technology for printing 2D barcodes (QR Code) on the surface of chocolates. This technology could be used to allow consumers to access a website by taking a picture of a chocolate using their mobile phones. At the moment, QR codes […]

Froehlich’s Pickled Green Pear Tomatoes

Cool Hunting: Shaken, stirred, gin, vodka…enjoy your martini (or a bloody mary) even more with these pickled green pear tomatoes from Froehlich’s, a small store in Three Oaks Michigan. Most everything they make is from their own gardens, and if you happen to be in the ‘hood stop by for some of the best bread around. Froehlich’s Pickled Green Pear […]

Dolls That Get Sick, Curable By RFID

RFID in Japan: Bandai announced a new toy doll for kids that responds to RFID’d objects. The toy doll, which is called Naoru-kun, acts almost like a robot: it speaks 150 different phrases including “Let’s play!” and “I..am…er…..” and responds when it’s shaken hands, hugged, petted, etc. But, the most impressive feature is its ability to get sick. So, it […]

Hugms: Hugs Over SMS

Popgadget: You can’t but this (yet), but Mark Argo’s Hugms would be popular today. Another great thesis from ITP, Hugms sends a text message when you squeeze your Bluetooth-connected, light-up sensor. The message varies depending on how hard and how long you squeeze your Hugms. Long squeeze: ‘hhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuggggggg’; Short hard squeeze: ‘hhHHUUUUUUugg’. Even better, if the recipient of your hug […]

Archimedes: Chia Pet Meets Tamagotchi

Cool Hunting: Like the Tamagotchi, Archimedes is a little friend from Japan brought to you as a way to care for and consider the meaning of life. Unlike the Tamagotchi, which was digital, Archimedes is analog. You get a little guy in a glass vial with some seeds. Over the course of about a month the habitat will sprout, bloom, […]

Chocolate and Valentine’s Day

Adverblog: Chocolate brand Ferrero celebrates Valentine’s Day in Italy with a dedicated web site. The site presents Ferrero’s products Valentine’s special edition (Mon Cheri, Rocher, Raffaello), a love trivia, and some editorial content with excerpts from famous love stories in the literature (Lancelot and Ginevra, Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra). The creative is by DGT Media, which also created […]

Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved

Entrepreneur.com: Parents weary of the bustle of day care, baby-sitters and carpools for their young children need only to look to the TeacherCare child-care and teaching program for some relief. Founded by Terri Brax, this service provides qualified teachers to work in people’s homes and serve as both teachers and caregivers. Brax is familiar with the needs of working parents–she […]

‘Crazy For You’ Bear Off The Market

USATODAY.com: To the relief of advocates for the mentally ill, the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. said Thursday that its straitjacketed “Crazy For You” bears are sold out and that it will not make any more. For weeks, advocates and Republican Gov. James Douglas have criticized the toy as insensitive. The $69.95 bear, marketed as a Valentine’s Day gift, came with […]

Japan Bean Plants Sprout Messages

BBC News: Ever wanted to say “I love you” and never found the words? Well now you can buy a plant that says it for you. Two Japanese manufacturers, toy makers Tomy and Takara, have both produced bean plants which sprout to reveal a special message. Takara said its plant was “a new type of message card to convey your […]

Eat Your Heart Out

Entrepreneur.com: When former investment analyst Chuck DiRocco noticed that cookies were missing from the wide variety of snacks sold in video stores and at theater concessions, he started searching for a way to link cookies to Hollywood. Then the idea hit him: Create cookies in the form of popular movie stars, such as Renée Zellweger and Jack Nicholson. One cup […]