robin tooms

Consider this as you get ready for your New Year’s celebration tonight… What if you could drink all you want, then pop a pill to become sober?

Apparently, there are some researchers working on just the very thing: an alcohol substitute that gives you a buzz, but comes with an “antidote” that sobers you up and prevents a hangover.

At first glance, this sounds like a great advancement for society. Think of the possible benefits… a reduction in drunk driving accidents… less public rowdiness… no more pesky sunglasses after a night of binge drinking…

I sit here, though, and wonder if this doesn’t bring about a whole new set of health questions:

• What if you get so drunk that you pass out before you can take your “sober pill”?
• Can you get faux-alcohol poisoning by consuming more than your body can take?

and money questions:

• How much more would you be charged for this than a drink with regular alcohol?
• What about fraud? (I mean, how would you know until later if you had real or faux alcohol)

and moral questions:

• Would drinking at lunch (or even worse, on the job) now be considered socially acceptable?
• What if an alcoholic switched to faux-cohol to hide his/her problem?

Regardless, sounds like such a world is a far way off. According to the article, this idea is still without corporate backing, and it’s unclear if this could even be regulated or approved. So, in the meantime, you will just have to consume your alcohol in moderation (except for maybe tonight!)
Happy New Year :)

Last week we spent a little time in Vegas (which is actually a beautiful place to visit during the holidays – it’s a spectacle!)

One of the places we looked at last week was Aria, the new hotel and casino at City Center. There were tons of tourists milling around since it just opened about a week earlier. I was struck, though, by the décor: dark, hip, contemporary. It’s very much indicative of what I’d call the “new, new Vegas”.

No longer are these new casinos going for the overly-themed buildings. Decadence here used to be the mimicry of Paris, Italy, New York, or some tropical destination. For a while, that was the “new Vegas”. I do think of this like the box of chocolates that you see stuffing the shelves near Valentine’s. Most of those boxes are trying to imitate something with their package: be it looking like silk or satin, embossing what appears to be a glossy bow, or adding foil or metallic accents to give it an expensive touch. The new, new Vegas is still glossy, but in a different way.

I guess the distinction is:
New, new Vegas is like artisanal chocolate: an expensive treat cradled in a luxe little package that makes you feel rich for ten minutes as you savor it.

New Vegas is like a typical Valentine’s box of chocolates – Overdone, trying to be something it’s not, but fun once in a while.

Old Vegas is like a bargain box of chocolates: kinda retro (you like it for the nostalgia), and a little cheaper (in look and impact on the wallet).

Ooooh, can’t wait to go back!

I had actually forgotten about this and then stumbled back upon it. From the 2009 AIGA Design Conference in Memphis, as posted by withgelatobaby. I’m about half-way through, and reminded again of what a total geek I can be sometimes! Someone get that girl another drink. ;)

What did your favorite designers make and think at AIGA’s national conference? Hear from Michael Bierut, Julie Lasky, Stefan Bucher, Chip Kidd, Bonnie Siegler, Kurt Andersen and more about what they made and thought that day (the answers may surprise you). Includes some special Make/Think choreography from Design Observer’s party at the New Daisy Theater!

Includes…michael bierut, chip kidd, stefan bucher, jamie koval, julie lasky, kurt andersen, emily carr, gaby brink, pam williams, michael vanderbyl, david gibson, david burney, ric grefe, robin tooms, steve hartman, bobby martin, liz danzico, hank richardson, zelda harrison, clement mok, michael lejeune, jim coudal, shel perkins, jim ales, petrula vrontikis, william drenttel, marc english, dan covert … and more.

First, I suppose I should mentioned that I already bought my Twilight: New Moon tickets a couple of days ago, and will be kicking back at the Alamo Drafthouse tonight watching the movie. So before you read the text below, you should know that I’m not bashing the movie.

Vampires are everywhere now. In the movies… on TV. HBO has found new subscribers just because of their True Blood programming. Their advertising (which I think is really effective) has created the “buzz” it sought. I also love this quote attributed to the director of New Moon: “It’s kind of the only growth industry in America, that I can tell.”

What feels different this time is how advertisers have responded. Vampires are now deemed cool enough to sell just about anything. Today, I saw a Bing commercial with a vampire in it. It’s no longer enough to put attractive people in your ads. They have to be attractive and a vampire on top of that. Sets the bar a little high for the rest of us human folks.

So, what other vampire-themed ads have you seen recently? And when will it stop? I’m predicting after the third Twilight movie, but before the fourth. :0

Ah, leave it to Lunchbreath to put a smile on my face after a long day. And when I say committed, please interpret that with all of its subtle meanings. :)

I suppose you can run this “app” right before you press the “D” for “Design” button. Just remember that it’s OK to poke fun at ourselves once in a while.

A couple of weeks ago was my 12 year anniversary at my current company. One might think that someone who has worked at the same company for 12 years does so because they are afraid of change. For the record, I embrace change! Actually, I find change exciting. I just don’t feel that you always need to switch where you’re working to inject some change into your work life.

I’ve always been pretty self motivated, but as I enter into the 13th year at this company, I think about how I can do more to help others (it’s not all about me). I think about how I can I might inspire someone else. I would feel successful this year if I could find another designer to share this drive with – show them how they can take charge with their work.

I heard a story recently about how you don’t make good shipbuilders by giving them tools and materials. You make good shipbuilders by instilling them with a passion for the open seas.

I like that story!

Recently I came across the chatter about Netflix’s corporate values in this presentation below. It’s been blogged about quite a bit over the past few weeks. Whether you think it’s true about Netflix or not, it’s still worth a read.

It’s a “smovement”? From the website:

About your outlook:
It’s all about attitude and action.

Being positive and having a sense of urgency.
Being pleased to serve.
Having effect.

It’s about mattering to the world, all with a smile.

About your customers:
You need to approach them happily, with a smile. And then you need to move quickly to get them their drink (or in this case your service to them) so they can enjoy it and move on.

You’re not doing them a favor. They’re doing you a favor. They don’t have to buy the lemonade (a proxy for your services) and they don’t have to buy it from you. You need to smile and move.

Very clever animation of a student project that combines my love of post-it notes and stop motion animation.

It also describes my day today!

Finished the taxes today, which made me think about that stimulus package again and just where all of that tax money will be going (technically, it’s not just this year’s taxes, but you know what i mean).

I love information graphics, and love, love, love this site (I refer to it often). I found a great treemap of the stimulus spending there:

Either you know someone like this, are you are like this yourself. Either way, a fun commentary on our “twobsession” with twitter.