Rad Rebranding: How 10 Famous Logos Have Changed Over Time

A company’s brand is a succinct but comprehensive embodiment of everything the company stands for. The best logos are recognizable, memorable and let you know what the company is about with just a glance. But even the biggest companies in the world have to change with the times and grow as their brand grows. While rebranding is an expensive (and sometimes risky) undertaking, these companies have thrown caution to the wind and changed up their logos – and most of them have done it over and over.

Pepsi

(images via: PSFK and InstantShift)

Officially trademarked in 1903, Pepsi-Cola has gone through many changes over the years. Though each individual change wasn’t drastic, the evolution has led to a logo with no trace of the original. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the first few iterations looked surprisingly like the logo of their main competitor, Coca-Cola. The latest of these changes took approximately 5 months of research and cost in the neighborhood of $100 million (including costs of changing old logos and marketing literature).

(image via: Blow at Life)

It didn’t take long after the introduction of the new curvy logo for Lawrence Yang to notice that it looked a bit like…well, a guy who enjoyed a bit too much Pepsi. His hilarious (and free!) revamp of the new logo has been floating around on the Internet and reminding people of a bloated fat guy since 2009.

Starbucks

(images via: Starbucks)

Like Nike and Pepsi, Starbucks’ logo recently evolved away from including the company name. The famous woodblock mermaid illustration now stands on her own sans the signature Starbucks font.

(image via: Felipe Torres)

Also like Pepsi, the 2011 logo change inspired some further logo alteration. This illustrated “future” of Starbucks’ logo takes the company’s trend to its logical conclusion: a close-up so extreme you can no longer tell what in the world it is supposed to be.

Nike

(image via: Logo Design)

Nike’s famous ‘Swoosh’ logo is universally recognized. Created in 1971 by a graphic design student at Portland State University (who was paid just $35 for her work), the logo was first used with the brand name appearing behind it. Though the original logos were never retired (you can still purchase ‘vintage’ gear with the original logos), a little over a decade after its inception the company opted to drop the brand name in favor of the ‘Solo Swoosh’.

Wal-Mart

(image via: InstantShift)

Before it became the giant retailer that it is today, Wal-Mart was a single discount store in Rogers, Arkansas. As the company grew by leaps and bounds, the logo underwent only minor changes. The “Discount City” logo introduced in 1968 was used on employee smocks but never on store signage; when you take that logo out of the timeline it seems that the retailer hasn’t made many drastic changes over the years. The most noticeable alteration was in 2008 when the star was moved from the middle of the name to the end, leaving the official Wal-Mart logo without a separator (like a hyphen or a star) for the first time in over 40 years. Interestingly, the current logo looks quite a bit like the company’s original logo.

Apple

(image via: InstantShift)

Today, Apple has one of the most recognizable logos in the world, but the company’s first logo was a complicated mess featuring Isaac Newton sitting under a tree, apple dangling above his head. The too-complex logo was scrapped after less than a year in favor of the iconic rainbow apple with a bite missing. When Steve Jobs returned to the helm of the company in 1997, the old rainbow was ditched in favor of a sleek, stylish monochrome apple which now features prominently on every product the company sells.

Canon

(image via: Neatorama)

The Japanese imaging products company actually started life as Kwanon. The name was taken from the Buddhist bodhisattva Guan Yin, who is known in Japan as Kannon. When the company expanded in 1935, they adopted a name that they thought would appeal to a wider audience. Since “canon” had a similar pronunciation and positive associations, the word became the company’s new name. With the new name came a new, simple logo: the company’s name in a typeface which at that time did not exist in North America or Europe. Since then the logo has undergone a few refinements, but no major overhauls.

Microsoft

(images via: LogoTalks)

Most technology companies are particularly concerned with keeping up with the times, which makes perfect sense. Microsoft, however, does not seem to care as much about keeping their image interesting as some other tech outfits. Microsoft’s original logo (from 1975) was a disco-type font which didn’t last long. The second logo (used from 1982-1987) featured a distinctive “O” which was known within Microsoft as a “blibbet.” In 1987 the current “Pac-Man” logo was adopted (so called because of the slashed “O”) and since then various tag lines have accompanied the logo.

Xerox

(image via: InstantShift)

You have to hand it to Xerox: they have come back from so many challenges – from market changes to accounting scandals – to keep on doing business more than a century after the company was founded. These days it seems like they spend more time trying to keep their company name from becoming a common verb than actually doing business, but they bravely soldier on. Their most recent logo reflects the company’s desire to prove that they are more than just copiers.

IBM

(image via: Neatorama)

Name changes, mergers and changing times amounted to a century of logo updates from IBM. However, the most recent logo has remained in place for nearly forty years now while the machines sold by IBM have changed dramatically.

Volkswagen

(image via: InstantShift)

Volkswagen, one of the world’s most beloved car brands, actually started out life as a pet project of Adolf Hitler. After WWII, the British took control of the company and removed the graphical Nazi elements from the logo. The company’s long, fascinating history has led to surprisingly few logo redesigns, with the company choosing instead to stick with the familiar stacked letters inside a circle.

(from weburbanist)

today’s front pages of most newspapers

Newseum is a cool website that will allow you to see the front page of most of the newspapers published on paper.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Win and Mac

ACCENTED VOWELS

Á (Aacute) — shift-opt-y (Mac) — alt-0193 (PC) — & Aacute; (html)
À (Agrave) — opt-` + A (Mac) — alt-0192 (PC) — & Agrave; (html)
 (Acircumflex) — shift-opt-m (Mac) — alt-0194 (PC) — & Acirc; (html)
Ä (A-dieresis) — opt-u + A (Mac) — alt-0196 (PC) — & Auml; (html)
à (Atilde) — opt-n + A (Mac) — alt-0195 (PC) — & Atilde; (html)
Å (A-ring) — shift-opt-a (Mac) — alt-0197 (PC) — & Aring; (html)

á (a-acute) — opt-e + a (Mac) — alt-0225 (PC) — & aacute; (html)
à (a-grave) — opt-` + a (Mac) — alt-0224 (PC) — & agrave; (html)
â (a-circumflex) — opt-i + a (Mac) — alt-0226 (PC) — & acirc; (html)
ä (a-dieresis) — opt-u + a (Mac) — alt-0228 (PC) — & auml; (html)
ã (a-tilde) — opt-n + a (Mac) — alt-0227 (PC) — & atilde; (html)
å (a-ring) — opt-a (Mac) — alt-0229 (PC) — & aring; (html)

É (E-acute) — opt-e + E (Mac) — alt-0201 (PC) — & Eacute; (html)
È (Egrave) — opt-` + E (Mac) — alt-0200 (PC) — & Egrave; (html)
Ê (Ecircumflex) — opt-i + E (Mac) — alt-0202 (PC) — & Ecirc; (html)
Ë (Edieresis) — opt-u + E (Mac) — alt-0203 (PC) — & Euml; (html)

é (e-acute) — opt-e + e (Mac) — alt-0233 (PC) — & eacute; (html)
è (e-grave) — opt-` + e (Mac) — alt-0232 (PC) — & egrave; (html)
ê (e-circumflex) — opt-i + e (Mac) — alt-0234 (PC) — & ecirc; (html)
ë (e-dieresis) — opt-u + e (Mac) — alt-0235 (PC) — & euml; (html)

Í (Iacute) — shift-opt-s (Mac) — alt-0205 (PC) — & Iacute; (html)
Ì (Igrave) — opt-` + I (Mac) — alt-0204 (PC) — & Igrave; (html)
Î (Icircumflex) — shift-opt-d (Mac) — alt-0206 (PC) — & Icirc; (html)
Ï (Idieresis) — shift-opt-f (Mac) — alt-0207 (PC) — & Iuml; (html)

í (i-acute) — opt-e + i (Mac) — alt-0237 (PC) — & iacute; (html)
ì (i-grave) — opt-` + i (Mac) — alt-0236 (PC) — & igrave; (html)
î (i-circumflex) — opt-i + i (Mac) — alt-0238 (PC) — & icirc; (html)
ï (i-dieresis) — opt-u + i (Mac) — alt-0239 (PC) — & iuml; (html)

Ó (Oacute) — shift-opt-h (Mac) — alt-0211 (PC) — & Oacute; (html)
Ò (Ograve) — shift-opt-L (Mac) — alt-0210 (PC) — & Ograve; (html)
Ô (Ocircumflex) — shift-opt-j (Mac) — alt-0212 (PC) — & Ocirc; (html)
Ö (O-dieresis) — opt-u + O (Mac) — alt-0214 (PC) — & Ouml; (html)
Õ (Otilde) — opt-n + O (Mac) — alt-0213 (PC) — & Otilde; (html)
Ø (Oslash) — shift-opt-o (Mac) — alt-0216 (PC) — & 216; (html)

ó (o-acute) — opt-e + o (Mac) — alt-0243 (PC) — & oacute; (html)
ò (o-grave) — opt-` + o (Mac) — alt-0242 (PC) — & ograve; (html)
ô (o-circumflex) — opt-i + o (Mac) — alt-0244 (PC) — & ocirc; (html)
ö (o-dieresis) — opt-u + o (Mac) — alt-0246 (PC) — & oulm; (html)
õ (o-tilde) — opt-n + o (Mac) — alt-0245 (PC) — & otilde; (html)
ø (oslash) — opt-o (Mac) — alt-0248 (PC) — & 248; (html)

Ú (Uacute) — shift-opt-; (Mac) — alt-0218 (PC) — & Uacute; (html)
Ù (Ugrave) — opt-` + U (Mac) — alt-0217 (PC) — & Ugrave; (html)
Û (Ucircumflex) — opt-i + U (Mac) — alt-0219 (PC) — & Ucirc; (html)
Ü (U-dieresis) — opt-u + U (Mac) — alt-0220 (PC) — & Uuml; (html)
ú (u-acute) — opt-e + u (Mac) — alt-0250 (PC) — & uacute; (html)
ù (u-grave) — opt-` + u (Mac) — alt-0249 (PC) — & ugrave; (html)
û (u-circumflex) — opt-i + u (Mac) — alt-0251 (PC) — & ucirc; (html)
ü (u-dieresis) — opt-u + u (Mac) — alt-0252 (PC) — & uuml; (html)
Ÿ (Ydieresis) — opt-u + Y (Mac) — alt-0159 (PC) — & #159; (html)
ÿ (ydieresis) — opt-u + y (Mac) — alt-0255 (PC) — & yuml; (html)

ACCENTED CHARACTERS

Ç (C-cedilla) — shift-opt-c (Mac) — alt-0199 (PC) — & Ccedil; (html)
ç (c-cedilla) — opt-c (Mac) — alt-0231 (PC) — & ccedil; (html)
Ð (Eth) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0208 (PC)
ð (eth) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0240 (PC)
Ñ (N-tilde) — opt-n + N (Mac) — alt-0209 (PC) — & Ntilde; (html)
ñ (n-tilde) — opt-n + n (Mac) — alt-0241 (PC) — & ntilde; (html)
Š (Scaron) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0138 (PC)
š (scaron) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0154 (PC)
Ý (Yacute) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0221 (PC)
ý (yacute) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0253 (PC)
Þ (Thorn) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0222 (PC)
þ (thorn) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0254 (PC)

LIGATURES

Þ (fi) — shift-opt-5 (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & 222; (html)
þ (fl) — shift-opt-6 (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & 254; (html)
Æ (AE) — shift-opt-’ (Mac) — alt-0198 (PC) — & 198; (html)
æ (ae) — opt-’ (Mac) — alt-0230 (PC) — & 230; (html)
Oe (OE) — shift-opt-q (Mac) — alt-0140 (PC) — & 140; (html)
oe (oe) — opt-q (Mac) — alt-0156 (PC) — & 156; (html)

PUNCTUATION SYMBOLS

§ (section) — opt-6 (Mac) — alt-0167 (PC) — & #167; (html)
€ (bullet) — opt-8 (Mac) — alt-0149 (PC) — & #128; (html)
(paragraph) — opt-7 (Mac) — alt-0182 (PC) — & #182; (html)
¿ (questiondown) — shift-opt-/ (Mac) — alt-0191 (PC) — & 191; (html)
¡ (exclamdown) — opt-1 (Mac) — alt-0161 (PC) — & 161; (html)
« (guillemotleft) — opt-\ (Mac) — alt-0171 (PC) — & 171; (html)
» (guillemotright) — shift-opt-\ (Mac) — alt-0187 (PC) — & 187; (html)
Š (ellipsis) — opt-; (Mac) — alt-0133 (PC) — & 138; (html)
- (endash) — opt-dash (Mac) — alt-0150 (PC) — & 150; (html)
- (emdash) — shift-opt-dash (Mac) — alt-0151 (PC) — & 151; (html)
< (guilsingleleft) — shift-opt-3 (Mac) — alt-0139 (PC) — & 139; (html)
> (guilsingleright) — shift-opt-4 (Mac) — alt-0155 (PC) — & 155; (html)
· (period centered) — shift-opt-9 (Mac) — alt-0183 (PC) — & 183; (html)
, (quote single base) — shift-opt-0 (Mac) — alt-0130 (PC) — & 130; (html)
,, (quote double base) — shift-opt-w (Mac) — alt-0132 (PC) — & 132; (html)

MATHEMATICAL/GREEK SYMBOLS

° (degree) — shift-opt-8 (Mac) — alt-0176 (PC) — & #176; (html)
(not equals) — opt-equals (Mac) — inaccessible (PC)
(infinity) — opt-5 (Mac) — inaccessible (PC)
± (plusminus) — shift-opt-equals (Mac) — alt-0177 (PC) — & 177; (html)
¾ (lessequal) — opt-comma (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & 190; (html)
÷ (divide) — opt-/ (Mac) — alt-0247 (PC) — & 247; (html)
Ž (fraction slash) — shift-opt-1 (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & 142; (html)
‰ (per thousand) — shift-opt-r (Mac) — alt-0137 (PC) — & 137; (html)
­ (minus) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0173 (PC) — & #173; (html)
× (multiply) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0215 (PC) — & #215; (html)
½ (one half) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0189 (PC)
¼ (one quarter) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0188 (PC)
¾ (three quarters) — inaccessible (Mac) — alt-0190 (PC)
µ (mu) — opt-m (Mac) — alt-0181 (PC) — & 181; (html)
(omega) — opt-z (Mac) — inaccessible (PC)
(logicalnot) — opt-L (Mac) — alt-0172 (PC) — & 172; (html)
 (delta) — opt-j (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & 144; (html)
f (florin) — opt-f (Mac) — alt-0131 (PC) — & 131; (html)
ß (germandbls) — opt-s (Mac) — alt-0223 (PC) — & szlig; (html)

MONETARY SYMBOLS

¢ (cent) — opt-4 (Mac) — alt-0162 (PC) — & #162; (html)
£ (sterling) — opt-3 (Mac) — alt-0163 (PC) — & #163; (html)
¥ (yen) — opt-y (Mac) — alt-0165 (PC) — & 165; (html)
¤ (currency) — shift-opt-2 (Mac) — alt-0164 (PC) — & 164; (html)

COPYRIGHT SYMBOLS

® (registered) — opt-r (Mac) — alt-0174 (PC) — & reg; (html)
© (copyright) — opt-g (Mac) — alt-0169 (PC) — & copy; (html)
 (trademark) — opt-2 (Mac) — alt-0153 (PC) — & 129; (html)

ISOLATED ACCENTS

´ (acute) — shift-opt-e (Mac) — alt-0180 (PC) — & 180; (html)
¨ (dieresis) — shift-opt-u (Mac) — alt-0168 (PC) — & 168; (html)
- (circumflex) — shift-opt-i (Mac) — alt-0136 (PC) — & #150; (html)
~ (tilde) — shift-opt-n (Mac) — alt-0152 (PC) — & #152; (html)
¯ (macron) — shift-opt-comma (Mac) — alt-0175 (PC) — & #175; (html)
š (ring) — opt-k (Mac) — inaccessible (PC) — & #154; (html)
¸ (cedilla) — shift-opt-z (Mac) — alt-0184 (PC) — & #184; (html)

OTHER SYMBOLS

ª (ordfeminine) — opt-9 (Mac) — alt-0170 (PC) — & 170; (html)
º (ordmasculine) — opt-0 (Mac) — alt-0186 (PC) — & 186; (html)
Ý (dagger) — opt-t (Mac) — alt-0134 (PC) — & 221; (html)
ý (double dagger) — shift-opt-7 (Mac) — alt-0135 (PC) — & 253; (html)

Get Out! The Table Shelter

Extremis is one of my favorite outdoor brands. The reason is that they do not bother bringing designs to the market unless they have a true innovation that really works for real life. This year, their creative touch has turned to making a “Table Shelter.”

In November, they launched the Hopper table and now have a matching shade and drizzle protection system to complement it. Made in galvanized steel, it can be slotted into sockets placed right by the bench’s feet. The “structure” can be left closed or open open, acting as much as a shade structure as it does a protection from drizzle. And — in real life — that makes it a winner.

Tools for togetherness
Dirk Wynants who designed this contraption is a highly colorful character with a vision. He believes in “tools for togetherness”… Quite often when you read a company’s mission statement on their website you fail to see any relevance between those well written lines and your own experience of the brand. This is not true for Extremis. I certainly think this new Hopper bench and shade are great for easy informal gatherings year round.

For those less familiar with the brand this is a copy of how the brand describes itself:

Extremis was established in 1994 on the initiative of Dirk Wynants. The company started very modestly with the creation of the multifunctional Gargantua garden table. From the Westhoek (Gijverinkhove, situated near the French border in a far-off corner of West Flanders) Extremis has managed to secure a firm position on the international design scene. From the very outset, a major part of the production was meant for the international markets, as the home market could not secure the necessary continuity

Extremis is much more than just a line in furniture — it’s a way of life, aimed at bringing people together to enjoy life to the full. For the past 15 years, Extremis, based in West Flanders in Belgium, has been making Tools for Togetherness, to promote the true burgundian lifestyle.

As trend analysts new mantra is that “nice is the new black,” I am sure we will see more “tools for togetherness,” perhaps competing with Twitter as a means to interact? 

thesixtyone – Let the Listeners Decide

Record executives and radio DJs may have controlled what made it onto record store shelves in the past, but a web-app called thesixtyone is helping its users decide for themselves what they want to listen to now. With a goal of helping young artists get discovered, thesixtyone has created a way for music lovers to listen to songs by musicians they’ve never heard of before and download those that seem worth listening to again.

If you’re sick of the music on the radio and tired of the tunes you’ve downloaded onto your iPod, it might be time to give thesixtyone a try. Head over to the site – www.thesixtyone.com – and click on the word “ready” to begin. Immediately, a song will begin playing by an artist you’ve most likely never heard of before. If you like the tune, then keep listening and add the song to your playlist. If you hate the song, there’s no hard feelings. Just click the arrow on the right-hand side of the page to start listening to another song by an undiscovered artist. When you find a song you actually enjoy, download it to your hard drive and import it onto your iPod. Musicians who sell their songs on thesixtyone are paid directly without having to give a cut of the proceeds to their record companies or distributors.

Thesixtyone isn’t just a service that allows people to listen to music and sell their songs on the web, either. The web-app also offers an interactive gaming element that lets users recommend songs they like and earn points when other users download or recommend those very same songs. Users can also comment on songs, make friends through the site, and complete “quests” or journeys just for fun. For music aficionados who enjoy being on the cusp of new music trends, thesixtyone is a great web-app.

Practical Uses:

• Find new musicians whose music you enjoy
• Download songs that your friends have never heard before
• Sell your music to fans online
• Earn reputation points for recommending lesser-known songs that users enjoy

Insider Tips:

• Go on “quests” to earn points
• Comment on songs with tips and suggestions for the band
• Scroll through songs until you find one you like
• Download music to your desktop

(via appvita)

10 Intense Public Guerrilla Marketing Posters

Guerrilla marketinghas perfected the technique of catching people’s eyes and grabbing their attention, targeting consumers in unexpected ways and unconventional places. That, of course, is the point of this once-fringe form of advertising, which has now been taken up even by large corporations like Adidas and Microsoft. These 10 posters show just how powerful guerrilla marketing can be, whether trying to solicit donations for charitable causes or provoking you to join a gym.

‘Real Hip Hop’ Bus Stop Ad

(image via: Geurilla de Talentos)

A floating afro sits at head-level behind a bus stop seat, just at the right height to make it look like anyone who sits there has quite an impressive head of hair. This poster by ‘Real Hip Hop’ is definitely an eye-catcher.

Snuff Clothing Bloody Cleaver Poster

(images via: Ads of the World)

What do bloody cleavers have to do with skiing? That’s anybody’s guess – apparently Snuff, a clothing brand for ‘hard core’ skiers, was just trying to get people’s attention. The campaign was based around the idea that “death is only a matter of time”. Alrighty then, let’s go skiing!

Erotika Sex Shop Car Window Stickers

(image via: Ad Goodness)

It doesn’t get much more in-your-face than this. An Italian sex shop called ‘Erotika’ covered all of the windows of a car with stickers showing people in rather suggestive poses. The car, situated right outside the door of the shop, featured another sticker that said “Toys you can’t wait to use”.

Anti-Graffiti Bus Seat Poster

(image via: EatLiver)

The Australian Public Transport Authority got tired of people spray-painting graffiti on their buses and trains, so they targeted the ‘graffidiots’ with this ad campaign that reminds would-be vandals what the consequences of their actions could be.

Witness Against Torture Elevator Ad

(image via: Ads of the World)

An otherwise blank set of elevator doors features two sets of fingers peeking out from the seam, as if someone inside is trying to escape. Once you’re inside the elevator you see the owner of those fingers: a man in a prison jumpsuit and leg-cuffs. Witness Against Torture, a human rights group, used this ad to campaign for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

Get Up and Run Chair Posters

(image via: Brand Infection)

VIP Gym thought images of a flabby, cellulite-ridden butt topped with a pair of love handles would be enough to make people want to ‘get up and run’. Glued to chairs in restaurants and cafes, the poster gives you the uncomfortable feeling that you’re seeing way more of strangers than you would have liked.

Feed SA Shopping Cart Posters

(image via: I Believe in Advertising)

You’d have to have a heart of stone to avoid being affected by the images of poor, starving children sitting in the bottom of your shopping cart. Any food placed in the shopping cart appear to be delivered right into the needy child’s hands. Feed SA, a South African charity dedicated to feeding disadvantaged people, put these decals in shopping carts and saw a marked increase in donations and a significant boost in website traffic.

Suicide Prevention Posters

(image via: Ad Goodness)

So simple, yet so effective. These posters by a Brazilian suicide prevention organization use nothing but white paper and the silhouette cut-out of someone falling – with the negative space from the cutout appearing to save them.

Anti-Smoking Stick-Ons

(image via: Zlatanova)

Tailpipe smoke is gross… and the same goes for the carcinogen-loaded clouds that erupt from the mouth of a cigarette smoker. An anti-smoking group equated the two by placing posters of people’s faces with the cut-out mouths strategically placed at the end of tailpipes.

Where’s Your Child? Grim Drowning Awareness Campaign

(image via: Life Saving Victoria)

This poster featuring a motionless child hovering at the bottom of a pool – placed underwater so that from above, it looks real – is part of a drowning awareness campaign by ‘Watch Around Water’, an Australian safety initiative. Parents who caught a glimpse of this rather grisly warning no doubt held their children a little tighter, so perhaps in this case disturbing equals effective.

(via weburbanist)

Regulating Google’s results? Law prof calls “search neutrality” incoherent

snow tyres for your bicycle

Do you have snow where you live? Would you like to use your bicycle but it is too slippery?

Well, here you have a DIY tip:

SNOWPOCALYPSE!

No matter how much we swear we’ve learned our lessons, Seattle always seems to get caught by surprise by the snow. There we were, minding our own business with our feet all toasty in our sandals and socks, when the temperature plummeted and it turned into Juneau in January. While this year the City did a much better job than last year at preventing widespread carnage and destruction, we at Dutch Bike Seattle still didn’t bring in studded tires because it never snows in Seattle. Even if we had stocked them, I’m not sure they’d sell because it never snows in Seattle, right?

We found something else, though. Something else entirely.

You’re not going to believe it at first.

It’s quick, it’s cheap, and yes, it looks completely ludicrous.

BUT. It works. It works beautifully.

I can accelerate, brake, and corner with aplomb, even on the vile snowpack/sheet ice mix the plows leave in the bike lanes. The zip ties dig nicely into the hardest packed surfaces, but they’re thin enough not to bounce the bike around at low speed or on short pavement sections.

I’ve cunningly positioned the tie heads to dig in as soon as the bike goes into a corner while staying up and off the ground in a straight line. This is the place that the ties are most likely to interfere with the fenders, so if you’re installing these yourself be careful to make sure you have or can create the clearance.

It is at this point that I must admit that I didn’t dream up this amazing technique. It pains me to admit this not because my ego suffers, but because the zip-tie-DIY-bicycle-snow-chains idea appears to have originated with my favorite bicycle industry whipping boy: fixed gear hipster culture. Several years ago, I’m sure, some bright child with extremely tight pants and an asymmetrical haircut had a genius-caliber idea, and I hate that it wasn’t me. So here it is: Fixed gear street bike hipster guys, I’m sorry for the things I’ve said over the years. It’s not true that the only drink you like is 4Loko. It’s also not true that you’re not allowed to wear shoes that don’t match your bikes. You can wear whatever you want. And finally, you have come up with a good idea besides brightly colored deep-section rims.

(from dutchbikeco.com)

11 Tricks to Cutting Travel Costs in 2011

BARGAIN hunters will need to be craftier when booking a trip if they want to get the best prices this year. It’s no secret that airfares are up and added fees for everything from checked bags to exit-row seats are pushing the cost of flying higher. On top of that, hotel bargains are expected to be harder to come by as business travelers begin to return, diminishing the need for hotels to discount rooms in major cities.

But that doesn’t mean a year in front of your television. There are still plenty of ways to cut costs. Here are 11 strategies — and some useful Web sites — to help you save on travel this year.

1. SHOP “PRIVATE SALES” A growing number of Web sites, including SniqueAway.com, TabletHotels.comand Jetsetter.com have flash sales of 20 to 60 percent off hotel packages to travelers on an invitation-only basis. Jetsetter, for example, recently offered a Friday night in January at the Angler’s, a boutique hotel in Miami, for $255 a night, down from the $359 offered at the hotel’s site. Another site, TripAlertz.com, works like Groupon for travel, meaning that the more people who book a deal, the lower the rate. For example, a four-night, all-inclusive stay at the Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa was initially offered to members for $1,496, or 15 percent off, last month. After 55 bookings, the price dropped to $1,220. At TripAlertz and LivingSocial.com, which offers last-minute getaways, all you have to do is create an account to access the deals. A Google search for “Snique Away invite” turned up a registration form for SniqueAway.com that got me in.

2. BUY ON TUESDAY Most airlines begin sales on Monday evenings, and by the following day other airlines have usually matched the lowered fares on the same routes, said Anne McDermott, editor at Farecompare.com, which tracks price trends. Last month, for example, Virgin America had a sale on Dec. 13, with one-way fares as low as $79 on some routes, according to Farecompare. The next day, there were sales from AirTran, Southwest and American, with one-way fares from $59. Because sales are hard to predict, travelers looking for the best deal should start their searches three to four months in advance, when airlines begin to look closely at which routes may need a sale to fill seats.

3. SEARCH FOR COUPON CODES Practically every travel site includes a box at checkout for a promotional discount code. Sites like PromotionalCodes.com orCouponWinner.com organize such codes into categories so that you can search specifically for airline, car rental or hotel deals. A recent search turned up codes for deals like $94 flights between New York and New Orleans, 15 percent discounts on Avis weekly car rentals and $75 off of three-night Westin Hotels packages.

4. ASK FOR A REFUND Many airlines will refund the difference in price if the fare drops after you purchase a ticket (minus a change fee). Yapta.com helps get you that refund by tracking the price of your ticket and sending you an e-mail or Tweet when the price drops so that you can call the airline to claim the credit. A new site, Autoslash.com, offers a similar service for car rentals.

5. AVOID ROAMING CHARGES Skype and Truphone offer free apps for making cheap international calls using Wi-Fi, with rates that start at pennies per minute. You can pay as you go or sign up for monthly plans to make unlimited calls in certain countries for a flat fee: $13.99 a month for Skype calls to land lines and mobile phones in more than 40 countries, or $12.95 a month for Tru calls in 38 countries with TruUnlimited. Another option: the Vonage Mobile app for Facebook allows travelers to make free international calls over Wi-Fi to Facebook friends who also download the app.

6. CHANGE YOUR CREDIT CARD Most American banks charge currency conversion fees, typically up to 3 percent when you use your credit or debit card outside the United States. But there are some exceptions. Capital One does not charge foreign transaction fees, and Chase recently began waiving the fees on its British Airways Visa Signature Card, its Hyatt Card and the Priority Club Select Visa.

7. SAVE ON PARKING YOUR CAR Bestparking.com steers drivers toward the cheapest parking at off-airport lots near 79 North American airports. Rates are updated frequently, and sold-out lots are highlighted. A recent search for parking near Newark Liberty International Airport offered a snapshot of rates and locations on a map. The Renaissance Hotel lot was among the cheapest at $12 for 24 hours. There is also a free app for iPhone, Android or BlackBerry users.

8. WAIT A WEEK Avoid the crowds and save by traveling the week after a major holiday. A five-night ski vacation in Breckenridge, Colo., during the last week of December was priced at $1,988 a person, including airfare from Chicago, at Orbitz.com. For the following week, the same trip was listed at $1,037 a person. Similarly, a vacation including airfare from New York and five nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort dropped from $821 to $580.

9. NEGOTIATE Though many hotels say that they offer their best rates online, it pays to ask the front desk for a lower rate. My colleague Seth Kugel regularly uses this tactic, as he pointed out in a column last summer: “I arrive with a solid reservation but then check out five or six other hotels and go back and forth between them in an attempt to set off a price war.” The strategy saved him $20 a night in León, Nicaragua. I have had similar successover the phone with reservation agents at New York hotels like the Ritz-Carlton New York and 60 Thompson.

10. TRAVEL LIKE A STUDENT Student travel agencies like STA Travel, StudentCity and StudentUniverse have begun to extend their low prices to nonstudents and older travelers. While some of the deepest discounts are offered only to travelers enrolled in an academic program, recent college graduates can often save 10 to 25 percent with “youth fares.” For example, a recent search for flights in March on STATravel.com, which limits certain deals to nonstudents under the age of 26, turned up seats for $926 round trip on V Australia Airlines. The best rates for the same dates on Kayak.com were $1,187. Though it is not common for older travelers to use student travel agencies, it is possible to do so. There were no age restrictions for a discounted four-day Inca Trail trek with STA Travel for $674 a person, down from $899.

11. DON’T PAY TO CHECK A BAG Checking bags can quickly add up, with airlines charging between $15 and $35 a bag. Delta’s SkyMiles-branded American Express card allows you and up to eight others on the same reservation to each check a bag at no cost. And American Express introduced a travel-rewards card — the Blue Sky Preferred Credit Card — that offers travelers an annual $100 allowance to cover checked baggage, in-flight meals, entertainment or Wi-Fi purchases, and other fees, on any airline.

(by MICHELLE HIGGINS from NYTimes)

13 Scary Sky-High Platforms & Observation Decks

Your head spins, your stomach clenches, your heart pounds furiously. You’re thousands of feet above the ground with nothing but glass keeping you from teetering over the edge in a lengthy and final fall. Do you have the guts to look down? Hundreds of feet in the air, these 13 tower platforms and observation decks – often with transparent floors – offer absolutely breathtaking views of cities like Shanghai and landscape features like the Grand Canyon.

Burj Khalifa Observation Deck, Dubai

(images via: unique buildings, mithunonthe.net, le grand portage)

You’re never going to get a higher vantage point from a free-standing structure than that attainable at the Burj Khalifa observation deck in Dubai. Unless, that is, somebody builds a structure even taller than this world-record tower, which reaches half a mile into the air. The observation deck is on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa (formerly known as the Burj Dubai) and on a clear day, it provides absolutely jaw-dropping views of practically the whole of the United Arab Emirates.

Stockholm SkyView at the Ericcson Globe

(images via: globearenas.se)

You’ll literally feel on top of the globe when you hitch a ride in one of the glass ‘gondolas’ at Stockholm Skyview, a moving observation deck that travels up two sets of rails on the exterior of the Ericcson Globe Arena in Sweden. Each gondola can take 16 people over 426 feet into the air for an unforgettable view of the city of Stockholm.

Top of Tyrol, Austria

(images via: aste architecture)

Virtually invisible against the snow in the winter, ‘Top of Tyrol’ was designed to blend seamlessly into its environment and provide a vantage point that most people couldn’t achieve without some serious mountain climbing abilities. Designed by Aste Architecture, Top of Tyrol cantilevers nearly 30 feet out from the pinnacle of Austria’s Mount Isidor, about 10,500 feet above the ground.

Shanghai World Financial Center, China

(images via: kanegan, bernt rostad, le grand portage)

Before the Burj Khalifa came along and shattered all kinds of records, the observation deck at the Shanghai World Financial Center was about as high as it got. The glass observation corridor, which spans the summit of the building, is half a kilometer in the air – but the faint(ish) of heart can still get a thrill by checking out lower decks on the 94th and 97th floors instead.

Five Fingers Viewing Platform, Austria

(images via: goldenrochs.at)

Get five different views with five different features in each jetty of ‘Five Fingers’, a viewing platform in the Austrian Alps. The first has a picture frame for souvenir shots, the second a glass floor for that vertiginous feeling, the third a trampoline for the foolhardy (this one is only open for special events, lest tourists bounce themselves right over the cliff), the fourth a hole in the floor to peek through and the fifth, a telescope.

Sands Skypark, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

(images via: marinabaysands.com)

On the top of three skyscrapers, 656 feet in the air, Singapore boasts a 1,246-foot-long rooftop deck by architect Moshe Safdie offering an incredible view of Marina Bay. The curving Sands Skypark is shaped like a ship and equivalent in size to the Eiffel Tower laid on its side. Among its most notable features is a 150-meter-long infinity swimming pool, which makes guests feel like they could swim right over the edge.

Landscape Promontory, Switzerland

(images via: etienne deffinis, architonic)

Designed by Paolo Burgi, Landscape Promontory is a suspended metal platform that almost looks like an insanely oversized, modern version of a carnival ride – except that it (thankfully) doesn’t move. The viewing platform extends out from Cardada mountain in Switzerland and is marked with symbols and explanations that tell of local history and literature.

Willis Tower Skydeck, Chicago

(images via: charlotte speaks)

Step out onto the deck of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower ‘Skydeck’ – an enclosed balcony made almost entirely of glass – and you’ll feel, for a moment, as if you’re about to hurtle to a rather unpleasant death on the streets below. Or perhaps, if you’re the brave type, the height won’t phase you at all and you’ll just be completely entranced by an unparalleled, uninterrupted view of the Chicago skyline.

Aurland Lookout, Norway

(images via: todd saunders)

You know that stomach-clutching, heart-in-your-throat sensation you get on roller coasters just as you’re coming up to the edge of a terrifyingly steep drop? That moment is drawn out indefinitely at the Aurland Lookout in Norway, a stunning wooden overlook that puts nothing but a sheet of plate glass between you and the countryside below. Designed by Todd Saunders & Tommie Wilhelmsen, the minimalist structure celebrates the region’s natural beauty and exemplifies its spare, modern design sense.

Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne

(images via: eurekaskydeck.com)

They named this thing ‘Eureka’ for a reason – it’s about the tamest exclamation that would emerge from your mouth as you walk out onto it. As you look down through the glass floor, you become acutely aware of the fact that you’re nearly 1,000 feet above street level. Jutting 9 feet out the side of the building, the Skydeck offers the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona

(images via: vistor.com)

Stepping out onto the Grand Canyon Skywalk is probably the closest you’ll ever get to walking on air. The U-shaped walkway, considered quite a feat of engineering (or an over-developed eyesore, depending on your viewpoint), extends 66 feet from the canyon’s edge and its two-inch-thick glass floor lets you gaze down 3,600 feet to the canyon floor below.

House on the Rock Infinity Room, Wisconsin

(images via: panaramio, gadling)

As you emerge from the cluttered depths of one of America’s most bizarre roadside attractions, The House on the Rock, you can clear your head on a cantilevered viewing platform that extends 218 feet over the forest floor. Once you reach the end of the ‘Infinity Room’, which has 3,264 windows, you can look out the final pane of glass, which is set into the floor at the tip.

i360 Tower, Brighton, UK

(images via: e-architect.co.uk)

England’s Brighton Beach will get a 600-foot needle tower with a circular glass viewing platform that can hold 125 people, following years of delays. The i360 Tower – which might get a name change by the time it’s complete – is set to become Britain’s highest observation tower, granting 360-degree views of the coast.

Blizzard Wizards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Snow Plows

When snow begins to pile up, snow plows head out to take it down. These glorified power shovels are a triumph of basic technology against the forces of nature, and even then there’s room for adaptation, customization and decoration. So clear the way for these 10 cool cutting edge snow plows… or better yet, let THEM do it for you!

Porsche 968 Snow Plow

(images via: Eastbounddown and Pelican Parts Forums)

Ever wonder what the snow plow driver drives? No, it’s not a shop… but the Porsche 968 Snowplow isn’t exactly what it appears to be, either. “In honor of April Fools Day, each April I write my column about something humorous,” explains Bruce Corwin, owner of the 968 above. “One year I took the snowplow off a friend’s truck and parked my 968 behind the plow. I took a few photos that looked like the plow was attached to the front of the Porsche and wrote a column about the Porsche ‘snowplow option’.”

(image via: Found Shit)

We’re guessing the Corvette Snow Plow above was “constructed” along the same lines, though the flashing orange light on the roof is a nice touch.

Roofus Radio-Controlled Robot Snow Plow

(images via: ConceptPop and Gizmodo)

Meet Roofus, the Radio-Controlled Robotic Snow Plow who’s gonna tell ya somethin’ good: plowing your driveway just got as easy as playing a video game! Shiny orangeRoofus was originally designed to clear snow from roofs – hence the name – but snow is snow and Roofus just eats it up. Roofus rides on twin caterpillar tracks and packs two electric motors plus a gasoline engine – it’s Mr. Freeze’s Prius! Bolt on some peripheral attachments and Roofus can mow your lawn, sweep the drive and more… actually, YOU can, by just flexing your thumbs.

Russian Jet-Powered Snow Plows

(images via: Mileanhour and Dark Roasted Blend)

When General Winter gets all ornery-like and threatens to put the kibosh on your holiday travel plans, who ya gonna call? Snow Busters!… now equipped with Klimov VK-1 jet engines upcycled from Red Army surplus MiG-15 fighter planes. These bizarre jet trucks are used in Russia and the former Eastern Bloc to clear snow off airport runways and, on occasion, de-ice airliners. If you thought flying Aeroflot sucked, guess what? It blows, too.

(image via: Dark Roasted Blend)

Train tracks also get the blow-dry treatment in eastern Europe, as the makeshift snowblower above illustrates. Now that’s one loco locomotive!

Yuki-Taro Robotic Snow Plow

(images via: Pink Tentacle and Geekologie)

Anyone for some Japanese over-engineering with a dash of cute overload? Arigato, snowplow roboto! The cute (of course) creation above is Yuki-Taro, an environmentally-friendly snow plowing robot that seeks out snow with two video cameras (one in each “eye”) and an on-board GPS receiver.

(images via: Ubergizmo and Techeblog)

Yuki-Taro was designed to help elderly homeowners clear their driveways and walkways. As for what to do with the cleared snow, 880 lb Yuki-Taro simply eats it – whereupon internal compactors form the snow into uniform bricks which are then excreted out the back. If a coalition of several Japanese universities and research institutions didn’t design Yuki-Taro, we’d have to guess a bunch of Japanese kids did. Toss in the eyebrows and the Pikachu mod and we’re sure of it.

Fabulous Fifties Snow Plows

(images via: Travelpod/Hildreth75 and Perimeter Run)

They say time goes by slower up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the winters, well, they seem to last forever. That still doesn’t explain this four door, four wheel drive, 1955 Buick snow plow. We can’t explain it either, so simply gaze upon it in awe and wonder.

(image via: Club Chopper Forums)

One of the most iconic cars of the finned, fabulous Fifties was the 1957 Chevy, ideally as a fuel-injected 2-door Bel Air convertible. The snow plow sedan version… not so much. Even so, you’d have to be Mr. Plow to be any cooler than the driver of this tricked out, chrome-bedazzled rig.

Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T Lawn Mower/Snow Plow

(images via: Techeblog)

“Hybrid Goat Robot” sounds like the title of a very bad B-movie we’d nevertheless love to see, but the Hybrid GOAT ROBOT 22T from Eva Tech is actually a tank-like treaded vehicle that maintains your yard and drive season in and season out.

Check out the Goat Robot 22T making a baaad winter goood:

Remote Control Snow Plow, via Lmedinaxyz

(image via: Eva Tech)

You’ll need to put out $11,999 for the pleasure, mind you, but that’s probably cheaper than keeping your own living goat – and they don’t plow snow all that well.

Hell’s Snow Plow

(images via: TheAllisonRose and ZhenPanda)

Train snowplows are all kinds of awesome from the get go and there’s really no need to jazz ‘em up – so when that happens, it’s off the rails awesome… so to speak. Take the Evil Clown artwork on the train snowplow above… Hell’s Snow Plow indeed!

(image via: John Vass)

When this Bozo on expired steroids comes roaring down the track somewhere in the wilds of rural Montana, be afraid, be VERY afraid, be Stand By Me afraid! Oh and we love the single gold tooth, nice touch there.

RoboPlow

(images via: AutoMotto)

When Robocop wants to plow his driveway, you’d better believe he’s not plowing it – he’s a robotic cop, right? Besides, odds are he’s got RoboPlow: the leanest, meanest, robotic snowplow there is. Don’t be surprised if if rolls up – on 6 wheels, no less – and booms out “Clarence Boddicker, I’m here to shovel your driveway!”

Here’s a promotional video from RoboPlow’s creators, IdeaLABORATORIES, showing this badass mutha in action:

ROBOPLOW, via IdeaLABORATORIES

(image via: Godlike Productions)

RoboPlow sports a wicked 50” wide angle-able blade and packs 660 amps of power. It features a pair of 10-watt LEDs for night-plowing (not the same as night-putting), a pair of flashing red LED brake lights and a fully articulated camera on top to freak people out – if looking like a runaway dwarf casket wasn’t enough. When the cam turns your way, you half-expect a Martian heat ray to blast forth! Available in any color you want – as long as its black.

Pedal-Powered Snow Plow

(images via: 1World2Wheels and Simply+Green Solutions)

From the wild to the mild – we give you the pedal-powered snow plow. No motors, no LEDs, no GPS or frikkin’ laser beams and yet, it’s still awesome… AND fun! It might not be mean but it sure is green. “It probably took me 50 to 80 hours to complete the pedal plow,” says crafty DIY-er Kevin Blake. “With a little bit of mechanical aptitude, some metal working resources and a couple of old bikes, just about anyone can make a pedal-powered snowplow.”

Pedal Powered Snowplow, via MrPlowKevin

(image via: Mother Earth News)

Thanks to Kevin’s exhaustively complete directions, just about anyone CAN build themselves a pedal-powered snow plow. We’re not sure what Kevin’s regular job is, but with ideas like these he should tell his boss to “take this job and shovel it!”

Long Island Railroad Snowplow W83 “Jaws III”

(images via: RMLI and TrainWeb)

Looking like a cross between the boss Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine and a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Flying Tigers livery, snowplow W83 “Jaws III” was probably the most exciting thing to ever ride the rails of the Long Island Rail Road. Built by the LIRR machine shop atop a 1907 flatcar way back in December of 1915, W83 cleared snow along the main line for decades before being rebuilt and repainted in November of 1978.

(images via: TrainWeb)

After a further 8 years of faithful service, the LIRR finally retired snowplow Jaws III (or perhaps by then, “Dentures III”) in 1986. The larger than life, toothy rolling shovel was handed over to the Railroad Museum of Long Island and remains parked just outside the Greenport Freight House.

(images via: Busted Tees and Culturish)

“Call Mr. Plow, that’s my name, that name again, is Mr. Plow!” Ahh yes, Mr. Plow cruised into pop culture consciousness on November 19, 1992, on the ninth episode of The Simpsons’ fourth season. There it has remained, stuck like a snow plow buried beneath an avalanche on Widow’s Peak. Just consider, though, if “Plow King” Barney had been driving any of the above 10 snow plows he’d never need to be rescued and consequences (and Springfield history) would never be the same.

(from weburbanist)

Gmail can now restore deleted contacts

So what if Google knows and remembers all our data, at least it’s turning that stuff into something useful. The latest enhancement to its Gmail client is a neat Contacts restoration option, which can rewind you back to a maximum of 30 days ago, offering a chance to recover rashly deleted email addresses or to remedy an ill-advised sync with any of your other contact-keeping services. As is par for the course with Gmail, it’s a neat and seemingly minor improvement that’ll probably keep users from leaving it for greener pastures over the long term as they grow accustomed to its security. Just how Google likes it.

Holiday gift list for geeks

Wondering what to buy for a geeky person?

Here is my list:

Apple

• iPad (Great to consume content)
• MacBook air 11″ (sexiest laptop to take with you everywhere)
• iPhone 4 (the best phone ever, with the best camera)
• Time Capsule or Airport Extreme (the first if you have a mac to forget about local backups, the second if you just want a great wifi network at home)

Android:

• Samsung Galaxy Pad (7″ android tablet. Great size, with cameras, more features than the current iPad)
• Samsung Galaxy S (iPhone 4 equivalent in Android)

Other:

• Kindle 3 (best ebook reader)
• Pogoplug (plug an external HD and build you own cloud)
• Synology DS1010+ (best NAS)
• Bose QuietConfort 15 (best active noise cancelling headphones if you travel)
• myfox (wifi home alarm)
• GPS logger (great for tagging your DSLR photos)
• Vue Zone (simple IP cameras)

Internet services:

• Evernote (my second brain)
• Google storage (if you use picasa, google docs, etc… cheap storage)
• Flickr pro or smugmug (for your photos online if you have a lot of photos and look for unlimited storage)
• crashplan (best backup in the cloud solution)
• sugarsync (best sync solution, better than dropbox)
• toodledo (great todo management tool)

Foursquare, Gowalla: checking in is not a game…

I have written in the past about the fight of location based apps like foursquare, gowalla, tellmewhere, brightkite, Google �etc… in several posts.

Now, time has passed. I have tested everything it was new. At the�beginning it was fun: having badges and mayors with Forusquare, leaving stuff and taking stuff with Gowalla… but with time I don’t really care about all this games, and that is why in my post I said I was betting for tellmewhere, which was simple, you checked in, you could add tips and add places and photos. A bit of a mix of the best of both Foursquare (which has the tips) and Gowalla that now you can add photos.

Tellmewhere, from day one had this, but, unfortunatelly, it did not have the hipe the other two have… I guess a bit like betemax and VHS… VHS was the winner but Betamax was better….

Well, now there is a disruptor in the game, and I have also talked about. Facebook places.

Facebook places has still some road to go, but at the end of the day why are we going to check in? Because we want our friends to know. Where are our friends? Probably in facebook. In Gowalla, Foursquare, twitter, you have followers mostly. Not your real friends… so that makes Facebook places, with time, the winner.

I hope they learn from the others soon, and they allow us to edit places, add new places, add photos, add tips… because honestly, we don’t care about badges, objects and other games. Maybe promotions and local based offers and advertising.

The prospects for facebook are very good. For the other two… well, I don’t used them anymore. Only once in a while.

40 People Who Changed the Internet

The world has become tightly connected since the internet. The web itself has replaced the practice of reading newspaper. Most of us now communicate through e-mails instead of paper and pen. We now watch networks or movies online, it has even become a wide business venture, so much so we can now make purchase and pay our bills through the internet. The web has also transformed friendships through various social media. It also provides us the possibility to reconnect with people from our childhood and it can be a life changing event.

Author: Aurora Gatbonton

Au aka AwGatsby

You can follow her on Twitter.

(from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/40-people-who-changed-the-internet/)