Fun Stuff
There's no point in being in business if we can't have fun!
Here is a selection of things that make us smile...
Happy Christmas 2009 (please retweet)
Our card is a celebration of the Christmas
story - with a contemporary twist or two.
A £1 donation will be made every time you
download our Christmas card (PDF file).
The money will go to the wonderful Construction Youth Trust, a charity that introduces
thousands of young people to the UK construction industry every year.
The strength of character of these young people, all of whom have had a severely disadvantaged start in life, is awesome. They are a great asset to the construction industry... So any of you out there who can give them even temporary work experience, training or a job - give the Trust a call!
Anyway, after one of the busiest and exciting years for some time, we wish you all a very happy, peaceful and restful Christmas and an extraordinary 2010.
The Daily Mail - source of memetic joy and merriment
I'm indebted to my friends at The Open Road for alerting me to this wonderful set of toys developed by Chris Applegate, including:
The Daily Mail-o-matic (automatic Daily Mail headline generator)
The (New) Daily Mail Oncological Ontology Project (which tracks theDaily Mail's classification of inanimate objects into two types: those that cause cancer, and those that cure it)
... and there are other games there to explore too, including Michael Howard Sings The Smiths and the Alastair Campbell's Wheel of Retribution. Have fun!
In homage to our love of the Slow Movement (and chocolate)
A very clever viral marketing idea from Nestle and Kit Kat - the first worldwide website where *absolutely* nothing happens.
Click here for a break from everything that's driving you mad.
Bubblewrap - the perfect stress buster for these recessionary times
Run out of bubblewrap? Don't worry - click here.
And did you know that how you choose to pop says something about your personality type?
The brilliance of political speech writers
Following Obama's inauguration speech, we went searching for evidence of the brilliant people behind-the-scenes who help politicians and world leaders with their outstanding oratory. We found fascinating information on Obama's young speechwriter, Jon Davreau. But the best by far is this 'man of the people'...
Click here to watch a master at work
Creatives grow better in the South West
Born and raised in Devon and Dorset, Liz has fond memories of standing barefoot in fields...
Maybe this is why we love this video so much!
New Building Regulations for Christmas?
Approved Document X (mas) is published!
For all the technical guidance on:
- Miracles and other minor works
- Heavenly host requirements
- Protecton against impact of season
Click here to download our 2008 Christmas card.
PS. Building magazine described this as "the wittiest Christmas card of the season". Big thanks, as always, to our designer Mike Spike.
Plain English Awards 2008 are announced!
George W Bush leaves the White House with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Plain English Campaign. Here's one of his best gems:
"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right." (Rome, 2001)
Sadly, the property and construction sectors also did well in the Golden Bull awards.
Here is the winning entry from the Co-operative ecotown website:
"The flexibility of the eco-town enables the densification of residential plots that occur at an individual level, with the opportunity to create the value (rather than incur the cost) that this implies."
Click here to read more examples of total tripe
How to handle journalists
"Journalists may underestimate the value of the stories you propose. Don't LET them make this mistake..."
A picture paints a thousand words...
This is the true story of Jodee Berry of Panama City - a former waitress who sued her employers for breach of contract and fraudelent misrepresentation after winning a contest to sell the most beer.
She said she was promised a new Toyota and believed she had won the new car. But she was blindfolded, led into the car park and presented with a toy Yoda, the little green guy from Star Wars.
(Story and photo courtesy of Associated Press)
The zero carbon eco-stable - winners announced!
The eco-stable is built with sustainable materials and micro-renewable technologies, setting the new low carbon standard for birthplaces (Messiah not included).
In 2007 we set the challenge to cut out and build the model of the eco-stable, and to photograph the evidence.
Every entry meant a donation to the Construction Youth Trust, the UK's construction industry charity that helps thousands of disadvantaged young people overcome barriers and find career opportunities within the industry.
We had some fantastic entries - Click here to see the judges' favourites.
And if you still fancy a bit of model-making, you can still download the instructions and have a go!
Click here to download the eco-stable kit and instructions.
And this was our Christmas message for 2005 - you'll need to run the slide show in PowerPoint software to view!
"Seriousness is the last refuge of the shallow" (Oscar Wilde)
