May 16th, 2012

Smart As An iPhone. Made For Your Nose.

Imagine if there were an iPhone for noses. Not a phone that your nose uses, but rather a product for noses that’s as revolutionary and rule-shattering as the iPhone 4s. That’s PROPEL: a post-surgical implant for patients with chronic sinusitis created by our client Intersect ENT.

We explained the beauty of PROPEL before, and it’s worth a refresher course. In the sinusitis arena, there’s no solution as cleverly designed and multi-functional as PROPEL, which is why it’s such a big deal.

At this year’s Edison Awards in New York City, PROPEL earned the Bronze award in the Science & Medical category. The Emmys of the tech world, the Edison Awards represent the spirit of innovation personified by Thomas Edison, inspiring America’s drive to remain at the forefront of creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. Other winners this year included IBM’s Watson supercomputer, the Fisker Karma electric car, and the iPhone 4s – not a bad bunch to be stuck in a room with.

We already knew PROPEL rocked, but now it’s official. Congratulations to Intersect ENT for keeping creativity alive, and patients well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 15th, 2012

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, This Is.

Dunh, dunh, dunh, dunh, dunh dunh, dunh, dunh dunh.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a man named George wanted to build a massively sized, commercially outfitted movie studio in Marin County.

Normally, the neighbors would respond with a big fat “F U,” but this man happened to be the creator of a ludicrously successful space opera you may have heard of. So the neighbors had to be somewhat civil about it, and funnel their complaints through the local homeowners association. This is Marin, where the residents break out in hives at the sight of a Starbucks. You can imagine their reaction to the prospect of years of nearby construction activity, not to mention the increased foot traffic the movie studio would bring.

After 25 years of vehement resistance from the locals, Mr. Lucas decided to abandon the studio construction altogether. And in the end, all that whining led to the birth of a beautiful idea. Lucas now plans to transform the property into affordable housing for low-income families or seniors. Talk about a turn for the better.

And who is Lucas working with to make this goodness happen? None other than our friends at the Marin Community Foundation. Looks like that pretty website we made for them years ago is still reaping fruitful returns. As always, MCF is a living example of how change happens. And we heartily approve.

Just please promise us the doorman will be Chewbacca.

May 11th, 2012

Googly Eyes.

We love a good surprise. Especially ones that puts us in the same hemisphere as hobbits. Check what happens when you ask for walking directions from “The Shire” to “Mordor” in Google Maps:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord of the Rings fans will share in our gigglish glee. We admit, those Googlers can get preet-ty clever. But sometimes, the joke’s on them. Someone with far too much time on his hands found a way to turn Google Translate into a beatbox machine. Perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Remember: One does not simply walk into Mortar.