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SMART STUFF #12, VOLUME 1. DECEMBER 2005 |..<.....8..9..10..11..12

Napping furniture for the office.
Just as we had uploaded the story on the scientific nap, we stumbled on this innovation. The Schlafgras (Sleeping grass) office furniture. It is a set of soft strands of polyurethane, that can be arranged in different ways to provide everyone the perfect napping environment. The size of the Schlafgras can be varied by adding more modules, and the color can be chosen to match the rest of the interior of your office. The Schlafgras has been developed by Elena Haller, Julia Meisel, Martin Nowitzki and Hanni Schermaul. Maybe there is one coming to an office near you?

28 December 2005

Small muscle powered herb chopper.
This little puck is one of the best gadgets we have ever bought. It is quite perfect for quickly chopping a handful of herbs for a sauce or the roasted potatoes. Just fill the thing up, close the lid, and pull a few times on the string, just like an old fashioned outboard motor. But as with the old outboard, you need the right technique to get it just right. And you will need to fill the puck rather well, because it does not chop nearly as well when it is not full of herbs. Other than that, it is just great. Cannot remember how much it was, but we probably got it from Verner & Verner. It is USD 19:95 (approx. SEK 160:-) on Amazon, though. From Chef'n.

28 December 2005

Bring out your inner angel.
There seems to be a movement in the land that runs contrary to all the neo-fundamentalism, polarization, intolerance and sheer evil otherwise manifested. Not many have heard of it, and even fewer have met any of its members. But if you have been the object of its actions, you will never forget. It is called The Anonymous Club (Anonyma Klubben), and it is all about the random giving of small inexpensive gifts to total strangers. The Svenska Dagbladet (both dead tree- and net issues) today features a story by Anna Lagerblad about the movement and one of its members, Lou Rossling. Since the mid nineties, Lou has given hundreds of anonymous gifts to strangers without a whisper of thanks. And the point is not getting credit, but making people happy and maybe inspiring them to join the club and start giving anonymous gifts themselves. The joy of unexpectedly getting an hour of free parking, a free rose in the florists, an extra burger or a small bag of ginger cookies at the bakers, is probably surpassed only by the satisfaction of being the one to give this little gift. Shop clerks, too, usually find the idea fun and inspiring and are willing to help.

We must admit right now that we had never heard of this movement until this morning, but we promise here and now to join and to commit a random (and anonymous) act of kindness at our first opportunity. We think this idea is muy simpatico and promises to make the average day a lot nicer. Why don't you join, too?

27 December 2005

Eight steps to the perfect nap.
Forget about napping out of laziness Quite the contrary. You should regard the nap as an investment with maximum dividends in the shortest possible time. A nap is good for your heart, you hormone balance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick in the net edition of Men's Journal. An advanced nap regimen was also implemented during Lance Armstrong's training for the Tour de France, says coach Chris Carmichael, and in New York, power naps have become lucrative business, when the MetroNaps company offers cozy napping facilities for actors between shows and stressed out business people. But how do you achieve the perfect nap? Well, here is an eight step manual for a successful nap:

1. Forget what you have heard. You do not nap because you are lazy. You do it because you are an ambitious worker and want to to your best at all times. The nap will make you bright eyed and bushy tailed productive during the rest of the day.
2. Try to get your nap in the morning or right after lunch. In the afternoon you risk getting into a deeper sleep, and then you will wake up dizzy.
3. Do not eat or drink large amounts of caffeine or food rich in fat and/or sugar during the hours before your nap. They make it harder to sleep.
4. Instead, try to eat foods with a lot of calcium and protein. They will make it easier to sleep.
5. Find a quiet spot for your nap. A place where phones and passersby will not disturb you.
6. Try to darken your napping place. Or use one of those shades you get on planes on transatlantic or other long flights. Darkness stimulates melatonine, a sleep hormone.
7. Remember that your body temperature will drop when you sleep. Turn the temperature up, or use a blanket.
8. When you are comfortable and about to go to sleep, set your clock to the desired time.

We have really never had any trouble taking a nap. Our problem has been staying awake all day at times. But we are deeply satisfied now that it has been scientifically proven that napping is not only nice - it is actually good for you, too...

27 December 2005

Sony Walkman greatest gadget of the last 50 years

The 50 best gadgets in the past 50 years.
PC World has made a list of the fifty best gadgets from the last fifty years. The top spot is occupied by the Sony Walkman (above) from 1979. For those of you who were not around in 1979, we can add that the Walkman was the iPod of it's day and just as big a hit as the iPod is today. In spite of the fact that the Walkman is a real brick compared to the iPod, there was a Walkman in virtually everybody's pocket back in the early eighties. In Sweden, the Walkman was introduced, and for some time marketed as the Sony Freestyle, but unfortunately both the advertising agency and the importing company neglected to file a registration for the name "Freestyle". This resulted in them spending some millions of SEK introducing the product, only to see Technics, Panasonic, and others happily using the established and accepted name as a generic term for all products in the segment. Sony had to start over, and spend additional millions marketing the name they actually owned - Walkman. But we digress. Read all about the 50 best gadgets on the PC World site. Via Engadget.

26 December 2005

GENERAL FAIR USE NOTICE. These pages may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Smart Stuff is making this material available in an effort to advance the understanding of the workings, impact and direction of various global and national issues. We believe that this constitutes a "fair use" of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use", you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this website have not all been tried and tested by us, and you're using them entirely at your own risk. By reading these pages and using the Smart Stuff website you agree not to hold Smart Stuff HB or any of its publishers, shareholders, principals or emplyees responsible for any loss, injury or discomfort resulting from reading or using any of the products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this site. Although we work very hard to provide you with the most current and accurate information on our the siite, we can not and do not warrant that everything you see on this site is up-to-date, error-free or complete. While we may periodically add, modify or delete any of the information on the site, we do not make any commitment or assume any obligation or duty to do so, and you should assume that the information is current and up-to-date only as of the date it is posted to the site. Neither we nor any of the people involved in production of the site will be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. © 2005-2012 Smart Stuff HB. Smartstuff.se has a Swedish publishing license and subsequent constitutional protection under the Freedom of Speech Act (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen) Chapter 1. 9 §. Provider, Senior Editor and Art Director: Marie-Louise Hedman. Published by Smart Stuff HB. Version 2.3.

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Feed via Feedburner What are feeds? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	SMART STUFF #12, VOLUME 1. DECEMBER 2005 \|..<.....8..9..10..11..12 Napping furniture for the office. Just as we had uploaded the story on the scientific nap, we stumbled on this innovation. The Schlafgras (Sleeping grass) office furniture. It is a set of soft strands of polyurethane, that can be arranged in different ways to provide everyone the perfect napping environment. The size of the Schlafgras can be varied by adding more modules, and the color can be chosen to match the rest of the interior of your office. The Schlafgras has been developed by Elena Haller, Julia Meisel, Martin Nowitzki and Hanni Schermaul. Maybe there is one coming to an office near you? 28 December 2005 Small muscle powered herb chopper. This little puck is one of the best gadgets we have ever bought. It is quite perfect for quickly chopping a handful of herbs for a sauce or the roasted potatoes. Just fill the thing up, close the lid, and pull a few times on the string, just like an old fashioned outboard motor. But as with the old outboard, you need the right technique to get it just right. And you will need to fill the puck rather well, because it does not chop nearly as well when it is not full of herbs. Other than that, it is just great. Cannot remember how much it was, but we probably got it from Verner & Verner. It is USD 19:95 (approx. SEK 160:-) on Amazon, though. From Chef'n. 28 December 2005 Bring out your inner angel. There seems to be a movement in the land that runs contrary to all the neo-fundamentalism, polarization, intolerance and sheer evil otherwise manifested. Not many have heard of it, and even fewer have met any of its members. But if you have been the object of its actions, you will never forget. It is called The Anonymous Club (Anonyma Klubben), and it is all about the random giving of small inexpensive gifts to total strangers. The Svenska Dagbladet (both dead tree- and net issues) today features a story by Anna Lagerblad about the movement and one of its members, Lou Rossling. Since the mid nineties, Lou has given hundreds of anonymous gifts to strangers without a whisper of thanks. And the point is not getting credit, but making people happy and maybe inspiring them to join the club and start giving anonymous gifts themselves. The joy of unexpectedly getting an hour of free parking, a free rose in the florists, an extra burger or a small bag of ginger cookies at the bakers, is probably surpassed only by the satisfaction of being the one to give this little gift. Shop clerks, too, usually find the idea fun and inspiring and are willing to help. We must admit right now that we had never heard of this movement until this morning, but we promise here and now to join and to commit a random (and anonymous) act of kindness at our first opportunity. We think this idea is muy simpatico and promises to make the average day a lot nicer. Why don't you join, too? 27 December 2005 Eight steps to the perfect nap. Forget about napping out of laziness Quite the contrary. You should regard the nap as an investment with maximum dividends in the shortest possible time. A nap is good for your heart, you hormone balance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick in the net edition of Men's Journal. An advanced nap regimen was also implemented during Lance Armstrong's training for the Tour de France, says coach Chris Carmichael, and in New York, power naps have become lucrative business, when the MetroNaps company offers cozy napping facilities for actors between shows and stressed out business people. But how do you achieve the perfect nap? Well, here is an eight step manual for a successful nap: 1. Forget what you have heard. You do not nap because you are lazy. You do it because you are an ambitious worker and want to to your best at all times. The nap will make you bright eyed and bushy tailed productive during the rest of the day. 2. Try to get your nap in the morning or right after lunch. In the afternoon you risk getting into a deeper sleep, and then you will wake up dizzy. 3. Do not eat or drink large amounts of caffeine or food rich in fat and/or sugar during the hours before your nap. They make it harder to sleep. 4. Instead, try to eat foods with a lot of calcium and protein. They will make it easier to sleep. 5. Find a quiet spot for your nap. A place where phones and passersby will not disturb you. 6. Try to darken your napping place. Or use one of those shades you get on planes on transatlantic or other long flights. Darkness stimulates melatonine, a sleep hormone. 7. Remember that your body temperature will drop when you sleep. Turn the temperature up, or use a blanket. 8. When you are comfortable and about to go to sleep, set your clock to the desired time. We have really never had any trouble taking a nap. Our problem has been staying awake all day at times. But we are deeply satisfied now that it has been scientifically proven that napping is not only nice - it is actually good for you, too... 27 December 2005 The 50 best gadgets in the past 50 years. PC World has made a list of the fifty best gadgets from the last fifty years. The top spot is occupied by the Sony Walkman (above) from 1979. For those of you who were not around in 1979, we can add that the Walkman was the iPod of it's day and just as big a hit as the iPod is today. In spite of the fact that the Walkman is a real brick compared to the iPod, there was a Walkman in virtually everybody's pocket back in the early eighties. In Sweden, the Walkman was introduced, and for some time marketed as the Sony Freestyle, but unfortunately both the advertising agency and the importing company neglected to file a registration for the name "Freestyle". This resulted in them spending some millions of SEK introducing the product, only to see Technics, Panasonic, and others happily using the established and accepted name as a generic term for all products in the segment. Sony had to start over, and spend additional millions marketing the name they actually owned - Walkman. But we digress. Read all about the 50 best gadgets on the PC World site. 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If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use", you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this website have not all been tried and tested by us, and you're using them entirely at your own risk. By reading these pages and using the Smart Stuff website you agree not to hold Smart Stuff HB or any of its publishers, shareholders, principals or emplyees responsible for any loss, injury or discomfort resulting from reading or using any of the products, tips, tricks and ideas published on this site. Although we work very hard to provide you with the most current and accurate information on our the siite, we can not and do not warrant that everything you see on this site is up-to-date, error-free or complete. While we may periodically add, modify or delete any of the information on the site, we do not make any commitment or assume any obligation or duty to do so, and you should assume that the information is current and up-to-date only as of the date it is posted to the site. Neither we nor any of the people involved in production of the site will be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential or punitive damages. © 2005-2012 Smart Stuff HB. Smartstuff.se has a Swedish publishing license and subsequent constitutional protection under the Freedom of Speech Act (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen) Chapter 1. 9 §. Provider, Senior Editor and Art Director: Marie-Louise Hedman. Published by Smart Stuff HB. Version 2.3.	This website is worth What is your website worth?