Word of the day: Hypermiler
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According to Wikipedia, hypermilers are drivers who exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated fuel efficiency on their vehicles by modifying their driving habits.
The energy in fuel consumed in driving is lost in many ways, including engine inefficiency, aerodynamic drag, rolling friction, and kinetic energy lost to braking. Driver behavior can influence all of these factors to reduce fuel consumption. WIRED magazine discusses the subject at length.
Related terms:
Nempimania (also Nenpimania) is an obsession with getting the best fuel economy possible from a hybrid car. It is derived from the Japanese "nempi" meaning fuel economy, and "mania".
Ecodriving is a term used in Europe to name initiatives which support energy efficient use of vehicles. Check out this site for golden rules on ecodriving.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
A Fashion Find That Feeds
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Coach. Vera Bradley. Kate Spade. Who would have thought the next up and coming tote bag would be made popular by the United Nations?
The FEED bag, created by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), may not have been a predictable addition to any popular fashion mags "Must Have Accessories" list, but this organically made tote bag seems to be frequenting the shoulders of celebrities and average Joes alike. And contrary to what I initially thought—the proceeds do not go to starving farm animals.
So here is the story behind the FEED bag:
It's Irregardless Anyways
With so many words in the English language, it can sometimes be difficult to know if any particular word is a real word or not. According to AskOxford.com, the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 words in current use and 47,156 obsolete words. That’s a lot of words. But there are some words that people say or write on a regular basis that aren’t really words at all. Some examples include:
Irregardless: This just doesn’t even make sense because it is a double negative. “Regardless” means to have no regard- which is what most people think they are saying when they use the word “irregardless.” It was most likely formed from someone trying to combine “irrespective” or “irrelevant” with “regardless.”
Anyways: Although used in some English dialects, this is not standard. The word is “anyway.”
Passerbys: One person passing by is a passerby. Multiple people passing by are passersby.
Alterior: The word you are looking for here is “ulterior,” which is heard most often in the phrase “ulterior motive.” Ulterior means something outside or beyond what is openly said or shown. I think “alterior” must have been confused with the word “alternative” which means other option.
Ya’ll: Let’s think back to first grade grammar here. This word is a contraction of “you” and “all” so it should be “y’all.”
What other misspelled/misused words can you think of?
By: Jessica McGrail
Hydrox Returns!
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Kellogg's is bringing back the original Hydrox cookie to celebrate their 100th anniversary this year; a felicitous event indeed for the cult of Hydrox fans who have been craving the crème filled confection since their disappearance from shelves in 2003.
Although some people may remember Hydrox cookies as 'imitation Oreos', they were actually the first to market, debuting in 1908 by what would later become Sunshine Biscuits. It wasn’t until 1912 when the National Biscuit Co. (later called Nabisco) entered the crème-filled cookie market with Oreos, and the battle began. Read more
Trend Watch: Drug Delivery
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As pharmaceuticals are becoming more sophisticated, the need for targeted and effective modes of administration is becoming more apparent: a trend that is not being ignored by companies worldwide. Drug delivery is an increasingly dynamic sector of the pharmaceutical industry, and it may prove to be one of the most interesting areas of growth over the next decade.
Color Psychology: The Relationship Between Color & Branding
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How does color affect our everyday life? We are bombarded with brands from sunup to sundown, but have you ever thought about what role color plays?
First, color affects us on a subconscious level. Color psychologists have found that the brain subconsciously notices color before shape and wording!
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Don't Drive Day!
Tomorrow, August 13 is Don't Drive Day in Charlotte. This Mecklenburg County Air Quality program initiative aims to limit and minimize air pollution and promote education and awareness around the community.
So take the Lynx, ride a bike, or a vegetable cart, but whatever you do, don’t drive! And then be sure to email [email protected] to explain how you got to work, and to be eligible for prizes!!
Branding Happy Hour
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While relaxing on the outdoor patio at M5 in SouthPark, enjoying one of their “signature cocktails,” I began to question the connection between my drink selection and the names assigned to the drinks at this particular restaurant. Sure, the “French Grape Crush” is an indisputably delicious blend of white rum, crushed red grapes, soda and simple syrup…but would I ever have ordered it if it was listed on the menu as Rum with Grapes? And for that matter, would I have been willing to pay $10 for a drink that sounded so simple? Perhaps our motivations for selecting a particular drink have less to do with the ingredients and more to do with the mystique of the name. It certainly appears that today’s martini bars have bought into this theory, as evidenced by the clever drink names at some of my favorite local spots. They come in all forms:
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Word Play and Word Loss
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This story I find amazingly ironic since my job is to solely work with words and letters, manipulate them, move them around, and create new ones to differentiate them from other existing brands. If any of you are familiar with and addicted to the Facebook application Scrabulous, then your life has probably changed recently. Here in the US and Canada, the application has been shut down due to toy giant Hasbro (who owns the US rights to Scrabble) handing down a copyright infringement lawsuit to the makers of Scrabulous. The India-based creators of Scrabulous are said to have never gotten permission to create the so called “knock-off” from Hasbro, nor Mattel, who owns the international rights to Scrabble. Although the game Scrabble is also an application provided on the site, it has recently been hit with an attack shutting its players out as well. With both games being blocked, the devoted Scrabulous players are making their widely disappointed opinions about Hasbro known all throughout the Facebook community.
So what does this mean for Hasbro? What will the judge decide, and more importantly, what will happen to all of the time spent playing Scrabulous on Facebook? I know…let’s get the traditional, hard-board game of Scrabble out and create a new name for Scrabulous!
By: Kelly Wilson
The Olympic Rings, a Timeless Symbol
With the opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games right around the corner, it is only fitting that we take a look at the history and meaning of the official Olympic Emblem, otherwise known as the Olympic Rings.Read more