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👟Inflatable Shoes, NFC Clothes, and Coffee pods

coffee pods without the waste

David Nichols

Sep 12, 2022

Hello friends! Welcome to this week’s edition of The Land of Random - and hello to all 200+ new subscribers from the Hustle!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I woke up, checked my email, and saw that many new subscribers . . .

It’s good to have you here! Feel free to say hello by replying to the email or find me on Twitter.

Last week was busy for tech and the world - with the new Apple iPhone announcements and those $400 Airpod Pros.

I ran across this interesting article about how Apple seems to be selling fear - rather than delight. It’s an interesting take.

Sometimes it’s hard to process just how crazy it is that the Queen ruled for over 70 years before passing away last week. Truman sent her a telegram when she was coronated.

That’s insane. End of an era and all that.

I got back into grinding Cyberpunk 2077 - thanks to that new DLC trailer and that absolutely unhinged Netflix anime trailer.

I haven’t touched the game since spring 2021 - and the game is in much better shape now. A lot fewer glitches!

We’re settling pretty well into our new house - and working hard on creating a gravel patio. My hope is that we can have a nice little fire pit, and some lights by the time it starts getting chilly here in Middle Tennessee . . .

Did you see that Spotify’s Carthing price has DROPPED to $30?? They’re practically giving it away. I may buy one yet . . .

Let’s dive on in!

👟Inflatable Shoes

I see a lot of “outside the box” designs, but these shoes blew my mind.

I’m not sure what Uv-Zhu’s diet/reading list looks like - but I want to know.

Check out this shoe concept.

An inflatable shoe! These shoes don’t exist in real life - but you could convince me these were real.

Here - check out this one.

I’m not sure what walking on a cloud of M&M’s would be like - but the word crunchy comes to mind.

UV-Zhu says in his portfolio “I don't think shoes have to be practical, It can stand alone as a work of art.“

Before seeing his concepts - I’m not sure how I would have interpreted that statement other than to vaguely try to remember some NFT shoe projects for the metaverse. Even some of those were redeemable for real ones!

What if shoes like this existed in the real world? Shoes only meant to look at - maybe wear for 10 minutes or so.

At some level - we already do this with sneaker culture. Sometimes we buy shoes for the “vibe” and not really to wear that often.

Heck - that LG sneaker storage case that came out really drives the point home.

Shoes are becoming works of art - something to be displayed, rather than worn.

The only catch at the moment is that all of them are still practical.

People wear Yeezys - but only a few people would wear those “illegal” Freddy Krueger Nike shoes. Those go in the display box.

Go check out more of these wild concepts by Uv-Zhu at the link.

Inflatable Shoes

👕NFC Clothing

Years ago - Google pioneered NFC clothing with Project Jacquard.

It was nuts. Tap a jacket panel to skip music, or feel a text or call come through via the tag on your sleeve.

It promised to be a revolutionary way to use tech without having to stare at a screen.

It was a taste of what was possible - but never caught on in any mainstream kind of way.

Heck - you can buy one today if you want - and they’re much cheaper than they used to be.

Well NFC clothing might be coming back, and not just for NFT’s like Rtfkt.

Luxury fashion brand Balmain Paris has added NFC tags to jackets and patches in its Balmain x Pokémon range that enable purchasers to unlock rewards and access an immersive digital experience by tapping the tag with their Apple or Android NFC smartphone. The NFC tags in each of the limited edition jackets and patches link to a “hyper-personalised” and “rich, gamified user experience” within the Pokémon Unite virtual universe (source)

It’s as simple as tapping your phone to the tag to get access.

Here’s a link to the collection. Very cool stuff - but pricey.

I did a little digging - and i’m not sure where the tag is on the clothing. I think the tag is merely included with the jacket - rather than on it.

Between Pokemon’s press release and the Balmain collection overview - there’s no help.

They may be like AZ Factory’s clothing - and included in a tag inside the garment. Here’s an example.

There’s a lot of potential for NFC tags to add a layer of interactivity to clothing - whether it’s a way to get in touch with the company, join a secret “buyers only club", or other cool features.

I for one would be intrigued if you could create a secret social network only accessible through the NFC tags...

Check out this cool site for examples of NFC tags that can be added to clothing. They aren’t as expensive as you might think!

☕Coffee Pods

What if you could use a Keurig style coffee maker without worrying about all the plastic waste?

That’s the idea behind Coffee B - a coffee company with a eco friendly solution for all those plastic pods rotting away.

The company has thus developed the Coffee Ball, an orb of compressed coffee grinds encapsulated in a transparent, flavorless coating derived from seaweed . . . You drop a Coffee Ball into their CoffeeB Globe machine, and it works the same way as a regular capsule coffeemaker—except afterwards, you throw the spent ball in your garden or yard and it biodegrades. (source)

They look really stylish - and can hold the Coffee Balls on top for storage.

Coffee B’s solution to Pod waste saves the convenience that Keurig offers, and prevents more plastic from going into the landfills. It’s a Win-Win for everyone!

The coffee balls are a great example of closed circle recycling - from coffee bean to coffee compost.

At the moment - I don’t believe it’s available to buy in the United States - but I’m sure you could find someone in Switzerland willing to ship you one with a large supply of coffee if you really want one.

Hopefully they come to the States soon!

Check it out at the link

Coffee B

🐙The Land of Random

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