Ah, the joys of coffee
in the morning…and music in the morning….and coffee and music in your ipod in the morning…..

From Dvice:

…You can think of the Yuento Music Mug as the iPod speaker dock for the minimalist Jonathan Ive (award winning Apple designer) wanna-bes out there. Hidden at the bottom of the pure white cup is a tiny stereo input you connect your iPod to, allowing your sweet sounds to flow from the bottom of the unit. Designed by Masato Tokuno, the device’s pure simplicity makes it unlikely to win any Ive-sized awards, but design purists will appreciate the restraint exercised by the Japanese creator….MORE….

I can see my kids now concocting experiments with such a thing….

And if you’d like more music and ipod and coffee resources, check out:

• iPod Coffee Table
• Digital Coffee Shop Sounds
• Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Order Starbucks coffee via iPhone or iPod Touch

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - want gourmet coffee goodies?

Coffee lovers
of the US, don’t panic! Yes, it’s true - all Starbucks will be closed tonight from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. I think one of the best articles about this hails from Australia:

NEW YORK: Americans had to cope without blended frappuccino and blueberry coffee cake for a few hours yesterday as Starbucks shut its 7100 company-owned stores for a nationwide barista training session.

The chairman, Howard Schultz, ordered the unprecedented three-hour afternoon closure in an effort to improve the service and revive the chain’s flagging fortunes.

It prompted frenzied action by competitors hoping to snatch Starbucks customers. Dunkin’ Donuts made the day a cut-price coffee day with prices slashed to 99c a cup so that “no coffee lover [was] denied a delicious espresso-based beverage”.

During the session, Starbucks baristas were given a “hands-on espresso training experience”. Mr Schultz promised his staff an “opportunity to connect and deepen their passion for coffee with the ultimate goal of transforming the customer experience”……MORE….

Excellent marketing move by Dunkin Donuts! To wit:

…Coincidentally, Dunkin’ Donuts has planned a special promotion offering 99-cent small lattes, cappuccinos and espresso drinks that overlaps with the event….

“We never want any customers to ever be denied access to their specialty drinks,” said Frances Allen, Dunkin’ Donuts’ brand marketing officer. “It’s definitely a fortuitous time for us.”

Dunkin’ Donuts representatives insist that the promotion — which is between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. — is really a celebration of last week’s announcement that the company had taken first place in the coffee category of Brand Keys’ Annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. This was the second year in a row that Dunkin’ Donuts took the top spot in the New York consulting firm’s survey.

“It’s a way of saying, ‘thank you,’ and giving back and recognizing the value of our customers and giving them something back,” Allen said. “We think we will have a lot of participation. We may even introduce some new people to Dunkin’ Donuts’.”…MORE….

Need to find a local Dunkin Donuts? Click here!

Want instead to discover new independent coffee shops? Click here!

And don’t forget about Delocator, the search engine to locate independent cafes, bookstores and theaters.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - looking for a nifty coffee machine?

Have you heard of webisodes?
Episodes of, ahem, things, that preview on the Web?

Well, one coffee manufacturer, Tassimo, has taken the concept beyond mere mortal sanity and produce the utterly hilarious:

Who Hired Bob?

series. Here’s a snippet below:

This is sooooo corporate-humor it had me falling off my chair. Kudos to Tassimo for a brilliant idea!

And here’s some background of the concept:

…Hoping to generate awareness and interest in its Tassimo hot beverage system, Kraft has partnered with Ogilvy Entertainment to create a series of humorous, interactive “Webisodes” featuring actors from NewYork’s “The Upright Citizens Brigade” comedy troupe.

The videos focus on the goofy antics of an oddball named “Bob,” who is supposed to be a coffee addict and the type of guy who finds a thousand things to do at work besides doing work. The first two Webisodes in the “Who Hired Bob?” series are already on the site. Interactivity comes in the form of giving viewers the opportunity to pick different endings to the zany episodes. They’re also being asked to think about any “Bob-like” people at their own places of work and submit stories. The best stories will become new “Bobisodes.” …MORE…

Want some more information about Tassimo? Check out:

Anybody using a Tassimo or similiar beverage machine?

Okay, Tassimo Users…. Oh Terrry!!, (it’s a coffee machine) LOL

Tassimo machine…LOVE IT

What’s that, more reviews? Okay:

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - and of course, you can always get them at eBay:

Now, anything that deals with coffee
is newsworthy. But coffee as a Good Thing with your computer? Tell me MORE!

Check it out!

Called the Yuno PC, it’s a personal computer concept that would allow you to let you display your email, weather, traffic conditions, and other important criteria…. even your own special screensaver!

I found a discussion about it over here. The designer wrote:

The point of the Microsoft Next-Gen PC competition is to push the boundaries of how you interface with the PC, the tech used, and to disrupt current ideas of what is possible. Theres more pages, visit coroflot.com/jasonfarsai for an exploded view and explanations of how it is possible… (in the future of course)

Nothing would ever evolve if people thought things were impossible. Its not an engineering project that needs to be manufactured tomorrow, its a design concept and if you can’t see that then you need to join us here in the future where anything is possible.

its simple, detachable bottom houses micro components/cpu (and makes it dishwasher safe), oled, touch sensitivity, insulation from hot beverages, wireless RF charging… but again, a blue-sky concept usually cannot be made yet. Its already disrupting which means I did my job.

And if you like the concept, it’s a finalist for the Microsoft Next Gen PC competition: You can click on Vote and vote for it. I already did!

While it’s not available yet, wow, I’ll be the first one in line to snap one up….

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - looking for other coffee and computer goodies?

It sounds perfect
at first glance - imbibe your coffee creation at Starbucks, hook into their free Wi-Fi, power up your laptop, sync up your iPhone, and enjoy 2 free hours of simultaneous portable device usage (ie, working when really, you should be relaxing).

But is that really all? To wit:

…you’ll be able to use two different Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously during a single two-hour session at Starbucks.

The bright side is that while you are syncing your schedule and e-mail on your iPhone (AT&T, which will provide the Wi-Fi, is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the U.S.), you can also surf the Web or compose an e-mail on your laptop at the same time.

The down side is that once you log-in to your free AT&T Wi-Fi account with one device, the clock starts ticking…and doesn’t stop even if you logout one or both devices/computers. Two consecutive hours per day, that’s it….MORE…

How will StarBucks keep track of your usage, I wonder?

If you plan on using the service, you should ensure your WiFi connection is secure, of course. Here are some resources for that:

• 10 Wifi Security Tips
• Steal This Wifi

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - if you’d like some useful Wifi goodies, consider:

Morning,
You know, it never ceases to amaze me how many people force themselves to chug down protein drinks in their effort to get fit and lose weight, and then complain about the taste, consistency, etc.

I have a better way - did you know you can add protein powder to your morning cup of coffee and imbibe it then?

Yes indeed! True, you DO have to stir it quite well, else it clumps up….but, as a way to both flavor your coffee and also fulfill your morning protein cravings, it works like a charm! I myself use Costco Vanilla Whey protein but there are a bazillion others from which you can choose.

One note - your coffee will NOT lighten up much in color as it does when you pour in creamer. But as you’re drinking this wonder and not peering intently at it, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

And if you want other flavors as well, get thee hence to the zero calorie zero carb Sweetleaf flavorings - those droplets of intense delight come in flavors like

• Vanilla Creme
• Valencia Orange
• Apricot
• English Toffee
• Cinnamon
• Chocolate Raspberry
• Milk Chocolate

and much more. It’s a unique creative way to start your morning.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - some coffee goodness includes:

Coffee, as all wise mortals know,
is the beverage of the gods, the nirvana of the senses, the ultimate of luxurious relaxations and…you get the idea. One cup, two cups, 17.4 cups….it’s simply sheer bliss.

Sheer bliss, that is…until you take into account how many calories you might really be consuming.

I was alerted to this notion by Brewed Coffee.com in their posting. To wit:

…The good news is that plain black coffee contains zero fat and very few calories. That means I can drink as many cups of black coffee that I want, right? The bad news is that I like more than plain black coffee! I like Coffee Mate (as you might know by now) – 2 heaping tablespoons of it in every cup. How many calories does this add? According to the Mayo Clinic, one tablespoon plain nondairy creamer has 33 calories. That means 66 calories per cup for me! Whew! For other “extras” and their corresponding calories, check out the Mayo Clinic’s data ….MORE….

That by itself could be considered depressing, until you explore how many calories, say, a Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Creme Grande offers you:

270 calories

And a Vente Caramel Frappuccino Blended Coffee with whipped creme is:

500 calories!

Wow, it adds up, doesn’t it? Get all the data at the official Starbucks site here.

There are bunches of other sites online that will give you other coffee calorie counts. Here’s 2 of them:

DietFacts Restaurants

CalorieKing Coffee Database

Now, if you want a sweetener that is utterly delicious yet has zero calories and carbs, try Sweet Leaf liquid Stevia flavors. They come in such delectable yumnesses like

• English Toffee (caramel)
• Apricot
• Chocolate Raspberry
• Valencia Orange
• Rootbeer

and several more. A few drops is all you need to flavor your coffee (or water, or oatmeal, or yogurt, or …). It’s amazingly tasty….and the best thing is, your weight won’t balloon because of it.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - some great gourmet coffee discounts are: