The alternative top 10 list – 10 things that will not change in 2011.

It is the end of the year and everybody is busy making “top 10” lists to sum up the year and the decade. One of the most popular blogging tips is “make lists. People love lists”. I find it a bit stupid. Time just passes by and things happen without caring too much about a number in some category.

So, while everybody is busy with all the exciting innovations and new technologies of 2010, I decided to list all the things that bug the Regular Joe and probably won’t change in 2011.

360 Lego sockets

I love products that help keep the house nice and tidy. One of the messiest elements in my house today are those electricity lines running all over the house like I’m the soundman for Metallica.

The 360 multi-outlet sockets, designed by Cheng-Hsiu Du & Chyun-Chau Lin, is an elegant solution to this problem. It allows you to add as many sockets as you like Lego-style and the best feature is the rotation for those big plugs.
   



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Perfume plant house

At my post on cassette lamps, I preached about trying to give another life to any product in the house. So I decided to give an example of my own.

These are empty perfume bottles I reintroduced as a plant house. I just placed a mint and rosemary branch inside and they hold up really good. Not to mention the great smell they spread around the house.
You can place it in your bathroom, your bedroom (very peng shwei), at your office or where ever.
The important thing is to not let it go to waste.

p.s. the Regular Joe wishes to state he does not consider himself to be a photographer. Actually quite the opposite. If you are a professional photographer and find yourself offended by these pictures, I am deeply sorry.



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Flirting at the Digital Age (... or Digiage)

Let’s just say it once and for all; Facebook is heaven when you're single. But hell when you're in a relationship, a minefield.

Flirting has always been around in all forms and kinds. Everybody flirts. It’s an instinct. Even after years of relationships, guys wanna know they still got it. Same goes for the ladies.

In most cases it’s considered harmless and legitimate. If I go out with friends and meet someone I haven’t seen in a while I guess the common way of communicate will be what you might call a ‘mild flirting’. Again, harmless.

The problem starts when you wake up the morning after and see that girl wrote on your wall something like “it was great seeing you last night handsome. Thanks for the drinks. Next time they’re on me. xoxo”… HANDSOME!!! DRINKS!!!! NEXT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every word counts.
 
That’s the unwanted supplements the ‘digiage’ (again, the digital age) brought into our lives; the documentation and the ‘active flirting’.

Documentation
Everything is documented these days. It’s worth a separate post talking about it but the outcome is many times a guy finds himself defending his choice of words or defending words written to him. “We always call each other handsome. It’s a figure of speech”. But nothing helps. Anything read in the right tone can sound like heavy flirting. If you decide on commenting to a girl’s status line or send a text message, treat it as if you were the white house speech writer. Every word counts.

Active flirting
From a small research I conducted, most girls would rather find 10GB of porn on their man’s computer then finding a correspondence of him with some other girl. That includes emails, text, chat or any other kind. Suddenly the honest bar flirting is taken an ugly turn. The difference is that it becomes active and personal. There’s a gap between being friendly in a public place and actively engage a flirting with someone. For many guys this gap is non-existing. women often confuse men stupidity with ill-intentions.

In order to avoid unpleasant Taliban-style interrogations, guys have to manage their on-line activity very carefully with care and thought. I’m not talking about being more discreet but basically try to avoid these relationship non legitimate activities. The web killed the naïve. Everything is very personal and intentional. Everybody is connected and nothing stays secret for long.

If you do want to flirt, you can unload it on the Regular Joe Facebook profile.


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New Slang II

On my last ‘New Slang’ post I introduced “send me the link” and “Buffering” terms as a way to express yourself in a short phrase taken from the cyber world. This one is very much alike.

I believe that a good slang is measured by its ability to deliver your intentions in the shortest way possible.

“BCC”

BCC, or Blind Carbon Copy, is used to describe the practice of sending a correspondence to multiple recipients in a way that conceals them from being displayed as such.  

Joe’s definition

We commonly find ourselves in the role of secret keepers. If we hold a secret and want to share it with a confidant, we usually begin at 15 minutes lecture of “you can’t tell anyone, you can’t even act as if you know”  

If a cretin someone wish to share a sensitive information with his friend but in the same time make it clear that it is a secret for his ears only he declares it as BCC. (You may call it the 21^st century version of Seinfeld’s vault)

Example:

Sienna Miller – “I have to tell you something but I’m putting you on BCC”

Me – “Got it. My lips are sealed”

These phrases should be used wisely. When said in an ill-mannered fashion they may lead to a conflict.

If any of the readers have any more originals they want to share, The Regular Joe will add it to the dictionary.

Have a great week


Related Posts:
New Slang

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Cassette lamp by Transparent House

The Regular Joe hates waste. Every product I have at home goes through several life cycles before he ends his life as garbage.

That’s why I love the idea of turning old stuff to permanent home décor.

Check out these cassette lamps made by ‘Transparent House inc’.  You may purchase one here but in my opinion it is a classic DIY product. Good luck.

Sand Glass Traffic Lights

The Regular Joe spends lots of time standing in traffic lights. They’ve become a big part of urban life.

Whenever I stand in a red light long enough, I can see human nature in its best; drivers trying to steal another inch, bikes trying to make their way to the front, people get out buying some coffee leaving their car in the middle of the road and many other wonderful gestures.  Let people sit long enough in one place and you discover amazing things.

That’s why I love the traffic light design by Thanva Tivawong. It is not the first time I see a design for traffic lights but this one really stands out.

Flamingos in Flamingo formation

You know I am trying to stay out of world new or what not and keep it close to our real, everyday life. But sometimes something truly remarkable is happening that I just can’t ignore.

This picture, taken by ex-lawyer/investment banker Robert Haas, is what he called “the holy grail of photographs”.

While he flew over Yucatan, Mexico, he captured a photo of Flamingos in Flamingo formation.

It’s like a flamingo’s Autobots or something.

Check it out:

what's next? a $ shaped bankers?!?

Small change can go a long way

Like everyone else on the bus, the street, family dinners or where ever, the regular Joe knows the best way to save the global economy. If you have a cousin on the Nobel Prize committee, I suggest you send him this mission statement now.

We all agree that privet spending will improve the economy. Let’s say I earn $1000 a month. I spend $700 on girls, cars and gambling and put $300 in a savings account. That’s nice. Off course I could spend the whole $1000 and allow the market to enjoy my full salary but then I wouldn’t save nothing. No girls and gambling for the retired Regular Joe then.

So how can you earn the same salary, save the same amount of dollars but still spend a little bit more?

Change!! Yeah, that’s right, change. I assume that as you read these lines you have at least $50-$30 worth of small change between your couch, a glass on the shelf and pants. Around the world there must be millions of dollars worth of small change unused just because some crazy people collect them in jars, leave them laying around or just don’t pay much attention to them. I used to be one of those people.

Since I was young I saved all the small pennies I had in a big can that says ‘Metallica’ on it. the plan was to pay a parking ticket with it some day. So when I wanted to get rid of that rusty can, I started to think of ways to spend all these coins with the most value to me and the global economy.

So gather all your small change (you don’t have to count it) and pick which option suits you the most.

Make a call on a pay phone - nobody uses payphones any more. If you have to call someone it can be   very nostalgic and nice. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to make a prank call to someone without him recognizing the number.

New slang

I like to think of myself as a trend setter. Basically people do whatever I say is cool.

Among my many pop culture creations, there are 2 slang phrases which I’m ready to share.

Them both are the product of  technology's  influence on our lives.

“Buffering”

Wikipedia defines buffering as “a region of memory used to temporarily hold data while it is being moved from one place to another.

Joe’s definition: When a certain someone finds himself in need for additional time and thought to reply on a question, he may announce “buffering”.

First dates, job interviews and everything between

“Dating is pressure and tension. What is a date, really, but a job interview that lasts all night? The only difference between a date and a job interview is that in not many job interviews is there a chance you'll end up naked at the end of it” – Jerry Seinfeld 

Our partner in life and our job has a lot in common. They both define us in some level, they both work on a ‘what you give is what you get’ basis and we spend a lot of time and energy finding the right one. Usually we go through several before we find it.

Accordingly, I feel first dates and job interviews are basically  the same. All we want is to leave the right impression and to get our shot.
Jerry Seifeld said "What is a date really, but a job interview that lasts all night? The only difference is that in not many job interviews is there a chance you’ll wind up naked."

Lucky for you, the regular Joe went through enough job interviews and first dates holding a solid success rate.

I gathered a few pointers and similarities between the two with some examples for each case to help you get  through it. Because the regular Joe always keeps his feet on the ground and keeping it real, we will pick a typical situation where the manager at the interview will be ‘Mark Zuckerberg’ and my date is ‘Adriana Lima’.

Spoonachos

That is really The Regular Joe kind of idea

Tapi by Dreamfarm

Check out the Tapi by the Australian Dreamfarm. It’s simple, useful and makes my life easier.  Re cool!

N stool by Nir Meiri

A brilliant bench with removal stools by Israeli designer Nir Meiri. It shows that furniture should better suit our life style as modular and multi optional.

House in Bequia

A beautiful architectural example of a house in the Caribbean by  Edgley Design

Traffic

There are many things in the world I don’t understand: I don’t understand how people can still  watch ‘Friends’ reruns, I don’t understand how come I work all year and get paid only 12 times, I don’t understand how accountants get up in the morning.

But what always struck me the most is traffic. Every morning, millions of people around the world get into their cars and 15 minutes later they are, most likely, stand in traffic. The Regular Joe of course takes his motorcycle to work. And I always think to myself “who are all those people who stand every morning at that light who is just ever red? They knew it’s going to be jammed just like the day before. What brought them to it?”

Equilibrium Bookcase

Love this re cool bookcase by Malagana design

I think it will go great in my ‘see all those book I might have read’ corner.

We didn't start the fire - Billy Joel

Back again with crazy lyrics. This  great song  acts as a time capsule of sorts. It also has a cool video. And an ‘office’ homage.

I always wanted someone to rewrite it to fit our times.

So thats the 'Millennium challenge' of you all.

We didn't start the fire - lyrics

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye"

Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

21st century cars - Being poor will still suck in future

Check out these sweet rides of the future. I just can't wait for someone to cut me off in one of them.

Everyday dilemma – should I comment on my boss typos?

I guess everybody faced that dilemma. While a seat down with your boss to edit a cretain document, enter comments, delete paragraphs, debate on every word. And on some point my boss types something like: ‘deat sir, it was a pleasure to meet you last weel…’

Now, off course it is an honest mistake which could happen to anyone and it's 2 words in a 5 paragraph mail.

Everybody is just too good looking

Our neighborhood librarian

Everybody is good looking, TOO good looking.

I felt it for a while…

I started notice it last summer when I first went to the beach. Suddenly everybody around you looks like Brazilian lingerie models.

How did it happen? Is everybody doing something I’m not?
I find myself an attractive person and most of my friends are as well.
I am talking about the mass of good lookingness (yeah that’s right, it’s a word).

When we used to go out to a club or the beach a few years ago, there were always bunch of normal looking people and 8-9 really good looking ones. Today, there are lots of really good looking ones and 8-9 extremely good looking ones.

Movie review – ‘The Town’

Don’t worry I’m not going movie critic on you. But when I see a movie I like or dislike I will try to share in a straight way.

I just got back from ‘The Town’, a movie directed by Ben Affleck. It is a great movie. The story is good, great action scenes (I bet he watched ‘Hit’ many times before) and great cast.

The surprises of the movie are:
a) Affleck in a great performance. I guess he can really pull it off anytime he’s in Boston
b) the beautiful and talented Rebecca Hall in a role that makes you wanna go out and robe banks just to meet her.

Hungry Planet?

This photo project from 'Hungry Planet'  can teach us greatly about our world. And if not… it’s still cool.

Here what these families spend on groceries in a week:

Germany. 500$/week

Ctrl-V, Ctrl-X, Ctrl-Z

I just love these crazy things.

Crazy lyrics - Its the end of the world as we know it

Here and then I hear a song with some crazy lyrics and I just want to be able to deepen my knowledge of it.

Here is the first one.

Enjoy

It’s the end of the world as we know it – R.E.M.

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane -
Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height. Wire in a fire; represent the seven games in a government for
hire and a combat site. Left her wasn't coming in a hurry with the furies
breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered
crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population,
common group, but it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its
own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
light, feeling pretty psyched.

Flag in Austria by Propeller Z

The regular Joe loves everything related to design, architecture or everything that decorates our lives.

Here’s a great example of how people should be living.

The project by ‘Propeller Z’ was built at Weinviertel, Austria.

Notice the log wall.

Quote of the day

"The danger in life is not that we aim too high and miss. The problem is that we aim too low and hit the mark."  -- Michelangelo

October 5X5X5

This October has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. Only happens once every 823 years.

 

Kanye Jordan

One of the regular Joe favorite shows is ’30 rock’

The ‘Huffington post’ has given a brilliant tribute with a little help from Kanye West

For the regular Joe's tweets find me at @theregjoe

Double sided Peanut Butter jar

Once in a while you see a product that makes you say 2 things:

1.       WOWWWWWW

2.       How didn’t I think of that??!!

That’s the way I feel about the Double-Sided Peanut Butter Jar.

It is brilliant!!

Nutella – take notes.

cool Movies Infographics Collection

Here is a collection of really cool movies infographics

As a big movie buff the Regular Joe has a lot of respect to the people who take the time to make them.

rilogy Meter #1

Hey Hey Hey

Nice to meet you,

My name is Joe Regular. I’m 29-ish, in a relationship, average looking, think the world is wrong, think I’m right, have an opinion on everything and everyone.

Love art and design but don’t know much about either of them, loves music but can’t sing or play nothing.

Born and raised in one of the gratest cities of the world but constantly think of leaving to another place.

I love surfing, running and yoga but never get around doing it so often.

My English is not perfect!!!

My favorite shirt is just white.

I try to spend time with friends and complaining I have no time alone.

I love my girlfriend but sometimes I pick a fight with no reason.

Every Sunday I feel this is the week my big break will fall from the sky.

I hate and love celebrities without knowing them.

I don’t know how to write a blog but I have so much to say and no one to say it to!

All and all, your regular Joe.