So yesterday, there was a huge pouring thunderstorm and lightening.
After a bolt or two that must have hit our power line, ALL the power went out.
That was not fun when sitting in an La-Z-Boy electric recliner chair.
Where the f*** is the safety release on this thing when there is no power? 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Wow, love this RED chair and ottoman.
The chair practically reaches out to grab you.
And the ottoman is an almost perfect ball.
Like two pieces that were made to be together.
You can’t help but sit down, get comfortable, and have the best rest of your life! 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Went to the Holon Design Museum (south of Tel Aviv) today.
They had exhibit called States of Extreme.
I found some really cool exhibits and ideas there.
Sort of felt my mind being expanded by it, which is I suppose one of the purposes of going to this.
Two of my favorite from today:
1) The chair with people legs and
2) The Fanuc robotic arm feeding the baby in the crib.
Hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
And Shabbat Shalom to everyone from the Holy Land!
(Credit Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
What can you say, when you see these luxurious, zero gravity, massage chairs?
Yes, ah, that feels so good!
Seriously, you know you want to try it.
Yes, you do.
And you even want to take one home.
Costco’s got these.
You’ve seen others at Sharper Image at the Mall.
They’re not cheap.
This one was like $4,299.
Can you resist the urge to splurge on the ultimate in comfort and relaxation?
Take off your shoes. close your eyes, let yourself drift away.
It’s a better place. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So today I went for an ergonomic training and assessment.
Never did this before.
It was pretty awesome.
The person had 4 degrees in ergonomics and really seemed to know what they were talking about.
They got me set up in a special ergonomic chair with a footrest, bio-design mouse, and task lighting.
I tell you that I never sat so straight, perfectly contoured, and completely comfortable.
They almost had to pry my butt out of that chair after I test drove it for over an hour in training.
OMG, there is a difference.
Don’t need carpal tunnel.
Don’t need sciatica.
Don’t need neck, shoulder, and back pain.
I even learned that the standing desks can be BAD for you–they put undue stress on your musculature and may actually result in a notable DECREASE in concentration and productivity.
Anyway, from the stupid chairs that I’ve seen most people have–and the lousy posture they sit with–I’d recommend seeing the ergonomist. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Got to love this all American chair.
Red, white, and blue.
And stars and stripes everywhere.
The only thing that I seriously wonder about is whether this chair was manufactured in the U.S.
With the U.S. losing 35% of it’s manufacturing employment between 1998 and 2010 (from 17.6M to 11.5M), due in large part to outsourcing, there is a good chance this chair was made overseas.
Now manufacturing makes up less than 9% of total U.S. employment.
Also noteworthy is the loss of 51,000 manufacturing plants or 12.5% between 1998-2008.
Together, agriculture and industry make up only approximately 20% of the entire U.S. economy.
Manufacturing are agriculture are strategic capabilities for this country and any country.
It’s not just what you know, but what you make!
Sure we can make things faster and easier with automation, but at this point there is a serious skills shortage (with millions of jobs going unfilled), and we need to safeguard the strategic knowledge, skills, capability, and capacity to make things vital to our thriving existence.
We need to be a more self-sufficient nation again and not a one-trick service pony.
We need to use information to be better innovators, creators, developers, and builders.
Information is great, but you can’t live by information alone. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So had a new experience and went to the Salt Cave in Bethesda (a second choice if you can’t get to the secret superhero crime-fighting Bat Cave).
It was a large room filled with Himalayan salt for experiencing all the spa’s “healing” effects.
Supposed to be good to breath in all the minerals infused from the pink salt “micro climate” air and also for exposure to the skin.
It was fairly dark in the cave except for some recessed lighting behind some of the salt stone walls.
The chairs were these weird beach chairs that you could recline in, but it would’ve definitely been worth it to have some fancier cushioned seating to more fully relax in and to match the spa ambiance that they were selling.
In the background was relaxing meditation music and we were closed in the salt cave for 45-minute to enjoy the dark quiet salt effects.
It must’ve relaxed me, because when I got home, I had a Buddha face on and took a nice post-spa afternoon nap. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So this dog is outside Starbucks.
And looking anxiously for its owner.
The problem is the lady is inside the store and the dog doesn’t see her behind the glass window.
Lady says to us, “Bang on the glass…so he’ll know where I am.”
We “obediently” bang, but the dog is still looking off down the block.
Lady is getting her coffee, dog is NER-VOUS jumping up and off the chair armrest to get a better look.
Nope lady is not there.
An occasional bark, but no answer.
Hope the dog doesn’t pee the seat. 😉
(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal–she had the better angle)
So if you ever go to Barnes and Nobles, you’ll see that they have the most horribly hard wooden chairs.
They are so uncomfortable–many people seem to rather sprawl out on the floor to browse the magazines and books, rather then get a butt bender in those darn chairs.
Some other people that I’ve seen now have resorted to placing cushy stuffed animals on the chairs to ease the discomfit on the arse!
I took this picture of someone’s chair by the window with 2 stuffed animals left over after what must’ve been a much needed cushion liner on the the bare wood.
[BTW, sorry for whoever buys those sat on, smelled on stuffed animals afterwards–ew!]
The question is why invite people in to browse and sit–if you are only going to make them so uncomfortable.
Ok, I get the implicit message, “You can read for a few minutes, but otherwise buy something or get the h*ck out!”
And not that they are wrong (they aren’t), but why resort to making people physically uncomfortable and forcing them to leave instead of making everything welcoming and encouraging shopping and sales.
Barnes and Nobles–a nice place to visit for 20 minutes as long as you have some stuffed animals for your butt–but Amazon will reign bookstore supreme. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I took this photo of a cool teen lounge chair.
Stretch out and relax or study on this oversized lounger.
The fabric is emblazoned with:
– PEACE
– FREEDOM
– LOVE
– FLIRT
– BEAST
– ROCK
– POWER
– EGO
– SHINE
I think this would look pretty good in a kids room.
How about you?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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