The holiday yesterday, a slammed schedule of client work and proposals due coupled with Phil being a slacker taking today off (something about "family" and "holiday" PFFFT!) the normal release of Friday Props got the short end of the stick today. But it looks like I've still got an hour or more to get this in before it becomes Saturday Props so I'm going for it. Since it is getting late I'm feeling a bit tired. And since it seems appropriate to at least pay some amount of homage to the Thanksgiving holiday I thought I'd hand out Props to a turkey of tires. Tired Turkey   When we hand out Props we like to think big. And when we hand out Props to turkeys we want to recognize the seriously big of big, so we're tipping our hats this week to Tom. Tom is (was... ) the world's biggest turkey (No, the biggest turkey is not the Republican party though some might disagree) standing at sixteen feet tall. Tom was a resident of Frazee, Minnesota. Tom was made from white-painted fiberglass, cardboard and insulation attached to a steel frame. Big Tom put Frazee on the map as the home of The World’s Largest Turkey. But [....] Read More >>

Please, sir? Might I have some more Props? I'm so very hungry. I'm sorry. I'm getting out the props out late today due to foreseen circumstances and my lack of advanced preparations. In short, I procrastinated and you suffered. I hope you've eaten your lunch. Because of this lateness, I'm going to go a bit Helter Skelter. There is no unified theme of Props. Besides, I think that everyone is tired of Props partisanship and we should all work together for a Props that will appeal to the masses, to everyone, not just the people who like Props on technology Read More >>

One, Two, Three O' Clock, Four O' Clock Props! Hey there, girl. I'm so glad you could join me today here on the Props. Let me take your coat. Go on, sit down. relax. Would you like a glass of wine? I've got a delicious Chianti I've been saving for a Props just like this. Excuse me a moment while I put on some music. Oh? You want me to play something for you? I've got the perfect instrument right here. Take a look.... Come with me to Atlantic City, home of the world's largest music instrument: a pipe organ. I know, it can be a little intimidating at first. Take a few seconds for yourself while I get reacquainted with the keyboards.What was that? No, I've never played to a sold out show here. Close, but its tough to sell out all 41,000 seats in a convention hall! I won't bore you with all the statistics and such, but let me tell you, this organ is LOUD! Maybe a little TOO loud. Come on over this way...I've got something that might be a little more...natural. I Would Love to See What Mozart Could Do With This Going back to my grungy days, [....] Read More >>

When the sky is cloudy, the air has a bit of chill and, although its Friday, you still feel a little down, where do you go for that extra boost of energy? Friday Props! Now with flavor crystals! This week, we're going to focus on transportation. Yep, how we get from here to there. Our first props go to the canal boats of England. The Romans first built canals, primarily for irrigation, under Caesar's reign many, many moons ago. It wasn't until the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century that canal construction truly blossomed for a variety of reasons: Roads couldn't handle the size and volume of the cargo traffic, fragile goods don't fare well on bumpy roads and, with canals, transport times could cut hours or even days off an over-land journey. At their peak in the early 20th century, there were over 4,000 miles of canals in Britain. Today, 2,200 miles of canals remain open, maintained by the British Waterways Board for commercial and "cruising" purposes, bringing us to the modern houseboat. Limited to 56 feet in length and 4 mph, these boats chug along the canals from town to town similar to the RV culture [....] Read More >>

Here in Vermont, the mantra "buy local" is everywhere you look. The same way that recycling programs  changed our consciousness, buying local is such a part of the culture here, many people are hardwired to think of the shopping resources close by before even considering an online purchase. Funny thing is, Google is doing the same thing with their search results. Whether you are using a mobile devise or sitting comfortably at a desk top, when you log into Google and type in your keyword search, Google is using both the keywords and your location to bring up the most pertinent results. A good example of this would be tracking down a tasty lobster roll. Imagine your self taking that long walk down the beach at sunset with your beau in York, Maine, Vacation Land, the undisputed Lobster Kingdom. As the sand squishes between your toes and the ocean breezes gently toss your hair, your stomach beings to growl. You feel yourself getting a little grumpy. You are having a harder time focusing on things. Hearing the gnashing of your innards, your kindly beau whips out their mobile phone, punches in a search for "lobster rolls." You're a master chef (didn'cha know?) [....] Read More >>

Congratulations to the attorneys and staff at Marsh & Wagner, P.C. for the release of their redesigned website. This firm in Middlebury approached us with a few goals in mind. These included: A fresh look for the website taking into account their logo branding Complete details for every staff member and attorney Details of the services they offer Prominent phone number We took what had been a pretty drab website and utilized what we could and what we must (the color scheme and logo) and turned the site into something Marsh & Wagner could be proud to point their clients to. But more than that, we also worked to make sure that all the local listings for the firm on popular third party sites were accurate and completely filled out. This was done in an effort to help boost their local search relevance.   Read More >>

Welcome back Friday! Time to waste some of The Man's time and scamper around in the land of Friday Props! Yep. To me the Friday Props are akin to frolicking in a luxuriantly green field high in the green mountains wearing my housecoat and viking horns. And they happen EVERY WEEK! Pull out your own magic helmet and join me, won't you? This Friday, we're going a little bit retro, but not in a snarky, hipster kinda way. Our first homage is to the art of signage, long lost and now, with a little breath of life, coming back. While mainly relegated to those streets and communities that can pay to have a custom sign made, how fantastic would it be to have an endemic revival, transforming the feel of strip malls across America? If you are a business owner, consider it. If you are a customer, admire it. In any way you can, encourage it. The best place for your cell phone... Support Local Business!                     Next up on our little retro field trip, we're giving props to the woman who created this killer clock. Blending an icon from long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away with a music media [....] Read More >>

When we were asked to create a small website for the author of a book recognized by the British Medical Association's Book Awards for 2012 as "highly commended" we were thrilled to take it on. Author, educator and licensed massage therapist Barbara Goldschmidt's new website, ElementalTouch.org, presents information about using touch to provide comfort and healing. Barbara's incredible wisdom, garnered while working in the field of integrative health care for the past 30 years, is featured in her highly commended book Comforting Touch in Dementia and End of Life Care: Take My Hand. The book, available on the site, describes hand massage exercises that may be used to bring comforting touch into the lives of people with dementia or at the end of life. The website was built using the Edgeworks CMS and Blog. Barbara and Cynthia have a long standing working relationship, and Cynthia was pleased to work closely with Barbara in developing the design of the site. Congratulations to The Elemental Touch and Barbara.   Read More >>

A rough week in land of Friday Props. So many distractions. If the changing of the seasons wasn't enough here at the news desk, the presidential debates made it abundantly clear that any remaining leaves will soon be on the ground, a foundation for the snow to come. Though it was almost a fun year ago, we won't forget what happened. So this week, our props go to the elephants, those terrestrial mammoths that stop the earth and those that can invisibly fill the room. The Aquatic Elephant, NOT A MERMAID. Though not native to the European continent, this elephant and many of her kin appeared on Belgian coastlines and in parks after navigating the treacherous waters as small pieces of driftwood. With the help of a few local artists, the elephants became whole again (though a bit static) to majestically watch the beaches and beckon to their kin. From the faux elephants to the elephant in the room: The power and influence of social media continues to grow and companies are adapting more quickly to it. In response to this posting on their Facebook page, Bodyform produced this commercial below. So intensely funny, the company took an opportunity and ran with [....] Read More >>

Friday Props turns 21 this week. If anyone wants to send Friday Props a drink for it's 21st just let us know. You'd think I would have bundled together some interesting category of things to celebrate the 21st week, but you'd be wrong. I've done no such thing. Q: What do remote control cockroaches, paper horses and lamps have in common? A: Nothing until now. Remote Control Cockroaches When disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis strike, the sad fact is oftentimes there are people who die buried in rubble that could survive if only they could be located.  The difficulty in locating people trapped in these situations is getting deep enough down inside the devastation to actually find them. Well Props are going out today to the engineers and scientists of the North Carolina State University for pioneering control of cockroaches for exactly this purpose. By outfitting the cockroaches with a backpack capable of delivering small electrical impulses to the antenna and rear of the insects, scientists are able to control where the roaches go - effectively giving scientists the opportunity to use these critters as miniature eyes beneath the surface of a disaster and potentially helping to save lives. The program still has lots of [....] Read More >>