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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

  Twenty! Hitting a milestone of props this week! Ed and I got to talking last week amid the autumn breezes, throwing our brains out in an informal storming session when the topic turned to the potential for a world take-over by robots. On the one hand, there is plenty of fodder, past and present, to fuel these nightmares (fantasies) including tales from I, Robot by Ray Bradbury to the Terminator and Matrix movie trilogies. The missing element from these stories is the background, the precursory stories leading up to the desperate state of humanity envisioned in these futures. Regardless of what the future holds for the human race, the future is here. The problem is, it sounds like a very large, annoying mosquito. And while these swarm bots have the right idea, there is no WAY that a small child is going to sit still this long. A patient child is a missing child   Robots from Above!   Settling back into the natural world, a couple of coders developed a new tool to track surface currents on the Great Lakes, our inland seas. Although there are no tide on the lakes, the surface of the water is constantly on the move, cover 94,250 square [....] Read More >>

Props! In this unbounded realm of creativity, I find it difficult to filter out the everyday scrum of information and boring type from the merely interesting and distill the final essences into a formidable post for Friday props. Surrounded by the visual cacophony of color exuded by the maples, ash, birch, beech, sumac and other deciduous trees turning at this time of year, I stare at the contrast of the rich green fields lying in the river bottoms on my drive to work. With our props today, though, I refuse to succumb to these natural beauties and ignore the increased population of white-platers and tour buses on the road. "With such natural beauty, how could you possibly focus on optimizing websites or jumping into vibrant search engine marketing strategies," you ask. "Friday Props," I reply. "Friday Props." I've never been to Wisconsin. Traveling to that Midwestern state, a prominent rival in cheese and dairy production, could get me shot. I did, however, have a friend who visited and told an amazing tale of The House on the Rocks. To prove that this place existed, she even brought a book back with her. This adventure happened many years ago and while I still am [....] Read More >>

Welcome to Friday Props! A delicious part of this nutritious breakfast! Fall, fall, fall. Leaves, chilly nights, cider....yeah, yeah, yeah. There's plenty of people talking about that these days. "D'ja git yer cider up ta Ellie's yet?" Not yet, sir, but I assure you I shall. The comforting regularity of the seasons is grounding for everyone here, but one reason we consider things creative here is when the expectation, the normalcy is changed; bent or gently twisted at such an angle where it gives us pause to think deeper. We all walk a fine line between our reality and our imagination. Personally I prefer to dance and hop around that line as much as possible, exploring what shouldn't work and why, but making an effort to try it anyway. When the universal laws of physics come into play, that's when reality can truly become distorted. The Balancing Barn of Suffolk, England Imagine walking through the fields of Ye Olde England whistling some bagpipe music (because you know full well that the bagpipes are Scottish) and coming upon this Airstream-style trailer. From one end, everything looks reasonable and fine. From the other, it seems the landlord has found a creative way to evict [....] Read More >>

Welcome back for this week's installment of Friday Props, the only props you'll ever need! Here in Vermont we are beginning to feel the chill in the air as fall muscles its way across the green mountains. In many ways, this changing of the seasons is a welcome change and brings with it the familiar sights, smells, sounds, tastes and opportunities for creativity. No, we won't feature foliage shots or the latest pumpkin-based beer, but a few things that signal the coming of fall for us. The World's Largest QR Code I'm not one to hem and haw about an inclusion into the Guinness Book of World Records. That institution is so out of whack and overblown I'm surprised that my cat doesn't have a world record for SOMETHING. On the other hand, it does inspire creativity in a myriad of forms. Combining the digital and natural worlds makes my heart melt all the more! Therefore, the first Friday Prop goes to the Kraay family of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada for their corn-formed QR code.The code covers 7 of the 15 acres designed by the family and, if you can hold your smart phone up high enough, the code will bring up the [....] Read More >>

On the eve of the Labor Day festivities, welcome to another edition of Friday Props, another way to bend your mind closer to the weekend. Last week I visited a friend of mine who lives in the flatlands of Minnesota, taking in its foreign cultural landscape and an accent thoroughly entrenched in the letter 'O.' Spectacularly different from Vermont, I spent most of my time bug-eyed wandering around Minneapolis-St. Paul and think that I owe the cities a bit more respect than I had before. First props go to the Skyways of Minneapolis. Constructed to help pedestrians navigate through the city through the winter, the Skyway links 69 city blocks using 2nd and 3rd-story bridges over the streets throughout the city. The climate-controlled walkways make it possible to travel practically throughout the entire city without ever stepping outside and boast restaurants and shops. ELEVEN MILES of walking. Yup.   On the food scene, Minneapolis and the Minnesota State Fair were playgrounds for my stomach. I could rave about the amazing Bloody Mary's, the bratwurst and the Pork Chop on a Stick, but the best culinary innovation I experienced was the Juicy Lucy. There's no dispute on what eatery invented the Lucy, but as [....] Read More >>