International

China's “Ladies Only” Parking Spaces Put Female Shoppers in the Pink

by China.new

Business owners in the Chinese municipality of Tianjin have found an attractive way to appeal to a distinct market demographic – women – hoping that preferred “pink” parking places convenient to store entrances & exits will keep their female customers satisfied... and, keep 'em coming back for more!

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Silicone iPhone 4/4s Case Nose Who's Calling

by Steve Levenstein

The Hana Silicone iPhone 4/4s Case not only displays a distinctive design that sets it apart from other iPhone cases, the unusual suggested user finger placement ensures anyone can “pick” it out from the crowd.

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Orbitz Polishes Higher Hotel Rates For Its Apple Users

by Ron Callari

There's a reoccurring foreboding in many fairytales, that says: magic comes with a price. The Evil Queen that offered Snow White the poisonous apple received her comeuppance in the end, and hopefully Orbitz will be served a does of the same, when the traveling public learns that Mac users are charged more than those using Windows. Yes, in this case, you can think of Orbitz as the Evil Queen! And the 30 percent higher rates they are offering to Apple device owners, the fruits from their poisonous tree.

DIY Chinese Lamborghini Lookalike is a Big Boy's Toyota, No Bull

by China.new

A so-called “home automaker” has turned a sow's ear into a silk purse, in this case morphing a Toyota MR2 into a Lamborghini Murcielago LP64. The resulting Faux Lambo is said to boast 99% accurate exterior bodywork and a 70% authentic interior.

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Mom's Fear Of Childbirth May Lead To Childbirth Complications

by T Goodman

Childbirth is a painful process for a mom, even with epidural pain killers that effectively reduce that pain. Fear of that pain, called tocophobia, is why some women choose not to have children at all. But for women who do become pregnant and carry their children to term, the fear of childbirth may actually cause greater difficulty to the mother in the delivery room, according to a new study from Norway.

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Chill Out With Thanko's Portable USB Liquid-Cooled Air Conditioner

by Steve Levenstein

When it comes to air conditioners, you can't take the coolness with you... until now! Thanko's portable liquid-cooled air conditioner uses USB or battery power, keeping you cool at home, work or play.

Scoot Right Through The Airport With Kick Scooter Luggage

by Must Love Gadgets

You can pack your 2-wheeled carry-on and pull it through the airport, switching arms as you drag the bag all the way from your cab to check-in, up the escalator to the tram, through your terminal and bag inspection, and up and down the maze of halls to your gate. But, I'm taking my Kick Scooter Luggage.

Pepsi EX Extra: All the Caffeine of Coffee in a Cool, Carbonated Can

by Steve Levenstein

Pepsi Japan's new workplace coffee alternative, Pepsi EX Extra, offers a hot coffee cup's worth of caffeine in a cool can of carbonated cola. As Pepsi puts it, “Enjoy the shot of cola with strong caffeine, for long working hours.”

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China's “A Blue Work Shirt” is Mass Market Retro Fashion

by China.new

“A Blue Work Shirt” from OSPOP is an updated version of the no-nonsense, long-lasting tops that clothed Mao Zedong's China of the 1950s through 1970s. Proudly made in China but not just for Chinese anymore, A Blue Work Shirt salutes those who made the Great Leap Forward from shattered post-war China to today's economic powerhouse.

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Cool 'Seek & Destroy' T-shirt: The Cat's Got Your Back

by Steve Levenstein

Why advertise a product, band or sports franchise on your t-shirt when Japan's Ito Manufacturing offers an expensive, expressive & eccentric alternative? “Seek & Destroy” t-shirts in Grass Green and Cloud Gray plug you into a rarefied region of social consciousness where mass market consumerism takes a back seat to a black cat with heat-vision.

British Airways Uses Social Media & UK Addresses For Olympics' #HomeAdvantage

British Airways Uses Social Media & Local Addresses To Build #HomeAdvantage For Olympics

by Ron Callari

In an ingenious TV commercial that we're sure Don Draper would have approved, British Airways is utilizing the distribution channels of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to extend their rallying cry for a "Home Advantage" at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Sleeping With a Smartphone: The iPhone 3-Piece Bedding Set

by China.new

Are you sleeping on the Jobs again? Ordering “Enter Sandman” for your ringtone? The iPhone 3-Piece Bedding Set from China satisfies all your phone-y hang-ups, though excessive tossing and turning could result in unintended 911 butt-dials.

Biodegradable Portable & Reusable Drink Bottles Sport Can Camouflage

by Steve Levenstein

Can those cans and battle the bottles! Japan's ongoing “eco” movement for environmental friendliness and sustainable living seems to have even influenced the appearance of plastic water bottles... these ones look like cans.

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Political Cats Create New Bill To Save Russian Felines

by Lady Bee

Zarathustra ran for President of Russia. Hank is running for Senator in Virginia. Two cats, worlds apart, but both political, and both sworn to do good for the world, no matter what.

Chinese DIY Tractor Truck Gets Electrical Poles Rolling One By One

by China.new

How do you get ridiculously long and massively heavy electrical poles to your construction site without hiring an expensive, purpose-built transport truck? If you're in China, DIY! Workmen in Wenzhou get their poles to the holes quickly, cheaply and one-at-a-time thanks to a little ingenuity and some very loose traffic regulations.

World's First Pear Genome Sequence Announced by Joint China-US Research Project

by China.new

Fruit fans rejoice, pears could be getting bigger, tastier and more resistant to drought and disease! Now that researchers from the Chinese-American "International Pear Genome Cooperation Group" have finished the world's first pear genome sequence, we can expect new high-yield, high quality, low-input varieties of pears to land on store shelves someday soon.

Blue Curry Adds Odd Color to Tokyo Cafe's Menu

by Steve Levenstein

On a diet and looking for a light meal? Try a light blue meal instead: Tokyo's Tea Room 2525 has brought back a turquoise temptation from last summer, disingenuously dubbed "Blue Curry Loss of Appetite". It's a great way to get the blues while losing weight.

'Happy Farm' Online Game Inspires Eco-friendly Pig Cottages

by China.new

A Chinese pig farm project inspired by the hugely popular online game “Happy Farm” has seen over 500 eco-friendly pig cottages spring up in the coastal province of Jiangsu. Though these swine are living fine, don't get jealous: their luxurious digs are intended to encourage tastier meat.

iPhone 5 Ice Pop Comes in Mango and Pear Flavors

by China.new

The iPhone 5 has been released in China... and it's delicious! Unless somebody from Apple Inc "calls out" the manufacturer on this frozen ice pop's provocative name, hungry Chinese will be chilling their choppers on iPhone 5 brand Mango and Pear flavored frozen fruit snacks all summer long.

Door Handle Cover Keeps Klutzy Kids From Kabob-in' Their Noggins

by Steve Levenstein

The puzzlingly named “Waffle Handle” stops evil doers, er, evil doors, from inflicting pain, injury and subdural hematoma's on your precious snowflake's pristine forehead. If you don't have them, shame on you: you're a bad parent who's bad and should feel bad.

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