Inspiring

At first, we felt that this featured website, followthebrownsigns.com, seemed rather wonderfully whimsical. However then, we realized it is much much more and thought it best to share Amanda Hone’s site with you all. So the story goes (and this is the very abridged version). Amanda Hone has a fascination for brown signs. The brown signs that you pass by every day, and probably on most occas...
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In the coming week or two, we launch the collaborative section on the Startacus site. So we thought it only fair to give a timely nod to perhaps one of the best collaborative offline tools invented - the post it note. Where would we be without post it notes? Probably scribbling on pieces of paper I would imagine. However, the lowly post it note, the antithesis of the paperless office, can be use...
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One way to really appreciate how good an idea is, is when it gets emulated or replicated in other places. And if you’re looking for one of the best examples of that, look no further than the Incredible Edibleproject. In 2008 Pam Warhurst, from Todmorden, Yorkshire first came up with an idea of doing something positive and more productive with some of the area’s public spaces. Her idea...
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Here at Startacus we appreciate that for many of us, the odd tipple warms not only the heart, but brings us and our friends together for a social. With pubs closing down, right left and centre and the local pub, shop, post office - in fact most of our local amenities facing a rather bleak future, we wanted to share a little gem with you, that is aiming to buck the trend. In fact, when you read thi...
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Are you one of those people who believes that “everyone has a book inside them” or who has “write a book” down on your bucket list of things you have to do? Or maybe you have an idea for a book that you’ll get round to writing one of these days...Well, if you answered yes to any of the above, Nanowrimo is for you.Nanowrimo is an annual online creative writing project ...
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Regeneration has been a real buzz word over the last few years, although it’s often something that gets spoken about more than actually put into practice. Now and again however, projects and initiatives appear which really epitomise what regeneration is all about and which if replicated elsewhere would be pretty amazing. So, if you feel your area could do with a touch of inspiration whe...
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Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the mundane and to forget all about the fun things - the creative things. So, here at Startacus whenever we hear about a person or a place that has an aim of helping us all to embrace and develop our creativity again, we just have to find out more.One such place is London based The Make Lounge. With their ethos being “meet people. make stuff.&rdq...
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We had previously looked at the unusual invention that is the Microwave Oven, invented by Dr Percy Spencer, when he walked in front of a magnetron with a bar of chocolate in his pocket. Inventions that happen by accident are rather cool to read about, but the reality is that accidental or not, you do kind of have to be looking, in order to spot the remarkable happening in the first place. So this...
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Here at Startacus we love seeking out people and places that are a tad ‘different’ and creative and when you throw in a little collaboration too, well, quite frankly...we’re hooked. We think you’ll like our latest discovery too. Makeably is a marketplace for custom made items made uniquely for you.Visit the site and you can browse through a whole range of “projec...
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Sometimes you don’t need a thousand words - like the saying goes, the pictures paint the story. Some of you may have seen these pictures already; however we just love The Movement Café, the pop up cafe that was built in 16 days to be ready in time for the Olympics this Summer. Based on the edge of an industrial estate in Greenwich, London, and the visual entry to a regeneration proje...
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So far, we have highlighted some unusual inventions - from the pet rock, the cardboard bicycle to the twitter hashtag, but we think this one might just trump the lot. Unusual in the sense that the creator was able to crowdfund over $577,000 recently on indiegogo and unusual, since you really do have to wonder how the devil this invention first came about! Bug-A-Salt is a salt loading gun that is ...
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Inspiring and celebrating creativity in all its’ forms is pretty important to us here at Startacus and when we find people and places with a similar ethos, we’ve got to let you guys know about them too. Our latest discovery is the innovative and inspirational SparkTruck. The brainchild of a group of Stanford students, Spark Truck is “an educational build-mobile.” which has...
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