Innovations in the washrooms

There have always been television ads on italian/porcelain bathroom fixtures usually showcasing the shininess of the products. And print ads containing attractive females to add to the fixture.

How come none of these bathroom fixture makers ever advertises on the benefits of using their products? Like, the commode whose design enables waste to be cleared with the least amount of water usage per flush? Or the tap which is rust proof/drip proof?

Even after all these years, it is difficult to see why innovations in the washroom space have not yet become common in India. Why cant I have a shower that shows me the temperature of the water coming out of it? Which brand do I have to see if I want commodes that heat up the seats during winter? Do I have a commode that does make sound while flushing? Do I have toilets made of anti-bacterial material? How about a special geyser that not just heats water, but also has an option to make steam so that I can have a sauna bath in my bathroom.

Where are the innovations in the bathroom? I demand euphoria in the most private of spaces to start the day off!

The future of Body Modification

Traditionally, Body modifications involve making holes in certain body parts like ears, nose, cheeks, etc. Some African tribes use body modification to contour their bodies like elongated necks. Some use it to have a narrow hip. 

The future of Radical Body Modification is quite different and are interesting.

Take the example below: An embedded digital watch in your hand.

Another example: Magnetic implants at fingertips

The sixth sense of the magnetic implants can be understood from the relevant text here: http://io9.com/5944883/what-does-the-future-have-in-store-for-radical-body-modification

"They work by creating a haptic interface. The magnet moves or vibrates when it is exposed to magnetic or electromagnetic fields. This can be felt by the same nerves that are used for touch, nerves that are extremely dense and sensitive in the fingertips. They are generally placed slightly to the side of the fingertip rather than centrally in the finger pad so that they don't affect function, and they're quite tiny, having a volume comparable to a grain of uncooked rice.

When the magnets move, you are aware of it, and it doesn't take long before this becomes a distinct sensation from touch. It doesn't just feel like having a tiny vibrator inside your finger, even though that's exactly what it is. It's more natural than that. For example, if you are feeling the electromagnetic bubble that comes off of a power transformer, like what your laptop might use, it feels like you're reaching out and touching an invisible bubble. That bubble has form (you can move your hand around to get an idea of the shape) and it has strength (the amount of power dictates how far the magnet is being moved inside your finger) and it even has "colour" (the frequency of the electromagnetic field alters how quickly the magnet vibrates).

All of this is processed on a subconscious level, and it really is like having a sixth sense. It's hard to describe just how wonderful this is — our world is so rich with electromagnetism. It's such an important part of the modern world, yet most people are blind to it. Sure, you know intellectually that it's there, and you can even detect it with various tools, but it's not the same as actually sensing it. Nor are the tools as fast or convenient.

Because I can feel the power running through cables (at household voltages anyway), and transformers are easy to detect, there are many times where I've used it to quickly diagnose hardware issues without having to pull out a multimeter. The sensitivity is high enough to detect a spinning hard drive engine through the keyboard of a laptop, or to feel a distributor firing in a car being repaired.

Of all the body modifications I've had, my magnets may be at the top of my favorites list. They're certainly the most profound in terms of expanding my world. I've had them for a bit over seven years, and I feel like if I were to lose them I would feel blind."

Solve this case

Case study:

On a lazy day in office, you dont have much to do and you staring at the Brownian motion of the leaves on the tree you can see through the window of the office building. You wonder what you want to do this weekend. You check the movies online after a 360 degree turn of the head to confirm no one is looking at your non-official work. After some 5 min, you are done finding the theater and the time of the show you want to see and where. Now what?

You start thinking of a weekend vacation and how long it has been since you had been somewhere of some significance. With some memory recollection, you remember how your colleague had talked about the great things of a nearby town - a 3hr ride by bus. Whats wrong with checking out some details? Where is this? Whats there to watch? How to get there and back? Timings of the bus, etc.

Again looking around that no one is looking at you and glancing into the boss's cubicle to confirm that he is not yet in office, you start finding details of your potential next trip.

Twenty min have passed and you have found valuable information on the place. Now, to plan the bus trip. So, you open the popular top of mind site for bus travel, www.redbus.in

And you have entered the locations and are about to enter the dates, when suddenly, you hear a faint voice. It is not readily identifyable but slowly you realise that you recognise that voice. It is coming from behind and the loudness of the voice is slowly increasing. This is processed by the brain after your nerve cells communicate with each other by synaptic pulses as the subject is approaching nearer to you. This realisation gets your heart to beat faster of impending situation. You then realise that the voice is that of your dreaded boss who already doesnt like you and will get furious seeing you wasting time instead of doing office work, surfing sites and making travel plans. Your heart is now racing at the speed of Ussain Bolt and you are not sure what to do. Closing the tab on your browser will show the other travel sites that you have open. Closing the browser will show your desktop with no work on it. What do you do? All these scenarios are running through your head in a fraction of a second and you are sure either of two things: A miracle to save the day or to embrace the impending disaster. What do you do?

Answer: you click the link "Boss is watching? Look busy." :D

Ideas that work

From storage space, household plant rental, at home dog grooming, drycleaning and doorstep car cleaning, sheesha delivery at home, at-home spa service (Delhi/NCR); dporstep post pickup & doorstep autorickshaw service (Pune); virtual personal assistant, packaged ready-to-cook food, midnight delivery and Laundry (Mumbai); Shoe laundry, at home haircuts/salon services and midnight delivery (Bangalore).
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-03/news/31985596_1_iit-kharagpur-grocery-shopping-idea-entrepreneurs

Brilliant innovative items

http://www.demilked.com/fun-and-creative-kitchen-gadgets/

http://sobadsogood.com/2012/05/18/10-brilliantly-designed-items-youll-want-to-own/

Nothing is impossible

Chocolate Bonds

Financial innovation and returns have never been sweeter and more delicious (literally, really) :D

The company has issued bonds for which the coupons are not paid out in cash, but in chocolates :)

http://www.springwise.com/retail/chocolatebond/

mmm....mmmm....

Marketing ideas

I think I have a couple of marketing ideas for the FMCG segment and for opticians which are yet to hit the market (atleast in India)

Considering the fact that around 70% of Indians eat non-veg, I think non-veg flavoured chips will do great business in India. Think Butter Chicken chips, Prawn chips and various fish flavoured chips. 

Instead of Fish & Chips, one can now have Fish In Chips :D

Considering that foreign markets have non-veg flavoured chips, I wonder what is taking the Indian market so long. I think the time will come soon.

One more idea I have been thinking which is yet to hit the market is spectacles for which the frames /sides can be changed based on the occasion/dress colour. Something of the plug the frame/side and wear type.

Hello marketing people, are you alive?

ABS required on Indian bikes

Disk brakes are not useful on bikes unless the bike it is accompanied with ABS(Anti-Lock Braking System). The sudden and powerful use of disc brake to prevent a collision causes the tyre to lock and the reduced traction between the tyre and the surface along with the forward momentum the bike has, causes the bike to skid. If the bike is not brought into control and stabilised in a fraction of a second, the bike loses control and you have gone skidding right into the thing you were trying to avoid skidding into. Else, you have skidded into something else.

When will ABS be available on Indian Bikes?

Next pending innovation in the Indian Bike market!!!

Update April 2011: Honda is launching its CBR250R with CBS(combined braking system) and ABS(anti-lock braking system). CBS controls the ratio of the brake torque applied in the front & the back wheel for best braking without losing control.

Liquid Armour

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1346877/Bullet-proof-custard-British-soldiers-wearing-revolutionary-new-liquid-body-armour-years.html

25 Promising products for 2011

3D is coming big! In multiple forms....from tv to thin monitors to camcorders...

What else?
* A "sensational" device that will send vibrations through your body via the chest which will let you feel gunshot wounds and T-Rex footfalls while watching movies/playing games.
*Then there is the technologically advanced solar panels in wrappable & rollable form and almost as thick as a plastic sheet.

* The carbon nanomotor
* Mobile Fuel cells
* Genetically modified Mosquitoes
* And then a car :)
See the full list and descriptions at http://www.businesspundit.com/25-most-promising-products-for-2011/

Multi-functional Belts

Emergency Toolkit Belt

A bottle/beer opener belt

The first is available for $40 http://www.besportier.com/archives/snow-toolbelt-686-will-keep-you-stylish-and-prepared.html#more

The second belt is available for $30 http://www.besportier.com/archives/ride-opener-belt-buckle.html

The After effects!!

http://www.intomobile.com/2010/10/13/apple-patent-censors-objectionable-messages/

With Apple patenting an application for blocking sexy/filthy text from the phones, I guess the number of words having alternate meanings is only going to increase...

Just like when we were young, Rubber meant eraser; Ass meant Donkey; Gay meant Happy; Straight meant Linear; Making Out meant Logical Deduction; Laying meant Setting aside, Cock meant Rooster; Pussy meant Cat; Stag meant a male Deer, A Tit was always for Tat.....

Why I hate (many) Marketers

From when did babies start having 3 different life STAGES? I thought babies/kids was one life stage.

Lets see how Johnson's does it:

Three Life stages:

New born, Baby & Toddler.

New Born:

Head to toe baby wash, Baby lotion, Baby shampoo, Baby oil, Head to Toe foaming wash, Head to Toe fragrance free baby lotion.

Baby:

Baby Lotion, HEAD-TO-TOE^® Baby Wash, Baby Powder, Moisture Care Baby Wash, Baby Bar, BEDTIME^® Bath, BEDTIME^® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, Vanilla Oatmeal Baby Wash, Soothing Vapor Baby Bath, Honey Apple Baby Wash, Baby Cream, BEDTIME^® Lotion, Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Lotion, Vanilla Oatmeal Baby Lotion, Baby Lotion with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Daily Face & Body Lotion SPF 40, Baby Shampoo with Natural Lavender, Baby Oil with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Oil Lavender, Baby Oil Gel, Baby Oil Gel with Shea and Cocoa Butter, Baby Oil Gel with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Creamy Oil Cocoa & Shea Butter, Baby Creamy Oil Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Powder Calming Lavender & Chamomile, Baby Powder Medicated with Aloe & Vitamin E Medicated, Baby Powder Pure Cornstarch with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Cologne.

Toddler:

Baby Powder, Baby Bar, BEDTIME^® Bath, BEDTIME^® Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, Soothing Vapor Baby Bath, Honey Apple Baby Wash, Baby Lotion, Baby Daily Face & Body Lotion SPF 40, NO MORE TANGLES^® Shampoo, NO MORE TANGLES^® Extra Conditioning Shampoo, NO MORE TANGLES^® Detangling Spray, NO MORE TANGLES^® Leave-in Conditioner, , Baby Oil with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Oil Lavender, Baby Oil Gel, Baby Oil Gel with Shea and Cocoa Butter, Baby Oil Gel with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Creamy Oil Cocoa & Shea Butter, Baby Creamy Oil Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Powder Calming Lavender & Chamomile, Baby Powder Medicated with Aloe & Vitamin E Medicated, Baby Powder Pure Cornstarch with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E, Baby Cologne, BUDDIES^® Moisturizing Body Wash, BUDDIES^® NO MORE TANGLES^® Easy-Comb 2-in-1 Shampoo, BUDDIES^® NO MORE TANGLES^® Detangler, BUDDIES^® Easy-Grip Sudzing Bar, KIDS^® HEAD-TO-TOE^® Body Wash Tropical Blast, KIDS^® E-Z GRIP SOAP™ Berry Breeze, KIDS^® NO MORE TANGLES^® Detangling Spray STRAWBERRY SENSATION™! If you have read all these so far, I congratulate you for your sense of detail or boredom!

Can any normal mother tell me what on earth all these products are for and how many of them are  DIFFERENT... like the difference between baby cream/ baby lotion, baby wash/ bedtime bath/ baby bubble bath & wash/ bedtime baby bubble bath & wash and so on and so forth...

FMCG Marketing at its wits (or otherwise)....and so called Innovations!

If the mother starts using all these products, I wonder if she will have any time for anything else and if she will end up being a good masseuse or complain of hand pain!

Creating value

Story 1:

How to sell off a dead donkey

A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died last night."

Kenny replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said: "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Kenny said: "OK then, just unload the donkey.."

The farmer asked: "What ya gonna do with him?"

Kenny: "I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is to sell a thing by lottery - draw lot - to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket)

Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Kenny: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Kenny: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00."

Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two dollars."

*********************************************************************

Story 2:

A company has a debt of say 100 units and equity of 100. It splits up the company into 5 companies: 4 are debtless and the other takes all the debt. The one with excess debt shuts down and the other 4 companies take on more debt, do an IPO and prosper. Result: Tremendous value created for shareholders!

Moral: How many of you guys participated in things (eg:smsed to tv serials) thinking things are straight forward and were ignorant?

How come fooling people seems to be a very sustainable source of value creation?

I leave it to you to think it over...

Chili Bombs

Reports indicate that military experts in Assam, India, have developed a grenade made using the world's hottest chilli, which is more than 1,000 times stronger than the average cooking spice.
"The chilli grenade is a non-toxic weapon and when used would force a terrorist to come out of his hideout," said lead scientist R.B. Srivastava from India's Defence Research and Development Organisation.
"The effect is so pungent that it would literally choke them," he added.
The hotness of the bhut jolokia, which is native to Assam, in north-east India, is measured in Scoville heat units and comes in at a massive 1,001,304, which is nearly twice as hot as Mexico's red savina that used to hold the record at 577,000.
The average jalapeno measures at about 10,000. 

 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/Indian-military-experts-develop-grenade-using-worlds-hottest-chilli/articleshow/5705543.cms

Pizzzaaaahhh....

My kind of pizza :)  The chocoholics pizza....for the chocolate lovers :)

http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk/gifts-for-her/the-chocoholics-pizza.htm

A revolutionary kitchen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1251640/Revolutionary-kitchen-does-away-pots-pans.html

Unique origins of 25 popular products

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-unique-origins-of-25-popular-products/

New products for 2010

http://www.businesspundit.com/25-most-promising-new-products-for-2010/