Who is Miss Universe 2012

I'm not sure who won... but I must admit Miss Mexico is extremely hot. There are also a lot of Eastern European beauties this year.

missuniverse.com

Happy Holidays

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Check out The Coffee Bean for lots of cool gift ideas!

The iPhone 6 - spy photos

That's what I'm talking about... shouldn't the new iPhone 6 look something like this?

iPhone cassette tape converter = awesome!

Are you kidding? Now I can salvage all of my old mix tapes and early band recordings? Too cool.
Thanks Coolhunting.com

Brands Pay for LIKES on Facebook and Youtube

It's pretty obvious that the big brands know how to promote themselves on the internet. They pay! They buy likes. They have the money to do it -- so they do. Apparently this is the only way to get the ball rolling. So it's not considered cheating. Or is it? Lots of companies are popping up that will guarantee you LIKES. 5000 LIKES for $160. Wow -- that's pretty cheap. It will be interesting to see how Google, Youtube and Facebook try to legitimize the promotion of content via third party pushers. Good luck.

Crazy Coffee Lady Goes Nuts!

This CRAZY lady went nutso at The Coffee Bean -- have you seen people like this??? I'm thinking there might be one in every crowd. C'mon -- fess up! CLICK this link to watch on YOUtube 
http://bit.ly/SicT4I

Facebook Campaign generates interest in Funny Video

Check out the video

Best 2012 Olympic Fail

This poor guy dropped a ton of weight on himself. Thankfully he is okay -- but what about the slow response of his handlers? Pretty funny. Check out the video

Have you seen the new 2014 Porsche Macan?

Awesome right?

I found this on Popular Mechanics "12 New Cars Worth Waiting For"

Just before the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, Porsche confirmed that its upcoming compact crossover SUV would be called "Macan." The name is from the Indonesian word for tiger, and hopefully this thing is going to be as bad ass as the concept sketch.

What happens when you drink The original Ice Blended drink too fast?

http://youtu.be/Jwlm7b7NGt0

Ever had an Epic Brain Freeze?

Viral Video of the Month

http://youtu.be/Jwlm7b7NGt0

Nike US Open of Surfing

It's on...

Go Chocolate or Go Home

I was just thinking about our brand awareness campaign that we launched this year -- and some of the posters are really cool. Check it out. @thecoffeebean #thecoffeebean

Marketing with Pinterest

Lots of cool ways to get eyeball on the internet -- videos, games, webisodes, infographics! Check out this Pinterest infograph.

Marketing and Branding with Color

Branding is important. It is the factor that keeps your company standing out, gives your company a voice and gives you leverage over other similar companies. Having a strong brand is similar translates to having a strong presence in your industry and being a company that others turn to. Color is the most noticed aspect of a brand, and color is everything!

Color is best used when integrated throughout the company, making appearances in the logo, landing pages, websites, products and more to ensure maximum continuity. The most popular branding colors used by successful brands are red, blue, greyscale and yellow. As the marketing intern at LIVESTRONG, I have an affinity to yellow, feel the impact of a strong brand and see what it has done to the community. According to the infogrpahic, yellow is associated with hope, optimism and motivation. This is seen in their promotoional work, striving to empower those affected by cancer. LIVESTRONG uses this color to compliment their efforts. Are there any other brands that successfully use color to promote their products or compliment their efforts? [Via]

Stupid People Learn to Box from @EricKelly

Weak Men Pay This Boxing Coach To Tell Them They Are Terrible from ANIMALNewYork.com on Vimeo.

The Return of the Cafe Racer

http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com

Coolest cafe sells cafe Racers - Deus ex Machina

Motorcycles, clothing, coffee, surfboards? Holy crap is this the coolest place on earth? The new Deus ex Machina in Venice is beyond cool. Also known as  "The Emporium of Postmodern Activities," this could be the best thing to arrive in Venice since Wurstküche.

SR420 Cafe | Deus America

Deus ex Machina (god from the machine) roared into Australia’s cultural consciousness in 2006, with some neatly customised motorcycles and a quaint notion that doing something is more fun than just owning something. Deus ex Machina is a step bigger than a brand: it’s a culture. Our openness and enthusiasm strike a chord with people, wherever they are…

FREEBIRDS BURRITO GOES BIG!

Formerly known as the late night burrito place in Isla Vista, FREEBIRDS is now expanding nationwide. 

The chain that one Yelper described as "Chipotle meets X Games" comes with a rock soundtrack, dude vibe and many, many choices. You customize your meal by selecting a spinach, cayenne, flour or wheat tortilla; then pick your meat (all-natural steak, pork, white or dark meat chicken); beans (whole pintos, refried, black); greens (spring mix or iceberg); onions (white or red); and salsas/dressings (including "Bad*ss BBQ" and "Death Sauce"). I recently feasted on a huge football-sized burrito and was thinking that I neded to be drunk -- and it should have been 2am. I also felt about 20 years too old to be in there... dude! Pass the Pepto!!! FREEBIRDS is about awesome burritos (plus burrito bowls, salads, nachos and more) and freedom of choice. As guests join the queue, they are partnered with a team member, known as a "Roller," who helps them choose from four sizes of burrito made from four possible flavors of tortilla. Burritos are hand-rolled with the guest's personal selection from more than 40 freshly prepared ingredients including grass fed beef, hormone-free chicken, all natural slow roasted carnitas, hand cut veggies, signature Death Sauce and Bad *ss BBQ, queso and guacamole. The restaurants have a free-spirited ambience with a rockin' soundtrack, reminiscent of a late-'60s rock 'n' roll roadhouse. It's Not Normal!®

College graduates need resume help

72% of resumes are never seen by human eyes.
Why? Well, employers large and small now use applicant tracking software to parse the information from your resume and map it into a database called an ATS (applicant tracking system). From this information, the system will assign you a score based on how well you match the job the employer is trying to fill, and then rank and sort all candidates. Naturally, the potential employees with the highest scores move on, while others are left in the dust. Wondering how you can optimize your resume and rank highly in the employer’s ATS? Here are several tricks to improving your resume’s score.

1. Use Language from the Job Description: Look through the job listing to determine the skills required. Identify industry terms, buzzwords and jargon the hiring manager uses most frequently in the description and incorporate these words into your resume when possible and applicable — the ATS is looking for these keywords.

2. Get Rid of Images and Graphics: Remember, the ATS is breaking down the information you’re providing and sorting it into different “buckets.” It will not be able to read or understand an image.

3. Choose Fonts Carefully: Stick with standard web-safe fonts like Arial, Georgia, Impact, Courier, Lucinda, Tahoma or Trebuchet.

4. Don’t Hide Keywords: Think adding in a bunch of keywords in white text is the best way to rank highly? Think again.

5. Get Rid of Irrelevant Information: Only include past positions and skills that are relevant to the job at hand. Irrelevant positions just end up as filler — a waste of valuable real estate on your resume.

6. Don’t Use Any Special Characters: Standard bullets are fine, but other characters (such as arrows) can cause issues that could prevent the ATS from correctly parsing your information.

from mashable.com

This Coffee is the best

I really like this Maui Coffee from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I know... 10% seems pretty weak but it is really good -- and much more affordable than the 100%. Apologies to The Patrick Family Coffee Farm in Kona.

Get the best coffee maker $99

Check it out at ShopNBC.com I have this exact model and it makes insanely good espresso, coffee and tea. This deal is crazy cheap. $99 bucks. So check it out and jump on this now -- before the price goes back up. CBTL Americano Single Serve Beverage Dispenser w/ Frother & 52-Piece Gift Pack this will save you about $100. You're welcome!

here's a free shipping coupon code too

The Future of Computers = Lenovo.

Check out this article from Fast Company. Once an unlikely rival for HP and Apple, Chinese computer maker Lenovo has grown and adapted as quickly as its homeland. Now, with a savvy blend of East and West, it's poised to be China's first global brand. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/161/lenovo

At Lenovo, his challenge isn't changing consumers' perception of a brand. It's introducing a brand and having it resonate. Last spring, for its first-ever global branding campaign, Lenovo selected Saatchi & Saatchi's concept: "For Those Who Do." The slogan brings to mind Nike's "Just Do It." Just as Nike emphasized what athletes could do in its shoes, Roman says, Lenovo is spotlighting how people use its computers--"do machines," in the campaign's parlance.

The Best Laptops Under $600

I'm trying to find the cheapest, fastest, easiest route to getting my mother-in-law online and set to go with a laptop. is it Dell, HP, Acer or Lenovo? How about Fujitsu or Toshiba? And the winner is: Lenovo - 15.6" IdeaPad Laptop - 6GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive - Only $529.99 at Best Buy. That's insane. Why? Because it has the 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i5-2450M processor with 3MB L3 cache and 2.5GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz. And the Intel® Core™ i5 processor. Fast? -- fast enough!!!

Magazines on tablets.

Check out this Sports Illustrated - Tablet Demo. Maybe it's time to buy some more Apple stock?

Are you living your dream?

Don’t spend your life fulfilling someone else’s agenda. Accept responsibility for your own life. Pursue your goals and live your dream. Live an intentional life. Hmmmm.... sounds sorta like a Harley-Davidson ad?

Where is the 2013 Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster?

I haven't seen one on the road yet? Is it coming or not? This would be a game changer for Volkswagen. C'mon VW... bring it.

Anyone need a Creative superstar: Sakamoto Studio in Los Angeles

Check out my friend Glenn's portfolio. With nearly 20 years of professional design experience, Glenn Sakamoto has worked in an array of different areas including entertainment, retail, food, technology, action sports, consumer goods, recording artists, and corporate accounts. A seasoned creative, he possesses the rare adeptness of combining left-brain marketing strategy with a right-brain hand – to create powerful, effective design. His many abilities range from strategic thinking, brand development, identity and packaging design, advertising concepts, copywriting, illustration, and excellent verbal and written communication skills. http://www.sakamotostudio.com Email glenn(at)sakamotostudio(dot)com or call us at (three-one-oh)-619-9404

These Baristas are Crazy!

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf @coffeebean @cbtl

This is the funniest skit ever! Saturday Night Live: The Californians

Check out the 2013 Mustang. Still pretty badass.

even in blue...

Is the 2013 Mustang worth a look?

The Ford Mustang has been trying to reinvent itself over and over again. But is the latest rendition worthy of a closer look? Apparently it has lots of stylistic updates... really? Looks kinda like the 2010 to me...

Jaguar Unveils Phenomenal F-type

Jaguar has confirmed production of a brand-new F-Type model, to be offered on the market in mid 2013. Making the announcement at the New York Auto Show, Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director of Jaguar Cars, said: "The car will be called the F-Type, and it will be unveiled in production form later this year. The core appeal of Jaguar's cars is their sporting heart, and that heart will beat stronger than ever before in the F-Type. Its development is a vivid representation of the confidence and ambition of the Jaguar brand, and the desire amongst our engineers and design team to produce a world-leader in a market segment that we have been absent from for too long. But no longer – the F-TYPE is coming." This thing is freaking gorgeous! Ian Callum, Director of Design, said: "A true sports car needs to be pure in both its purpose and its form; to have the opportunity to produce such a car for Jaguar has been a privilege both for myself and for my team. The C-type, D-type and E-type Jaguars were all sports cars that held true to this principle in their era, and the F-Type will hold true to that same principle in its time, a time that is soon to arrive." read it here at Luxury Insider

Arrested Canadian Guy Sings Bohemian Rhapsody

Pantone Tangerine Tango on Pinterest

Pinterest Drives Web Traffic

Watch out as brands pile on to Pinterest. AdAge's David Teicher wrote about how Pinterest is driving traffic to sites like design magazine RealSimple. But more importantly, he writes, "the true potential in Pinterest may be in its ability to impact purchases, which is why retailers like Etsy, Nordstrom, and Lands' End have taken to developing a presence on, and strategy for, this new platform."

thinking about painting my car matte black

what about orange rims?

Orange is the New Black

Source: google.com via Heidi on Pinterest

I've lost my mind for Tangarine Tango

Pantone, no longer relegated to color wheels for art directors, makes a splash each December with the company's pick for imminent Color of the Year. For 2012, the shade that will "provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward" is a vivid red-orange called Tangerine Tango, also known as 18-2120.

see more of my obsession on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/brandman3000

Check out this cool Australian Skateboard Company: Penny

Check out these super cool looking skateboards. Fun to ride, cool to have laying around. According to founder founder, Ben Mackay, each Penny Skateboard is built with the highest quality raw materials and fanatical attention to detail. Penny Skateboards are designed and built to look good, perform well, and exceed all your expectations. Penny Skateboards, since forever.
or actually 1983 -- which is kinda like forever...

@fastcodesign shows us an iPhone 5 with old school interface.

I'm so down for this... an iPhone 5 With The 1986 Mac OS

CBTL is so addicting. #coffeebean #brandman3000 #cbtlbob

Have you ever tried CBTL from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf?

cbtl.com

Check out this Interactive Advertising. On the street.

Check out this billboard that asks viewers to “sort your head out” with a McDonald’s coffee. The billboard was actually a puzzle that allowed anyone to shuffle the pieces around to sort out the model’s head. The empty square displays the McDonald’s logo.

This is a prime example of brands finding cool ways to engage people on the street. It's fun, it's clever and it's viral (see -- we're talking about it).

Pinterest oh Pinterest

You little social networking demon... not Tumblr, not Blogger, not Facebook. Pinterest.
Sooo addictive. for the moment.

Fab.com - cool stuff!

The folks over at Fab have tons of ideas from lots of different places: pop culture, fashion, books, blogs, music, magazines... even lowbrow art. But there are some very famous names that are near and dear to the hipster community — and phrases we live by every day. These Experimental Jetset-inspired tees and prints will help you celebrate inspiration.

"Ray & Milton & Madonna & Andy. How could we not create our own homages to the masters of so many art forms?

– Bradford Shellhammer, CCO and Co-Founder, Fab.com


Fab.com features daily design inspirations and sales of up to 70% off retail. Free membership by invitation only. Limited quantities. Check out Fab.com today!

Check out these suitcase guitar amps from Fab.com

With a design idea that dates back to the mid-60s, BoomCase comes at us with an entire line of cutting-edge stereo suitcases that’ll keep you grooving in the park, at the beach or just walking down the street. These portable musical monsters connect to a simple headphone jack and will keep the party going for days. Fab.com has some of the coolest stuff on the planet.

Very Cute Video: 5-Year-Old Girl Identifies Logos

Check out Coca-Cola’s 125th Anniversary - Future Room Concept

Coca Cola - 125th Year Exhibition from Antilop on Vimeo.

For Coca-Cola’s 125th Anniversary Exhibition's Future Room concept, Antilop transformed santralistanbul's Galeri 1 into an immersive environment by creating 90 square meter of 270-degree projection system.

House of Marley - cool video.

HOM Montage 11.30.2011 Color Corrected from Static Free Films.com on Vimeo.

Why do we hate the 2012 BMW X6 M?

Let's see. How many reasons are there for me to hate the BMW X6 M?

1. A twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8
2. 555 horsepower at 5,750 rpm
3. Zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds
4. All Wheel Drive
5. About $90,000 base price -- which means more like $100 grand by the time you get any options on it.
6. It's also very funky looking. And I mean that in a good way. It's looks like a stink bug on steroids.
7. Uhh. Okay -- I don't hate it.

Have You Seen the 2012 Jaguar XF?

Obviously the XKR is the sickest Jag on the streets... but the XF is a super bad ass sedan.
The sleek contours and shapely lines make it a sexy touring beast.
More info here at Motor Trend.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1104_2012_jaguar_xf_drive/viewall.html

I love Redbull

sugar free...
of course.

Red Bull. How much is too much?

ACCORDING TO RED BULL: The consumption of Red Bull is only limited by its caffeine content. One 250 ml can of Red Bull Energy Drink contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, which is 80 mg. The consumption of Red Bull Energy Drink should therefore correspond to a person’s intake of coffee. 

ACCORDING TO DEMI MOORE: The gaunt actress, 49 — admitted to hospital amid reports of anorexia — replaced both food and booze with the caffeine energy drink, a friend said.  (TMZ)

Super Bowl Ad Campaigns. Do They Cheat?

Who will be the big winners online and offline as brands scramble to take advantage of any viral capacity their ad might have. Do the big brands cheat when it comes to actual impressions?

Blown away by the Chrysler 300 SRT8

The new Chrysler 300 SRT8 blew past me on PCH this morning. Holy crap! It's a super sick looking beast. Apparently it's the highest-performing model ever in Chrysler's lineup, boasts a powerful 6.4-liter Hemi V8 punch, massive Brembo brakes, lightweight forged wheels, countless hours of suspension tuning and a slew of cosmetic goodies. Nice. I must the target market for this baby because I was drooling and trying to catch up to it...

Nike Fuelband is Amazing

It's called the Nike Plus Fuel Band. Nike partnered with Apple to create a new mobile phone app that will compile data, and allow you to share and compare it with friends on line.

Sites are down - Thanks SOPA