About a month ago, I was itching to get out of Syracuse so I decided to make the trip down to NYC to checkout ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair).  Failing to find a hotel that was under $200 a night I thought it possible to make the trip down and back in one day.  I wasn’t expecting to find much that would apply to my daily work, but there were a few things here or there that I could draw inspiration from.

In the end though my biggest discovery was modkat.  Shaped sort of like an extruded app icon that you find on your iphone and with a blue washable and reusable liner that reminds one of an IKEA shopping bag, the innovative idea here is that the cat enters the litter box from the top instead of the side.  In addition the lid locks firmly down and can support the weight of my 15lb Russian Blue.  The intent is that the cat hops up on the lid and then slips into the litterbox through a hole.  In reverse the cat is supposed to hop back onto the lid which has small holes to catch the litter before the cat hops off and runs away.  Lucy however finds it easier to drag herself up and over the back therefore shortcutting the step of hopping on the lid, thereby spraying litter on the floor.  It’s not as bad as before, so the new litter box is still worthwhile in this sense.  Also neat is that it comes with a scoop that stores right on the unit itself.

Lucy and her new modkat

Several colors are available.  I was initially drawn to the red color, then yellow, then finally decided on white since my apartment and furnishings seem to change every one to two years.  The main draw back is the price which is close to $200.  Lucy’s first litter box was $10 + a $5 scoop.  If you are willing to invest in a designer litter box which will be an almost attractive feature in your tight apartment then this is a great option, instead of being hidden in a spare closet.

After running over a concrete barrier in a parking lot today (car’s okay to my knowledge so far), my random mind somehow to got to thinking of bollards.  The last time professionally I heard a discussion on bollards was regarding a need to block off a street from general vehicle traffic but still allow limited access for maintenance and fire trucks.  I had never really seen or thought of a bollard as being retractable and it’s definitely much more expensive than traditional bollards.  An alternative to retractable bollards are removable bollards.  Both types can be found on Urbano’s site .

Retractable bollards have entered pop culture by showing people who accidentally crash into them and at this first this may seem hilarious but they are really no laughing matter as they can cause injuries and do serious damage to cars.

++ In my experience, I have specified both paper towel dispensers and hand dryers except in healthcare where there is an emphasis on hands free to prevent the spreading of germs in a sterile environment.  Part of the reason I think most of us prefer paper towels is that it’s quick, simple, and works well to dry our hands.  Dryers on the other hand are noisy, take more time, and still don’t leave hands completely dry. ++

This past Tuesday at Six Feet Under, however, I came across a Dyson Hand Dryer that boast some pretty unique features that offer a great alternative to the exlerator hand dryer.