another sign of hard times

Davos Powerfest attendees weren't met with the usual goody bags and free handheld computers this year. Only pedometers. To promote walking between sessions instead of being ferried around in carbon-belching limos. Eco-friendly Forum organizers offer a reward for those who rack up more than 20,000 steps: a chocolate cup of candy. And for the overall winner: a mystery prize. At least one inventive captain of industry figured out you can rack up paces on the pedometer by swinging it around while eating lunch. Another reason he's at Davos and I'm not, I guess.
pilfered from a sidebar in the Wall Street Journal

new trend in home design: cardboard furniture

So I'm walking through Soho last evening and am startled to see (and it takes a lot to startle someone in Soho) a living room seating area laid out on the sidewalk: chairs, sofa, sidetables. As I get closer, I see the stuff is made out of cardboard. Before I can wrangle my camera out of my bag, then my reading glasses so I can see its viewscreen (age sucks), the furniture is gone, a guy has folded it up with few flicks of his wrist and toted it inside what has to be the world's tiniest furniture store in the world: I've seen newsstands bigger. But who needs more room? His inventory folds flat and stores neatly on shelves. He's the proprietor of a new store called Cardboard Design (Broadway between Spring and Prince) where you can furnish your entire house using recycled cardboard. Including the playroom. The woman on the right inquired about the rocket. $75, he said, folding it up small as a tray table, and ignoring her interest, closed up shop for the night.

When I got home, I googled it and found this mesmerizing demo: