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You can now meet and adopt a dog on Zoom

The coronavirus pandemic can complicate things if you're considering adopting a dog. How do you find the perfect pup if you can't even leave your home?

There might now be a solution. The dog food brand Pedigree is working to set up dog adoptions via Zoom meetings.

It makes sense, really. We all live on Zoom, or FaceTime, or Google Hangouts — it's how we connect with friends and family — so why not use it to connect with pups?

Check out Wes Anderson’s storyboard sketches from The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson fans rejoice. Clearly busy tidying up his home office during lockdown, your favourite filmmaker has unearthed the original storyboard for The Grand Budapest Hotel, his 2014 movie centred around a pastel-hued Alpen auberge of dreams. Seeing the early stages of the Oscar-winning film like this -- simple line-drawings, devoid of the building’s graded pinks and the mauves of the forested mountain backdrop -- is pretty special. Like being let in on some kind of secret.

Whiskas - "Curiosity Boxes"

New Banksy painting celebrates healthcare workers as the real superheroes

Healthcare workers around the world have been risking their lives to treat patients with coronavirus. And this week, frontline workers at a U.K. hospital got an unexpected “thank you.”

The anonymous artist Banksy made a new painting for Southampton General Hospital that “appeared” this week, according to the BBC. It’s a rather unique work for the street artist, considering he didn’t spray paint the work on a wall but painted it on a one-square-meter canvas.

The grayscale painting depicts a boy playing with a doll that he’s lifted above his head. The doll itself is an NHS nurse, wearing a face mask and an apron with the Red Cross logo. Batman and Superman figurines have been deposited in a wastebasket nearby, making way for a role model that, while lacking special powers or mythic origin stories, is the real superhero.

Top 100 Fastest Growing & Declining Categories in E-commerce

The E-commerce landscape has dramatically shifted as many states implement stay-at-home orders and “non-essential” businesses temporarily close to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Not only are consumers shopping online more, but their shopping behaviors have noticeably changed as well. While it’s clear consumers purchase an abundance of toilet paper, canned food and other household cleaning items during a pandemic, they’re also buying several more items for the home.

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We reviewed E-commerce sales across the U.S. and compiled a list of the Top 100 Gaining and Top 100 Declining categories in March. A few big takeaways:

· There is a surge in home fitness products including weight training equipment, fitness accessories and yoga equipment as gyms and workout studios are forced to close. Due to the increase in at home workouts, the gym bag category and many outdoor sport categories such as baseball & softball and track & field are in decline.

· Many companies have implemented a work-from-home policy, driving demand for computer monitors, keyboards & mice, and office chairs up as employees look to create a temporary home office.

· Most travel has been halted, causing declines in the luggage & suitcases, briefcase, and camera categories. Additionally,many spring break vacations were canceled, triggering a decline across sandal and swimwear categories.

· Formal apparel categories including Bridal and Men’s Suits are in decline as many couples are forced to cancel or delay their weddings.

During this uncertain time, consumer shopping behavior has shifted to meet the needs of more time spent at home for the whole family. Keep reading for the full list of categories, and if you have any questions, reach out to a Stackline pro.

The Story Behind the 'Taiwan Can Help' Ad on New York Times A crowdfunded campaign placed a full-page advertisement in the New York Times on Tuesday, April 14, to promote Taiwan as an ally in fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic.The ad’s headline asks “WHO can help?” in a blue color resembling the logo of the World Health Organization. The answer, “Taiwan,” stands alone in the upper right-hand corner below the fold.A brief statement at the bottom of the ad reads “In a time of isolation, we choose solidarity.”

The campaign, initiated as a response to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s recent allegations of racist attacks from Taiwan, raised around NT$10 million (US$330,000) from over 26,000 contributors. This media campaign was a collaborative effort between Watchout co-founder Zuyi Lin, YouTuber Ray Du, graphic designer Aaron Nieh, among others.

Virtual Design Festival

Running from 15 April to 30 June, Virtual Design Festival is the world’s first online design festival.

Tech in Action: Procure sits down in the fight against prostate cancer

World Cancer Day was on Feb. 4, and a Quebec non-profit has found a new way to keep up the fight against one of the most common forms of cancer in men: sitting down and taking a break.

Working with prostate cancer charity Procure, Rethink Montreal came across an insight about men: 80% of them keep their wallet in their back pocket. Given that 20% of cancer cases among men are of the prostate – which happens to be located not too far from that back pocket – the agency took the opportunity to create a chair that could help raise funds for the cause just by sitting in it.

The seat of the chair has an NFC contactless payment system (the kind typically found at a retailer’s payment terminal) embedded in the seat. Every time someone sits down on the chair, it can automatically take a small payment from an NFC-enabled debit or credit card in a wallet that may be inside the sitter’s back pocket.

Jerry Lorenzo Uses Zoom for Nike Air Fear of God 1 "Noir" Lookbook

Earlier this year, we received the first look at an all-black iteration of the Nike Air Fear of God 1, followed by additional on-feet images. Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo has now unveiled more images of the upcoming basketball sneaker in a new lookbook.

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Lorenzo and photographer Pierre Toussaint had to find a way to collaborate and take the photos while being located in Los Angeles and Sydney, respectively. The two decided to utilize video conferencing platform Zoom to communicate while Toussaint captured screengrabs. Taking part in Nike’s #PlayfortheWorld movement, the lookbook features Lorenzo’s son, Jerry Lorenzo Manuel III, as he plays at home. Highlighting the versatility of the sneakers, the tonal silhouette is worn while skateboarding, playing basketball and baseball, and simply lounging indoors.

Comprised of a breathable mesh upper with geometric TPU caging, the footwear includes eye-catching details like suede panels on the top-box and a rear zipper closure. Balanced atop a double-height Zoom Air sole unit with a translucent window, the “Noir” colorway is expected to hit stores soon.

Samsung Unveils Eco-Packaging That Can Be Repurposed As Furniture

While people would be happy to make sustainable decisions to help save the earth, they might not know where or how to start. Samsung is ensuring that being environmentally-friendly would be the natural choice by deliberately making its packaging ready for a second life. Samsung Electronics is introducing new cardboard boxes for its Lifestyle TV lineup that encourages customers to DIY and upcycle them into furniture. The “eco-packaging” is constructed with recyclable corrugated cardboard and will be available with Samsung’s The Serif, The Frame, and The Sero televisions.

A CONCEPTUAL NIKE SKINCARE GADGET FOR A WORLD POST COVID-19

Everyday brands are blurring industry lines and venturing into new areas to create more unique products – that is one reason why brand collaborations always do so well, it is innovative and brings the best of both worlds. This conceptual design explores what would happen if Nike decided to venture further into health and wellness and created a LED mask for skincare. Are you intrigued yet?

As a generation, we have been finding ways to do as many things as we can at home. Workout programs are being made to fit within your home space and your groceries are delivered to your doorstep – right there we have two major reasons that we leave our house after work, for the gym and for groceries, that are now easily accomplished staying in. And as we all stay under lockdown to flatten the curve, a lot more industries have been forced into adapting to this digital-home lifestyle much quicker than planned. This is what inspired the Nike LED mask, it was designed to let you take care of your skin at home. Why would Nike foray into beauty? Well, the brand is known to encourage confidence and the health and wellness industry includes taking care of yourself as a whole – so yes, skincare counts, especially post work out!

If you are an athlete, someone who works out but doesn’t have time for indulgences or maybe just a guy who doesn’t want to get a mask from Sephora, then this conceptual Nike LED mask was made keeping your wellness needs in mind. This also makes life easier for those with special needs and disabilities, it allows them to take care of their skin without being dependent on someone to drive them to a facility. People who are at high risk of catching COVID-19 may not be able to go out right after quarantine ends and that is when such personal gadgets can elevate their life quality at home. Also, an LED face mask means no need to touch your face!

This beauty device was aimed at expanding passion and potential through the CMF (color, material, finish) so the user can get comfortable quickly by identifying with Nike’s existing sporty and refreshing image. The form is smooth and sleek, you almost have an instinct that it will fulfill its purpose and that is what makes a design convincing – the trust through visuals because it is the first impression that leaves a mark, right? The mask has a very futuristic aesthetic and if we are going to wear masks in our new normal world, then we might as well wear one at home for some time if it takes care of our skin and reduces the need to go out. We don’t know what the future holds but I’d rather face it with good health, abs and glowing skin.

CARDBOARD DESK OFFERS QUICK FIX FOR THOSE NOW WORKING FROM HOME

Stykka designs cardboard #StayTheF***Home Desk for people working from home during self-isolation

Anyone in need of a temporary desk during the coronavirus crisis can build one themselves, using this design by Danish startup Stykka.

Stykka has developed a simple flat-pack workstation that can be easily assembled out of three pieces of folded cardboard.

The designers call it the #StayTheFuckHome Desk, in reference to a social media hashtag that has been used to promote self-isolation.

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/26/cardboard-desk-work-from-home-self-isolation-stykka/

Bill Gates - 31 questions and answers about COVID-19

Chipotle invites fans to virtual lunch amid Covid-19 pandemic /

Restaurant chain hosts virtual lunch hangouts in line with social distancing and self isolation practices

To reduce the likelihood of spreading the novel coronavirus Covid-19, countries around the world are encouraging their citizens to practice social distancing and avoid public places.

In line with this, on 16 March, American QSR chain Chipotle Mexican Grill launched Chipotle Together sessions. For one week, each day at lunchtime (11am Pacific Time/2pm Eastern Standard Time) there will be an opportunity for people to connect with the brand via videoconferencing site Zoom.

BrewDog opens over 100 new online bars – with plans for huge virtual gathering

Scottish brewers BrewDog have announced that they are opening 102 bars online and will host a series of events from Q&As to pub quizzes.

These new online bars will replicate the experience from every one of their bars across the globe, and will give customers the chance to get together to enjoy a beer and a chat.

GESREC, the world’s first dance x AI choreography copyright management / market building service, will be released in early April.

For the first time in the world, we will build a market in which dance and choreography digitized by AI are traded as copyright. Big dancers and choreographers have already announced their participation one after another, with service release scheduled for early April in Japan and the United States. By simultaneously developing an AI that extracts 3D motion from video and an AI that detects similar choreography, we will promote the vertical launch of this new domain. We will create a completely new market estimated at approximately 43 billion yen in Japan and the United States, and expand it worldwide. This project will create a new source of income for dancers and choreographers around the world and will support their creativity further.