Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning claims the lives of approximately 75 people each year in the UK and Ireland. In the UK it is estimated that 20% of homes have a working CO alarm installed while in Ireland only 10% homes are thought to have an alarm.

CO is totally invisible to the human senses and can be produced by appliances that use gas, oil, wood, coal, or other solid fuel. It is a highly poisonous gas with no colour, taste or smell, and the only reliable way to detect CO is with an audible EI Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

I was recently given a Carbon Monoxide Alarm to try out by ElectricIrelandStore.ie. It's a small device and resembles a Smoke Alarm very closely in appearance. The CO alarm constantly monitors the home, providing an early warning of any CO presence.

The alarm is compliant with BS EN 50291:2010 and BS EN 60335-1:2002 safety specifications and incredibly easy to install with no wiring of any kind. The heart of the unit, the sensor, has an operational life of 6 years, and most importantly the alarm is incredibly loud. Just to wrap it all up nicely, it's also an Irish made product.

The alarm is available directly from the Electric Ireland Store and is priced at €37.99.

ElectricIrelandStore.ie focuses on energy-saving products designed to reduce home energy costs, while also providing consumers with a wide range of items to make their home warmer, safer and more secure. The online store also hosts applications developed by Electric Ireland such as the appliance calculator that help consumers understand what drives home energy use and how best to reduce it.

Katy Perry Sweetens Life For The Sims

Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that the next collaborative project between The Sims and Katy Perry will be available this June on PC/Mac. In The Sims 3 Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats, players can sweeten up their Sims’ lives with Katy Perry-inspired, candylicious items that will enhance their game experience such as décor, furniture, objects and of course, fashions and hairstyles.

Players will sink their sweet tooth into all new in-game goodies and turn the homes and neighborhoods of their Sims into a whimsical Candyfornia, complete with cupcake-themed guitars, candy playground equipment and delicious cotton candy trees. Outfitting their Sims in an array of new clothing and hairstyles, players will make their Sims look good enough to eat! Three pre-built venues will help transform the world for the Sims characters with a game packed full of Katy Perry-inspired content.

“I’m delighted to bring you more with The Sims 3 Sweet Treats," said Perry. "I love some of the accessories so much that I am going to get some of them made in real life! It's one of my small life goals to sit on a banana split couch."

Additionally, players will rock out to a Simlish version of Katy Perry’s hit song, ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F),’ which she recorded for The Sims 3 Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats. Simlish is the official language of The Sims.

Perry comments on singing the Simlish version of the track, saying, "'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' is a really fun song to sing along to in any language, so I thought why not in Simlish?"

In The Sims 3 Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats, players can indulge their Sims in an array of exciting and colorful items to turn their surroundings into vibrant candytopias. From banana split sofas to lavish fountains made of candy, and even a waffle cone picnic table, this game really captures Katy Perry’s spirit. New sugar-coated fashions and hairstyles really sweeten this game. The fashions are straight from Katy Perry’s red carpet appearances, music videos and concert performances, which have now been recreated for The Sims in a true to life way.

Even more delectable are the pre-built venues that are included. Players can take their Sims for a dip amidst the sweet surroundings of Patty’s Natural Baths, an all-new pool venue, complete with bubble gum pink lounge chairs and a licorice-themed slippy slide. They can stroll over to the Bonbon Lawn Park where they’ll find loads of fun-for-all-ages, candy playground equipment. Players can also take their Sims to the Cake Pleasure Dome, the town’s charming local hangout, where even more tasty sweet treats await.

Samsung Galaxy Note & Peter The Elephant

TVF have just launched the above video to promote the Samsung Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note is Samsung’s smartphone / tablet hybrid featuring a much bigger screen than your average smartphone. Based on the idea that “bigger is better”, and inspired by recent videos like the frog and lizard playing with smartphones, TVF took the Galaxy Note to Thailand and gave it to Peter the elephant.

The footage is apparently all real, and to prove it TVF uploaded some unedited out-takes as well.


Campaign Credits
Project name: Elephant plays with Galaxy Note
Client: Samsung
Creative agency: The Viral Factory
Director: Matt Huntley with The Viral Factory

Guinness's Green Carpet For All The Patrick's

Tomorrow, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Guinness Storehouse will be putting out the green carpet again for all the Patricks and offering them free entry into the Storehouse. As you may remember, last year everybody by the first name of Patrick, Patricia, Paddy, Padraig, Trish, Tricia or Patsy and all the variants thereof, were treated to a special VIP Patrick experience in the Guinness Storehouse on St. Patrick’s Day.

This year will be no different!

On arrival at the Storehouse, Guinness's VIP Patricks will receive a specially designed Very Important Patrick Pass, free entry, complimentary food tastings and Pour the Perfect Pint Sessions during the day. The exclusive St. Patrick’s Day menu offered will be complete with authentic Guinness beef stew specially designed by the Guinness Storehouse cuisine team on FIVE.

Aside from great food and delicious pints, the three day St. Patrick’s Festival will play host to a fantastic selection of live music from home grown and international talent including Four Men and a Dog, bluegrass collective Tupelo, vocal ensemble Eclectic Spree and London jazz band Brassroots plus many more.

Storehouse visitors will also have the oportunity to take part in a global Guinness World Record Attempt to create the biggest welcome and make St. Patrick’s Day the Friendliest Day of the Year. Part of this will see a friendly Phone available for Patricks to call family or friends for free anywhere in the world.

For full details on the festival and the World’s Friendliest Day Guinness World Record Attempt log onto www.guinness-storehouse.com.

Use The Force With Xbox360 Kinect

----Press Release----

KINECT FOR XBOX 360 – TRANSFORMING FAMILY TIME IN THE LIVING ROOM
Feel the force as a Jedi and explore the magical world of Pixar with Kinect for Xbox 360

Ever dreamt of becoming a Jedi and battling with Darth Vader in your living room? Or joining Woody from Toy Story in a fast paced adventure in your own home? Soon these dreams will become a reality with Kinect for Xbox 360 and two highly anticipated partnerships with Disney·Pixar and Star Wars, which will see these iconic brands come to life in fun and innovative ways for families to enjoy in the home.

Exciting new games such as “Kinect Star Wars ™” and “Kinect Rush: A Disney·Pixar Adventure”, will give both parents and kids the chance to jump in and out of the fun with no controller required. The power of Kinect places you in the Star Wars Universe to live out the ultimate Jedi fantasy. Stunning visuals and graphics transport you into many of the worlds in the movies where you can train to be a Jedi, pilot iconic ships and Speeder Bikes, race Pods, dance for Jabba the Hutt and much more.

In “Kinect Rush: A Disney·Pixar Adventure”, Kinect transforms you into a unique character to help your Pixar friends and dive into five exciting movie worlds to discover hidden secrets and solve puzzles. Become a superspy in “Cars”, save the day as a robot in “Toy Story”, adventure through Paris as a clever rat in “Ratatouille”, stop the Omnidroid as a superhero in “The Incredibles”, and help Karl as an intrepid Wilderness Explorer in “UP”.

In addition to these titles, Kinect for Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest selection of games and experiences for the whole family to enjoy including “Double Fine Happy Action Theatre”, “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures” and the “Kinectimals” franchise.

Parents and caregivers will also be assured by the Family Settings provided by Xbox 360. These offer tools and resources to help them decide who their children can interact with online, what video games can be played and for how long, and what movies can be watched etc. to ensure safer and healthier gaming habits.

Kinect for Xbox 360 is a great value for the whole family. The all-in-one Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect includes the new Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures,” priced at ERP €299. Or for those who have an Xbox 360 console1 at home, the stand-alone Kinect for Xbox 360, priced at ERP €149.99, includes the Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures,” and works with the 45 million Xbox 360 consoles currently in homes worldwide.