Squidarella: The Color Changing Umbrella

http://www.urbantrim.com/squidarella-color-changing-umbrella/Thanks to Fabsugar for directing us to this one. The designers at SquidLondon have come up with this color changing technology. According to UrbanTrim:

The umbrella starts out in black and white. As the rain starts falling on the umbrella, each drop will cause the colorful design to show through. Eventually when the whole umbrella is wet it will have morphed into the vibrant colorful version that you can see above. When the rain stops and the umbrella dries the colorful design will slowly fade back to white.

They don't seem to be the only ones, since you can also get a Suck UK Color Changing Umbrella So let us start the color changing wars--maybe even start a color changing blog, so you can track color changing animals and color changing roof tiles. Or, reject it all and accept the true umbrella color: black.

X-Ray Umbrellas: Disappointing, You Can't See Through Things

How could we not check this one out. Thanks to Walyou, we were introduced to the X-ray umbrellas of Anastacia Spada, but our hopes of some technological breakthrough--think of the possibilities!--were dashed when we found out her work was making umbrellas out of old X-rays. A worthy cause, complete with an instruction manual, but not one we were hoping for.

Spada's project was inspired by the magazine ReadyMade. She was given the task of finding objects that are commonly discarded, and re-purposing them in a way similar to projects found in the magazine.

Winter Weather: Snow and Umbrellas: Yea or Nay?

Opining in USA Today, Craig Wilson says Nay--noone from the real north, where there is real snow all the time, would think of using an umbrella in the snow. Yet, after 25 years in the "South" (Washington, DC area), he ponders: "What's up with these umbrellas? Yes, umbrellas. Umbrellas in snowstorms. I don't get it. Everyone knows you don't carry an umbrella in a snowstorm. But here they are."

Well, apparently he isn't the only ponderor this season. The Washington Post Capital Weather Gang poll, with a tip of the hat to the Urban Bohemian, had 3% always using them, 23% sometimes, and 72% "Never. Umbrellas in snow are wimpy."

But, go further in the blogossphere and the Net, and you will find paintings of umbrellas in the snow,  Japanese snow umbrellas, and comments that some snowy places (Slovenia) have always used umbrellas.

So, folks, if it keeps the snow off your head and keeps you dry, use that umbrella.

Miss Umbrella Girl: Does This Have To Be Only for Malaysians?

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Now we know where to go to find folks who truly appreciate umbrellas for what they are good for--not rain, nor sun, but advertising! According to the The Star--Malaysia's biggest English newspaper, new Miss Umbrella Girl 2010 contest, to be held in Penang from March 13-14, hopes to produce a new batch of brolly beauties who are articulate and media savvy.

What are "umbrella girls"? Apparently, they "are an integral part of glamour sports events like the MotoGP, SuperBike Championship, Formula One, Nascar and other team races. Sponsors hire them to hold umbrellas over the heads of their riders while wearing their logos and corporate colours. They are indispensable at high profile races and part of their job is to pose with admirers and spectators."

Unfortunately, however, they "are ranked lower than models, actresses and beauty queens." But at least they are UMBRELLA GIRLS. In other countries, they go by other names: are called Race Queens (Japan), Pit Babes (Britain),  Pit Girls or Grid Girls (Europe), Racing Girls (Korea), and Pretties (Thailand).

So, if you want to be an Umbrella Girl (or a Mini Umbrella Girl), head to the island of Penang (and register at Go Penang). [You could also become the Most Popular Umbrella Girl or the Most Talented Umbrella Girl (although I doubt that is judged by how well you hold the umbrella).]

Papparazi on the Prowl: Umbrella Protects Suri Cruise from Snow

Many things are important in this world, but when East Coast is buried in snow and you check Google News for umbrella updates and find 50 links to stories and photos of Suri Cruise showing off her latest umbrella . . . well, things just don't jive. But, if you are a fan of cuteness, it is out there for you. So we have Hello Magazine: "The world's a more exciting place when it snows – especially when the weather gives you the chance to show off your new umbrella." and the Daily Mail tells us: "With a choice of two umbrellas to shelter her from the heavy flurry, Suri opted for her Walt Disney Princesses one, which she proudly showed off to the doorman."

So, what was her other choice? Maybe she still has her Lady Bug umbrella (thank you again,Daily Mail) from 2008?

Review: Wired Touts Heavy Duty Umbrella: A "Blunt" Instrument

Well, look at this one: "beefier-than-usual struts arranged in a more redundant, robust structure than most umbrellas" and a "'radial tensioning system' helps move the ribs firmly out against the fabric without requiring you to exert a huge amount of upward force." Now that is TECH talk. So, thanks to the folks at WIRED magazine for letting us in on the Blunt umbrella.

Other features that kept the reviewer dry in San Francisco include "a solid plastic collar that you push up until the umbrella snaps into shape" and "the ribs' tips are rounded, which keeps them from poking through the fabric."

But why trust the reviewer, check them out yourself at Blunt umbrellas or watch it in action: 

Brollies Lost and Brollies Sold: We Need Our Umbrellas

Today's news from the world of umbrellas has a sad tale from Australia and an economic tale from Pakistan. First, the sad story. According to Cambelltown's Macarthur Chronicle, an Barbara Fulton, from Airds, is hoping an umbrella with sentimental value she lost can be handed back.
She lost the blue umbrella with black polka dots on Saturday, January 30 after she accidentally left it on a fence near the Dumaresq St bus stop. The umbrella was a gift from her daughter, who died of cancer several years ago. Lost Umbrellas are always sad, but we do send our wishes to Barbara.

Further establishing the need for our umbrellas is this story from the Daily Times of Islamabad, which is quoted in its entirely:

With the start of recent rains, a new variety of umbrellas in main and small markets of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has emerged and their sale has witnessed an increase. This news agency observed that the rain forced people to buy the umbrellas for carrying out their routine activities, but the vendors and shopkeepers were taking advantage of the situation and demanding high prices. Talking to this agency, Haq Nawaz, a commuter, termed umbrella an essential item to go out of the home during rain.

Unfortunately, there is no clue as to what are the new variety of umbrellas. Otherwise, this is a dog bites an story--high demand can lead to high prices.

So What's Wrong with Being an Umbrella Stand? Who Cares if it Is Worth a Fortune!

Well, the British papers are all full of how an elderly couple had been sitting on a extremely valuable, 270-year-old Chinese vase made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and . . . shame of shame . . . had been using it to store old umbrellas in a back room! For those who treasure umbrellas, what better way to store them than in a vase worth £500,000. And, to add to the criticism of umbrella stands, the stories suggest that the vase could have been worth twice as much if not damaged--presumably by the lowly umbrellas placed in said vase.

And, in a case of life imitating art, the Daily Mail says "The find is identical to a plot from the TV series Lovejoy, in which the hero spotted a similarly valuable Chinese vase being used by an old lady as an umbrella stand." In other words, while there appears to be a strong cultural taboo against the used of valuable Chinese vases as umbrella stands, people are resisting the cultural pressures--at least until they become old and someone mucks around in their houses.

"There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella" by Fernando Sorrentino

Ah, the paths that a search for literature can take you on. This evening, it started with a quote. Reading The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford, I found the following: "'Art cannot rescue  anybody from anythng,' rings the last line of a well-known story by Gilbert Sorrentino." I was taken aback by this; having read Sorrentino's Mulligan Stew: A Novel and some other fiction by him, I just could not believe that there was such a thing as a "well-known" story by him. So, off to the Internet. Sure enough, this quote has been picked up by at least one other source, which attributes it to The Moon in Its Flight, a collection of short fiction not available in my public library (but then neither is Mulligan Stew!). So maybe there is a story with the same name as this title--the "well-known" one.

Given my penchant for connecting umbrellas and literature, the next step was to search for Sorrentino and umbrellas (after a side trip to Wikipedia to read more about Sorrentino). Well, I end up with a wonderful hit, but not for Gilbert Sorrentino, but for Fernando Sorrentino,  an Argentine writer. While not a lot of his work appears to be translated into English in published books, there are quite a few stories available on the Internet, most importantly for our purposes: "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella" translated by Clark M. Zlotchew. I will quote the first paragraph for you, and then you can go read the rest:

There's a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella. It's exactly five years today that he's been hitting me on the head with his umbrella. At first I couldn't stand it; now I'm used to it.

Borges, anyone?

It is available in its original Spanish, too, and was published in his collection: Imperios y servidumbres (1972)

Umbrellas as Architecture to Protect the Streets

Yesterday, we were concerned that umbrellas were blocking the access to the beaches in Thailand. Today, we have the better news that we are adding umbrella-like structure to our city streets. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the "Urban Umbrella" is coming: Young-Hwan Choi, a University of Pennsylvania architecture student has devised an elegant new design for the sidewalk sheds that protect pedestrians during construction.

He calls the design the "Urban Umbrella," because the steel columns open up like the bones of an umbrella to support the shed roof.

Those curved struts appear to weave together, forming an arched canopy that calls to mind the ribs of vaulted medieval ceilings, such as the one at England's Exeter Cathedral. While we admire such soaring vaults for their looks, they were developed because of their inherent strength. The streamlined Urban Umbrella can support as much weight as the bulky cross braces now in use, yet it promises a clear, airy path for pedestrians.

Go urban, umbrellas, go urban!

Umbrella Enforcement Actions in Thailand

Thai umbrella enforcement officials are out in force on the tourist city of Pattaya. According to the Pattaya People Weekly, "Deputy Mayor Ronnakit Aegesing and municipal officers paid a visit to Pattaya Beach on the morning of the 3^rd February to inspect and survey the number of beach umbrella and deckchair operators working there." The concern is that the umbrellas are obstructing the ability of tourists to get through and do their tourist thing. There is also beach erosion, but they are not apparently blaming the umbrellas for that alone. More significantly, the story alludes to "dubious masseurs" (an interesting concern given what shows up in Take Off To Pattaya) but again fails to tie these to the umbrellas.

Giving the Gift of Umbrellas: Charity Reigns (Rains)

Umbrellas may become a stock item in the charitable giving basket if this trend continues . . . According to the San Antonio Express-News,  District 5 Councilman David Medina Jr. distributed 500 colorful umbrellas to an assembly of elementary school-aged children at JT Brackenridge Academy.

“Today is a rainy day as many winter days are in San Antonio and a large number of families in this disadvantaged community cannot afford to purchase umbrellas for their children,” Medina said.

Medina added, “When it rains, the children get drenched on their way to and from school and often get sick as result. We want to do our part to assure the children stay healthy so they can think clearly and absorb what they are being taught.”