The Tech Wars: Shade and Sun Power at the Same Time

The war between the rain umbrellas and sun umbrellas has gotten a big tilt toward solar with the energy harvesting Powerbrella. The developer's idea is for these to be set up at hotels, coffee shops, etc., and have then converts sunlight into electricity to charge laptops, mobile phones, iPods and other portable devices--at the same time, presumably, as they are providing shade. But, maybe, they won't electrocute you when it starts raining, too.

Read much more than you might want to know about zonarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic®, a material that converts light to energy, and SKYShades®, who will sell a Powerbrella to you, at the Skyshades website.

Using Microbes To Stretch the Metaphor a Bit Too Far

OK, we like protection, we like umbrellas to protect us, we like the metaphor of the "umbrella"...but this "UMBRELLA" project has gone a step too far. According to a report from the JuraForum, researchers at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena have developed the "UMBRELLA" project for remediating soils containing heavy metals with a recipe based on on the kind of contamination and the conditions on the site. So where does "UMBRELLA" come from? From: "Using MicroBes for the REgulation of heavy metaL mobiLity at ecosystem and landscape scAle" -- I guess that works better than ""Using Microbes for the Regulation of Heavy Meta Mobility at Ecosystem and Landscape Scale" (UMRHMMELS), but not by much!

North Koreans Plant Umbrellas to Protect Traffic Wardens

According to a Korean Central News Agency report picked up in bemused tone by the New York Times, the country’s leader, Kim Jong-il, has taken a personal interest in the well-being of these traffic wardens, ensuring that they are equipped with, among other things, “unique platforms under umbrellas” to shield them from the elements.

According to KCNA, the women who direct traffic were “moved by the warm affection shown for them by General Secretary Kim Jong-il, who saw to it that the platforms with umbrellas are being set up.”

KCNA adds that the new giant umbrellas of Pyongyang have been attracting a lot of attention and comment from North Koreans who, according to the news agency, “say it can be seen only in the country led by Kim Jong-il.”

Addendum: Reuters has Dear Leader opening an umbrella boom with his own umbrella holder, too!

Yikes: Leave that Umbrella Pole Alone

Sorry news today . . . a (now, former) BBC television presenter who went to the dark side of the umbrella--the pole. Supposedly one can see in this CCTV that he has actual possession of the pole, possession he denied at trial for using that pole as a weapon to hurt a teenager. So, instead of benefiting from the protection that umbrellas offer, he will be spending two years in jail, time to think and remember that the lonely umbrella pole is only satisfied when used to hold up an umbrella.

Umbrellas to Light Up the Night

Thanks to the folks at Crave, I now know about the Twilight Umbrella. Unfortunately, one can only acquire them from the brolly kingdom at Firebox UK: "Guaranteed to brighten up the rainiest of days, these hi-tech brollies utilise fibre optics, three AAA batteries and lots of LEDs to create a truly magical effect."

In Memoriam: Michael Jackson and Umbrellas

There are lots of directions to go in presenting Michael Jackson's association with brollies, but what better than the Daily Mail's discussion of a Michael Jackson shopping trip: "Despite the obvious lack of rain or sunshine in the building, Jackson occasionally dipped under the shade of the umbrella, although what he was sheltering from exactly was anyone's guess."

On the other hand, another fan has married images of Michael and umbrellas with Rihanna's own Umbrella:

Umbrellas and the Fab Four

This image was posted on a weather blog with the caption that "The Liverpool lads knew a thing or two about rain…" and linking to a You Tube video that was part of a '60s promotional video for The Beatles, with nary an umbrella in sight. So, of course, the question becomes what else can you do linking the Fab Four with umbrellas. Well, here is a start--Ringo holding an umbrella while the rest sing "Help!"

Does This Umbrella Look Like a Rifle? Closed Mall for 45 Minutes!

The fear of public shootings rose another notch as the Mall of Bluffs in Council Bluffs, Iowa closed for about 45 minutes after someone reported seeing a man with a gun. However, all was safe as authorities found their man - and his umbrella.

Of course, as readers of the Brolly Blog know, umbrellas have been used for bank robberies so maybe we should be cautious. However, there are a lot of umbrellas out there to watch out for!

If the best defense is a good offense, look to those who are carrying their Gentleman Umbrella Sword.

Matthew Swinton's Sprout Umbrella

CNETjust brought this to my attention, but it is apparently at least a couple years old. As designed by Matthew Swinton, this "brolly concept may just grow on you, literally." According to Yanko Design:

The canopy and all the hardware is enclosed in the handle. A knob on its face turns to unlock the inner mechanism. The knob slides down the umbrella, forcing the canopy arms out through the top of the shaft. The flexible plastic arms are bent as the exit the handle, pulling the canopy with it. When fully open, the knob is turned back to lock the umbrella open.

Alas, no evidence that this sprout has sprung, so don't look for this in your neighborhood brolly store.

Rainfall and Umbrella Sales: More May Mean Less

According to an article in The Globe and Mail, it is raining more in Vancouver than it used to. However, while you would think this would be great for umbrellas, it turns out that it is not the "right" kind of rain! It is raining harder, but not as frequently.

Corry Flader, one of the family owners of The Umbrella Shop, Canada's last remaining umbrella- manufacturing business, says the fact that it rains less frequently, but harder, is not good for business. "My sales have been hurt dramatically because now it rains in buckets."

Ms. Flader mourns the weeks of steady daytime drizzles that used to send her sales soaring. (Her consolation is that her sales are still going up, as people have veered away from cheap, flimsy umbrellas and toward more durable ones, as they weigh their purchases more carefully in a tough economy.)

A Reverse: Celebrity as Umbrella Holder

In an amusing reversal of the theme of umbrella holders for celebrities, a Japanese cell phone company has decided to use Brad Pitt as the umbrella holder. JustJared has more pictures for you and plenty of comments on Brad and his imaginary role as a sumo wrestler's bodyguard.

Umbrellas for Peace Coming to Santa Rosa, CA

The WillMar Center for Bereaved Children is coordinating an "Umbrellas for Peace" project in Santa Rosa, California, on April 24. According to the Sonoma Sun, "Rain or shine, some 600 volunteer artists-–bearing their own umbrella hand-painted with a personal message of peace and unity-–will be out for a 4 p.m. stroll on Sonoma Plaza."

"As a symbol of safety and strength, she explained, the umbrella is a wonderful medium to convey the hopes, dreams and wishes of each artist." Chicago artist Matt Lamb created the initial "Umbrellas for Peace" in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the project has since spread around the world. According to Lamb:

The umbrella is a metaphor for protection. It does not discriminate, and all people-regardless of race, age, gender or country--are safe under the umbrella. The top of the umbrella is the shelter and represents our hopes, dreams and aspirations. The underside of the umbrella represents concerns and fears. Lamb Umbrella’s for Peace helps children and adults express their positive emotions and heal negative experiences by painting them onto the umbrella. It teaches children peace, hope, love and creativity instead of the daily message of war and agression. It’s our goal to spread these messages into the world through art.

A Luxury Umbrella with a Philosophy

A Neiman Marcus trunk show is featuring umbrellas from Umrelli. Expensive, limited edition umrellas, this Italian line of handmade umbrellas uses art and travel as inspirations and have brass plates indicating their number. But, more important, they have a "Philosophy": "Our mission is to provide an elegant sanctum from inclement weather by utilizing the finest parts, materials, and production expertise." I guess for the money, it is good to have a philosophy to go with the rain protection, although these may be too expensive to expose to the rain, even if they are the "product of an artist who studied through the long Ticino rainy seasons and graduated with great affection for the inspiring beauty and craftsmanship belonging to Southern Switzerland and Italy."

Original "Umbrella Girl" Icon Is Sold

Dow Chemical Co. has announced that it is selling Morton Salt to German fertilizer maker K+S Aktiengesellschaft in a deal valuing the former Rohm & Haas unit at $1.675 billion.

For umbrella fans, Morton Salt is perhaps the original iconic umbrella. According to the "History of the Umbrella Girl," the image made its first appearance in 1914 and has been unchanged since its 6th incarnation in 1968 ("the current Umbrella Girl has been with us through moon launches, hip-hop and the growth of the Internet.").

So, what is "iodized" salt anyway?

The Deductible Umbrella?: Umbrellas for Charity

According to an article in the East Valley Tribune, what started as a charity umbrella auction in conjunction with a local theater's production of "Singin' in the Rain" turned into a national fundraising effort on behalf of a set of conjoined twins. "Umbrellas dotted with signatures from the likes of Hugh Jackman, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon lined the lobby of Mesa's Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre" in advance of an auction being held at the theater and online on eBay.