Explore The Future With MINI

It's not everyday you get a chance to see the future ­ well, not 30 years into the future anyway ­but, at the Roundhouse in London, that's exactly what MINI and BMW are letting you do.

We had a sneak peak; an extensive 'access all areas' introduction to the philosophy behind MINI's vision of the automotive future­ or, the future of mobility, as they were keen to emphasis.

This wasn't about engines, camshafts, valves, and whatever else goes under the bonnet of a car. This was, to some extent, about the aesthetics of a visionary car; but, mostly, it was about what a car of the future can do for you.

MINI have clearly­ thought long and hard about what people will need from a car tomorrow ­and what we’d love from a car today. They weren’t trying to impress us with some new stereo or a fancy colour scheme (in fact, the colour scheme of the car will match you; chosen for each individual by the car itself ­- honestly!).

Nope, they're looking to impress with a car that seamlessly integrates into your life and becomes uniquely personal to you, while ­conversely­ also being shared by the wider community.

As a piece of design, this car looks the part. Long sweeping rear lights, wrapped around that short recognisable body of a MINI, which seems to be a featureless screen of perfectly merged metal and glass. No door handles, the car opens when you tap your foot on the floor and displays your own, personal motif on the door, once you get in. 

Inside, the car is open to the world outside, almost from top­-to-­bottom, with a minimalist dashboard of brass, mesh, a couple of numbers indicating speed and direction, and a round device that is, literally, designed to inspire you.

And, the emphasis there is on 'you'. The MINI of the future will be personal to you, knowing your diary, your driving position, your preferred routes, while tapping into the wider MINI community to learn road conditions, traffic, and even ideas for where you might like to go.

But, at the same time, all this dynamic personalisation means that your MINI can be everyone's MINI, with the car adapting and adjusting to any MINI driver who uses it. That means, in the future we could all share our cars with each other (well, MINIs anyway), moving from one car to another and finding it perfectly set­-up for our requirements.

It’s a strange thought, yet one that you could see working well, especially in the city. With Airbnb, Uber, Santander cycles, DriveNow, and the like, people are used to sharing bikes, workspaces, rooms, apartments, and cars. Now, you’d be sharing a car that arrives as someone else’s, but quickly transforms to become yours, exactly the way you like it.

It’s a neat vision of the future and one that MINI deliver with a shining, sparkling, Minority Report­style of a car, that (for those who visited the Roundhouse) seems a lot closer to today than it does to 2030. To find about more about MINI’s Vision Vehicle, visit MINInext100 or @MINIUK for more information. #MINI #NEXT100

This post is in partnership with MINI. Thank you for taking the time to support the brands + businesses that make this blog happen.

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Giveaway | Withings Activité Pop Watches

For December's giveaway we've teamed up with health + well-being tech brand, Withings, who are offering two Withings Activité Pop fitness watches for Buckets & Spades readers. Withings caters for a wide range of uses; from fitness tracking watches and smart scales, to home security and innovative sleep aids. 

Hollie + I have both been using the Withings Activité Pop watches since the end of Summer. I've personally found the fitness tracker (which connects via an app) extremely useful for setting daily targets and achieving goals; specifically using it to hit my step goals, keep tabs on my calorie intake, and checking my daily heart rate. For me, one of the coolest features of the Activité Pop is the sleep monitor, and the silent vibrating alarm it emits at your preset time. You can read more about how the Activité Pop works here.

We have two Withings Activité Pop fitness watches (in a choice of Black or Blue, worth £119.95) to give away!  To enter use the Rafflecopter form below to sign up to the Buckets & Spades Newsletter + unlock more ways to enter. This giveaway is open worldwide.

Best of luck everybody!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Bellroy's Philosophy of Design

Bellroy is a brand that just keep on delivering the goods. I remember when we saw their first offering - a simple slimmed down wallet; a really neat idea, but I did wonder how much further that could go.

The fact that they were constantly releasing new versions of that first wallet, and expanding into a range of different sizes + systems, revealed something of Bellroy’s philosophy. These guys are led by design; with each new and updated product a testimony to their focus on combining style, efficiency, and practicality.

Phone case c/o Bellroy

Their new leather phone cases are a case in point. They’re protective (exactly what you want for an expensive phone) and hold 1-3 cards, cash, and an extra sim-card. All of that storage and they’re still sleek, neat, and remove many of those extra millimetres that come with an ordinary phone case.

It’s such a great idea. How many cards do you actually need to carry in a day? Three at most? The phone case was perfect for hot-footing it around Edinburgh the other week. Bags left in the hotel, one phone, a couple of cards, and some of Scotland’s ace looking money tucked in the case - perfect! Now, if only they could come up with a way of slimming down my laptop case...

For previous posts on Bellroy click here.

You can find Nik at - Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter

Eden Sessions + The ASUS Transformer Book Chi

Looking at various Instagram accounts I follow, the life of a blogger can look like a world of fun, food, fashion, and travel. It’s true - blogging offers some amazing experiences; but there’s hard work involved too (honest!).

What Instagram doesn’t show is the hours and hours (and often days and days) in-between each post. Travelling across London, travelling across the UK, sat at a computer sending emails, writing posts, checking posts, organising meetings, going through each and every photograph from an event praying that one of them looks good enough to use. This isn't a moan of course, I just wanted to share the working process.

Take my trip to the Eden Sessions, down in Cornwall. It was a great trip - I’d go as far as to say epic, especially once you’ve thrown in a go on England’s longest zip wire! But it’s what, 300 miles from home? That’s a long old drive, especially in one go. And I’m supposed to be working!

As with any job, after a while you start to develop a routine and a knack for fitting work around a hectic schedule.

A 5 hour drive down to Cornwall started with a quick tidy up of the inbox and maybe an email or three each time I stopped for a coffee. Once we arrived, a couple more hours were spent sat snugly in the YHA Snoozebox (definitely check that out - like some sort of Japanese micro-hotel on wheels), listening to the rain and tapping away on the keyboard.

This is where the ASUS Transformer Book came into it’s own. As they were sponsoring the Eden Sessions - a set of top gigs playing out across the Summer - they were kind enough to send me a Transformer Book in time for the journey down. Essentially, it’s a tablet, but with a fold out (and unclippable) keyboard. The best of both worlds! You can lie in bed, as the Snoozebox has no desk, flicking through Twitter, the news, and Bloglovin’, and when the times comes to work, sit up, attach the keyboard and get typing!

Back in London, feeling suitably refreshed from a good dose of South Coast sunshine and with the music of Paolo Nutini still ringing in my ears, it’s another week of coffee shop working. I’ve just discovered Four Corners Cafe outside Waterloo: light, bright, with excellent coffee and big tables to work from. The ASUS Transformer Book is folded out, like a mini-laptop, and here I am writing this blog away!

Thanks for the trip has to go to ASUS, Eden Sessions, The Eden Project, and Barrie Thomson for the cafe recommendation.

We’re always interested to hear from you guys, especially those of you freelancing. What’s your working routine? Laptop, desktop, or tablet?

Nik of Buckets & Spades was a guest at Eden Sessions on behalf of ASUS

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ASAP54 | Finding Inspiration In Everyday Life

Wearing - Reiss Sweatshirt | Watch c/o Skagen | Paul Smith Ring | Wallet c/o Trove

I've always been interested in how + why things are made (you can read more about my thoughts on this subject here). Maybe it started with LEGO as a kid, but I love to find the reasons why things are designed in a certain way, and for what purpose. It was while at uni my obsession with colour, pattern and shape started. We would research into up-and-coming trends away from fashion; social, environmental, art, transport, agriculture, architecture, niche groups...you name it. My mind was constantly filled with whizzing thoughts, trying to figure out what on earth I'd just seen or read.

"You can find inspiration in everything...and if you can't, look again".

Paul Smith

ASAP54 is an app that fits into these sentiments perfectly – blending the world of pattern, colour and clothing all into one. The ASAP54 app helps you discover new items of clothing + brands, simply by uploading any photography. All you do is upload an image of something inspiring, and the app will search for products which match the colours and patterns within your image.

The ASAP54 team have challenged me and several other bloggers to discover how much inspiration we can find in our everyday lives. We were told to look all all things none-fashion, then use the app to see what items we could find. I'll report back soon to show you the results from using the app, it's been pretty fun so far.

Thanks for reading + Merry Christmas to you all!

Mat

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Win 100 Postcards Designs By Cocorrina x Bean Beam

You know if Cocorrina's involved in a project it's going to be a good one!

This week we're helping by buddy Corina, of Cocorrina, to celebrate the launch of BeamBeam's new innovative product, Pinto. This new devise is the World's First Storage Wristband with no USB plug! Corina's partner + team have been working hard to develop the Pinto to not only function in the simplest way (works via Bluetooth) but also to look + feel modern - We're happy to support this innovative idea as much as we can. Sometimes these things are hard to explain but their website is super digestible and walks you through how it all works. You can also watch their videos here and here. So excited about this! Designer, Corina, has created a set of 100 Individual Postcards to celebrate - and you could win the whole set!

Back To The Future Sports Almanac iPad Case

Surely the quickest way to make yourself look like a bonafide time traveller? Before the internet they had to improvise, time travelling around with Grays Sports Almanac was the only way to cheat your way to success.

This iPad case does all the hard work for you, though you'll have to Google anything post-2000.

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Caseable | Carry Your Own Design

We’re always being told that images are the most popular and engaging thing on the web. I’m sure it’s true. I definitely spend longer browsing images than I do text and use Instagram and Pinterest far more now than I did a year ago.

It’s a shame that most images stay online though and there’s not really an excuse when ordering print copies of your favourite snaps is so easy and so cheap. Of course, these prints do have a tendency to end up buried in a draw and the alternatives of personalised mugs, t-shirts, and cushions can either look a little cheesy if the shot isn’t quite right or a little grainy if the picture resolution is too low.

Boomf Marshmallows

Everyday I seem to see original alternatives appearing - you don’t get much more original than Boomf, which let’s you print Instagram photos on to marshmallows - and although printing personalised phone cases isn’t that new, it seems that a wave of new companies offering the service are driving the price down fast.

We were approached by a couple of guys to see if we’d try their service. We chose Caseable as they seemed the more professional. These guys must cover every electronic device going; I’d be surprised if they didn’t offer a Gameboy case too. The process was really simple. Load the image, position the image, and buy. Within a week we had a couple of covers based on an image Jaxx found on Instagram and we were really pleased with the results.

If there was one Instagram image you’d choose to have on your phone, which one would it be? - Nik

You can find Nik at - Conrad's Beer | Twitter | Instagram

Spending 24 Hours Offline + Tech-Free

[image source]

The thought of spending 24 hours totally tech-free isn't something that's crossed my mind. I'm a part the last generational age group who've both experienced pre + post internet-inception; I remember what it's like to have regular toys to play with and mucking about on the street. We didn't need a phone, rather just knocking on friend's doors to see if they fancied coming out. I clearly remember the first commercial internet boom, in the late 90s - It was gradual; starting with pay-per-minute connections, screechy dial-up tones and bottomless Yahoo chat rooms. At first it really wasn't that good, I chatted to mates if it was raining after school + used it find Nintendo 64 cheats, that was about it. It wasn't even a secondary thought.

Nowadays it's the total opposite - wake up at 7am by my iPhone alarm, check emails and have a quick flick on social networks while I have breakfast, then head to the gym (and watch Everybody Loves Raymond on the treadmill TV). For someone who makes a living via their 13inch screen the idea of spending a whole 24-hours totally tech brings a bunch of worrying* thoughts. What if I miss out on work opportunities? What if I don't promote the blog? What if I see something interesting and want take a photo of? What if I get behind on deadlines? What if...?

My curious mind is nosey by nature.

An email popped in my inbox last week challenging me to a whole day free from tech - at first I brushed it aside but Hollie muttered, "I didn't think you were so obsessed!". Hmm, either did I! So last weekend I decided to give it a go and shut myself off from technology, for 24 hours. How did I get on? In all honestly it was hard** for a few hours - I went to the gym early and ended up staying an extra 30 minutes just to make the most of it. All throughout my session I wondered how this blog post would turn out. I choose to cut myself off on the same day I work at my PT job, so the urge to check my "notifications" every five minutes soon fizzled away. It did feel weird though, my curious mind is nosey by nature but I kept reminding myself, "what's the worst that can happen?". The urge soon faded and I relaxed into the day - totally tech-free was the aim but I did allow myself to carry my camera, cos it's not hooked up to the internet so I thought it seemed ok?

I don't watch much TV so that wasn't an issue but what got me most was that I couldn't check in to see if everything was alright with little old Buckets & Spades. I've been writing on these pages for seven + 1/2 years, for the past year I've updated it pretty much six times per week. It's kinda ingrained in me now; routinely keeping on top of emails, replying to comments, planning content, researching, traveling....a similar picture to a lot of us now. Take that away and we're left with a gaping hole in the day, but also the freedom to let your mind switch off from the bombardment of the constant good news/bad news (mostly Facebook). Felt good I must admit. This www. is my life, and I genuinely value each and every person* who makes the effort to click + interact; it's how I earn a living and my main creative outlet, but sometimes breaking from our routine is a priceless remedy. It gave me time to reflect + plan how I can really grow my business.

Did I succeed? I'm pleased to say that I did resist the urge to go online in the main but admittedly I "had" to send an email in the evening, guilty. In terms of an experiment and challenge to myself I do feel it was a success, even if I did cave to the keyboard once - it's something that we could all benefit from once in a while.

I'd love to hear from you - Do you ever refresh and go tech-free often or would consider giving it a go for 24 hours?

Thanks for reading,
Mat

*worrying for my business
**hard in terms of my own personal circumstance, which is a fortunate one
***if you made it this far then you deserve a big thank you

This isn't a sponsored post, I really just wanted the challenge!

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