PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013
PAGE 35
Strange World
Florist creates dress entirely from flowers L
isa Dickinson, owner of Manchester florist Venus Flowers, and her team of four florists spent over a week planning and working on a magnificent dress made entirely of flowers. The blooming gown was worn by Boss Model Eleanor Davies during the opening of this year’s Dig the City festival. We’ve featured a variety of unique garments in the past, from the prom dress made of homework to the fur coat made of chest hair, but few of them were as lovely as the flower dress created by Lisa Dickinson. When the organizers of Dig the City, Manchester’s urban gardening festival, asked her to create the unique garment, Lisa admits she felt the task daunting, but once she started planning it became fun. “The challenge was to keep the dress looking fresh for as long as possible, the trick to making the dress endure was to use flowers that wouldn’t wither and die after a few hours, so I made the full skirt of the dress out of wax flowers—which is a really tough shrub—but with delicate sprays of flower heads,” the talented florist explains. “I must admit, when we got the brief to make the dress I was a little daunted about how to put it all together— but once we got started on the planning it was really liberating and hugely fun. It really stretching the boundaries of floristry, and it is thrilling to think creatively. You see the potential of flowers in another light,” Dickinson says. “Dig the City is such a great event for Manchester, the whole city; residents, businesses and shops should flower up – a greener city is something we can all get behind.” Dig the City is a large-scale nine-day festival featuring talks by celebrity TV gardeners Monty Don, Rachel De Thame, and Matt James, attractions such as an artisan food market, art installations by US artist Jason Hackenwerth and craft and horticultural markets. It’s designed as an urban twist on the traditional country fete.
Guy spends 9 years digging basement with remote- controlled toy
The remote controlled earthmover Murray has been digging with.
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ho could have thought that videos showing tiny amounts of dirt being pushed around by remote-controlled earthmovers would receive nearly 3 million hits on YouTube? Unbelievable, but true. The videos are those of Canadian Joe Murray digging a basement in his home. He’s been doing so for the past 9 years. Okay, so 9 years seems absolutely unnecessary to do something as simple as excavate a basement. But not where Murray lives. In Saskatchewan, Canada, winters get as harsh as -15C for several weeks. So what he did was convert the seemingly small job into a long-term hobby, by using small tools. Murray works as a farmer of grains and cattle by day. Toying around with the basement is what he describes as his “escape from everyday realities.” Just take a look at the videos and you’ll realize how much fun he’s having with his little remote-controlled toys. The plus side is that his house gets a new
basement. In a few more years, of course. After all, the excavators shift only about three cubic meters of soil every year. When Murray started his project, he worked hands-on. He first worked a pickaxe on the east wall, and later used the air chisel hammer to remove dirt and dust. Next came the R/C earthmovers, after which all he needed were coordination skills to be able to dig dirt. According to Murray, he’s got great dexterity in both hand and eye coordination. “I can mental picture several different scenarios of how to best tackle a project, make a better plan for success lessening the chance of a costly failure.” Some of the skills he’s picked up have helped him in farming too. The basement will be ready soon, andMurrayhasnointentionsofstopping after that. Next he wants to give the barn a makeover,anddigapondinthereaswell. Looks like he’s got plans to keep himself busy for the next decade or so.
Dickson showing off her dress.
World’s first Twitter Hotel caters to social media addicts
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f you’re one of those people who can’t stop tweeting even when they are on vacation, you might find the world’s first Twitter-themed hotel, in Magaluf, Spain, to be the perfect summer destination. Ever-growing customer demands, the need for diversity and the increasing number of social media addicts all over the world have inspired Meliá Hotels International, the leading hotel chain in Spain, to create the world’s first ever Twitter hotel. Located in Magaluf, Mallorca, the @SolWaveHouse Hotel allows guests to interact with its staff and other tourists via text-based
messages of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets”. The hotel’s General Manager, Gonzalo Echevarría, says “the hotel takes a new step in meeting the expectations of an increasingly experiential and social customer profile, through new technologies.” At the heart of this social-mediathemed hotel is #SocialWave, a virtual community accessible only from its wifi via smartphone, tablet or computer. Once they’ve registered with their Twitter accounts, guests can use #SocialWave to connect with other tourists, chat, share photos and even flirt by sending virtual kisses.
Guests checking into the “twitter hotel”
There’s a special hashtag for pretty much everything, and two Twitter Concierges are always standing by t meet guest requests via Twitter and generate conversation in this virtual community. Every available space at the @ SolWaveHouse Hotel encourages guests to log in and share their experience. Minibars feature a “Thirsty? Tweet Us #FillMyFridge” sticker, bathroom mirrors give social media junkies the chance to win an extra one-week stay by taking a photo of themselves and tagging it “#suitcontest” and big mustache stickers invite tourists to share funny selfies on sites like Instagram.