Surgu Winter Fixes

5 Effortlessly Effective Ways to Winter-Proof Your Home with Sugru

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The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and the winds are getting chillier. Yep, winter is coming. But fret not, with a little bit of preparation now, you can transform your home into a toasty fortress. Homemade soups, piping hot chocolates, and crackling fires. Check out these handy Sugru projects to keep you comfy through the winter chill.

Hot little hooks 

Sugru is temperature-resistant up to 180°C (356°F) (and down to -50°C (-58°F) for that matter), making it the perfect material to hang useful hooks directly on to hot radiators. And you don’t need a drill. Or any specialist tools. Pop your outfit on a few of these as you prepare for your day, then step out of the house with a delightfully cosy buffer against the frosty mornings.

Repair your boots

Has wear and tear got the better of your wellies? Don’t bin them, fix them. Sugru is waterproof and weatherproof so is brilliant at sealing. To help Sugru stick to the shiny wellie surface, we recommend scuffing the edges around the worn area, then simply smear it over the top. While you’re at it, you can also add awesome custom designs to your boots. And remember, Sugru comes in 10 seriously playful colours, so you can blend in or make a feature of the repair.

Find out more here.

Google's London Office

The latest in human-centric lighting: A wellbeing dashboard

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Two UK lighting and controls specialists are teaming up to develop a “wellbeing dashboard” that would help building operators monitor whether their indoor light conditions are suitable to the time of day and the particular needs of occupants.

Interested in articles on human-centric lighting and commercial applications?

Software controls firm amBX and design consultancy It Does Lighting will focus on delivering so-called human-centric lighting (HCL) by measuring brightness and color temperature.

The general precept of HCL is that white light with more blue frequencies stimulates, while amber tones help people to relax. It ties in with the human circadian rhythm, which has been trained over millions of years on the planet toward alertness during the blue-hued daytime and toward slowing down with the warmer tones of sunset.

Read more here.

amBX

LUX Live Helps amBX Showcase Control Software That Future-Proofs Connected Lighting Systems

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British technology company amBX is to use this month’s LUX Live exhibition at Excel London to demonstrate lighting control software that meets the technical requirements of intelligent lighting, delivers to energy efficiency expectations and, most importantly, provides a true people-centric lighting system in your building.

amBX software is groundbreaking, proven and cost-effective technology that operates at the heart of modern connected lighting systems. It provides sophisticated control that is simple to use as well as delivering the data required for intelligent analysis of modern building use.

It is multi-protocol software that enables users to simply and automatically manage the colour and location of light in any 3D space. The exponential sensor data that the software provides can help users continually adjust and improve the lighting experience of people in their building.

Read more here.

MixBox - Evermix

MixBox – the revolutionary new DJ set recording device

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Introducing MixBox2 by Evermix

Have you ever wished that you could easily capture your best sets and instantly share them with a wider audience of electronic music fans?

One of the more annoying processes in the current digital DJ world is recording, processing, and publishing a mix or live DJ set. Setting up a digital recorder, checking levels, making sure you have the right cables, batteries, etc is only half the battle. A new device, MixBox2, aims to bring a portable, rapid solution to record DJ sets right onto your phone, and publish them online.

The MixBox2 is pretty simple: it’s a dedicated device designed to be a simple plug-and-play recorder for DJ sets. To set it up, plug in a pair of RCA cables from the Record Out on a DJ mixer. Then plug in your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to the MixBox 2 (the iOS device is where the actual mix is being stored) via a 7 pin DIN to Apple Lightning cable.

The MixBox 2 also can be powered by the same iOS device – which means that battery power is a consideration when using it – or you can also use the micro USB port to power it instead of draining your phone. The press release has a bit more about their own power testing:

“MixBox2 is powered by the DJ’s iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and can record for many hours without any additional external power, removing any audio noise problems associated with using an external USB power supply. During testing impressive power-usage results were achieved: a one hour set used just 10% of an iPhone 7 battery with screen off, and 20% with screen constantly on.”

Find out more here.

Leadership development

Leadership development is stuck in the dark ages

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Today’s bosses need better help to deal with new technologies, working practices and generational shift.

The modern workplace has become complex, volatile and unpredictable. The skills needed for great leadership have dramatically changed and include intelligent behaviours, adaptive thinking and emotional intelligence. However, the methods being used to develop our leaders have not really changed at all.

Bosses are facing increasing challenges – information overload, complex and competing objectives, new technologies that disrupt old work practices and the associated differing values and expectations of new generations entering the workplace. Not to mention increased globalisation and the need to lead and build effective teams across cultures.

Still primarily developed through on-the-job experiences, training, coaching and ‘360-degree’ feedback, our leaders are simply not developing fast enough or in the right ways to match the new environment. Supported by a growing belief among senior executives and up and coming talent that the leadership programs they are attending are insufficient, we need to completely redefine our approach to developing the leaders of tomorrow.

The renowned business thinker Marshall Goldsmith has commented, ‘Many of our leadership programs are based on the faulty assumption that if we show people what to do, they can automatically do it.’

However, there is a difference between knowing what “good” leadership looks like and being able to do it. We have arrived at a point where we face diminishing returns from teaching managers more about leadership, when they still have little understanding about what is required for real development to occur.

Read more here.

Stick your go-pro

18 Sugru Holiday Hacks

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If there’s one thing we know, it’s that you guys never stop fixing. Turns out Sugru-ers don’t switch off their hacking and repairing instinct, even when they’re away from home or on the road. Whether it’s mending a damaged zip on a suitcase, fixing broken sunglasses, or even hacking a GoPro to capture your adventures in new ways, Sugru seems to come in handy wherever you are, whatever you’re up to!

Here are a bunch of clever little ideas from the community…

SUGRU TO THE RESCUE…WHEREVER YOU ARE!

1. Fix your sandals

The last thing anyone needs is for something to break while you’re away — like your sunglasses or your sandals falling apart just as you hit the beach. That’s when Sugru can come in very handy!

2. Make a go-pro mount to capture unforgettable moments

There’s a definite trend of Sugru-ers making their own DIY GoPro poles — and they’re using them in some epic places! Here are more ideas on how to hack your GoPro, plus a tutorial on how to make your own mount.

3. Take your music anywhere you go!

Make your music sound better outdoors using Sugru! By making your speakers magnetic, they’ll sound better everywhere – from the park to the beach.

Find out more here.

Sweatshop

Workers need legal protection, not voluntary standards

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An international standard for health and safety may sound like a good idea, but the current proposals could let many workers down, argues Hugh Robertson, senior policy officer at the TUC.

Hugh Robertson, Trades Union Congress

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is developing a standard, called ISO45001, for the certification of employers’ health and safety management systems. However, the standard has been met with strong opposition from international employer and union bodies on the basis that this matter should be dealt with through social dialogue and through regulation.

They also believed that international standards on labour issues were a matter for the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has developed 13 conventions on health and safety that have been agreed by trade union, employer and government representatives.

A new draft of ISO45001 has recently been published, and is out for consultation with voting taking place between 19 May and 13 July. Last year, an earlier draft was rejected following criticism from a number of countries and organisations, including the European Trade Union Confederation. Despite considerable criticisms of the overall structure and content of the first draft, the second draft does not make many substantial changes and few of the criticisms of the structure have been addressed.

Read more here.

Teledyne E2V, Chelmsford.

Chelmsford-based e2v acquired by Teledyne Technologies for £620m

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E2v Technologies, an electronics manufacturer, is set to be acquired by Teledyne Technologies for £620m.

Under the terms of the deal, e2v’s shareholders will receive 275p in cash for each share, a premium of 48% on the startup’s closing share price on Friday.

Based in Chelmsford, e2v manufactures imaging sensors, camera solutions, components and sub-systems for application in various sectors including aerospace, space, defense, healthcare and communications.

Neil Johnson, chairman of e2v, commented: “Teledyne has recognised the value inherent in our business and prospects by making a cash offer at an attractive premium to the share price. The board of e2v has also considered the merits of being part of a larger, complementary group with enhanced scale and a wider range of capabilities to service its key customers and management and employees having access to the opportunities available in a larger group.”

“The board of e2v is therefore unanimously recommending e2v Shareholders to vote in favor of the acquisition,” he added.

Teledyne, which is based in California, also provides instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, as well as electronics and engineered systems for the aerospace and defense industries.

 

Read more here.

England Rugby

England Rugby reaping rewards of player pathway

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As Max Malins was sending over a late penalty to send England into the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-final in Georgia, several hundred miles away Tom Curry was learning he will make his senior debut against Argentina on Saturday.

Curry was part of the England U20 team that sealed a Grand Slam earlier this year and he will become the youngest England starter since Colin Laird in 1927 when he takes to the field in San Juan at the weekend.

As head coach Eddie Jones looks to build towards the 2019 World Cup, Tom is joined in Argentina by four other members of this year’s Under 20 Elite Performance Squad, including brother Ben, while Nick Isiekwe and Jack Maunder are in line to make their international debuts off the bench on Saturday.

Jones sees the tour of Argentina as the perfect opportunity to increase the depth of his squad and give experience to previously uncapped players.

“What I’m looking to do is improve the squad and I feel these young guys can take the squad to a new level,” said Jones.

“We’re looking to discover the best young talent in England and see how we can bring them through. To win the world cup we need to have the best and that is our ultimate aim.”

Meanwhile, England U20 continue their quest in Georgia to defend their World Rugby U20 Championship title. Despite being without those five players as well as losing four to injury during the tournament they have still advanced through to the last four. This is just a small indication of the work done by the pathway performance programme to increase the strength in depth of English rugby.

“This is a truly exciting time for English rugby,” said Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie.

“With five players away in Argentina and having sustained injuries to several players in their opening three matches to make the semi-final is a good achievement. Credit must go to the fantastic work done by the pathway coaches to grow the strength in depth at all levels.”

Read more here.

Brockwell Park

Sugru’s city guide to finding community gardens

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Get your hands dirty and learn new skills at your local community garden

So you want to get into gardening. Why wouldn’t you! It’s a fun weekend hobby, can be a cheaper way to add fresh fruits and veggies to your diet, and studies have shown that it’s a great way to reduce stress and improve mental well being.

As a city-dweller, you may be thinking that gardening is a privilege only reserved for those lucky few with access to their own outdoor spaces, but cities have ample opportunities to get involved in community gardens. And this certainly doesn’t mean waiting two years plus for an allotment!

Whether you’re simply looking to get your hands dirty and spend some time outside, learn more about gardening, or you’re looking to give back to your local community through volunteering, there are plenty of activities for you to take part in.

Here’s Sugru’s rundown, from London to LA, of the best community gardening programmes near you.

Find out more here.