We delve into a whole lot of toys and nostalgia in the Blog Digest this week.
Oxfam Ireland Eyewitness Blogs
Sometimes it can seem hard to understand exactly what happens in countries that organisations such as Oxfam work with, but the Irish segment of the charity has two ‘eyewitness’ blogs written by aid workers stationed in both Uganda and Goma.
In one of the blogs, Oxfam’s Rebecca Wynn speaks of her conversation with a former child soldier whose job it was to carry ammunition to the frontline, before he escaped and managed to make it home.
Wikinomics – the economics of crowd collaboration – is a best-selling book on the changing face of technology, innovation and social interaction, and the nature of business in a digital era.
The book has its own dedicated blog. One post name-checks Irish firm Parlus and its goal to gain users by using wikinomics through “providing incentives to top prosumers”, ie asking them to help build an online community that connects old school friends, and in return,if their efforts have been successful, offering them shares in the website.
Can you remember what you got for Christmas when you were 10 years old? Chances are many of you wanted some kind of Lego toy. I remember what I got that year: it was the Lego pirate ship, complete with treasure chest and a parrot that stuck on the Lego pirate’s shoulder.
There was something fascinating about this toy, and even as an adult, if I’m passing through the toy section of a shop, I will gravitate towards these amazing, coloured, plastic-brick creations.
Immerse yourself in nostalgia on the Brothers Brick, where a couple of guys are obsessive so you don’t have to be. I now realise how far things have moved on since I was a kid!
Maybe you are already up to date with Lego Mindstorms and the like, in which case, you will probably love the Toy Bender’s blog. Whether it is a genuine fun toy for your kids, or a post-ironic purchase for your jaded yet secretly excited friend, you will find inspiration on this site.
The best link I have seen to date is to FAO Schwarz’s online toystore, where you can make your own Muppet! It is quite expensive, but you could have your likeness in Muppet form (insert silly joke here), and they are fully working puppets.
My advice? Subscribe to this site for more unusual toy ideas in the run up to Christmas.
By Marie Boran
