What is it with the internet and cats?

The 'original' of a digital pixelated cat creating a rainbow trail behind it sold recently for $500,000.

What's happening here? Digital work that anyone can access selling for huge sums of money.

Keep the focus on ownership.

Everyone can see the art. Ownership is another matter altogether

You can look at the Mona Lisa by walking into the Louvre. But owning it is a different ball game

Here's where the internet, art and blockchain are converging.

If you can establish ownership of any piece of art, you won't need certificates of authenticity from the powers that be.

And that's what sets the cat among the pigeons.

There is already a huge debate on whether NFTs ( Non-Fungible Tokens) will be short-term fads.

Or a way for artists and creators to establish ownership and get royalty for their work every time the work is traded or changes hands

Don't worry about the NFT bit. All it means is that you can establish which one is the original in a sea of duplicates.

It may be used to verify art and artefacts in the real world than the virtual one - but we'll see how that evolves.

Recycling creative ideas

They shine under the arc lights on highways. Or at strategic urban crossings.

Towering over the traffic and a prominent feature of every cityscape.

Stretching for tens or hundreds of feet and visible from long distances.

Billboards, or 'hoardings' are they're called in India have always been larger than life.

Over the last couple of decades, they grew high tech and glossy.

The old ways of painters perched on rickety scaffolding and painstakingly drawing the design is long gone.

In its place is the cold efficiency of mounting and stretching the pre-printed vinyl across steel frames in a matter of hours.

Until they are stripped away and the tough material goes on to provide shelters for slums. Or thrown into landfills.

Rareform in the US has breathed new life into old creatives.

What started from a fishing village in El Salvador, the printed designs are reinvented to make everything from surfboard covers to glossy bags - stylish backpacks  or duffel bags. Even mobile phone covers.

It's UV protected, waterproof and withstands harsh outdoor conditions. The bright colors and unusual designs make them attractive. 

The company claims it has reused over 3 million pounds of creatives!

Recycled ideas can be a hit.

The toothbrush that stuffs your mouth

They haven't changed much for decades.

The bristles can be soft, medium or hard and you can opt for a bamboo handle if you think your toothbrush should be sustainable.

But the basic shape with the angled head has stayed constant.

The motorised toothbrushes haven't quite innovated either.

Instead of moving the handle you simply have to place the bristles in the right position.

This new design won't win any awards for good looks. And it seems effective, using an industrial kind of effort aligned to the shape of your teeth.

Imagine a denture-shaped toothbrush.

It brushes all your top teeth at one go. Then flip the head and brush the bottom row.

The claim - that you can finish brushing your teeth in 10 seconds. As if it's is the biggest time-waster in a day.

And going from 2 minutes to 10 seconds, what are you going to do? Catch another 10 TikTok videos?

That's not a benefit, it's more time wasted

However, the unusual design is definitely a stopper. And like an invasion inside your mouth. Not to speak of the amount of toothpaste required.

Seems a bit kinky. But it could be an unexpected hit.

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