FUNtastic Blog by Jonathon Madden

Company Culture

2010-09-06T12:05:00.000+01:00

Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate").

Company culture is the things you do everyday.

I read an interesting article about company culture the other day that suggested you can't force culture and it's impossible for new companies to invent a culture.

Like a good wine, culture develops over time and needs time to grow. It's the things you commit to and don't compromise on, the things you do every day that make up what you stand for.

Dumpster Pools

2010-09-01T21:11:00.001+01:00

Is there really such a thing as a dumpster swimming pool?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes. A pool made out of re-purposed dumpsters sits in the middle of an old lot in an industrial neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The pool, which opened in early July, was created by Macro Sea as a test pilot for a larger strategy that involves breathing new life into old American strip malls.

Macro Sea's vision is to buy up underused strip malls and turn them into vibrant neighborhood communities where anyone can shop, eat, swim, watch outdoor movies, hear live music, and just get together in cool outdoor and indoor spaces.

What a great idea!

Stonewall Penalty

2010-08-25T21:27:00.000+01:00

What is a Stonewall penalty?
In football, where an unambigous foul is committed in the penalty area.

The prefix 'Stonewall' is used to highlight the obvious nature of the incident; stonewall being a particular type of wall used throughout Scottish highlands and other mountainous regions as they are really obvious and nobody ever walks into them, ever.

Life is good...

2010-08-17T11:41:00.000+01:00

The guys at Life is good are doing some great work with their foundation.

They started out selling t-shirts with some success but their real breakthrough came when they printed a handful of shirts with the smile and Life is good slogan.

The New England based brand focuses on simplicity, humour and humility through their Life is good Festivals and positive products.

No such thing as a free hug

2010-08-10T23:13:00.000+01:00

Fancy a dip? Check out the world's best swimming pools

2010-08-10T23:07:00.000+01:00

Whether you're planning a honeymoon, pondering the trip of a lifetime, or simply want to dream, there’s no doubt you’ll be blown over by this selection of the world's best swimming pools.

Get rich quick!

2010-08-09T11:42:00.000+01:00

Paddle Store franchises now available...

Grameen Bank - Banking for the poor

2010-08-08T16:49:00.000+01:00

In the year I was born (1976), Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank Project in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh.

I came across the story of Muhammad and Grameen whilst reading Business Stripped Bare, what a fantastic example of social business helping people to help themselves for the betterment of all.

The bank started out as an action research project to examine the possibility of designing a credit delivery system to provide banking services targeted at the rural poor (Grameen means "rural" or "village" in Bangla language).

As of June 2010, it has 8.28 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women. With 2,564 branches, Grameen Bank provides services in 81,362 villages, covering more than 97 percent of the total villages in Bangladesh.

Grameen Bank is owned by the rural poor whom it serves. Borrowers of the Bank own 90% of its shares, while the remaining 10% is owned by the government.

In 2006, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize divided into two equal parts, to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development.

Toddler swimming endorsed by American Academy of Pediatrics

2010-08-07T23:47:00.001+01:00

The American Academy of Paediatrics have reported that it's safe to teach toddlers to swim but rightly cautions that children should never be considered to be 'drown-proof'.

New guidelines released in June 2010 recommend that parents allow their toddlers to participate in swimming lessons and water survival classes from the age of 1. The AAP had previously discouraged parents from participation in water education until the children were older.

Toddler Drowning Reality
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, drowning is the number one cause of death in children under five in a few states and a close second in several others. The findings show that 69% of the drownings occurred while one or both parents were supervising. In 65% of the cases, the pool was owned by the child's family.

The UK Environment Agency have produced an online water safety guide which is fun and easy to use. There's also some excellent water safety advice on the ROSPA website.

European aquatics championships Budapest 2010

2010-08-06T11:37:00.000+01:00

What: European Aquatic Championships 2010
Where: Margaret Island, Budapest
When: 4th to 15th August

Nearly 2 weeks of aquatic sports in Budapest where a 35-strong Great Britain squad attempt to carry on the success of the track athletes in Barcelona.

Olympic medallists Cassie Patten and David Davies will be looking to get the British team off to a good start in the open water races.

Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington leads the British challenge in the pool events that start on the 9th August and world champion Tom Daley will be targeting diving gold in Budapest.

With the swimming and diving events not starting until Monday, the open water and synchronised swimming events take centre stage for the next few days.

US Swim School conference Las Vegas 2010

2010-08-05T22:41:00.001+01:00

If you're a swim school based in the USA (or elsewhere and fancy a trip to Las Vegas) then you'll want to be at the 22nd annual US Swim School conference this October.

A week away from Old Blighty in October was too good to turn down, so we'll be at the South Point hotel & casino for a couple of days showing off our FunSwimShop gear.

FunSwimShop launch Splash About USA at Bebe Palluza Expo in Chicago

2010-08-05T18:46:00.001+01:00

Picture: Jenn Kampmeier & FunSwimShop's Jim picking a winner at the recent Chicago baby and toddler expo.

Jim and Janet had a great time at the recent Bebe Paluzza expo in Chicago. Amongst other things they were showcasing the latest Splash About baby swimwear products, available exclusively in the USA on FunSwimShop.com.

Bebe Paluzza run the largest maternity, baby and toddler shows in the USA. Their events are for future parents, current parents and grandparents.

Basecamp project management software for FunSwimShop UK

2010-08-05T18:13:00.001+01:00

If it's good enough for Threadless then it's good enough for us.

Basecamp, by 37 Signals enables you to manage and collaborate on projects online. We're using Basecamp for the first time on our upcoming FunSwimShop UK project with Mark Lewis of Practicology.

Set up was painless and we had were sending funny messages around the office within minutes, we'll do some real work soon - honest!