Get supercars on a budget; Why you can’t work at the office; Is Google lying about Chromebooks?; Play free Angry Birds; and Eurovision song in Swahili

Get supercars on a budget; Why you can’t work at the office; Is Google lying about Chromebooks?; Play free Angry Birds; and Eurovision song in Swahili

This week, Kipp gives you reasons why you’re not productive at work; a peek at a Google’s Chromebooks; and a report on fast cars that you can actually afford.

May 13, 2011 10:12 by kippreport

Eurovision 2011’s song is in Swahili

A stereotypical idea of Norwegians usually brings up images of wealthy blond and blue-eyed Caucasians eating smoked salmon and such. But immigration into the country is turning the demographic into melting pot that includes Sikhs, Vietnamese, Poles and even Africans. Enter Kenyan-born Stella Mwangi who wrote and sang the winning song at Eurovision 2011.
The song is in Swahili and English and is titled “Haba Haba”. It stems from the Swahili expression “haba haba hujaza kibaba”, which means little by little fills up the measure. The song is about the challenges of immigration and the benefits of hard work.
Mwangi, whose parents left Kenya after challenging the political regime at the time, puts Norway in a positive light as a case study for immigrants integrating in Europe, amid many examples of hate crimes against immigrants in other parts of the region.

Introducing the Chromebook

Earlier this week, Google unveiled the ‘Chromebooks’, which are basically notbooks running Chrome OS. Samsung and Acer are ready to distribute their versions of the Chromebooks and have even brought prototypes to an event in San Francisco this month.
What exactly are these Chromebooks? Check this out.
But not everyone is happy with this launch. Check out Techland’s article on why Chrome OS “is still a big lie” for a different perspective.

Shoestring supercars

Yes, you read that right. Small car companies are building environmentally friendly and inexpensive sports cars. Tesla, for example, has build an electric sports car, while another company called Fisker in California is developing a hybrid luxury car called Karma.
One company called Delta Motorsport even unveiled a 150mph coupe was built on a $1.2 million budget—a small figure by car developing terms. Delta is planning to apply the same shoestring technology to the motor-racing industry to produce an electric sports car.
Now who says fast cars can’t be green?

Why you can’t work at the office

It doesn’t matter whether you are an early riser or are more energetic at night, chances are you are least productive at the office. And in his speech at TedxMidwest, Jason Fried says it’s because of M&M’s. No, not the chocolates but Managers and Meetings that disrupt your work day. Hmm sounds interesting already right? Well read on.
Fried suggests a three-part approach for employees to be more productive: “No-talk Thursdays”; Passive communication; and (gasp) Avoiding meetings.
Do you think your boss would be up for this?

Will Smith’s gigantic 53-foot trailer causes a raucous

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s has kicked actor Will Smith’s trailer out of Manhattan, where it was parked during filming of Men in Black III. If you click our title link, you’ll see the vehicle is even bigger than most two-bedroom and two-bathroom apartments in New York.
The trailer includes space for the actor to get his makeup done, an office area for his writers, a marble-floored lounge and a film room which features a 100-inch screen—a far cry from his days as the Prince of Bel-Air.

Angry Birds freed on the web

Google and Rovio has brought the popular Angry Birds game on the Chrome Web Store.
That’s right, you can now play the game for free exclusively on Google’s Chrome browser. We know we already have the link today for the Chromebooks, but Kipp couldn’t resist telling you about this one, too. Just remember to tell your boss about Jason Fried’s M&M theory if you get caught playing with this at work.
You can find it in the Chrome store, linked here.