Safety Reflector

Equinox 2021 – Shorter Days are Coming

Where did the summer go? Tomorrow, September 22, 2021, is already equinox, the day when day and night are equally long. From there on, the days are rapidly getting shorter, making it harder to avoid being out in the dark. Last weekend, we had a furry visitor and we barely managed to take the post-dinner walk before it was pitch black. Just in the last week Chicago has lost 21 minutes of sunlight, 13 in the evening and 8 in the morning. Today, the sun rises at 6:37am and is gone again at 6:47pm. It’s hard to adjust your schedule when the light is changing that rapidly, even for us who are tracking it meticulously. Over the summer, we were a little lazy and did not always bring safety reflectors, but that has to change now. Equinox also means safety reflector season because who wants to get caught unseen in the dark? Better seen than sorry!

Safety reflectors are must-haves for dog walkers and dogs alike now when the nights will be longer than the days.

Is a reflective dog leash bright enough?

Using a reflective dog leash is great, but as you can see in the video above, the funflector safety reflectors are brighter. Of course, it depends on what quality and how much reflective material the leash has, so test yours so you know. The brighter the reflectors the further away the drivers can see you. This is particularly important along streets with faster traffic. Our leash might be bright enough on a residential street with very slow traffic, but for a highway, we need more reflective power. We like to hang one reflector in each end of the leash for extra safety.

Red and black ninja safety reflector by funflector
The reflector hanging on the dog leash in the video is a ninja. Available here.

The dog walker needs to be seen too! We have plenty of reflectors hanging on our jacket zipper pulls, but that is of little use when it’s too warm for jackets. So this time of year, reflective slap wraps are the most practical solution. They only take a second to slap on and are easy to wear for walkers, runner and bicyclists.

The funflector team

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Reflective Slap Bracelet with Nobel Prize Collection

Celebrate groundbreaking research in high-energy physics with this collection of happy elementary particles from discoveries that brought home the Nobel Prize. In cooperation with the ParticleZoo, we have created a highly reflective slap bracelet (order it here) that doubles as a cheat sheet for Nobel Prize trivia while waiting for the 2017 Nobel Prize announcements.

Reflective slap bracelet with the Particle Zoo Nobel Prize collection of elementary particles.
Reflective slap bracelet with the Particle Zoo Nobel Prize collection of elementary particles.

The Particle Zoo Nobel Prize Collection

For the curious, the Nobel Prize website lists all awarded prizes and below are the first three selected for our reflective slap bracelet:

1921 – The Photon

Albert Einstein was awarded “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”.  Electromagnetic radiation, which is visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, radio waves, radar, x-rays, microwaves, etc. behaves both as a wave and a particle, the photon. When light (photons) hit a metal plate, they knock out electrons from their atoms. That is called the photoelectric effect and the emitted electrons are called photoelectrons.

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Thoughtful Valentine’s Gift Idea ❤️

Without getting a chance to breath after the holidays, endless store shelves are already filled with red and pink Valentine Day’s gifts. It can easily be overwhelming and just a bit too sugary. If you are looking for a useful and thoughtful Valentine’s gift idea, this piece of rainbow striped eye candy might be just that. It is absolutely sugar-free and instead it brings safety and a piece of mind. It is super easy to send as a gift with a greeting card.  Who would you not want to surprise with a loving heart any day of the year?

Heart safety reflector makes a thoughtful Valentine's gift idea for those you care about the most.
Looking for a thoughtful Valentine’s gift?

 

A heart shaped safety reflector is a perfect thoughtful Valentine's gift idea.
A heart shaped safety reflector is a perfect Valentine’s gift idea.


Funflector safety reflectors are thin, soft and lightweight and make  great gifts and a-little-somehting to gift all seasons of the year.
With the signature color matching ball chains, the funflector safety reflector can be hung in many places, zipper pulls on bags and jackets, on strollers and wheelchairs.
Love your dog? Giv it a dangling safety reflector on its collar to help drivers see it.
Love your kids? Give them a safety reflector (or two) for their backpacks and jackets so the early morning school bus driver can see them clearly. College students need reflectors too!
Love your mom? Give her a safety reflector for her purse or jacket.
Love your grandpa? Give him a safety reflector for his walker or jacket.
Love coffee? Give yourself a coffee themed safety reflector!
Because it is better to be seen than sorry…
Happy Valentine’s Day!  ❤️

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Meet the Gravitational Wave

Meet the gravitational wave safety reflector
Meet and greet the Gravitational Wave safety reflector. Design by the Particle Zoo.


On February 11, 2016, scientists of the LIGO collaboration sent ripples through the scientific community with the announcement of the detection of a gravitational wave. Gravitational waves are released from collisions of black holes, supernovae and even the remnants of radiation created by the birth of the Universe. It’s a story of bright brains, the unimaginably huge, the extremely tiny, and human persistence. Einstein predicted them 100 years ago but never expected anyone to be able to measure the tiny effect.

Gravitational Wave Safety Reflector

The remarkable discovery inspired the Particle Zoo to design a Gravitational Wave for the Particle Zoo collection. We are very excited to introduce it and you can find it in the funflector webshop. It is actually the first in the collection to be released as a safety reflector before existing as a plushie 🙂

So, what’s the big deal with gravitational waves?

Imagine 1.3 billion years ago, two black holes, about 29 and 36 times the mass of the sun, dancing around each other several times per second before merging into one black hole. Within a couple seconds, they release the energy equivlant of 3 suns worth of mass. That energy is spread around the universe in a gravitational wave and ripped through the LIGO detectors in September 14, 2015 during an engineering run. With two 4 km (2.5 miles) arms with state of the art vacuum chambers and laser beams, a distortion the size of 1/1000 of the diameter of a proton was detected. The 1000 scientists and engineers could hardly believe how lucky they were and for several months turned every stone to make sure it was a real event and not just a fault in the equipment or software. In December last year, they detected a second event. Below is a nice 6-minute explanation by awesome Neil deGrasse Tyson of the physics behind and the magnitude of the discovery.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Einstein’s Gravitational Waves Theory

Like many new discoveries, the detectors are miracles of engineering and the team had to push technology to new hights to accomplish the new discoveries. If you want to dive deep into both physics and technology, this hour long lecture on Gravitational Waves from SLAC is a good start.


Dr. Brian Lantz taking about “Gravitational Waves – The Sound of Black Holes Colliding”, courtesy of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.


I remember learning about the LIGO experiment while taking a class in relativity in college. At that time, it seemed like they aimed for a very lofty goal, so I was thrilled to read about the discovery back in February. Although I’m not pursuing physics research anymore, it’s fun to circle back and provide friends, former colleges, physicists and other scientists with some unique and very niched physics related safety reflectors for jackets, bags and backpacks. I know firsthand how easy it is to lose track of the time and not get out of the lab until way later (after sunset) than planned…


Elisabeth 

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The Meaning of the Ampersand

The typographic symbol “&” or “ampersand”, is a fun squiggle that requires some practice to write smoothly. As the funflector team has worked on the design of our ampersand safety reflector, I remember the proud feeling of accomplishment when, in second grade, I finally got the pen to turn and twist the right way. From a designer’s perspective it is fun to play around with and many different 3D versions has lately made it onto the shelves of many home decorating stores. The Design Hack has written a blog post on the history and their love affair with the graphic beauty and styles of the ampersand and we totally share their love of the design.

Ampersand safety reflector in sandalwood hanging on the handle of a bag.
Ampersand safety reflector in sandalwood hanging on the handle of a bag.


If you want to decorate your home with ampersands, there are so many styles, materials and sizes, but how about if you want to decorate your bags or clothing with one? We did not find many ampersand accessories beyond jewelry so we are proud to add an ampersand safety reflector to our 2016 collection. It looks awesome on jackets, bags and purses. Check it out in our webshop here! It is available in a number of colors and even our black safety reflectors are super bright as explained here.

What’s the meaning of the Ampersand?

Ampersand home decoration covered in with sequence and purple safety reflector.
Ampersand home decoration covered in with sequence and purple safety reflector.


The ampersands symbolizes the word “AND”, which is
the word that brings people together, ties together two disparate things or thoughts,
the word that can make 1+1 equal to 3
AND it is the word that if used in the right place, sparks discoveries and innovation! The ampersand is also a reminder that we are not alone, but stronger together. As a friend of mine put it: “I have many brothers and sisters and think of us all strung together by the word AND. So when I se the ampersand, it makes me think of my loving family.”
In many languages  it represent a very short word
AND in English
UND in German
ET in French
OG in Danish
even in Finnish where something as simple as 1-2-3 is yksi-kaksi-kolme, the word for “and” is JA.
Why is it a favorite for us? When you put AND between thoughts, concepts and models that have not previously been combined, that’s when you get discoveries and innovation! It is also a constant reminder to take one more step, to dig one shovel deeper and take in one more viewpoint. And then what?
We’d love to hear what you think of when you see the ampersand. Please comment below!


Elisabeth

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2016/17 Collection Sneak Peek

Even in Chicago, it is almost spring – Yay! – and it’s time for the funflector team to emerge from hibernation. Let’s give you a sneak preview of our fall collection that we’ve been hard at work with during the never-ending winter months.

Camera safety reflector by funflector
New design 2016 – 📸 Camera safety reflector by funflector 📷

For amateur and pro photographers alike, the funflector® camera safety reflector will look great on your camera bag and backpack. When you are too focused on what’s in your lens at sunset, this reflector will help drivers notice you.

Ninja and Ninja Star ultra bright backpack safety reflectors by funflector®.

No ninjas on the roads, please! Make them visible in style!

“Is there a ninja school around here?” A friend of ours visiting us on a Saturday night was stressed out when arriving. Not one, but two kids had appeared next his car on the badly lit residential streets. The high schools kids were of course dressed all in black. Luckily, our friend was going slowly enough to stop, but it was stressful, nevertheless. Equip your ninjas with funflector safety reflectors for safer walks around the neighborhood and to keep heart attacks away from drivers.

Bass clef pedestrian safety reflector by funflector
🎶 For all bass singers, cello, double bass, bassoon, trombone & tuba players, we have made a bass clef safety reflector to keep you safe when getting home from late night rehearsals and performances!!! 🎶

Our popular treble clef reflector will get accompanied by a much asked for bass clef reflector. We have both cello and trombone players in the family and know about the struggle for bass clef gifts. Musicians are often out at night, on their way to and from rehearsals and performances. These ultra reflective tags look stylish on any instrument case!
Stay tuned for more cool designs coming this summer and fall. Follow us on Instagram, twitter and Facebook to get the news first!

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Pedestrian Crash Statistics :(

Walking is good for you. Every day, more people experience the wellbeing that comes from simple walks around the neighborhood or to nearby places. Unfortunately, as walking increases, so do traffic fatalities. The development of safe cars and better infrastructure has not yet caught up to the trend of walking. A whopping  3/4 of the crashes occur during the dark hours, at dusk or at dawn.

usa pedestrian fatailites 2014-2015
GHSA reports about an alarming 10% increase in pedestrian fatalities in 2015, of which 75% occur when it’s dark.

GHSA reports about an alarming 10% increase in pedestrian fatalities in 2015, of which 75% occur when it’s dark.

In a new report on pedestrian crash statistics, the GHSA (Governors Highway Safety Association) estimates a 10% increase in fatal pedestrian crashes from 2014 to 2015. Here are some quick facts:  …

Pedestrian Crash Statistics :( Read More »

Fall Safety

High viz without #highviz colors. #bicycle and #pedestrian #safety with #style because it's better to be seen than sorry! #reflectivegear

Reminders to move the clocks back were many when daylight saving time ended a couple of days ago. What few talked about is that we now have one more dark hour in the afternoon with higher risk for pedestrian and bicycle crashes. In Time, we can read “Adding an hour of sunlight in the evening year-round would save the lives of more than 170 US pedestrians annually, according to a 2004 study in Accident Analysis and Prevention.” Since that is not happening anytime soon, we all need to make sure we are visible in traffic, especially when it’s dark.

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4 Halloween Safety Tips for Dealing with the Real Danger

Are you looking for Halloween safety tips to share with your kids? We certainly hope so, but we also hope that you focus on where the real danger is – TRAFFIC!!! Enjoy Halloween and don’t go nuts worrying about things that rarely happen. We have written about this earlier years and we will keep doing it until every trick-or-treater wear reflectors!

When we look at statistics of what accidents actually happens on Halloween, there is one type that pops out: pedestrian accidents. Cars are the number one threat to trick-or-treaters and sadly, Halloween is the deadliest night all year for kid pedestrians. The graph below shows fatalities per day. Look at October 31st! The threat from cars and drivers is real. For every fatal accident, there are also about 10 seriously injured kids…

Child pedestrian fatalities by day of the year. How long did it take for you to spot Halloween?
Child pedestrian fatalities by day of the year. How long did it take for you to spot Halloween? Klick on the image to get to the original article.

Let’s focus on Halloween safety tips that make a significant difference. …

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What’s Your Story?

We love when our customers blow us away with unexpected designs! When we first offered promotional slap bracelets, we put the customer’s logo on, sent a proof and after going back and forth, we agreed on size and placement.  With the next customer, we wanted to eliminate the back and forth and sent them the template to fill with their own design and wonderful things started to happen. We certainly never expected storytelling taking place on a promotional slap bracelet but check out these designs!

Reflective slap bracelets for Hansa Coffee by funflector

Designer Keith Lilja made this intricate pattern for Hansa Coffee Roasters. Do you see the stylized H’s?

Without sacrificing their bold and clear style, the Bugle newspapers didn’t just print their logo but also …

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