BreezeBlog

Farnborough airshow bits and bobs

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:16:34 +0000

Interesting day at Farnborough International yesterday. Seeing the Vulcan back in the sky was something else. However it wasn't the only trip down memory lane. Having worked at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine for many years the sight of the old labs - now falling into decay - a trip back to Farnborough always brings back happy memories. Apart from memories that is of the physiological testing we did to each other. So "happy" might be tempered with feelings of exhaustion, nausea, freezeing cold, searing heat, centrifugation, decompression,.... Also good to meet some of our happy customers. One such was the Dr Brian Robertson, M.D. of The Event Medicine Company, who kindly gave me a tour of the airshow control room. It used to be the RAF IAM's central workshop. But time has a habit of marching on! All I can tell you is that anyone attending Farnborough International is in good hands thanks to a vast network of dedicated professionals working behind the scenes to make it a safe event for all. Hats off to them all. I was also priviledged to get a tour of the field hospital and see how they use our kit in action. Styled on the same basic principle as the product we offer to the general public, the bespoke version fits to the side of medical couches, stretchers... The benefit for nurses and doctors is that it allows them to treat heat illness (wet the skin with tepid water, then fan) hands free, freeing them up for other proceedures. It was quite humbling to be touted around as the inventor of "the Sleepbreeze". But fascinating to hear from the medical staff about hyperthermia treatment in marathon races where high core temperatures sit side-by-side with vasoconstricted skin & no sweat. Looking forward to a paper on that sometime when Brian has a moment! Then off to a UKTI DSO-led event where we were asked to talk to a US delegation. A big "thank-you" to the UKTI DSO and Washington embassy staff for organising that. I think we might be getting somewhere! So, fingers crossed on that one. Then, finally off to the UTSL stand to meet another customer who needed to de-risk his family summer holiday to Tuscany - sounds "Scorchio!". So, one happy punter with a Sleepbreeze for each of his family. Back to the office today and registered the military version of our product with it's own Nato Stock Number. We'll be putting details of this product online in due course. Plenty of paperwork, but the huge advantage of a chair to sit on after yesterday's marathon visit! And Sleepbreeze products winging their way far and wide today. Many thanks to all who placed an order. We really appreciate your custom. All the best, Andy Oh, ok. It wouldn't be a blog-post about an airshow if I didn't upload at least a couple of aircraft snaps!

Night-time temperatures soar...

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:16:37 +0000

Sunday 27th of June may be remembered by most of us for the day England thrashed Germany / crashed out of the World Cup (delete as appropriate!!!). It is also likely to set a record as the hottest day of the year so far, reaching an unpleasant 30oC. As we settle into a period of prolonged hot weather, night time temperatures are also remaining high, making getting to sleep a lot harder. Here's our Top 5 tips for beating the heat (and Germany in the footie). 1. Replace the England team with 11 lads from the British Army RAF at Camp Bastion. 2. Don't forget, your Sleepbreeze cooler isn't just for night time use, but can be placed on the back of the sofa as you cheer England on. Cheering will help. Vuvuvuvuvzellas don't. 3. Make sure you keep the curtains drawn upstairs during daytime hours to keep the sun out - it'll be a little cooler when you've finished celebrating / drowning your sorrows. 4. Be sensitive to the distress felt by other countries that have been knocked out of the Football World Cup whilst believing the game is actually called the Soccer World Cup. 5. Use a Sleepbreeze fan to help move air over yourself when trying to get to sleep. In hot weather there is little or no natural air movement. Air flow helps evaporate sweat which is what gets you cool and off to sleep. Simple as that. Oh, and 6 (Extra time bonus tip) 6. Wave a Union flag to support England and show support for Scotland. I'm sure the Scots will be cheering for us this afternoon. :) Fingers crossed for this afternoon and hope you can take a look at our Sleepbreeze coolers in time for the next spell of hot weather. www.sleepbreeze.co.uk

VAT update and credit cards

Sat, 29 May 2010 11:28:59 +0000

Well, we kept the VAT rate for UK customers at 15% long after the previous Chancellor put it back up to 17.5%. I'm now bringing each of the Sleepbreeze pages up to date and making it consistent. No doubt George Osbourne will confound my efforts to keep the site up to date in future budgets by putting VAT up to 20%. Grrrr. Please bear with me whilst I go through each of the pages and make the changes. Do we accept credit cards and debit cards? Well, yes. This is great for people like me who see a product they like then have to sign up with the merchant's favoured e-commerce solution, like Google Checkout, PayPal, .... So, when you go to checkout, then choose PayPal and they give you the option of either using your credit card or logging in to your PayPal account. I just did this for a purchase with ScaleScenes.com (hey we all have to have a hobby!) and it was simple and quick to use. I'm populating each of our pages with "Credit cards accepted" logos alongside the VAT update. Enjoy the Bank Holiday.

British Festival of Science, Guildford

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:52:24 +0000

The British Science Festival will be in Surrey from 5-10 September, bringing over 350 of the UK’s top scientists and engineers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. Sleepbreeze will be there at the Trinity Centre on the 5th & 6th of September showing off our low energy personal cooler - and just to put the word "low" into context, you can run 20 of our products using the same amount of electricity as a lightbulb. That's got to be good for both your wallet AND the environment. And unlike a photo on a web page you can try out our cooler before deciding to buy! We'll be on hand to chat to anyone who has a bright idea and just needs some advice on how to set up in business and bring there idea to fruition. There are all sorts of exciting events to get involved in around the town. This is genuinely a festival for all the family and not to be missed. So, look forward to seeing you there and please come and see us at The Trinity Centre (on Guildford High Street) on Saturday or Sunday. All the best, Andy

MongWay Round team visit Sleepbreeze HQ

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:49:58 +0000

Shortly before the MongWay Round team embarked on the 2009 Mongol Rally to Ulanbataar they came over to visit us and pick up Sleepbreeze personal coolers for the trip. Robbie Morgan of team MongWay Round emailed the other day to say that they were well on their way to Istanbul and that the Sleepbreeze coolers may well have saved their lives in the heat of Croatia. We're all looking forward to hearing how they get on when travelling across even hotter parts of the rally! The MongWay Round team are raising money for the Phyllis Tuckwell hospice, Kidney Research UK and the Mercy Corps. The lads would be delighted if you had a few pennies to add to their fund raising effort....so take a look at their rather unique website - www.mongwayround.com.

Mongol Rally 2009 - what's it all about?

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:40:14 +0000

So, Sleepbreeze is sponsoring the Mong Way Round cars in the 2009 Mongol Rally. But what's it all about? Well, until the lads start sending back video clips of their rally advenutres, here's a clip which pretty much sums it all up.

Sleepbreeze sponsors "The Mongway Round team" in the 2009 Mongal Rally

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:35:14 +0000

It takes a special kind of lunacy to drive a sub-1 litre car on the motorways of Britain these days. So, we loved the idea that Robbie Morgan and his friends were going way beyond the M25. All the way to Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia. Robbie had thought things through and knew that it was going to be hot, potentially verging on "scorchio", camping in tents at the roadside as they raced towards Central Asia. So, he approached us at Sleepbreeze to use our compact and energy efficient cooling fans to keep cool. This Monday the Mongway Round team will be at Sleepbreeze HQ in Alton to show off their specially decorated cars. The team will be raising money for 3 excellent charities. So, if you have some spare cash.... As the race progresses we'll be putting photos and video up on the website and on the Sleepbreeze fan page on facebook. And if you happen to see two zebra-styled cars somewhere between Alton and Ulaanbaatar then give them a wave. Or a tow. Just in case you're about to look up Ulaanbaatar on the Wiki - here's a map. Yep, you've got it. They're mad. But in that way recognised and respected by explorers the world over. Good luck lads.

Britain braced for heatwave

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:42:46 +0000

With the Met Office predicting temperatures to soar during the coming week we're set for a busy week at Sleepbreeze.co.uk, despatching our personal coolers to customers around Britain and beyond. One of the most common questions we get asked is: "What is the best temperature to sleep at?" Although there's no clear cut answer, what is important is that we lose some body heat before sleeping. Obviously in hot weather this takes a lot longer, or doesn't happen at all. That's why the Sleepbreeze is such a great product to have tucked away at home. It cools you sufficiently to get good quality sleep even in a heatwave. Experts reckon that once the night time temperature reaches 17-18 Celsius then sleep becomes difficult to achieve and is also disturbed. Of course if it's been a sunny day then the temperature in your bedroom is going to be a lot warmer, heatwave or no heatwave. For anyone living in built up areas, like London, ambient temperatures can be several degrees warmer than outlying country areas, simply because of the amount of buildings, people, and vehicles etc all of which generate heat. Whilst we applaud some of the green advice on keeping cool, such as planting a tree outside your home to provide shade, that won't pay off quickly enough to benefit you this week. They do say, however, that planting a tree whose shade you'll never sit in is the ultimate mark of civilisation. That'll be something to think on as you lie in bed this week. Equally purchasing a portable air conditioner (typically around £200-500) isn't necessarily a cost effective solution once you've thrown in the amount of electricity it will use. It was interesting to hear some of the school kids at the Surrey SATRO festival this week telling me how much energy a unit like this uses. "Too much!" was possibly the best answer. But about 2000 watts (or ~25 lightbulbs worth) would be a good figure. So, where does that leave us all? Well for our customers who bought our product over the last year they'll be breaking out their Sleepbreezes over the coming day or so. And for anyone interested in purchasing our product - subject to stock - we'll be posting them out daily in time for you to beat the heat with them.

Surey SATRO Festival of Science and Engineering 2009

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:13:24 +0000

Well, I figured a good result would be if the students who visited the Working World marquee at Surrey SATRO's Festival of Science and Engeineering asked some questions. A great result would be if they asked some difficult questions. I wasn't dissappointed. Questions came thick and fast, ranging from questions about patents and marketing to fluid dynamics of manifolds. Yesterday's event hosted by the Brooklands museum and opened by TV Brainiac's Jon Tickle was thoroughly worthwhile for us here at Sleepbreeze.co.uk, as I suspect it was for all the other companies and organisations who took part. Sleepbreeze had on display its latest product which is used to cool people using military camp beds. Developed for the Event Medicine Company - a privately operated field hospital that caters for mass participation events in the UK - the cooler straps to the side of a camp bed and provides cooling for those who have collapsed in the heat, or who are suffering receiving treatment for other conditions of which heat-related illness compounds their medical situation. More photos are on the Sleepbreeze page on facebook. Schools across Surrey and Hampshire were competiting for prizes and showing off their inventions which ranged from an Olympic bridge to renewable energy projects and a CO2-based air con system for night clubs (Farnborough 6th form college). Having seen the degree of innovation and ingenuity by the students at the festival I came away much inspired by what they had achieved. Britain has, traditionally, earnt a reputation for innovation and inventiveness. Talking to the students yesterday this reputation will be around for a long time to come. Roll on Surrey SATRO's 2010 festival! If you'd like to read more about this event then check out Emma Duggan's blogspot. Nice photos. Oh, and thanks, Emma. Hope you liked your purchase! Have a cool one. Andy

Embrace the Change with Sleepbreeze

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:07:46 +0000

As ever we're keen to mention companies that have been helpful. Earlier this week it was a pleasure to acknowledge Positive Branding and Displays-2-go. It's now the turn of the Sleepbreeze spotlight to turn on MediaPlanet, who produced the "Embrace the Change" supplement in The Sunday Telegraph, to receive some praise. Well done to Rosie and her colleagues at Mediaplanet for working with us so professionally. We're already shipping the Sleepbreeze personal cooler out to ladies who need some relief from hot flushes and night sweats as a result of the supplement. Mediaplanet's "Embrace the Change" supplement will also be going out with the British Menopausal Society newsletter and will appear on their website.

RIP "JE"

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:27:07 +0000

We were sorry to hear of the passing of former colleague, Air Vice Marshall John Ernsting. "JE", as he was affectionately known, was a tremendous inspiration for younger researchers in the field of Aviation Medicine. Many of us who worked at the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough have much to thank JE for. No surprise to hear that he was working to the very end! Our condolances go to his family and friends around the world.

A big thanks to both "Positive Branding" and "Displays-2-go"

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:16:51 +0000

From time to time we are pleased to mention some of the companies that help us build our business. Sleepbreeze is well known for using local sourcing (where we can) for its goods and services, with a bias towards family owned businesses and UK manufacture. This week two firms have been helping us get ready for a number of exhibitions and tradeshows, including this week's Surrey SATRO's Festival of Science and Engineering. First up was Positive Branding, based in North London, who have done a superb job on our company-branded polo shirts. Positive Branding personal service was both excellent and speedy. We'd recommend them to anyone. Next up was Stafford-based "Displays-2-go" who have provided us with a marvellous pop up banner that will help us get our message across at both the Surrey SATRO festival and the British Festival of Science in Guildford this September. Displays-2-go service was excellent and although they easily beat their 5 day timescale - the banner was with us in about 2 days. Displays-2-go pride themselves on their in-house printing and we'd have to say that the quality of their work is fantastic. Thanks to both companies - we look forward to working with you in the future.

10 Things You Need to Know About Sleep

Wed, 13 May 2009 11:17:39 +0000

Good to see last night's programme from the BBC on getting a better night's sleep. Entitled, "10 Things You Need to Know About Sleep" and hosted by Kate Silverton the programme explored some of the science behind why we fall asleep - and why we sometimes don't! 10 Things You Need to Know About Sleep led with a seemingly new concept that temperature and sleep onset are inter-linked. As we discuss on the Sleepbreeze FAQ page it is sometimes hard to fall asleep when the weather is hot. This is simply because the normal fall in body temperature that we experience around bedtime takes a lot longer when the air around our body's is warm. Hence the need sometimes for a cooling fan like the Sleepbreeze to give the body a gentle nudge in the right direction. So, what was behind the physiological concepts that the programme was exploring? Put simply, when our deep body temperature rises our skin blood vessels dilate to help loose heat and regain equilibrium. The experiment that Kate Silverton took part in, where she was immersed in a bath of relatively hot water, was an attempt to trick the body into vasodilating and causing a subsequent drop in body temperature (triggering sleep onset). It is worth mentioning for anyone wanting to try this that in hot weather we tend to be vasoldilated as much as is possible (and often sweating into the bargain), so this wouldn't work as well in a heatwave. Basically, to achieve sleep onset you need to get the body's physiological processes AND the environmental conditions around you working together. Hence, when trying to sleep in hot weather you need to be vasoldilated and possibly sweating (which will happen anyway if it is hot enough) AND have some air movement over your skin to help dissipate the heat from the skin surface. And just to round off this post, it was nice to see former colleague Dr Barbara Stone on the programme.

PayPal spring madness £10,000 giveaway

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:47:45 +0000

Here's an added bonus for anyone using PayPal as their checkout method. PayPal is helping online merchants like Sleepbreeze, over the coming weeks by running a lucky draw. Who knows, if you purchase from Sleepbreeze during the offer you might be PayPal's winner! This offer applies each week through till the end of May 2009. All you need to do is use PayPal when you go to the checkout at our online store and you'll be entered into PayPal's draw. Best of luck to all of you. And send us a postcard if you win! Terms and conditions: https://www.paypal-marketing.co.uk/win10k/terms/index.htm

Hurricane preparation - survival gear to keep you cool

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:39:54 +0000

The 2009 hurricane season is forecast to be "above average" with some 14 named storms from the Atlantic Ocean, 7 of which are likely to become hurricanes. Atlantic Hurricane season starts, officially, on June 1st. Officials are warning that there is a 63% probability of the storms hitting the US will be Category 3. Being a forecast there's no guarantee that the prediction will be right. And let's hope that residents of Florida and other southern states escape. Last year however, according to CNN, forecasters predicted 15 storms and there turned out to be 16. So, fair to say that past predictions have been fairly accurate. The internet is loaded with handy hurricane preparation checklists. Consistent among these lists is the advice to turn off mains powered equipment to avoid damage to goods and air conditioning systems when the power comes back on. Fair enough. That leaves one small problem, however. Turning off the air conditioning in June in the height of summer in Florida, Alabama, or other southern US states leaves residents exposed severe heat stress. Some groups are more at risk (senior citizens, those on medication) than others. However, it isn't pleasant for anyone. At Sleepbreeze we're pleased to be able to introduce a cooling product- the Sleepbreeze personal cooler - that is so energy efficient that it runs from AA batteries for a number of hours. That means you can keep cool once the power grid has been switched off (or fails) and your home air conditioning system has ceased to operate. One Florida resident explained the benefits of the Sleepbreeze cooler to us by contrasting its cooling sensation with the clawing heat and humidity that sets in as soon as the air conditioning packs up. There's more good news. We're all aware these days that the credit crunch and down turn in the economy is making it hard to justify spending money unless it really is essential. So how would it be if the Sleepbreeze cooler could help you save money every night? Many Americans, even on middle incomes, are finding the cost of running domestic air conditioning to be a severe strain on their household budgets. If you haven't looked carefully at your utility bill recently, then now's the time. A large proportion of your domestic power consumption is down to the energy consumed by your air conditioning system. The Sleepbreeze cooler could help you lower your energy consumption significantly, night after night. So, cooling indepedent of the grid and a way of lowering your nightly air con usage and saving money. Interested? Of course you are. We look forward to welcoming you to our secure online store shortly. Sleepbreeze - supporting disaster relief in the US through the STAR-TIDES.net project