Few people can hear the word "Munch" without thinking of promotional food products. But for those who are very passionate about the arts, those that hear "Munch" may refer to expressionist artist Edvard Munch. 

While Edvard Munch may not be as much of a house-hold name as his inspirations and idolizers but one of his works is regarded as the most recognizable piece in modern art history.

Entitled "The Scream" this piece that showcases the plight of modern man has been printed and sold on promotional t-shirts and promotional mousepads world-wide. Despite the mass-produced prints, there are only four known originals. Three of these copies have ties to museums in Norway but those who are willing can try to score the fourth original by Munch himself.

Petter Olsen, a Norwegian businessman whose father was a friend of Munch's, will be submitting the work to a Sotherby's auction on May 2nd of this year. The Web is already buzzing - with predictions of the piece's value at around $80 million. 

The work, which features a hand-painted frame by Munch himself, will be on display in both the UK and NY before being auctioned off.

For more information on the auction and how to get your shot at this work of art, visit the Sotherby's website.  

This morning at Motivators was an exciting one!  We had a visit from John Cudahy, a representative from one of our warehouses.  He brought in many interesting promotional products that will sure be a hit with our customers.  We saw new promotional flashlights, promotional cutlery and many diffrent types of promotional drinkware.  The one item that really stood out was the hand blown glass pilsner mugs.  They were extremely light and gave the liquid inside them a "floating" look.  These are sure to be a poplular seller for a wide array of our customers.  I also think our whole team is looking forward to getting a few samples for the office! 

Foxnews.com is reporting today that Twitter will be putting a harness on its privacy settings.

The announcement comes shortly after the social media giant admitted that they copied entire entries in smartphone address books and saved them to servers - without the knowledge of the user.

When one uses the Twitter iPhone app and clicks on "Find Friends" the app copies the entire entry, saves it to its server and then proceeds with the search. According to the Los Angeles Times, these entries are held on a server for 18 months. This completely goes against Apple's policy on applications, stating exclusively that transmitting a user's information without their knowledge is illegal.

To better understand the process, Twitter Spokesperson Carolyn Penner said that language such as the current "Scan Your Contacts" will be replaced with "Import Your Contacts" or "Upload Your Contacts." By doing this, the Twitter user will be giving permission for these entries to be held online for the aforementioned amount of time. No word on when these changes are supposed to take place.  

While you can't keep your smartphone, tablet or computer safe from everything on the Internet, you can protect these devices from scratches and bumps with promotional iPod covers, custom imprinted iPad cases and promotional computer bags.  

One of my best friends during work here at Motivators is my pen! I use my pen throughout the day and it is very important that it can write well and it must be blue ink. My favorite one that glides while writing at the gel pens. They are just so much easier to use than your ordinary click pens and your writing is much more legible (or so I think). Even though no one sees the notes I take or the scribbles I make, it makes me feel good to know that I use blue ink. Especially when I don't have to try to write and the pen just does everything for me. Makes me feel all that better. 

This time of year is a very exciting time for me. As a music critic and freelance blogger, this is the time of year where summer festivals announce their dates and line-ups. Each passing week determines how busy (and how expensive) my summer will be.

After missing last year's Bonnaroo (and a one-off performance by Buffalo Springfield) I have become determined to attend Bonnaroo. I attended the 2010 festivities and despite the 15 hour drive each way (which I did in one take) and the arid 90+ degree days, it was really the best time. I anxiously awaited an announcement from the festival's publicist (a man I have worked with in the past) only to find the festival was taking a more unorthodox approach to announcing the line-up. 

This year, the festival giant announced its lengthy lineup via a Spotify playlist. Eighty-one songs (one for each artist that is scheduled to perform) creates a playlist that is over 5 hours long. The festival lineup (and playlist) has some pretty well-known names throughout and the most cutting-edge artists from every genre under the sun. For those who want a little something extra, the festival has performances from some stellar comedians (Conan O'Brien, Greg Giraldo and Aziz Ansari headlined in 2010) and stages with large TVs. 

Tickets for the festival will be available on Saturday, February 18. For more information, visit the Bonnaroo website. 

If you have plans to make a big announcement in a unique way, be sure to use promotional products to get your news out there.

One of my favorite parts about my job is talking to my customers about what they do, and why they are ordering. Last week, I spoke to Jayson who is an export service representative at Rosenbauer America. But what does Rosenbauer America do? They make fire trucks! They also made the truck that is Sentinel Prime in the Transformers movie! When I was told that, I was blown away, and needed to ask for some swag. Jayson was kind enough to send me a huge package of their custom imprint promotional products that they have ordered. Below is an image of what I was sent: A custom imprinted lapel sticker, customer imprinted patch and lapel pin, promotional golf tees, personalized calendar, a screen printed T-Shirt, and an engraved bottle opener (reason they called to re-order). I am so excited to have received all of these amazing giveaways!

Delis and restaurants everywhere are getting more and more technologically savvy, in their effort to improve sales.  While I was waiting in line at the local deli something new caught my eye.  There were promotional signs everywhere with QR codes on them.  With your smart phone you scan the QR code for your favorite eatery and text message your order in.  When you get to the establishment all you do is walk up to the express line, pay for you order and leave!  No lines, no hassle!  I though this was a fantastic idea and can’t wait to try it out.

How many times has this happened? You buy flowers for that special someone on Valentine's Day only to realize that there's not one vase at home or in the office. Next thing you know, you're scouring around for something to put your new bouquet. A few minutes later, you find yourself using your favorite promotional mug or custom imprinted tumbler as a vase. Gross.

Did you know that Motivators carries several different types of promotional vases? These vases are very unique and trendy because they are stored flat and expand when filled with water. They really do work - and make a great gift for anyone who might get flowers this Valentine's Day.

Want something a little more romantic? There's the custom imprinted Westgate Crystal Wilfire Vase. (item #12858) This item is made of very elegant crystal and has etching options. Best of all, there is no minimum on it. 

There are only five days left until Valentine's Day and while the time can be pretty stressful, you're sure to get your Valentine's attention with flowers and a promotional vase from Motivators. 

Lately I have been so tired of listening to the radio stations and the same music replaying over and over again. It drives me insane! how many times can you really listen to Adelle on everything radio station. That is why I love my ipod, I just plug it in to my car and listen to my favorites. Custom MP3 players are great for this exact reason, and I get to choose what I listen to and it isnt repetitive.

February 22, 2012, at the Prudential Center - Newark NJ, I will be attending my first professional basketball game. The two teams playing are the New Jersey Nets against the Orlando Magic.  I do not know much about basketball or the teams, but what makes this game so much more interesting for me is that, there is a turkish player on each team. Being a turk myself, this is a tough situation. I don't know which team to chear for! Do I go for Mehmet Okur - on the Nets or Hidayet Turkoglu - on the Magics. What I was thinking of doing was buying myself a pair of the promotional #1 Foam Hand from Motivators and printing each ones name on both sides and who ever scores go with that! I hope to have a blast and will update you guys that following week. Keep reading!