Monthly Archives: January 2012

College dorms are fast becoming a singles scene

January 31, 2012 – 1:53 pm

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Bunking with a roommate, for better or for worse, used to be a college rite of passage. These days, more students are seeking haven in private rooms. As of 2004, half of all US schools were including singles in new construction (The Record, 7 December 2011). One-third of the rooms […]

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Dutch airline lets passengers pick seatmates

January 31, 2012 – 1:48 pm

by Sairica Rose WHAT’S HAPPENING Romance and friendship can blossom in the most unlikely of places. Even on aeroplanes. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines “Meet and Seat” service, to be launched in early 2012, will enable passengers to choose their seatmate based on their social media profiles (Wired.com, 16 December 2011). The service will invite users […]

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GreenZero device chargers slay vampire energy drain

January 31, 2012 – 1:45 pm

by Jana Branch WHAT’S HAPPENING “Zero idle power” to the people. That’s what Bracketron GreenZero device chargers and power supplies deliver — a way for energy-aware consumers to automatically staunch the flow of vampire energy (the suck from devices in fully charged or standby mode). Designs dubbed Mushroom and Stone add a designer’s eye to […]

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A BEAUTY REVOLUTION

January 31, 2012 – 1:42 pm

by Stefania Revelli Most women (and perhaps men) have been there — staring, incredulous, at the perfection of women adorning magazine covers and uncertain whether they should feel inspired or insecure. Although airbrushing is no beauty secret, it turns out that most women still fall into the latter group. When polled, four out of five […]

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Tamil Nadu makes chess compulsory in schools

January 24, 2012 – 3:52 pm

by Kiran Manral WHAT’S HAPPENING Tamil Nadu will be the second state in India to make chess a compulsory subject for all government and aided schools. Gujarat was the first state in India to require that students learn chess. This is a bid to improve the cognitive skills of the students, especially those from “educationally backward” districts (Times […]

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Silicon Valley at sea aims to stem the tide of brain drain

January 24, 2012 – 3:47 pm

by Amber Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING Changes in visa policy have made it harder for highly educated  immigrants to launch companies in the US — especially in Silicon Valley. One solution? Move the whole thing to a ship in international waters. The idea was cooked up by son of Cuban immigrants and CEO of Blueseed Co. […]

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Austrian credit card watch makes contactless payments

January 24, 2012 – 3:39 pm

by Sairica Rose WHAT’S HAPPENING Watching what you pay takes on a new meaning with Austrian watchmaker LAKS’ watch2pay credit-card timepieces (watch2pay.com, December 2011). Watch2pay enables wearers to make contactless MasterCard payments using their watch. Family-run firm LAKS claims that its wearable hybrid system is a world first. Watches come with MasterCard PayPass pre-pay cards […]

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THE KIDLESS ARE ALRIGHT

January 24, 2012 – 2:14 pm

by Abby Carlen I’ve never missed a baby shower or a first birthday party. I don’t shy away from burping a newborn. Rather than cringing at the sound of my nephew’s screech, I appreciate his verve. I also appreciate being home alone. Today, being kidless has less of a stigma than it did years ago. […]

By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumers, Economy, Money/Spending, Parents | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MEAT Podcast, Episode 6: The Consumer Electronics Show download

January 19, 2012 – 9:44 am

by Mike Garrison, Andrew Hawn, Nancy Robinson and Robert van Alstyne Entertainment and Technology Strategists discuss key consumer trends from CES 2012.  To listen to the podcast, click here.

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Japanese workers warm up to cold-weather ideas

January 17, 2012 – 2:28 pm

by Misako Kitaoka WHAT’S HAPPENING Just as the Japanese government promoted “Super Cool Biz” to encourage offices and individuals to conserve electricity during the hot summer months, it is promoting “Warm Biz” this winter by asking people to bundle up, eat warming foods, and to keep the thermostat at 20°C (68°F) or lower. The result […]

By Iconoculture | Posted in Consumer Trend, Fashion, Food/Beverage, Home | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Tweet seats have high-culture consumers all a-Twitter

January 17, 2012 – 2:25 pm

by Robert van Alstyne WHAT’S HAPPENING A phantom at the opera … and a smartphone? A rising tide of “tweet seats” are giving mobile mavens the all-clear to engage in rapid-fire texting at fine arts performances across the country. Typically restricted to a predefined area on one side of the auditorium so as not to […]

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Left on the shelf: Swedish dating site cooks love from scraps

January 17, 2012 – 2:21 pm

by Sairica Rose WHAT’S HAPPENING Speed-dating, pairs dating, pet dating … green dating? Swedish farmers’ co-operative Lantmännen matches singles to share leftover ingredients on eco-friendly dinner dates (Lantmannen.se, December 2011). Restdejting (Leftovers Dating) is a heartwarming endeavour to reduce waste, based on Lantmännen’s assertion that every fifth bag of food in Sweden is thrown away. […]

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TAKING A BITE FROM APPLE

January 17, 2012 – 2:18 pm

by Robert van Alstyne Want to know the hot tech product that every consumer will be hankering for in 2012? Then don’t bother attending the Consumer Electronics Show. Although the annual trade show still draws 140,000+ attendees every year, major industry players increasingly prefer unveiling their most prized products away from the fray. The biggest […]

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Talent Garden grows tomorrow’s startups in Italy

January 10, 2012 – 12:24 pm

by Krisha Kinnersley WHAT’S HAPPENING Online entrepreneurs, graphic designers and other techie minds interested in sharing an innovative working space can now rent a workstation at the newly opened Talent Garden (Tag) office building in Brescia (ItalianValley.Wired.it, 2 December 2011). Started by Davide Dattoli, Enrico Ballerini and Gianfausto Ferrari, Tag plants the concept of coworking […]

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