In this issue: BLUESPAMMING THE WEIGHT OF A YEAR DECADENT DOGS WATERPROOF PAPER IPOD WEDDINGS And much much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _, _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Keeping brains healthy since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 13 - March 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free monthly newsletter about new ideas, innovations and trends. If you'd like to receive regular copies simply click on subscribe. Subscribe: subscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Tell the world about brainmail - forward this to a friend. ------------------------------------------------------------ > They know where you are Want to know where someone is all the time? Just steal their mobile phone and enter their number onto the World-Tracker.com website (costs apply). A message is then sent to the phone asking if you want to be tracked. Say 'yes' then delete the message and return the phone. You'll now be able to track the person (without their knowledge) anytime via your PC or mobile using a Google maps-based interface. Please don't do this. Ref: The Guardian/The Register (UK) > Word detective: Bluespamming Bluespamming is the targeting of people in specific locations with location related sales messages. So, for example, if you've got a Bluetooth phone you might receive a special offer when you enter an airport or get a message from Coca-Cola when you walk past one of their vending machines. How does this work? - we'll tell you in the next issue. Ref: The Times (UK) > Picture this Don't quote us just yet, but it's quite likely that more photographs will be taken in 2006 than during the rest of human history. But will any of these photographs still be around in 2056? Ref: Mail & Guardian (South Africa) > A naughty gene? This could be a godsend to people who believe that nothing is ever their fault. Scientists claim to have discovered a gene that determines honesty, self-control and impulsiveness. So will we see genes used as a defence in murder cases? It's already happened. A UK teenager recently won an appeal on the basis that he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ref: Archives of General Psychiatry (US) > Write thyself A non-profit R&D lab (now there's an interesting idea) has created software that can write itself. The program allows computers to read a description of a problem and then write another program by themselves to solve it. Ref: Newsweek (US) > No more privacy or getting lost (for pets) How can you keep an eye on your pampered pet when you're always at work? One solution is the iSeePet pet remote communications system. The device features an automatic food and drink dispenser that can be activated with a mobile phone and a remote camera link so you can see if the food has been eaten. Meanwhile, another Japanese company has created a pet collar with GPS so you can track the whereabouts of Fluffy or Fido. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > The weight of a year The Kokuyo stationary company in Japan recently ran a competition seeking ideas for new products. The winning entry was a paper calendar attached to a spring balance. Each time a day is torn off the spring balance registers the drop in weight and displays the correct month and day on the hanger scale. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > What people want A poll by Harris Interactive in the US says that 73% of people that use automated voice-response systems experience 'phone rage' and 37% immediately hang up or press 0 to speak to a real person. Ref: Inc (US) > Decadent dogs Pawpaws is a holistic pet retreat in Sydney (Australia). Rooms are themed and feature sun decks, futons, TVs, a day spa and essential oil rubdowns (yes, all for the dog). Ref: Sunday Life (Aus) > Sleep on this 20% of human sleep is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep while 80% is Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. When REM sleep is suppressed there are no physical or mental consequences. But if people are deprived of NREM sleep a sleep debt is created that must eventually be re-paid. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Open sauce (sic) innovation Kettle Foods is applying the principle of open source software development to the creation of new potato chip flavours. Visitors to the Kettle website can vote on the flavours currently in development. Ref: Los Angeles Times (US) > The mother of invention During the 1999 NATO conflict in Bosnia, the Serbs painted trompe l'oeil (paint effect) bomb-holes on bridges to confuse enemy fighters. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Personalised confectionary Ever wanted your own confectionary? Customers to the M&Ms website in the US can order their favourite colour candy with their own name or a special two-line phrase printed on one side of each individual M&M. Ref: Business Week (US) > Rewarding idea Here's a simple idea. Most rewards cards give you money off, free products or air miles. The American Express One card pays you cash (1% of purchases) but deposits it in a savings account paying 3.5% interest. Ref: Business Week (US) > Pink phones CBB Mobil is a Danish mobile (cell phone) operator that is targeted squarely at the Danish gay market. 25% of profits are funnelled back into gay community projects. Ref: Springwise.com (Netherlands) > Will it take off? Conventional wisdom says that low-cost airlines only work over short distances. But according to some observers it's only a matter of time before someone buys an A380 super-Jumbo and fills it with very cheap seats. Routes could include London to Sydney and extras like food, drinks and entertainment would all be on a help-yourself, pay-as-you-go basis. Ref: Airline Business (US) > Tastes set in the womb? A US study says that babies than are born small or underweight have a stronger liking for salt than their heavier brethren. Ref: European Journal for Clinical Nutrition (UK) > Waterproof paper Do we really need waterproof paper? Probably not, but if you're the Post Office or someone that prints out paper shipping labels this invention from ecology coatings could come in handy, especially if you live in a really wet country. Phil says this idea could work for parking tickets too. Ref: Time (US) > Green planes Given our concern about climate change and other green issues this idea should have flown. British Airways recently gave passengers the opportunity to pay a little bit extra to offset the carbon emissions caused by their flight. But apparently less than 0.5% of passengers were interested. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Not my cup of tea Rememberthemilk.com is an on-line list manager and reminder service. Items can be prioritised and lists can be downloaded by e-mail, instant messenger or SMS. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > One price fruit and vegetables Maegashira is a chain of stores in Japan that sells fresh produce uniformly priced at 100 Yen each. Apparently this adds to speed and convenience. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > Word detective: iPod weddings Remember the DJ at the last wedding you went to? Exactly. These days the glitterati at the wedding party bring their own wedding tunes on their iPods. Ref: Spotted at a wedding by the ever vigilant Phil. > Hot idea? We've seen soap with added caffeine, waterproof radios and flat screen shower TVs, so innovation is clearly alive and well in the bathroom. The latest idea in America is Shower Soothers. These are tablets that you toss into the shower that give off vapours like eucalyptus and menthol. What's next - decaf soap? Ref: Business Week (US) > Word detective: Google goggles Google goggles is a new term I just invented to describe the fact that if you don't appear on Page 1 of Google rankings you may as well not exist. Ref: brainmail. ------------------------------------------------------------ : STATSHOTS According to a study by the NPD Group, the percentage of Americans that find overweight people 'less attractive' has fallen from 55% to 24% over the last twenty years. Ref: Futurewire (US) 60% of employees will yawn if a co-worker yawns first. Apparently the reaction has an evolutionary explanation in that it demonstrates group empathy. Ref: The Times (UK) In 1990 around 12% of new homes in the UK were apartments. The figure is now closer to 50%. However, 95% of people would prefer to live in a house. Ref: The Spectator (UK) Almost 50% of 12-14 year olds in America now own a mobile phone. Ref: Newsweek (US) 92% of the land in the UK is still classified as countryside Ref: The Spectator (UK) 33% of women and 28% of men wear lucky underwear on a first date Ref: The Times (UK) Sales of honey increased by 4.5% in the UK last year while sales of jam fell by 7%. The rise is linked to an increased number of honey varieties (honey solutions?) and a desire for naturally produced products. Ref: The Times (UK) Women are 40% more likely to be affected by insomnia than men. Ref: Sleep Review (US) 10% of people in the UK are thought to suffer from a mild form of Seasonally Affective Disorder (SAD). Ref: The Times (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : NEW BRAINMAIL WEBSITE Brainmail now has it's very own very low-tech website where you can view all previous issues http://brainmail.nowandnext.com ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "A common mistake people make when trying to design something foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools" Douglas Adams. ------------------------------------------------------------ : LINKS If you like people that give good quote check out this mini-series http://www.principals.com.au/movingminds/imagination.html ------------------------------------------------------------ : PREVIEW OF NEXT ISSUE Want to know how Bluespamming works? Then read the next issue. ------------------------------------------------------------ : SUBSCRIBE TO BRAINMAIL Subscribe: subscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Remove: unsubscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 2006 What's Next. All rights reserved. Neither this newsletter nor any part of it may be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without the prior written permission of the publisher.