In this issue: KNIFE COUTURE SMALL PLATE DINING GEO-ENGINEERING RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL HAND-DRAWN VIDEO GAMES And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _, _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 29 - July 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free snack-sized newsletter dedicated to current and future trends. To subscribe or unsubscribe go to http://brainmail.nowandnext.com Tell the whole world about brainmail forward this to a couple of friends. ------------------------------------------------------------ > Sleeping on it Sleeping on a problem can help solve it. Research by Bob Stickgold at the Harvard Medical School says that people who slept after receiving information were better at recalling themes and patterns. In other words sleep doesn't just stabilise and strengthen memories it appears to extract meaning too. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Knife Couture 'Knife culture' has become so prevalent on the streets of some parts of Britain that an Essex based company called Bladerunner has launched a range of stab-proof fashion clothing. The hooded jackets, which are lined with Kevlar, are making an appearance everywhere from school playgrounds to dance floors. However, it's far from clear at this stage whether the covert clothing will be defensive or offensive. Ref: Bladerunner.tv (UK) > Self-destructing emails Software from a company called BigString allows users to determine the lifespan of any emails they send. Communications can be programmed to disappear from inboxes after anything from a few minutes to a couple of months. The same idea is now being developed to allow video emails to self-destruct in a similar manner. Potential users range from drunken partygoers to marketers offering 'limited time only' deals. Ref: Red Herring (US) > A better mousetrap Rentokil (the building services company) has built a digital mousetrap with a small sensor and wireless transmitter. The technology allows individual mousetraps to communicate with a central hub connected to the Internet, which then alerts human operatives to the status of each mousetrap. Ref: The Economist (UK) > CV Fraud According to anti-fraud company CPP, the number of victims reporting multiple identity theft has doubled in the last six months in the UK. The company also says it has seen a rise in "CV fraud" whereby criminals steal a person's career details and then apply for a job in their name only to later steal things from the employer. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK). > Bright idea A financial services company in Japan is offering special low-rate mortgages to 'intelligent' people. The theory is that people who are good at languages or have computer skills will find it easier to find jobs. Hence they are lower credit risks. Ref: BBC News (UK) > EMR Skincare UV protection is so last summer. The latest trend is skincare products that protect against Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) emitted from everything from microwaves to mobile phones. Nokia and Vodafone skincare products anyone? Ref: Sunday Life (Aus). > Table for one People that eat with one other person consume around 35% more food than if they eat alone. People that eat as part of a group of four eat 75% more and those eating as part of a group of seven or more eat 96% more. Ref: New Republic (US). > Small plate dining Women in Japan have hit upon a deceptively simple idea to reduce their weight - buy smaller tableware. It's unclear whether the growth of plus-sized people in countries like the US and UK has coincided with a growth in plus-sized plates, but in Japan sales of smaller sized rice bowls are anything but tiny. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > Pro-am newspapers A Danish newspaper has created a website where professional journalists compete with amateur bloggers to get their stories on the front page. The website (Avisen.dk) allows anyone access to its homepage where stories are displayed irrespective of provenance. Stories are ranked on the basis of 'most read' and 'most debated'. So far only the professionals get paid but this could change in the future. Ref: Springwise.com (Netherlands) > Word detective: Geo-engineering Geo-engineering is planetary scale engineering, usually discussed in the context of climate change. Currently most of the debate about climate change is focussed on how to stop the earth heating up but geo-engineering offers a series of possible solutions to cool it down. For example, floating trillions of tiny mirrors on our oceans could reflect light back into space thus making everything cooler. Ref: Economist Technology Quarterly (UK) > Nanotech T-shirts A company in Japan, Goldwin Inc, has launched a range of T-shirts that deodorize themselves. The nanocloth has both deodorizing and antibacterial properties, which can neutralise as much as 4 litres of ammonia (i.e. sweat). Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan). > Clothing for cold days A student at Cornell University in the US has designed clothing that can help prevent colds and flu. The cotton-based fabric is coated with nanoparticles that are electrostatically charged to create a protective shield around the fibers. Downsides? One square meter of the fabric currently costs USD $10,000. Ref: Science Daily (US) > Re-inventing the wheel 25% of car drivers in the US drive around on improperly inflated tires. However, an idea by an eighteen-year-old US student could change this. The idea is to embed sensors in the concrete next to gas-pumps. The tyres depress a series of steel pins, which record the air pressure, which is then displayed on a gauge on the gas-pump. Ref: Popular Science (US) > Word detective: Haptic technology Haptic technology refers to the science of vibration or, more specifically, the art of simulating pressure, texture and vibration or any other sensation related to touch. Confused? For example, some new phones feature a touch screen display to replace conventional buttons. However, these 'buttons' don't give the user any tactile feedback. Enter haptic technology. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Future generation Use of coal is predicted to increase from 5.4 billion tonnes to 10.6 billion tons in the US by 2030 so the race is on to build near-zero-emission coal plants, the first of which is expected to open by 2012. Meanwhile, another relatively new idea is to send carbon back to where it came from by pumping emissions back underground. Ref: Popular Science (US) > Demographic trends in Japan A rapidly falling birth-rate is having at least one unexpected side-effect in Japan. Luxury baby strollers are becoming status symbols as parents lavish attention and money on their one and only offspring. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > Whatever... A drinks company in Singapore has launched a soft drink that comes in two varieties named 'Anything' and 'Whatever'. The idea is that you don't know which of the six flavours you've got until you drink it. Ref: Spingwise.com (Netherlands) > Hot science What are the hottest areas of scientific research these days? According to Seed magazine answers include astrobiology, infectious diseases, developmental psychology, high-energy physics and paleoclimatology. Ref: Seed magazine (Canada) > Beer, beer and more beer For the beer drinker that's drunk everything comes news of a selection of new beer ideas from around the world. Innovations include beer brewed using milk, eco-friendly beer, vitamin-enhanced beer, fake beer for kids, beer for dogs, beer spas and open source beer. Ref: Trendhunter (Canada) > Business class buses Tour buses in Tokyo are offering luxurious business-class-style seating to passengers willing to pay a premium for greater comfort. The main market for these super seats is ageing baby boomers that are in good financial shape. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > The ageing population cycle The average age of Harley Davidson buyers in the US is now 47 years. Meanwhile, 50% of motorcycle buyers overall are aged over 40, with just 4% under 18. Ref: Motor Cycle Industry Council (US) > Hand-drawn video games This is probably more of a fad than a trend but hand-drawn video games seem to be popping up all over the place at the moment. Scribbled sites include the Line Rider from Slovenia, Fly Guy from the US, Double Wires from Japan and Sketch Fighter 4000, which is probably the result of alien abduction. Ref: The Times (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : STATSHOTS 10% of maids in Shanghai have recently quit their jobs because they make more money trading shares than cleaning rooms. Ref: The Times (UK) 1 in every 32 people in America is in prison. Ref: Daily Times (Pakistan) Marriage extends life expectancy for men by 1.7 years but reduces it for women by 1.4 years. Ref: The Week (UK) 80% of toys now contain an electronic component. Ref: The Real Toy Story (Erick Clark) Alcohol was responsible for 12% of all Russian deaths in 2005. Ref: Prospect (UK). It is estimated that 10 billion microprocessors will be sold during 2007. Ref: The Economist (UK) The world's smallest motor is 0.95mm wide and 3.6mm long and can operate at speeds of up to 4,000 rpm. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) There are 2.8 billion mobile phones in the world with an additional 1.6 million being added every day. Ref: The Economist (UK) Last year 10% of US companies had to correct publicly issued financial statements. Ref: Business Week (US) In 2002 Russia spent US $2 billion on overseas investments. By 2006 this figure had increased to US $ 13 billion. Ref: Business Week (US) There were 15,000 bars in New York City when prohibition started in 1920. Two years into prohibition and there were 32,000. Ref: New York Times Book Review (US) World energy demand is predicted to increase by 50% over the next 25 years. Ref: CBS (US) There are 500,000 semi-automatic machine guns in private hands in Switzerland. Ref: Prospect (UK) Between 42-56 million US service and manufacturing jobs are predicted to disappear over the next 10-20 years. Ref: Business Week (US) ------------------------------------------------------------ : WEBSITE OF THE MONTH http://www.rememble.com ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "All art constantly aspires to the condition of music" Walter Pater ------------------------------------------------------------ : STILL HUNGRY? If this snack-sized newsletter still leaves you feeling hungry feed your brain with something a little more substantial at www.nowandnext.com (and yes, that's free too). ------------------------------------------------------------ : LOVE IT? THEN SHARE IT Do you know someone whose brain is not being fully exercised? Someone that is snacking on media that isn't terribly satisfying. Floss their brain and brighten up their day with a copy of brainmail in their inbox - forward this to your friends. ------------------------------------------------------------