In this issue: NEW MENTAL DISORDERS SCHOOL LUNCHES THE WORLD'S #1 KILLER And much, much more... --------------------------------- BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL BRAINMAIL *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 --------------------------------- Issue 61 - March 2010 --------------------------------- Brainmail is a free monthly (usually) newsletter dedicated to current and future trends, statistics and other nuggets of information. To subscribe, or unsubscribe, to the world's best cerebral snackfood visit http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/ Tell the whole world about brainmail - forward this to zillions of friends. --------------------------------- > Multi-Channel Banking Ten years ago it looked as though online was the future of banking. Now it appears that the traditional branch may be the future. Online-only banks such as Egg, Cahoot Intelligent Finance and Smile are all looking outdated. The problem is twofold. First the recession has meant that people want to deal directly with people, especially if they are facing difficulties. Second, the trend has been towards a multi-channel approach, with big banks offering physical branches, online and telephone banking as part of account packages. Moral: The future is never what people expect. Ref: Financial Times (UK) > Word Detective: Steampunk This is what happens when computer nerds read Jules Verne novels. Another way of looking at it is thinking about what might have happened if the Victorians had perfected the computer but had done so using mechanical rather than electrical engineering. Ref: The Times (UK) > Linking Schools with Communities Why didn't someone think of this before? A school in the UK has opened its dining room to the general public. Parents, grandparents, ex-students and ex-teachers are now allowed to eat alongside pupils at lunchtimes. Ref: The Times (UK) > Back to Basics and Back to Nature Linking with food trends such as fast and fresh and sustainable, one of the latest food crazes to hit the backyards of Sydney is keeping chickens. According to Planet Poultry, there has been an 18-fold increase over the last two years. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > Syndrome Sickness When the American Psychiatric Association first published its diagnostic handbook in 1952, it contained 112 disorders. The latest edition contains 374. A new edition, due to be published in 2012 is likely to include even more potential mental illnesses including: internet addiction, night eating disorder, pathological hoarding and compulsive shopping disorder. Has the world gone crazy? Yes, according to Dr Michael Linden, a German psychologist, who claims that 1-2% of the global population suffered from one kind of mental disorder or another. Ref: The Australian (Aus). > Finger Vein Recognition Hitachi in Japan has created an identity verification system based upon individual finger vein patterns. The technology is expected to allow shoppers to make retail purchases without the use of cash or plastic cards. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > Shop of the Month The School of Life is a small shop in central London that offers good ideas for everyday living. Classes and courses range from punctuality and pessimism to seduction and curiosity. Ref: Various > Number One Killer According to the World Health Organization, cancer will become the world's number one cause of death in 2010, overtaking heart disease. Ref: Time (US) > Child Killers Accidents kill more than 2,000 children every day. 95% of these accidents occur in developing regions but accidents are still responsible for around 40% of child deaths in developed regions. The top five child killers globally are: "other unintentional", road accidents, drowning, fire and falls. Ref: Time (US) > 10 Best iPhone Apps Pandora Radio, AroundMe, AP Mobile News Network, Ocarina, Wikipanion, Adrenaline Pool Lite, Instapaper, NetNewsWire, iTalk and Fake Calls. Ref: Time (US) > Robot of the Month Is... the Talon Black Max. Originally developed by UK-based military supplier QinetiQ for bomb disposal work in Afghanistan and Iraq, the black bot has recently completed trials with the London Fire Brigade. Ref: Technology Review (US) --------------------------------- : FAST FACTS 1/3 of children play computer games with their parents, but say that they'd rather play board games with them or play outside. Ref: Guardian/State of Play Report (UK) In 2009, 1 in 3 Americans had a profile on a social networking site. This figure was up from less than 1 in 10 in 2005. Ref: PEW Internet Survey (US) The UK is the second most populated country in Europe with 402.1 people per sq km. Ref: Daily Mail (UK) 2.16 million homes in the UK do not have a private garden. By 2020, this number is expected to rise to 2.6 million, largely due to developers building single occupancy dwellings on gardens to avoid planning permission. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) Malaria kills one million people every year. 90% of malaria deaths are in Africa and most deaths are children aged under five. Ref: The Guardian (UK) --------------------------------- : BOOK OF THE MONTH "The Death of Grass" by John Christopher (1956) --------------------------------- : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH The School of Life http://www.theschooloflife.com/ --------------------------------- : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty." - John Finley --------------------------------- : PREDICTION OF THE MONTH "One day I'll catch up with all the overdue issues of Brainmail." - Richard Watson --------------------------------- : STILL HUNGRY? You might not know this, but brainmail is put together using all the leftover bits from the What's Next trends report. So if this snack-sized newsletter is leaving you a bit hungry, go to www.nowandnext.com for something more substantial (and that's free too). --------------------------------- : LOOKING FOR AN INSIGHTFUL AND ENTERTAINING SPEAKER? If you are considering a futurist speaker for your next event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via www.nowandnext.com. Richard is the creator of brainmail (along with help from Phil, Matt and occasionally Corrina). Richard's recent speaker clients have included IBM, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Samsung, CSIRO, The Welsh Government Assembly and Procter and Gamble. --------------------------------- : SMALL PRINT The material appearing in brainmail is sourced from a variety of reliable publications worldwide. However, brainmail cannot guarantee the truthfulness of stories and a degree of commonsense should be applied before quoting or using any of this material in a commercial context. If something appears to be too good to be true it probably is.