In this issue: WHO'S THE DADDY? DIGITAL BIRTH BIRDS OF A FEATHER And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _ _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 77 - July 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ : NEW TRENDS, NEW TECHNOLOGY & NEW THINKING > Augmented suspects Frequentis, an Austrian surveillance systems company, has created a smartphone application that allows police officers to pick suspects out of large crowds using a phone. If police have a fix on a suspect's mobile phone (i.e. it's a smartphone or contains GPS and it's switched on) icons will appear on police mobiles overlaid with the location of uniformed and undercover police officers. The concept is an extension of an existing technology that shows the location of police officers based on signals emitted from police radios. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Who's the daddy? Studies looking at levels of non-paternity (i.e. when someone that thinks they are the father of a child actually isn't) have found rates varying between 1-10%. In one study, looking at a block of flats in Liverpool, the rate was 20-30%. Given that you can now buy over-the-counter DNA testing kits in the UK, is this likely to give rise to an increasing number of legal actions in the future? Ref: Intelligent Life (UK) > Meek squad Apparently being somewhat cautious is the key to a long life. A research project known as the Longevity Project (begun in 1921) has found that people with a cheerful disposition tend to die sooner than those with a somewhat gloomy outlook. The study also found (or at least claims) that children that are the happiest and most impulsive tend to go on to take more risks in adulthood, thereby shortening their lives. Then again, surely it's not just how long you've got, but how well you live whilst your alive, right? Ref: The Times (UK) > Digital birth In the US and Europe the average age that a child first has an online presence is around 25 weeks. Meanwhile, 69% of kids aged between 2 and 5 years know how to use a computer mouse and 58% can play at least one computer game. Only 11% of the same age group can tie their own shoe-laces. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Word detective: Elderburbia A suburb that houses predominately older people. Ref: Wordspy.com > Stealth drones The US military has designed a number of unmanned drones the size of large insects and small birds. Currently drones are flown by remote control by human operatives, but in the future it may be possible to have autonomous flying 'insects' that are able to hover and thus hide in plain sight. SWAT teams anyone? Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Birds of a feather Why do some birds fly in formation while others appear to fly in chaotic crowds? Formations such as the V-shaped 'big wing' favoured by geese can provide aerodynamic benefits (e.g. reduced wind resistance), while for pigeons flocking in seemingly random formations seems to serve no purpose. Answers on a postcard please. Ref: Nature (US) > Brain-like computers Unlike the human brain, computers currently process and store information separately, causing potential speed and power log-jams. However, researchers at Exeter University (UK) have found a way to do both tasks at once using a so-called 'phase change' semiconductor made from germanium, antimony and tellurium. That's germanium the metal not Geranium the pot plant if you were wondering. Ref: Journal of Advanced Materials (UK) > How people relax and re-wind The size of the UK computer gaming market eclipsed the UK film market in value terms some years ago. However, statistics from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) show that this is now true in volume terms as well. In 2010, two of the three most popular entertainment products were computer games rather than films or music. The most popular entertainment product during 2010 was the game Call of Duty: Black Ops, followed by Avatar (a movie) and FIFA 11 (a game). Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : THE NUMBERS The average US child spends 66% more time watching TV than attending school. Ref: USA Today (US) Of the 100 crop species that provide mankind with 90% of its food supply, 70% are pollinated by bees. Ref: The Independent (UK) There are 35,000,000 people learning to play the piano in China. Ref: Financial Times (UK) Britons ate 141 million packets of biscuits (cookies) during 2010. Ref: Biscuit World (Seriously). Mexico now has the second largest number of obese people after the United States. Ref: The Economist (UK) 50% of US workers have a meeting each and every work day. Ref: The Register (US) It takes 1,100 - 2,000 litres of water to make 1kg of wheat and around 16,000 litres to make 1kg of beef. Ref: The Economist (UK) In South Korea the average high school student plays video games for 23 hours per week. In 2007, approximately 210,000 children in South Korea needed treatment for internet addiction. Ref: The Economist (UK) At the Fat Duck (a restaurant known for its molecular cuisine) the chefs outnumber the diners by 47 to 42. Ref: The Independent (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : BOOK OF THE MONTH "Future Babble: Why expert predictions fail - and why we believe them anyway" by Dan Gardner ------------------------------------------------------------ : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH Creative ideas and products for quality family time: http://www.finkcards.co.uk/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH Take your pick... "The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present." - G.K. Chesterton "That men do not learn very much from history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach us." - Aldous Huxley ------------------------------------------------------------ : PREDICTION OF THE MONTH The UK government will eventually recommend a weekday gaming curfew to reduce the number of children aged under 16 playing computer games between the hours of 10pm and 8am. ------------------------------------------------------------ : THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH What are the consequences of people increasingly receiving news alone and does the fragmentary nature of news media mean that news is becoming more fleeting? ------------------------------------------------------------ : STILL HUNGRY? Not a lot of people know this, but brainmail is put together using some of the leftover bits from the What's Next trends report. So if this snack-sized newsletter is leaving you a bit hungry, go to nowandnext.com for something more substantial (and that's free too). ------------------------------------------------------------ : BRAINMAIL LIVE If you are considering a future focused speaker for your next conference, workshop, or other event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via nowandnext.com. Richard is the creator of brainmail (along with Matt and Phil). ------------------------------------------------------------ : SMALL PRINT The material appearing in brainmail is sourced from a variety of usually reliable publications worldwide. However, we cannot guarantee the truthfulness of stories and a degree of commonsense should be applied before quoting or using any material in a commercial context. If something appears to be too good to be true it probably is.