In this issue: H2OMG PAPER INTERNET SOUPER-DUPER 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 101 --------------------------------- Brainmail is a free monthly (usually) newsletter dedicated to intellectual miscellany and ephemera. A file of hand picked curiosities, cerebral snacks and fortuitous facts. To subscribe or unsubscribe (or to search the whole ten year brainmail archive) visit: http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/ Like it? - then surely share it on Twitter and Facebook. --------------------------------- : INSIGHTS & IDEAS > H2OMG Great to hear that a "wellness and health sanctuary" in South Kensington, London, has filled one of its pools with 25 tonnes of seawater imported from Sicily. Important when over a billion people don't have access to clean water. Ref: The Week (UK) > Exit strategy An experiment led by Paul Robinette at the Georgia Institute of Technology has found that people are more likely to follow a robot out of a burning building than follow traditional exit signs - even if the robot is directing people in a different direction. Some people even followed a robot when it pointed to a darkened doorway partly blocked by furniture. Go figure. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Working lunches beat team-building activities Here's something I really like. A study by a team led by Kevin Kniffin at Cornell has found that eating together improves team performance. The study, which looked at 395 fire officers in 13 US fire stations, found that cooperative behaviour was almost twice as high among team members that ate together. Ref: Harvard Business Review Daily Stat (US) > Not raining cats and dogs A survey has found that the ownership of cats and dogs in the UK has started to decline since 2015. The study, by Mintel, speculates that the reason might be a combination of an ageing population and Generation Rent who are unwilling - or unable - to commit to a furry friend or fur kid. Ref: The Week (UK) > Paper internet The Mundaneum museum in Mons, Belgium, contains a collection of things written and printed on paper - index cards, newspapers, posters, tickets etc. The collection was started by a lawyer with the aim of cataloguing all the world's information. Familiar? That's perhaps why Google recently funded the collection and why the museum is known to some as 'Paper Google'. Ref: The Observer (UK), Mundaneum.org > Return of the Cheese Plant Garden centres in London are struggling to keep up with demand for giant tropical plants, especially house plants that were last popular in the 1970s. Ref: Evening Standard (UK) > Sorry seems to be the hardest word Not sure about this. A new phrase-checking app helps women to appear stronger in communications by preventing them from apologising. For instance, the app will recommend "I'm no expert" in place of "I'm sorry". Hey, don't blame me, I'm just the messenger. Ref: The Week (UK) > Souper-duper A pop-up installation called Pea Soup House within the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has been dispensing soup in colour-coded paper cups. The colour of the cup - and the nature and colour of the soup - are linked to the day's air quality in central London. The idea is to raise awareness of air quality while having a bit of fun. (Pea-Souper was a term used to describe heavy smog in London back in the day.) Ref: Evening Standard (UK) > Black and whitegoods If you've got everything in your kitchen - including a kitchen sink - then this might be for you. Upmarket white goods maker Smeg (Smug?) has brought out a fridge with a blackboard paint finish so you can write chalk reminders all over it. Probably more useful that an internet fridge. Ref: The Sunday Times (UK) > Can this really be true? According to a survey by Future Nauotics, 147,500 additional sailors will be needed by 2025 to run the world's merchant shipping fleet. However, the fleet faces a "huge shortfall" because young sailors are reluctant to go to sea without access to social media. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Plastic skin Scientists at Stanford University have developed a plastic skin that could allow prosthetic limbs to 'feel'. The skin features two layers: one that senses, and a second that transmits information by converting electrical signals into biochemical stimuli for nerve cells to receive. Ref: Science (US) --------------------------------- : THE NUMBERS Uber's valuation now exceeds that of General Motors. Ref: Financial Times Governments around the world introduced 539 protectionist measures in the first 10 months of 2015, up from 407 during the same period in 2014. Ref: Trading Economics New York State produces more carbon emissions that the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Ref: Ian Goldin/World Economic Forum The average age of headline acts at the Glastonbury music festival increased from 29 years of age in 1997 to 43 years of age in 2015. Ref: The Guardian (UK) Crimes committed by people aged over 60 have risen by 35 per cent in the UK over the past decade. Ref: The Oldie (UK) In 2014, robot sales rose by 29 per cent, the highest ever recorded increase. Ref: IFR By 2025, the sharing economy could be worth $335 billion globally. Ref: PWC (UK) The increased use of digital technologies could add $1.36 trillion to total global economic output by 2020. Ref: Forbes (US) 90 per cent of children in the UK haven't visited a park, forest or other natural space during the last year, according to a study by Natural England. Ref: The Week (UK) 28% of Labour voters would be upset if their child married a Conservative voter. Only 19% of Conservative voters would be worried if their offspring married a Labour supporter. Ref: The Guardian/YouGov --------------------------------- : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "Nearly every great discovery in science has come as the result of providing a new question rather than a new answer." - Zoologist Paul A. Meglitch --------------------------------- : SHOP OF THE MONTH Story, in New York, changes the look of its whole store every eight weeks. Ref: Inc. Magazine (UK) --------------------------------- : CHARITY OF THE MONTH Since 2011, Give A Book has been giving away books to primary schools and prisons. www.giveabook.org.uk --------------------------------- : AND ANOTHER ONE... Growing Support is a UK charity that helps older people living in care homes to turn unused and underused gardens into tiny hubs of local social activity. The idea takes on issues ranging from loneliness and lack of social interaction to the local growing of food, exercise and mental stimulation. www.growingsupport.co.uk --------------------------------- : BOOK OF THE MONTH Of Beards and Men: The Revealing History of Facial Hair by Christopher Oldstone-Moore (University of Chicago Press) Got a beard? Read this book! Did you know, for instance, that there have been four great beard eras? The first was started by the Emperor Hadrian. The others were during the High Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the late 19th Century. Also, who knew there was a beard tax in 1705? --------------------------------- : STRATEGY CARDS I've wanted to create a set of cards using material from brainmail for a while. I had one stalled attempt, but I've now got something. The set of cards has been created with Imperial College's Technology Foresight Practice. They were originally created for a conference and are still in beta, but take a look. If anyone wants a set please get in touch: http://bit.ly/2cX1fje --------------------------------- : 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 looking for an interesting speaker for your next conference, workshop, or event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via nowandnext.com. Richard, who is based in London, is the creator of brainmail (along with Matt Doyle and Phil Beresford, both of whom had the good sense to stay in Australia). --------------------------------- : 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.