In this issue: COSMETIC SURGERY IN CHINA 100-YEN SUSHI BARS COCA-COLA CLOTHING ARE CEMETRIES THE NEW PARKS? THE COST OF ROBOTS TATTOOS START TO FADE And much much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _, _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Keeping brains healthy since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email 002 - February/March 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free bi-monthly newsletter about new ideas, innovations and trends. If you'd like to receive regular copies simply click on subscribe. If you'd like to be removed from future mailings just click on unsubscribe. Subscribe: mailto:subscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Unsubscribe: mailto:unsubscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Please feel free to forward this to a friend ------------------------------------------------------------ > COST OF ROBOTS According to the International Federation of Robotics robots are now cheap. If you index the costs of robots to humans with 1990 as the base (1990=100) the cost of robots has fallen from 100 to 18.5.The cost of humans on the other hand has increased from 100 to 151. Ref: Harvard Business Review (US) > BARKING MAD IDEA? Only in Japan and only from Tomy: a wearable digital camera - for dogs. Ref: Japan Today (Japan). > SNEEZE FREE CATS A company in California has started work on a sneeze free cat. The first hypoallergenic pussy is expected to meow in 2007. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > SUBURBIA KILLS Suburbia can kill you according to a report published by the Rand Corporation. Apparently people who live in suburban areas are more likely to suffer from a number of health problems including high blood pressure and arthritis. The reason? An increased tendency to drive everywhere! Ref: The Times (UK) > COCA-CLOTHING Coca-Cola has just launched an upmarket clothing line in the US. Meanwhile the London Underground is about to launch its own range of clothing aimed at hip 16-24 year olds. Ref: Wired (US). > THE SHOP'S FAULT? Victims of the Washington (US) sniper have successfully sued not only the gun maker but the store from which the sniper bought the rifle. This is the first time a gun company has agreed to pay out money over the negligent use and distribution of firearms. Ref: Weekly Telegraph (UK) > I NEED IT I WANT IT 45% of people say they are seduced into buying things they don't need versus 30% a decade ago. Ref: nVision (UK) > DEAR DIARY People who keep diaries are more likely to get depressed according to a survey by Glasgow University. This is an interesting finding because traditional wisdom says that if you write something traumatic down you're more likely to get over it quickly. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > IF THE FACE FITS China once banned beauty contests on the basis that they were 'spiritual pollution'. These days Chinese women (and Chinese girls) are going under the knife to improve their looks. However, whilst the trend is similar to that in the West there's one big difference. In China cosmetic surgery is used to boost earnings not self-esteem. And if that doesn't work there's now an artificial beauty contest for people that have been under the knife. Ref: The Economist (UK) > HUMAN NATURE 1, TECHNOLOGY 0 Ladies who eat too much lunch have forced Prada to abandon the use of some technology in their flagship store in New York. Apparently certain ladies objected to having their size recorded by impersonal machines. Ref: The Henley Centre (UK) > IT'S IN THE MAIL We've written about Netflix before. Now Wal-Mart and Blockbuster have both joined the mail order movie business. Ref: www.nowandnext.com > MORE MEN IN HOSPITAL A study in Australia has found that men make up over 70% of all trauma admissions to hospitals. The majority of trauma cases involved motor accidents and assaults. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (AUS) > SLEEP PATTERNS Research conducted by the Sleep Council says that 25% of people are kept awake at night by a restless or noisy partner. 25% also said that they would prefer to sleep by themselves but were afraid to raise the idea with their partner. Ref: www.nowandnext.com > BAD MOOD BENEFIT People that are in a bad mood make the best witnesses in car accidents. Ref: Journal of Experimental Psychology (US) > WIRE ME UP DOC The latest idea in body augmentation (plastic surgery is so last century) is metal breast implants. The idea is to fix mesh to your ribs and muscle thereby supporting your breasts and giving them that young look. The procedure costs around GB £4,700 for two (buy one get one free?). Meanwhile, buttock augmentation is another new idea reported by the American Society for Plastic Surgery's Emerging Trends Taskforce. Ref: The Times, The Sunday Telegraph (UK) > NO LONGER PART OF THE UNION In 1970 45% of the Australian workforce were members of a trade union. The figure is now 25%. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (AUS) > THE TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY For the last 100 years beauty has been out of fashion. However, a string of recent exhibitions, books and essays would seem to suggest that it's back. The reason is partly cyclical (modern art and architecture have become boring) but it may also have something to do with our collective search for happiness and meaning (beautiful things make us feel happy and connect us with eternal truths). Ref: Prospect (UK) > FAKE STATISTIC The counterfeiting industry is now worth an estimated US $350 billion globally. Ref: The Observer (UK). > STORE WARS If you thought Wal-Mart was big you ain't seen nothing yet. The company plans to increase its number of stores to 5,000 by 2008, reduce procurement costs by 20% and take a 30% market share of every business they're in. Ref: Fruitnet.com (US) > CHEAP SUCCESS In the US there are approximately 10,000 dollar stores (shops like Dollar General that sell products at US $1). The most profitable store is in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, in Japan, 100-Yen sushi bars are booming. Ref: The Henley Centre (UK). > MINI BRANDS Levi's has joined forces with a company called 'Alife' to create a "501 Concept Exhibit" in New York. The 4-week exhibition aims to sell 501 pairs of limited edition 'art status' jeans. Ref: The New York Times (US) > ENERGY EFFICIENCY In the US and Europe, office buildings and domestic housing consume about 40% of energy. That's 10% more than automobiles, trains and aeroplanes combined. Ref: Newsweek (US). > HOME SHOPPING - TWEENAGER STYLE Top Shop To Go is a home shopping service aimed at teenage and tweenage girls. You book an appointment, discuss the type of things that you like and they do the rest. The twist is that rather than just mail them to you they actually visit you at home or even visit you at work (assuming your old enough to actually have a job). Ref: Trendcentral (US). > BACK TO THE FUTURE If you're one of those people who are unconvinced by the nostalgia trend consider this incendiary statistic: Bjorn Again, the ABBA tribute band, earn more money that Kylie. Ref: www.nowandnext.com > WEARING IT According to Gartner research, 20% of Americans will be wearing cell-phones by 2007. Ref: Trendcentral (US). > INTEREST IN TATTOOS FADES According to the Observer 12% of Britons have tattoos. However, there's been a 40% increase in laser removal over the last 12 months. Ref: The Observer (UK) > NICHE PUBLISHING The New York Dog is a magazine published in New York for Dogs. Actually it's for Dog owners and includes dog lifestyle sections, obituaries and counseling advice. It also includes dog horoscopes (for the dogs not the owners). Meanwhile, in New Zealand, 12% of guide dogs have been found to be short sighted. Ref: New York Times (US) > DYING TO SEE YOU In 2003 there were 2 million visitors to Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Meanwhile in Vienna the Zentralfriendhof cemetery houses the remains of Schubert, Strauss, Beethoven and Brahms. Are cemeteries the new parks and could 'celebrity cemeteries' be money-spinners for farsighted councils and property developers? Ref: The Times (UK). > NOT TOO OLD A report by Age Concern says that almost 90% of people think that companies should not be allowed to get rid of workers simply because they are 65 years old. Daily Telegraph (UK) > OLD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Wrinklies Direct and the Third Age Employment Network are employment agencies in the UK especially for over 55-year-olds. Both should go down well with the UK government, which is trying to extend or even abolish the official retirement age. Ref: www.nowandnext.com > IDEAS TO BURN Camel cigarettes in the US are now available in Kauai Kolada (Hawaiian Pineapple & Coconut) and Twista Lime flavours. Ref: www.nowandnxet.com > GREEN HAT THINKING Given that most lawns are about the size of a postage stamp why doesn't someone invent a battery powered lawn mower? They have. It's called the Neutron. No noise, no smoke and no trips to the garage for cans of gas. Ref: www.nowandnext.com > TRADING DAYS Some schools have become so fed up with trading cards that they're officially banned. However, at Cromer Public (Government) School in Sydney they're decided that trading cards teach basic skills and have therefore made Fridays 'dealing day'. Perhaps the Stock Exchange should send round a few talent scouts. Ref: The Australian (AUS). > MUSIC TO YOUR EARS Here's a good example of product convergence. Oakely sunglasses have launched a pair of glasses with a built-in MP3 player. Ref: Trendcentral (US) > HIERARCHY OF NEEDS UPDATED? According to Research International there are 15 universal needs or global hot buttons. These are; well-being, fun, self-indulgence,harmony, knowledge, individuality, security, respect, attractiveness,love, belonging, control, tradition, leadership and freedom. Ref: Brand Strategy (UK) > A LIBRARY OF UNWRITTEN BOOKS An art project in the US called the library of unwritten books is taking the blog idea a few steps further by getting ordinary people to tell their stories. The stories are recorded and then turned into limited edition books. Ref: Trendcentral (US) > WHO LIVES NEAR YOU? Localisation is a counter trend to globalisation. A good example is a website in Singapore called wholivesnearyou.com. The idea is similar to friendster but is intended to revive local communities. Registration is zip code based. Ref: www.springwise.com (NETH). > MEN'S CRECHE Marks & Spencer (UK) has tested a male cr¸che in stores in Sheffield, Gateshead, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London in an attempt to keep men happy while their wives go shopping. The cr¸ches feature TVs, magazines and various toys like radio-controlled Porsches. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK). > DON'T CALL US What's the biggest question in history? Some people say it has to be "are we alone?" This is in turn linked to the thought of whether or not the universe was designed on purpose or by accident. A book called Biocosm argues that the former is the case because the odds against a universe being created that is so hospitable to life are so remote. Then again, if there are 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets in the universe maybe the odds against having life on one of them isn't really that big. As someone once said, the surest sign that intelligent life does exist on other planets is the fact that none of it has tried to contact us. Ref: Time (US) > TOO MUCH CHOICE? In 1972 the US imported 74,667 varieties of 7,731 products. In 2001 the figures were 259,215 and 16,390 respectively. Ref: The Atlantic Review (US) > NOW VERSUS THEN 20 years ago Australians saved 12.5% of their income. Now the figure is just 3.8%. Ref: Sun-Herald (Aus) > WEEDING OUT THE DOPE SMOKERS In 1982 less than 5% of Fortune 500 companies had a policy to conduct drug tests on employees. In 1995 the figure had risen to 95%. Could this idea spread to other countries? According to a study by MORI for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation 9% of British firms had similar policies in 2004. In 2003 the figure was just 4%. Why the increase? A mixture of health and safety fears, insurance liabilities and easy removal of unwanted employees. Ref: The Economist (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : PREVIEW OF NEXT ISSUE A 'boyfriend pillow' is available in Japan. The man sized pillow weighs in at 18kg and comes with two shirts(one pink, one blue). Presumably the manufacturer will soon be adding versions that snore, steal the bedding and stay out late. ------------------------------------------------------------ : CONTRIBUTE TO BRAINMAIL Seen something we haven't? 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