In this issue: LITTLE BRITAIN? DNA BIOCOMPUTERS FACEBOOK SUICIDES DOG THEFT And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _ _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 36 - February 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ > Little Britain? By the year 2050, 60% of men, 50% of women, 20% of primary school-aged girls and 50% of primary school-aged boys in Britain will be obese. The cost of this obesity epidemic will be GB£45 billion a year. Ref: Foresight Report on Obesity (UK) > Wound Treatment A couple of Scottish boffins working at the Institute for Medical Devices in Strathclyde (UK) have invented a plaster that can tell whether a wound is healing without nurses or doctors having to remove it. The plaster works by incorporating a tiny sensor that monitors the amount of moisture being produced by the wound. In 2006, the UK National Health Service treated about 1 million chronic wounds. Ref: The Times (UK) > Computer Clothing Computer gamers aching for a more immersive experience can now buy a strap-on combat vest that simulates cyber body punches or shootings. The TN Games 3rd Space Gaming Vest should theoretically also be able to recreate the sensation of being tapped on the shoulder by a very angry parent. Ref: Sunday Times (UK) > VIP Body Armour Business people that are worried about getting shot by angry customers or associates can now buy bullet-proof raincoats from a Californian company called Fortier & Co. Other products in the bulletproof range include denim jackets (for rock stars with very angry fans perhaps?), fleeces and blazers. Ref: Financial Times (UK) > DNA Biocomputers Get your head around this if you can. Scientists say that tiny implantable computers that monitor cells for disease are getting closer to reality. The theoretical devices could implant genetic plans into the human body that would then construct "DNA biocomputers." These computers would monitor cellular information and then edit genes if and when they went wrong. Ref: The Times (UK) > Word Detective: 'White Queen Syndrome' White Queen Syndrome is named after the Queen in the book Alice Through the Looking Glass who screamed before she pricked her finger. For example, 'news' increasingly consists not of bad things that have happened but of analysis and predictions about bad things that might. Ref: The Atlantic Monthly (US) > Pretty in Pink Like any industry, the US arms industry is looking for new markets, one of which is women and children. New products include a bright pink, 50,000-volt, Taser C2 and a limited-edition extra-small shotgun for children. The latter comes complete with a pink stock inscribed with the words "Shoot like a girl." Seriously. Ref: The Times (UK) > Word Detective: Facebook Suicides. Possibly the opposite of what you think it is - and definitely not connected to recent events in Wales. This is a predicted trend about the need to remove online identities. Hence groups of young people will agree to deactivate their online profiles in unison. Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Knitting Network Netgranny (www.tarzan.ch/aktuell) is a website where customers can contact grannies and ask them to knit cheerful looking woolly jumpers and woolly socks. Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Dog Theft According to a rather mixed bag of sources, dog theft for ransom has overtaken iPod theft and mobile phone theft as the UK's fastest growing crime. Ref: Various (UK) > Sold Out? According to the Rolling Stones, You Can't Always Get What you Want. But perhaps you can. Rock band merchandise now includes Rolling Stones baby grows (for ages 0-12 months), Kiss Coffins, Bon Jovi art prints and Black Crows cigarette rolling papers. Ref: New York Times (US) ------------------------------------------------------------ : STATSHOTS There is expected to be a 36% increase in the number of people aged 75+ in Japan between 2005 and 2015. During the same period the number of people aged under 5 years-of-age is predicted to decline by 13%. Ref: McKinsey Quarterly (US) Approx. 43% of all rainwater in the UK drains through National Trust properties. Ref: Sunday Times (UK) The Self-storage industry in America has grown more than 40-fold since the 1960s and now consists of over a billion square-feet of empty (and not so empty) space. In value terms the industry is now considerably larger than the US music industry. Ref: Pubmedcentral (US) According to Gartner, 80% of Internet users will have avatars or digital replicas of themselves by the year 2011. Ref: The Guardian (UK) Approximately 2,600 people die and 330,000 people are seriously every year in the US due to talking and texting on cell-phones whilst driving. Ref: Atlantic Monthly (US) The (negative) cost of multi-tasking to the US economy is US$650 billion according to Basex, a business research consultancy. Ref: The Atlantic Monthly (US) 24% of Russians expect to see a clash with the US in the near future compared with only 4% of Chinese. Ref: Guardian (UK) 25% of people in the UK find Christmas shopping more stressful than getting married. Ref: The Spectator (UK) Only 20% of fund-management firms in rich nations are likely to be actively selling products to members of Gen Y according to a report by KPMG. Ref: The Economist (UK) Around 80% of all news available on the Internet originates in newspapers. Ref: New York Review of Books (US) 9.5 million people now have financial assets of at least US$1 million. Ref: Cap Gemini/Merill Lynch World Wealth Report (US) ------------------------------------------------------------ : BOOK OF THE MONTH Queuing for Beginners: The Story of Daily Life from Breakfast to Bedtime by Joe Moran ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH 'No sensible decision can be made without taking into account not only the world as it is, but also the world as it will be" Isaac Asimov ------------------------------------------------------------ : AND FINALLY ... What's next in 2008? 2008+ is a look at ten emerging trends that will shape our lives in 2008 and beyond. The hard copy publication also includes sections on sector trends and a new version of the now legendary 'trend blend' map (this year based on the Shanghai subway). A free sample can be found online at http://www.nowandnext.com/?action=misc&subaction=2008_plus ------------------------------------------------------------ : 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. ------------------------------------------------------------