In this issue: THE FUTURE OF LONDON COMPANY VEG GARDENS EXTREME CONSUMERS THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS 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 58 - December 2009 --------------------------------- 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. --------------------------------- > Word Detective: iPod Oblivion Obliviousness to your surroundings, caused by listening to an iPod or by using some other mobile device. Similar to iPod pedestrians and iPod cyclists. Ref: Wordspy.com > Gamble to Save A pilot project run between Peter Tufano of Harvard Business School and eight Michigan credit unions in the US has found that linking saving to gambling makes people more likely to save. The trick, it seems, is to make saving feel like a game. One particular trick that seems to work is linking the monthly amount saved to inclusion in a monthly lottery with cash prizes. Banks take note. Ref: Harvard Business Review (US) > Six Trends for the Next 10 Years According to Bernard Salt, a demographer and partner at KPMG, the following six trends should define the next decade, at least in AsiaPac. 1. Western withdrawal from current conflicts 2. Smarter and faster communications 3. Connectivity, especially virtual relations and communities 4. Lifestyle, especially downshifting 5. Work & wealth tied to resources 6. Climate change and the post GFC conditions Ref: The Australian (Aus) > Things We Know to be Untrue Karl Popper once said that whilst common sense is usually right, "things get really interesting just when it is wrong." Take human behaviour. We instinctively seem to know that certain things are true. The list usually includes beliefs such as opposites attract or that we only use 10% of our brains. Both happen to be wrong. So too is the myth that changing your circumstances will make you happier. So why do we continue to hold such beliefs? The answer, according to some psychologists, is that we need mental models in order to function properly, but we are fairly useless at deciding which models are true and which aren't. Ref: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology > The Future of London (as predicted in the past) Making predictions about the future can be great fun. Even more fun is looking back at old predictions, especially those that failed. Case in point are some predictions about life in London in the year 2010 created back in 1990. Apparently London in 2010 is driven by class war, depopulation and urban decay. Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jan/24/2010-back-to-the-future Ref: The Observer (UK) > Disruptive Food Technologies for the Future (edited list) 1. Laboratory grown meat 2. Bananas 2.0 3. Pancake mix in an aerosol 4. Salt water plants 5. Smart packaging Ref: Wired (US) > The Volatility of Uncertainty According to the Brookings Institution, optimism is surging in the US. However, levels of optimism do not seem to be related to economic growth per se, but rather to levels of uncertainty. Ref: Fortune (US) > e-Government According to a UK government pledge, all public services could be paperless and/or virtual by the year 2014 in order to save money. Millions of pounds will undoubtedly be saved on stamps, phone calls, salaries and paper, but one wonders what the social costs might be over the longer term. If you've just lost your job or have been thrown out of your home, virtual contact probably isn't what most people will want. Ref: The Times (UK) > Only in Japan Scientists in Japan have invented a fire alarm that emits isothiocynate, the scent of horseradish and wasabi, in order to alert deaf people of impending danger. Ref: The Times (UK) > Also in Japan A company called Sanwa Supply Inc in Japan has created a camera for cyclists. The camera is designed to sit on the handlebars of bicycles and shoot pictures or video of other road users. Should appeal to those slightly self-righteous people that currently cycle around with cameras attached to their helmets. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) --------------------------------- : FAST FACTS Back in 2002, a UK/US study found that 37% of people suffered from information overload on a daily basis. What is the figure now do you suppose? Ref: CSIRO (Aus) In 1980, 45% of floor space in Las Vegas casinos was devoted to machines. Now it's 77%. This is almost certainly because machines don't earn salaries and screen based gambling can be designed to be more addictive than real-world gambling. Ref: Financial Times (UK) By 2030, 90% of mobile phone owners will live in the 'developing' world. Ref: Newsweek (US) 3.5 million children die each year from diarrhoea and other diseases that could be prevented by clean water and basic hygiene. Ref: Economist (UK) Only 0.1% went of the wealth created in the US between 1990-2008 went to US households. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali In 1965, 50% of women in the UK did not use underarm deodorant. Ref: The Economist (UK) 50% of West German forest reserves vanished between 1990-2000. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali In 1970 Wal-Mart had 32 stores. By 2010 it had 4,304. Ref: Fortune (US) --------------------------------- : BOOK OF THE MONTH "Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century" by PW Singer --------------------------------- : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH Postcards from the Future - Scenarios http://www.postcardsfromthefuture.org/scenarios.html --------------------------------- : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "If this is the information age, what are we so well informed about?" - David Gelernter, Professor of Computer Science at Yale --------------------------------- : PREDICTION OF THE MONTH One day it will be scientifically proven that the visual arts are good for your health. --------------------------------- : 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.