In this issue: VIRGIN OIL CYBER CRIME FERTILITY SHIPS DROPLIFTING THE HOODIE TREND AVON LADIES IN BRAZIL And much much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _, _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Keeping brains healthy since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 009 - October 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free monthly newsletter about new ideas, innovations and trends. If you'd like to receive regular copies simply click on subscribe. Subscribe: mailto:subscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Tell the world about brainmail - forward this to a friend. ------------------------------------------------------------ > Is accountancy the new rock and roll? Accountancy is now the most popular major in America according to the National Association of College Campuses (US). In the UK, 20% of graduates think that accountancy offers the best career prospects. Is this a sign of increased conservatism or is it that accountancy has got more interesting post the Enron and Worldcom scandals? Ref: The Guardian (UK) > A room for inside your head A local council in Sydney has established a public health initiative called the Men's Shed Project to help men who have downsized or lost their garden sheds. Apparently male spaces like sheds and garages are becoming more important due to emasculated workplaces and feminism. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > Going up Excluding mealtimes, the average parent in the UK spends 90 minutes a day with their children. This compares to just 31 minutes in 1961. Ref: Office for National Statistics (UK) > Going down 45% of children aged under 16 years and under in the UK spend just 2% of their time alone. Meanwhile, the amount of free time available to schoolchildren in the UK (the time remaining after sleeping, eating and schoolwork) has declined from 40% to 25%). Ref: Office for National Statistics (UK) > Heads up thinking The largest shopping Mall in Britain (Bluewater) has banned young people from wearing hooded jackets (hoodies) in an attempt to stop bad behaviour. Meanwhile, a school in Devon (UK) has made hoodies instantly uncool by allowing them to be part of the official school uniform. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Local media A car company in the US has produced an advergame (advertising video game) in which the virtual billboards surrounding the racetrack are for real car dealerships. Not only that, the dealership ads change according to where you're playing the game. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Virgin oil? Fed up with high aviation fuel costs, Richard Branson is looking at the possibility of moving the Virgin brand into oil refining and even exploration. Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Single numbers The number of unmarried men has doubled in the UK since 1980. Ref: Taxi/Getty Images(UK) > It's a man thing A study by the University of Maine (US) has found that men that indulge in risky behaviour, like extreme sports, impress nobody except other men. Women, in contrast, prefer cautious men according to the same study. Ref: New Scientist (UK) > Stressed out According to research commissioned by a company called WorkCover, stress-related compensation claims have increased by 400% over the past decade. Meanwhile, the Australian Taxation Office is allowing workers to claim tax relief on stress related benefits such as massage and yoga. Ref: Financial Times (UK) > 50 is the new 20 A study commissioned by Lloyds-TSB bank says that newly divorced 40 and 50-somethings are adopting the hedonistic lifestyles of teenagers and 20-year-olds as a way of reclaiming their lost youth. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > Hot favourite A survey of 1,500 three to five-year olds in the UK says that the favourite meal of pre-school children is curry. Ref: The Independent (UK) > Smart phones DoCoMo, the Japanese Phone Company, is working on a service whereby posters (billboards) will carry barcodes. If, for example, the poster is advertising a concert, just swipe your phone across the bar code and tickets for the concert will be sent to the billing address for the phone. Ref: The World Is Flat (by Thomas Friedman) > The last taboo Married couples (or partners) who don't sleep together in the same bed are widely regarded as being on a downward slope to separation or divorce, but an increasing number of people in healthy relationships are making such a choice due to work pressure (late nights and early starts). Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > Word detective: Vlogging Vlogging (video blogging) is basically a short film made by someone with the skill to operate a video camera. At worst they make Reality TV look interesting. At best they could be the future of broadcasting. Need to know more? Then visit http://Freevlog.org. Ref: The Times (UK) > I'm a dog owner and I drive The Travel Dog is a car designed by Honda in Japan specifically for dog owners. The car features special anti-bacterial floor mats and wipeable seats. When is someone going to design a car with a drop down boot (trunk) for elderly dog owners with elderly dogs? Ref: Taxi/Getty Images (UK) > Flexible screens Flexible computer screens have been talked about for some time, but we have yet to see much beyond a handful of prototypes. However, this is about to change. The first commercial uses will probably be niche applications like supermarket shelf pricing. This might sound mundane, but could actually be transformative. Meanwhile, the US Army is spending $47m on flexible displays that can be used to make uniforms change colour. Consumer applications could include clothing that can download new designs. Ref: The Economist Technology Quarterly (UK) > Smelly idea A company in Japan is promoting its low-odour cigarettes by inviting people to a movie screening. Entry is free so long as you promise to smoke. Ref: Nikkei Weekly (Japan) > In deep water A Danish entrepreneur is planning to anchor a series of fertility ships in international waters off Britain to offer services such as gender selection and anonymous inseminations that are illegal on the mainland. Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Word detective: droplifting The idea of taking art to the people is being taken to heart by various artists that are placing their art inside shops without the knowledge or permission of the shop owner. The practice, known as droplifting or reverse shoplifting, starting in 1989 when the Barbie Liberation Front exchanged the voiceboxes of Barbie Dolls and GI Joes and put the resultant 'art' back on the shelves. Ref: The Times (UK) > Cyber crime trend According to a survey conducted by the Computer Security Institute (CSI) in conjunction with the FBI, cyber crime against companies is down for the forth year running. Cyber crime against individuals continues to grow. Ref: TechWeb News (US) > Emotional value What determines the value of a product or service? According to Renny Ramakers at Droog design the answer is emotional content. And implicit in this answer is the fact that the most expensive product isn't necessarily the most rewarding emotionally. Ref: Wallpaper (UK) > What am I reading? Get Unstuck and Get Going is a wonderfully designed self-published book by Michael Bungy Stainer about creativity and problem solving. Find out more at http://GetUnstuckandGetGoing.com. Ref: http://nowandnext.com ------------------------------------------------------------ : PREVIEW OF NEXT ISSUE Still painting your finger nails? A company in China has made a machine that prints 4,800 dpi images onto salon quality press-on nails. ------------------------------------------------------------ : STATSHOTS 40% of jobs created in the US since 2001 have been real-estate related. Ref: New York Times (US) In Brazil there are more Avon ladies than members of the armed forces. Ref: 50 Facts that should change the world (Jessica Williams) In 2001 58% of families wanted a garden. Back in 1996 the figure was 38%. Ref: Taxi/Getty Images(UK). In 2002 the average American spent more on lottery tickets than books. Ref: Iconoculture (US) More people have visited a Disney theme park than live in China. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) The pyramids were the tallest structure on earth until the Eiffel tower was built in 1889. Ref: BBC (UK) In 2004, stress cost the UK economy £13.5 billion according to government figures. Ref: The Independent (UK) In the 1990s Rolls Royce did 98% of its R&D in the UK. The figure is now under 40%. Ref: The World Is Flat (by Thomas Friedman) 5% of waste generated worldwide is electrical goods. Ref: Sunday Times (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "The secret of life is to have a task, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is: It must be something you cannot possibly do". - Henry Moore. ------------------------------------------------------------ : SUBSCRIBE TO BRAINMAIL Subscribe: mailto:subscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com Remove: mailto:unsubscribe-brainmail@nowandnext.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 2005 What's Next. All rights reserved. Neither this newsletter nor any part of it may be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without the prior written permission of the publisher.