Something Store : Consumers looking to add some excitement to their lives for a very low premium will likely get a kick out of this website that dabbles in the art of surprises. In what’s probably one of the easiest e-commerce transactions ever, visitors to the site simply log on and for $10 (including shipping), opt in to purchasesomething. And that’s where the fun begins: a randomly selected item (could be a cool tech device, handmade jewelry, a travel clock, video game, gift card to a major retailer, a magazine subscription, coffee mug, wallet, a box of chocolates, or any one of over hundreds of random items) will ultimately show up in the buyer’s mailbox seven days later. Of course, for every high premium item that’s “randomly selected” for one of the luckier consumers (e.g., iPods, designer jeans, high end beauty products), the Long Island based e-tailer selects and sends out 10 or more less pricey items (e.g., a coffee mug, a board game, a garden tool). trendcentral June 2008
 ecopop: Conceived to “instigate positive change in an accessible, entertaining way,” ecopop offers a forum for “free idea exchange,” wherein visitors to the site are invited to join a conversation on how to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Users are encouraged to peruse the vast, pre-existing collection of “ideas too good to waste” (all of which are organized by category, including Advertising & Branding, Arts & Culture, Health & Beauty, Media, and Music, among many others) and subsequently weigh in on a conversation or two and/or add an original idea. |
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 Quamut: Loosely derived from the Latin word for how-to and pronounced “kwa-mut,” Quamut provides users with free, online access to professionally written and edited “how-to” guides covering a diverse range of topics, from “how to make a perfect martini” to “how to produce a podcast.” The site, which is powered by Barnes & Noble, features a collection of over 1,000 “how-to” guides, across five different categories: House & Home, Hobbies & Leisure, Money & Business, Computers & Technology, and Mind & Body. All of the guides include step-by-step instructions, complete with brief historical tutorials and “what you’ll need to get started” lists where applicable, and due to a recent partnership with Videojug.com, a growing number of “how-to” video tutorials are also available. |
MobileMe: Recently announced at the 2008 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference and hitting the consumer market next month, this new web-based service will allow Apple users to wirelessly sync and access content across multiple Apple devices. Email, calendars and contacts are stored on an online server, known as a “cloud”, that automatically sends all information to the user’s iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, and PC; when an update is made on one device, it is made automatically on all other devices. Manual syncing will soon be a thing of the past.
For parents whose local Yahoo! Group has gone stale, hip parenting website Babble just launched this new social network for young families. Users can create profiles to meet potential pals in their area, post on message boards, form groups, and create photo albums, making it sort of a Family Facebook. Although Babble is infamous for having a Brooklyn leaning slant, Playground seems to be attracting families from all over the US map.
KidZui- For parents, leaving children unsupervised with the Internet is basically as scary as sending them to the playground alone.Created for kids ages 3 to 12, this G-rated browser takes out the fear and intimidation of web surfing for both parents and children. Kids can explore and research any topic as all links offered have been approved as child-friendly by parents and teachers. For example, if a child wants to watch skateboarding videos on YouTube, KidZui has already made sure that the videos available to them are appropriate (according to age, reading ability, and developmental readiness).Additionally, the site encourages learning by providing other topics of interest related to the search subject; a search for skateboarding may lead to surfing, then perhaps water and dolphins. Parents are alerted (via email) to the topics their kids search, so not only do they know what their kids are doing online, but they also have another window into their interests.
This trend isn’t simply about the next hot health-promoting variety or the latest free-radical fighting tea-infused facial serum, but rather, we’ve noticed a growing fascination around tea culture in general that encompasses the history, mystique, tradition, and ceremony of tea. As we continue to see the Slow Movement gain an American following, we expect that the ritual of tea will find a larger home within the US, with caffeine seekers exchanging a quick shot of espresso for a more relaxed pot of tea for social meet-ups. Similar to the US wine industry boom, we expect to see major growth in the American specialty tea market (which already brings in an estimated $6.8 billion/year) in the future.While it may not have quite the effect that the movie Sideways had on the wine industry, the recently released documentary All In This Tea has people talking and thinking differently about a beverage that’s commonly perceived as, well… common. The film follows a world-renowned tea connoisseur as he journeys to China to learn about some of the world’s best handmade teas and the ancient craft of tea making. Along the way, attention is drawn to the dwindling population of experienced tea farmers whose age-old methods have given way to the bigger industry of mass production.For those who can’t make the trek to Asia, you’ll likely be able to experience a tea tasting in your own community, as a growing number of modern tea shops have begun to pop up in urban areas. In the past, we’ve written about New York’s Tavalon Tea Bar, and Dr. Tea’s (formerly Elixir) in Los Angeles has long been one of our favorite haunts. Lately we’ve been tea-ing up at Algabar where proprietors Gail Barel and Robb Wain have been hosting tea tastings. Using the “traditional tools of the tea master,” guests can learn about the origin, production, proper preparation, and even appropriate food pairings for a number of rare handmade teas from all over the world. On the catering side of their business, the shop has also been seeing interest in “Marteanis”.Skeptics of this growing trend might just want to give tea another try-and this time, be sure to follow the specific tea brewing instructions, because if we’ve learned one thing from a recent tutorial on tea, everything from water temperature to infusion (i.e. steep) time will affect the taste and essence of a perfect cup.
An accessory that reflects both the retro ’90s fashion trend (think plaid shirts, floral print dresses and fluorescent flashback) and the current state of the world, peace signs have been popping up all over the place. Meaningful fashion, including organic materials and statement T-shirts, has been around for awhile but making a statement about ending the war in Iraq doesn’t get much easier than throwing on a peace sign pendant. Expect to see even more statements of peace hit the streets, especially as we approach the presidential elections this fall.
Sometimes trading in their casual streetwear for refined ’30s and ’40s style dress wear-and scuffed Converse for shiny Italian oxford shoes-Gen Ys are leading a renaissance in elegant style. Donning a sophisticated Oliver Twist/Orphan Annie look, men are wearing slim wool ties, vests and short tailored pants while women’s style includes wool knee socks, feather headpieces and white fitted gloves. A 25-year-old respondent explained that dressing up “counters the perception that all twentysomethings are lazy, self-involved, no work ethic punks.”