Plant police Plants that change colour when they sense chemicals in the atmosphere could soon be taking care of homeland security. Researchers at Colorado State University have rewired plants so that they turn from green to white when they sense pollutants in the air or soil. The researchers have recently been given a $7.9mil grant by the US Department of Defense so expect to see plants monitoring the safety of our homes, shops and airports in the future. Via Colorado State University
Paper picture I can't wait to see 'Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times' by Andrew Rossi which has been playing at the Sundance Film Festival, with David Carr reportedly taking centre stage.
I just came across the 'grain & gram', the self-titled 'New Gentleman's Journal' which includes an interview with a contemporary woodsman. The article and exquisite photographs have a timeless feeling to them, despite showing how the interviewee Blair Siglar's craftsmanship fits into modern day world.
Qwiki gathers information from multiple sources and streams it in real-time into a video presentation, similar to Google search but with narration, text, maps, video and images all generated in the same window. The 'information experience' which enables users to customize and create content, has gone live to the public today.
While the voice is a little grating, I think that Qwiki has huge potential as a entertaining way to interact with information. It involves more multi-sensory engagement than Wikipedia/Google Search by using visual, narration and videos simultaneously which I imagine would make the content easier to recall in the future. It definitely beats Spark Notes for revision purposes.
Qwiki also builds a strange feeling of familiarity between the viewer and the subject, being bombarded by photos of Einsteinmakes me feel as if I'm looking at photos of him on Facebook. Let me know what you think.
Back your block Another brand livening up the daily commute with fun bus stop features is Yahoo!, which has turned 20 bus stops in San Francisco into social gaming hubs. Commuters can challenge people in other neighbourhoods to a live play-off, clocking up points for their borough in order to win a street party with a gig by OK GO.
Handsfree TV Soon, losing the remote behind the sofa won't be a problem as TVs will be gesture-controlled, if developments by PrimeSense are anything to go by. The company has developed a device, the WAVI Xtion, that enables the viewer to channel hop, control the volume and rewind content using hand signals.
Scent School Perfumier Le Labo's Devonshire Road boutique will be hosting a series of 5 perfume workshops from January to May, the Synesthetic Series will teach students to experience perfume using every one of their senses. Hosted by 'synasethic provacateur' Nicola Pozzani, the interactive classes will take place on the last sunday of each month from 4-6pm for £45 per person.
TED on MEDs TED is collaborating with TEDMED to host talks on the field of medicine and wellness. Firstly, learn how to hold your breath for 17 minutes*.
*Do not try this at home.
Hip Hipstamatic
London's Orange Dot Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of iPhone Hipstamatic photography, featuring 157 photos from the a blog dedicated to the artform. Hipstamatic is a type of plastic analogue camera invented by
Bruce and Winston Dorbowski in 1982 designed to cost less than film and to make beautiful photography available to everyone.
Catch the exhibition before it closes on 1st February.
Learn more about the history of the Hipstamatic, probably the coolest camera name ever, here.
If you've made it to the exhibition, let me know what you think.
Replacing game avatars with living molecules is the next step in gaming according to Riedel Kruse, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. He is part of a team developing 'biotic games' that enable users to control creatures such as paramecia, single celled organisms that live in pondwater, in a game similar to Pac-Man.
The team hope that these developments will inspire interest in biology, according to an interview with Stanford News
Twitter takeover Twitter is now available in Korean, the seventh language available on the social networking site. Via Mashable
Geo-tag whatever the weather Fujifilm is soon to launch an extra tough digital camera, FinePix XP30, featuring GPS geo-tagging of pictures. The camera will withstand water, shock, dust and even freezing.
Here are a couple of things I have come across today:
Multicultural Millennials
A recent Nielsen study on the drinking behaviour of US millennials (aged between 21 and 34) finds:
'By 2036, the majority of consumers age 21 and over will be multicultural. Hispanics, in particular, are swelling the ranks of these newer legal drinking age consumers and their tastes are influenced both by cultural factors, such as their degree of acculturation, as well as attitudes that include a willingness to try new things and openness to be influenced by other consumers’ suggestions'.
Researchers at Keio University in Japan have developed a lollipop that simulates flavours through Augmented Reality. The lollipop stick is connected to a computer which controls the vibrations the user 'tastes'. He or she can programme their desired flavour by computer and can even choose to 'eat' fireworks.
I find this exciting as I usually see AR as adding a layer of visual information on top of the real world but there is no reason why this information is limited to the visual. AR has the potential to stimulate all of the senses to create truly immersive experiences.
If you've seen anything similar to this, I would love to hear about it.
Giant pink and red blooms will blossom along Park Avenue later this month for Will Ryman's inaugural public art installation The Roses. From 25th January to 31st May, pedestrians will have an Alice in Wonderland-like experience as they encounter the sculptures along 57 and 67 Streets, the tallest of which will be 25 feet above ground. Expect to see gigantic creepy crawlies and fallen petals, some of which will double as seats.
Speaking of going larger than life, MAC is super-sizing its Spring collection based on the theme of Wonder Woman. Products will be extra-large and packaged in a brash mix of red, yellow and blue, available in the US from mid-February and March globally.
What I like about both The Roses and the Wonder Woman collection is that they are bold, unpretentious and playful. I have seen a couple of examples of this attitude in marketing recently.
For example, Toyota's new advertising campaign by Saatchi and Saatchi doesn't take us through the advantages of the latest models but is unashamedly silly, inviting viewers to vote on the plural of Prius.
Similarly, PR Executive Mitch Delapine of PitchPoint Public Relations recently poked fun at standard press release formula, in doing creating PR history:
The Most Amazing Press Release Ever Written
PR Professional Distributes Groundbreaking Press Release
CHICAGO, Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitch Delaplane of PitchPoint Public Relations has issued the most amazing press release ever written. While hundreds of press releases are distributed daily, Delaplane feels this particular release will go down in history as the most amazing press release that has ever been written.
"I've been in the business for over ten years and have to say, I'm speechless," claims Delaplane. "The title alone grabs you and demands that it be read. Then there's this quote that completely takes things to an entirely new level. I'm proud of this press release. In fact, I think it is [really] amazing."
Typically reserved for company news announcements and other public relations communications, the press release has long been the favored default for informing media about exciting, groundbreaking news. Then this news release comes along and changes everything people thought they knew about press releases.
"I'm quoting myself again because the first quote didn't do it justice," says Delaplane. "If you're still reading this news release, then you know what I'm talking about when I say it's something special. In fact, it's 483 words of pure awesomeness. When it crosses the wires, I believe history will have been made."
The science behind this Earth-shattering news release lies in its simplicity – no science, just pure old press release craftsmanship. It started with an incredible brainstorming session that asked a very simple question: "what makes a press release amazing?" Elaborate notes from that brainstorm were then formulated into mesmerizing sentences, paragraphs and pages...all expertly designed to make you pause and reflect at the brilliance of this press release.
Every single word of this news release was track changed, stetted, then track changed again to its original draft. Upon final approval, it was spell checked, fact checked and printed for posterity. The result is a two-page, 1.5-spaced news release that is like no other news release in existence.
According to PitchPoint Public Relations you have just read the most amazing press release ever written. If you agree, tell Mitch at mitch@pitchpointpr.com or follow him on Twitter at Lifeisamitch.
If you disagree, issue your own press release and prepare for war.
How can anyone top that? I particularly like the part in which Delapine quotes himself again because his first quote didn't do himself justice, I know the feeling.
I hope you enjoyed my second ever blog post, check 'Three's a Trend' out tomorrow for more.
This is my first ever post, l plan to write many more. This blog will be a mish mash of things I come across and wish to share with you, ranging from advertising campaigns, product design, science, statistics and anything else thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy it.
Here are a few interesting things I've seen recently:
Panera Bakery introduces pay-what-you-like plan
This month the national bakery chain is opening its third café at which consumers chose the price of their purchases. The first two non-profit bakeries located in Dearborn, Michigan and Clayton, Missouri, feature a sign that says 'Take What You Need, Leave Your Fair Share' and donation boxes instead of standard menus. The third community café will open in Portland, Oregon and is part of founder Ron Shaich's mission to tackle ‘food insecurity’ in the US by giving consumers who can afford to pay for food the chance to contribute to a café that provides for those who can’t.
This is a fantastic example of a brand behaving ethically in an inventive and risk-taking way, Ron Shaich's is really putting his money where his mouth is. I’m interested to follow the success of this community café and whether other brands follow suit.
A bus shelter has been turned into an oven with real heaters in Minneapolis as part of an advertising campaign for Caribou Coffee’s new hot breakfast sandwiches. Heat emanates from the coils of the toasty shelter, created by advertising agency Colle+McVoy.
I like this advert because anyone who encounters it, whether they are familiar with the brand or not, is likely to enjoy the experience. It has a practical purpose rather than just being an add-on.
You’re it
Nike+ Tag, a new update to the Nike+ GPS app, lets you challenge friends to a race, whoever runs the shortest distance or for the least amount of time is ‘It’. After taking a run, the user can ‘tag’ friends and set the judging criteria and the only way that the loser can get rid of the humiliating moniker is to start a new game.
This app is an example of how gaming is entering every area of life and adding an extra layer of stimulation. Streak.ly, a webapp that gamifies daily chores by rewarding users with a 'streak' for consecutive days of completing a task, and the Puma Life Scoreboard are other examples.
Thanks for reading; I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow.
