Wired! - 21 April 2007

Technorati Top Ten Searches...
1) joost invite
2) cho seung-hui
3) virginia tech
4) ismail ax
5) youtube
6) myspace
7) ubuntu
8) web 2.0 expo
9) sanjaya
10) bebo

Thoughts on The Virgina Tech Massacre...

• The Virginia Tech Massacre was at the top of the top ten search list for the entire week, I guess this is because developments keep coming in.
• With the internet and the media being what it is at the moment, the free encyclopedia, wikipedia was updated almost immediately. So when you search for Cho Seung-Hui, or the Virgina Tech Massacre, you can get full up-to-date information on this subject. Wikipedia even closed updates to newly registered users on the site and recently registered users because a lot of hate speech was being posted up on the site.
• Notice how when this happened, so many people started worrying that the 2 million Korean population in the US won't be targeted. I guess the US hs a history of subjugating a minority by hte acts of a few members of theat particular group. they did it to the Japanese, the Arabs, Black People, etc. So I guess it isn't any wonder everybody started getting edgy that the entire Korean population in the states will be victimised because of this.
• The attack was very planned and calculated, no doubt the media landscape and trememndous access to information today helped Mr. Cho Seung-Hui achieve his goal.
• Wikipedia is being Constantly updated on the subject so if you want to know more, they have almost everything you need on the site.

The Web 2.0 Expo is conference which was held to discuss the next generation web. The new Internet... basically what is to come about from the rush of user-created-content. The speakers are brilliant and their presentation and a blog is up on the site http://www.web2expo.com Check it Out! :)

The Trends!

1) MBA-toting entrepreneurs who want to make a difference may want to look into MBAs Without Borders, a humanitarian venture that partners volunteers from around the globe with local businesses, multinational corporations and NGOs in underdeveloped nations. Similar to Doctors Without Borders and Engineers Without Borders, the idea is for professionals to invest their expertise to help in parts of the world that are not so privileged.

2)Home buyers and sellers increasingly circumvent real estate agents by finding each other online. And while many buyers can do a very adequate job negotiating a good price, home inspection is a different matter and best left to professionals. So, who should they call? In Portugal, Checkhouse gives independent buyers confidence by extensively testing and checking a building's foundation, acoustics, wiring, roof, etc.

3)Giving customers the opportunity to learn a few words of Korean or Portuguese while en route to Seoul or São Paulo, Air France introduced in-flight language instruction on selected flights this month. An interactive audiovisual language program developed by Berlitz, the service works on regular in-flight entertainment screens. Passengers can learn and practice the basics of 23 different languages, in four main lesson categories: numbers, dates, words and dialogue.

4)A patent pending package design, the VIZcap allows consumers to release vitamins and other supplements into water just before they drink it. The technology was developed in response to what VIZdrinks considers to be underperforming sport and health drinks, which lose their potency while bottles and cans sit on store shelves.
VIZcaps avoid that problem by storing the vitamins and supplements in a sealed chamber in the cap. To prepare their drink, consumers remove a seal, press the cap's plunger, hear a 'pop' and watch the ingredients fizz their way into the water. (The website has a video showing the action.)

5) Turning any cell phone into an eager personal scribe, Jott transforms spoken messages into text. After signing up for the service online and validating their phone number and email address, users dial Jott’s toll free number (877-568-8486), say ‘me’ or the name of a contact or group of contacts, speak for up to 30 seconds and then hang up. Jott transcribes the spoken words into writing, and sends the message to its destination as an email or text message. Transcription usually takes a few minutes, or up to 20 minutes during peak hours. The original audio message is retained, and is linked to in the email for reference.
The service is deceptively simple, and lends itself to countless applications. It can be used to leave notes to oneself, from a reminder to buy a carton of milk, to capturing a brilliant idea. Or to draft emails, memos, or the next chapter of a novel while driving home from work. Lawyers and doctors, accustomed to speaking their correspondence and notes, can dictate on the fly.
Intriguingly, Jott has humans transcribing voice messages. Since phones are often used in noisy environments, and Jott’s founders didn’t want members to have to train speech recognition software, Jott uses a mix of machines and overseas agents that also work on medical dictations. For privacy protection, agents have no way of associating personally identifiable information with the recorded jotts they’re transcribing (unless a users makes that information part of the recording).

6)While organic and gourmet baby food aren’t new, they’ve mostly been limited to jarred varieties. Start-ups in two categories are widening the options for parents who want to feed their infants something fresh, but don’t have the time or talent to prepare their own gourmet purées. They also provide inspiring examples for entrepreneurs interested in catering to this niche.
Fresh Food
First, there’s the refrigerated, prepared foods section. Following the lead of fresh convenience foods for adults, companies like Swedish Gapa are focused on creating fresh, healthy and tasty foods for tiny people. Gapa, which is Swedish for open your mouth, is conservative-free and sold in cheerful containers in Sweden’s second largest supermarket, as well as in four trendy restaurants, a smart move for reaching parents who enjoy taking their babies out for dinner.
In the United States, several entrepreneurs have developed similar concepts. Californian Homemade Baby’s certified organic and kosher food for infants and toddlers is freshly made each day. Stressing an important selling point of gourmet baby foods, Homemade Baby claims that “when babies learn what real food tastes like and how good it makes their little tummies feel, they are on their way to making good food choices for life.”
Californian tots can also dine on fresh organic baby foods from Bohemian Baby, available for those aged 6–15 months. Bohemian Baby offers home delivery within LA. A USD 45 start kit contains a special cooler and four jars of food. On the East Coast, Evie’s Organic Edibles delivers freshly made foods within Manhattan. Parents can select dishes from menus that vary weekly and are designed to help stimulate developing taste buds.

Frozen Baby Food

Gourmet, ready-made baby food also extends to the frozen food aisle, where inspiration can be found from Mom Made, Plum Organics, Happy Baby and NummyNums, all offering food that’s organic and flash-frozen, locking in flavour and nutrients.

7)Beverly Hills-born DoMyStuff.com is an online marketplace where busy people can quickly find others to do their chores, from mowing the lawn or picking up dry cleaning to researching a cruise or planning a party.
How it works? Someone posts a task, choosing a relevant category and describing the task in detail. Businesses and individuals then bid for the task. Bids include the total cost to complete a task, when it will be completed and information on the service they will provide. The customer reviews the bids and chooses an assistant. Customers can view in-depth information on the service providers, including their names, locations and the ratings they've been awarded by past employers.

8)A new website in Malaysia does something similar, but sticks to buying and selling online. Like tuangou, Tumpang, which is Malay for pooling, makes it easy for buyers to pool their resources to get a bulk discount on everything from fabric freshener to flat screen televisions.

Trends above gotten from Springwise

Other Trends...

Coke and Pepsi to launch "Sparkling Health Beverages" which are carbonated drinks which are infused with vitamins and minerals. (Diet Coke Plus and Tava(Pepsi))

Cadbury to launch candy which has multiple layers of tastes which get released seperately.

Consumer Top Ten Trends for 2007 (by the Natural Marketing Institute)

"Consumers express their desire for control across their health, lifestyle, finance and other critical issues, while at the same time they want new innovative products, more information and show increasingly fragmented behavior," she said.

The first trend identified by NMI is dubbed The Age of the Individual, and has exploded in reaction to mass marketing and a declining trust in the traditional authorities of church, government and the corporation, said the group. This has driven a culture of consumer-generated content, products and services that are 'made just for me'. In the food industry, consumer customization can be seen in products such as personalized beverages with programmable bottles.

The concept of 'temporary' in a culture that is less permanent and forever on the move has spurred faster product lifecycles, said NMI, which identified this trend as Seize the Moment. This has resulted in consumers demanding greater innovation and exhibiting a greater willingness to try new products regardless of brand.

"This decline in brand loyalty is witnessed across categories, including the beverage category, as consumers seek the thrill of discovery of new products, new flavors and innovative packaging concepts. In addition, these 'forever on the move' consumers will drive new innovation in healthy convenience," wrote the market researcher.

Another trend identified is termed A Deeper Values Experience, and involves a heightened interest in sourcing, materials, trade practices and social causes. This has become a part of the consumer brand experience, as well as the growing popularity in organic products, said NMI, adding that the trend comes hand in hand with consumer willingness to pay the 20 percent premium.

Consumers are also embracing Back-to-the-Future simplicity and authenticity, with a belief that quality is better than quantity.

"Consumers are gravitating to smaller footprint retail environments, including a resurgence of 'high street' shopping for one-of-a-kind offerings including 'artsinal' and handmade goods. Products with legible labels, simplified ingredients and reassuring packaging are also experiencing success," said NMI.

The New Fear Factor – which characterizes an increasingly fear-based society – has resulted in an increased desire for safer foods and beverages, as well as organic and environmentally-friendly products. This opens up significant opportunities for manufacturers and retailers to build market share through trust and reassurance.

The New Consumer-Centric Media identifies a growing turn towards the internet as a purchasing channel, especially for healthy and natural products.

Memory Fast Lane is NMI's term for an increasing consumer preoccupation with maintaining and optimizing brain power, with the market researcher stating that all age groups surveyed indicated a significant concern with preventing concentration and memory problems. Nearly three-quarters of consumers are currently using supplements, foods or beverages to prevent memory problems, and further opportunities exist, said the group.

Other trends identified relevant to the food and beverage industries include an increased tendency to eat dinner at home and purchase healthy snacks, as well as the emergence of the consumer group aged 100 and over, which points to significant changes in products and packaging.

Cool Design / Art Websites

www.adobe.com/creativemind

www.hellodesign.com/aiwa

www.converserussia.ru

www.newwebpick.com