Netimperative: As its name implies, people have to be outside their homes in order to be exposed to posters, tube ads and other outdoor media, whereas – mostly – online consumption and interactivity takes place behind closed doors – either in the home or the workplace. The apparent lack of compatibility between the two mediums is compounded by the fact […]
Hypertagging
Counting the Calories
Wired News: The most popular dieting brands are now weighing in with calorie counters and nutritional guides designed for personal digital assistants and combination PDA-mobile phones. Just in time for the season of bountiful temptation. Weight Watchers International released a program this week for Palm-based gadgets that works hand-in-hand with the company’s online services. It helps record a dieting disciple’s […]
Broadband Helping E-commerce
The New York Times: Thanks to the breakneck growth of residential cable modem and D.S.L. services, this is the first year when most Internet users do not have to rely on their workplace for high-speed connections. Instead of hiding the Amazon checkout page when the boss approaches, more shoppers are logging on after work and sparing their nerves. As a […]
Dogs Live A Luxurious Life…
The Independent: They are dressed in designer outfits, spend their days working out on the treadmill and take holidays in luxury accommodation. It’s a dog’s life in the 21st century, it seems. While pet pampering may once have been seen as a sign of a lonely life, it is now increasingly linked with celebrity culture. The hotel heiress Paris Hilton […]
Bug Me Not
Duluth News Tribune: Rolf Reifgies always got in trouble at the airport security checkpoint because of his suspenders. Whenever the Wisconsin businessman flew out of Minneapolis, Milwaukee or Madison, the metal in his suspenders set off the magnetometer. Then, six weeks ago, he discovered BuzzNot, a brand of suspenders with plastic clasps. “Works like a charm,” Reifgies said of the […]
Second-hand = Cool and Trendy!
The Indianapolis Star: Bargain hunters such as Harmon are making resale stores one of the fastest-growing segments in retailing, according to the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops, a trade organization. These stores no longer are dingy places where shoppers on shoestring budgets sift through mountains of musty-smelling clothes and junk to find one valuable item. Most resale stores […]
Video Magazines?
Adrants: Acknowledging the decline of people’s intelligence by saying, “People don’t read anymore, and kids in particular don’t read. This gives them content in a 5- to 7-minute package that matches their attention span,” NEWgame Communications CEO Kathleen Hessert describes her company’s online video magazine creation product, Vmag. That said, NEWgame is heading in the right direction as online video […]
Video Game Ads
PCWorld: You’re deep in an online game, storming through a gritty urban landscape. The enemy? A gang of brawling thugs armed with baseball bats. You battle furiously, take out the last villain, and look up in triumph. And the first thing your eyes light upon is a billboard hawking Starbucks. Take note if your favorite online game has billboards, banners, […]
New Solar Cell
PhysicsWeb: Scientists in Japan have made the first device that can convert solar energy into electricity and then store the resulting electric charge. The “photocapacitor” designed by Tsutomu Miyasaka and Takurou Murakami at Toin University in Yokohama could be used to power mobile phones and other hand-held devices. A new type of solar cell [PhysicsWeb]
The Rise of Cellphones-toting Children
Forbes.com: In the past, telecom for kids didn’t get much more complex than two tin cans connected by a length of string. But times have changed. Children have become voracious consumers of cellular communication and today are the fastest-growing and most profitable segment of the mobile telephone world. As the overall cellular marketplace nears saturation, young consumers are bringing new […]