NEW IDEAS AND TRENDS (old)

The 11 Best Toys of 2009: Toy Industry Awards

by Myra Per-Lee

Every year, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) selects the best representatives of 11 categories of toys. They are selected on the basis of excellence of product design and safety, creativity and novelty, and overall presentation. This year's line up of Toy of the Year (TOTY) winners include some breakthrough technologies that adults will appreciate as much as their kids enjoy playing with them

Bizarre Weight Loss Solution Lifts, Separates, Disturbs

Bizarre Belt Weight Loss Solution Lifts, Separates, Disturbs

by Steve Levenstein

Overweight in Japan and not a Sumo wrestler? Not to worry, there's a new weight loss solution that's easy to wear but hard to look at: the bizarre Boneless Belt.

4 comments

Graffitti Creator is a Shrine to the Artform

by Austin Keenan

Graffiti, as an art form, has evolved very quickly to involve everything from depictions of urban surroundings to territorial tags of gangs. Many may think of it as the defacing of public property, however Graffiti Creator sees it differently.

Twitter In A Word...

by Ron Callari

If you were tasked with defining Twitter in just one word, what would that be? What best sums up what Twitter means to you in one word? While there has been article upon article, blog upon blog and analysis upon analysis burning up the digital airwaves, many of us still don't know WHY we are so fascinated with this entity called Twitter. Since its simplicity is definitely part of its charm (tweets of a 140 characters or less), I thought a poll based on a one word definition would be most apres pos in trying to nail down what this elusive phenomenon means.

4 comments

Inspired By Nature:The Pixel Carbon Neutral Prototype Office Building

by T Goodman

Grocon, a third generation Australian development and construction company, is about to build the world's first carbon neutral office building, complete with fresh air, native grass filtration of rain water, natural daylight, and windows that open! Sounds revolutionary, doesn't it?

Samurai Sword Handle Umbrella Provides Cutting Edge Rain Protection

by Steve Levenstein

The Samurai Sword Handle Umbrella protects you from post-atomic black rain, gushing founts of enemy blood, storms of fire arrows... and the occasional mild drizzle.

1 comment

The Haramaki: Samurai Fashion Turned Winter Wear

by Fashion Finds

Following an ancient samurai fashion tradition is the Haramaki. Once used to protect the stomach and kidneys from sharp swords, this fashion item is now used to protect against much less harsh elements; namely the weather. Read on and decide if the Haramaki is a fashion statement for the future, or if it should have gone extinct with the Samurai's.

2 comments

Eight Surgical Masks to Survive Swine Flu in Style

by Steve Levenstein

Got your mask on? Due to the deadly Swine Flu outbreak people in Mexico are wearing surgical masks like they're going out of style - except they're not, just the opposite in fact. Here are the top ten weirdest variations on Japan's (and now the world's) most healthy fashion accessory, the personal surgical mask.

3 comments

Innovative Electricity Generator is Powered by Prayer

Prayer Wheel Energy Generator Harnesses the Power of Religion

by Steve Levenstein

Buddhist prayer wheels are a common site in China, Tibet, Nepal and India. Spun hundreds of times daily by passersby, you might think that some wise guy would wire them to generate and store electric power - and, wise guy Taikkun Li has done exactly that.

NKOTB's Tink! Takes on a Life of Its Own

by Ron Callari

Jordan Knight promised to release the true meaning of "tink!" and has announced the winner of the New Kids on the Block's NYC Today Show contest. Virally, Jordan's one-word tweet of "tink!" has exploded onto the Twitterverse into a global frenzy exciting a fan base who just can't get enough! From tens of thousands tweets to tink! cartoons, tink! products and even an Ashton Kutcher Platinum Tweet Award, tink! has taken on a life of its own.

41 comments

Giant Cell Phone Building Calls Out for Attention

by Steve Levenstein

When Japan's Bic Camera wanted their electronics store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro ward to really stand out, they made a few calls on their cell phones... and got the idea for a memorable building everyone can recall.

Swine Flu App Can Detect When Pigs Fly?

by Ron Callari

With news of the swine flu epidemic crowding the airwaves, could pigs now possibly be crowding the airways? Could your favorite hog be allowed to fly the friendly skies? In a world that's paranoid of a potential pandemic, and Joe Biden being chastised for warning people "not to fly," is it even conceivable that pigs might be boarding planes? Well if PetAirways has anything to do with it, that just might be the case. And if IntuApps moves forward with their Swine Flu App, there may be a way to detect when pigs fly?

Google Flu Tracker Follows Swine Flu (AH1N1) Trends In Mexico

by Myra Per-Lee

Google Flu Trends, which earlier this year won a coveted best digital innovations Netexplorateur Award, is being put to work to follow searches in Mexico for words or terms that are flu oriented. Though Google is calling its Flu Trends Mexico "experimental," so far, the Mexico tracker is trending true to what might be expected from the swine flu, now officially called the AH1N1 flu.

5 comments

Vending Machines in Japan Offer Free Drinks in Case of Emergency

by Steve Levenstein

Free drinks from a beverage vending machine? It's more likely than you think - in Japan, that is. Specially labeled vending machines equipped with battery backup are programmed to offer victims of natural disasters life-giving water and soft drinks at no charge.

2 comments

NKOTB Contest Reveals Tink! & Flies Winners To NYC

by Ron Callari

In an effort to capitalize on the buzz created by "tink!" Jordan Knight and other members of the New Kids on the Block band will be flying two "contest winning" fans to NYC. The viral social media experiment originally initiated by Jordan Knight on Twitter appears to have formulated a life of its own as NKOTB fans have been tweeting themselves silly trying to figure out just what tink! means.

29 comments

RockDex: A Measure for Bands Effectiveness on Social Media

by Austin Keenan

Social media is one of the cheapest, most effective ways of branding. And for musicians, branding is what it's all about. An artist can spend time developing social media accounts and multimedia promotions to get their name out there, but how can they tell if it's effective? Well, unless you have big money to spend on market penetration assessments, you can use RockDex.

Russian Engineers Develop Nano-Introscope to Measure Electrons

by M Dee Dubroff

Russian engineers from the town of Dolgoprudny (Moscow Region) have a lot to celebrate as their new innovation will not only reveal atoms but even the electron shells of single atoms. Read on for more details about this exciting Russian scientific innovation.

Is KissPhone Destined To Become New Cybersex Toy?

by Must Love Gadgets

A freelance inventor, Georges Koussouros, has come up with one of the first cyberdildonic gadgets -- the KissPhone, capable of sending the real thing by phone from his mouth to yours with all the sensory connections of a real life kiss.

High Tech Bathroom! SmartFaucet Uses Facial Recognition To Set Water Temperature

by Must Love Gadgets

The smartest faucet in the world is about to be turned on in the market place: the iHouse SmartFaucet. It uses face recognition to get to your perfect water temperature right away; not only that, but it can... are you ready? It can check your calendar, give you the outside temperature, and... check your email!

3 comments

Spavino Bath Salts Turn Water Into Wine

by Steve Levenstein

Women have bathed in milk, mud, pretty much anything in an effort to look pretty so why not wine? Simply add Spavino Cabernet (red) or Chardonnay (white) to a warm bath and you'll be looking grape in no time!