360 DEGREES Weblog

According to THE INTELLIGENCE GROUP”S CASSANDRA REPORT which gives an in-depth look into the lives of 14- to 34-year-old consumers.It’s a comprehensive understanding of emerging trends across a broad range of topics, including technology, entertainment, fashion, spending, marketing, attitudes, and consumer products, intended to give you inspiration and creative stimulus for present and future marketing plans.
The 2008 Vital Stats reports about the newest Vital Themes: why young people are going to BANNED CAMP, the growing importance of food and identity in YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, how more consumers are LIVING IN TRANSIT, why marketers need to address this BIPOLAR NATION and the future of LIFEGAMING. In addition to these new macro trends there are over 200 new trends covered in the report, including foodlogging, hipster-hop and green collar jobs, just to name a few:

Foodlogging : While counting calories and tracking consumption have long been popular activities, the online documentation trend has made it easier than ever for consumers to record and share every single thing that touches their lips. While there are many obsessive independent diet blogs, such as KathEats.com, there is even a Twitter service called TweetWhatYouEat that allows users to log their meals on the go.By documenting their diets to the extreme, bloggers feel more accountable and gain the benefit of readers’ support.

Hipster-Hop : An extension of the “skurban” (skater meets urban) fashion movement, one of the latest trends in music is a new breed of hip-hop that targets hipsters rather than the traditional “urban” audience. Artists such as Kid Sister, Cool Kids, and Santogold mix hip-hop sounds with hipster-approved retro influences and clubby electronica and are winning over ethnically diverse audiences of influencers by playing venues such as Brooklyn’s Studio B and happenings sponsored by tastemaker events website Flavorpill.These artists tend to share a “geek chic” sensibility that fans can relate to rather than the flashier images of radio hip-hop artists.

Green Collar Jobs: As general environmental awareness among consumers and legislators grows, the number of “green collar” jobs is also expected to grow substantially in the coming years.Many people are burning out of their 9-to-5 and/or corporate careers and are seeking out jobs that will help them give back and make the world a better place for future generations. In addition to greening corporations, organizations, and residential projects, it’s not unusual for the job of an eco-consultant to encompass green career counseling and/or green collar head hunting, helping individuals transition their traditional skills into more eco-friendly careers.

Movie critic TC Candler has chosen his 100 top of best movie posters.
Here are the picks for the top 100

Swinxs is a new gaming system that encourages kids to get active and play outside.

Swinxs offers a variety of games for kids ages 4 and up, all downloadable for free from the Netherlands-based company’s website. Included are traditional games like hide and seek as well as educational quizzes and games focused on adventure. Players wear colourful RFID wrist bands with microchips that communicate with the Swinxs console to start games and keep track of the player’s personal profile and scores. The Swinxs console talks (multiple languages are possible) and can explain games, as well as refereeing, cheering and keeping score. It can be used both indoors and out, and it runs on a long-lasting battery for enduring fun in the park, beach, garden or playroom. On the Swinxs website, meanwhile, new games, music and listening activities are available for download, and personal pages store player details such as scores, participants and games played. A software development kit (SDK) is also available that lets players or third parties create their own games for the system. Launched in April, Swinxs is currently available at The Beehive in Holland; pricing is EUR 149.95 including console, 4 wrist bands, USB cable, adapter and seven pre-installed games. A video on YouTube demonstrates the game in action.

Thanks Springwise

Just a few months ago Philippe Starck was announcing the death of design. Never one to be taken too seriously, Philippe Starck is set to contradict himself once again and launch a new reality television show. Produced by the BBC and scheduled to air on BBC 2 next year, Philippe Starck’s “School of Design” will feature ten aspiring product designers that will be given the opportunity to work alongside Starck and his design team over a period of several months.

If you’re planning on making a trip to Florida this summer, consider stopping at the Kennedy Space Center for the Astronaut Training Experience ($250 per person). The all-day program includes first-hand info from veteran NASA astronauts, a run in a Spaceflight Training Simulator, a full scale space shuttle mission simulation, a VIP tour of the Space Center, and some Training Experience swag.

The world of fine food and luxury dining has trickled into the most casual of foods — pizza. Of course when it can be topped with anything that kind of freedom allows chefs to concoct the most outrageous of ideas into slices of heaven. But how much would you pay for dough topped with italian chicken eggs, mozzarella, onion and Beluga caviar…say, £350?! At Notting Hill’s Mulberry Street that is the price you’ll pay to enjoy their twenty-inch Beluga King pizza. And even though there is a credit crunch in the UK it seems the enticing ingredients are garnering wealthy customers and curious diners.

Are you tired of telling people that they can borrow your pen as long as they promise to return it, but they never do? Well you can pretty much guarantee your co-workers will be less than willing to abscond with any of these pens. Instead of squirting ink or giving an electric shock like your standard gag pen, these ones are simply branded with fake businesses that have the potential of ruining someone’s reputation if they’re caught using them. Like Electrolysis Is Us or Verdant Fields Nudist Group or even Stuffed With Love Taxidermy.

The abstract appeal of stylish, contemporary fireplaces from Radius Design makes them something poles apart from the ordinary. Instantly inviting, they are ought to become the centerpiece of any contemporary home. After the Blitzgrill, the latest to reach Radius e-shop is the Uni Flame fireplace, which is apt for use both indoors and outdoors, allowing you to spend pleasant evenings in your backyard watching real flames. Express your personality with the trendy Uni Flame fireplace that will set you back €998

InSuggest. A new online Flickr image and site finder which works through a clever graphical drag and drop interface. Select a site or image that you like and the service will serve up a selection of similar material based on the likes of other users. It’s no Stumbleupon and nothing is as fast as a standard text link search, but it’s quite nicely done and the UI is impressively slick. Worth a look.

Images insuggest is a fun way to browse images from Flickr. Select a couple of images you like and you will instantly get recommendations from like-minded people…Web insuggest is a tool for discovering new web sites based on you own unique taste. Enter a couple of web sites you like and instantly get personal recommendations.

The Sqish Satellite Aerial is a little bit different. For one it comes with an optional Sqishoflage sticker. Send them a photo of your wall or other place where you’re going to attach the thing and the company will create a sticker which will hide it from fussy neighbours. Plus it doesn’t look like a boring grey dish, it’s more like a boring square thingie.