In this week’s trendwatching podcast, Nora Young mentions Nicholas Carr’s book, The Shallows, and also Matt Richtel’s New York Times article about the compulsions of being ‘always on’ digitally (thanks, Without Mittens).

Meanwhile, Cathi tips us off to the possibility that California may opt for license plate ads (via Gizmodo).  Is this part of the future of location-based ads and services?  Will the future of advertising truly look like Minority Report?

 

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Hi all, sorry for the podcasting silence; we were moving thesniffer to a new host.  All good now.  Thanks for your patience!

In this trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond talks about ‘voluntourism’, which combines a holiday with time spent volunteering.  (Via ChaCha).  Cathi think it’s a chance to do some good in the world, instead of bloating out on a beach, but something about it makes Nora uncomfortable.  Nora also mentions Games with a Purpose and Kiva.

Meanwhile, Nora talks about the concept of the ‘free cafe’ or sampling station in Japan.  Rice cracker maker, Harimaya Honten is trying out a cafe where you can sample their food and simple drinks for free, with no pressure to buy.  According to CScout, it’s aimed at reintroducing younger Japanese consumers to older, more traditional foods.  What would you like to reintroduce in Canada?

 

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In this episode for trendwatchers, Nora Young talks about the booming business in high end and also custom bikes, like these gorgeous ones at Core77.  Nora’s torn: she loves them, but does everything we do have to come with a shopping experience?

Meanwhile, Cathi Bond has been obsessed with variations on monorails for ages.  She’s just found this cool spin on it: String Transport Systems. (via Gizmag)  Now, can anyone explain how it works?

 

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W00t! The Sniffer is 5 years old!  This time around, Cathi Bond and Nora Young reminisce about some of the wacky, prescient, and dubious trends they’ve sniffed.  One of the most amazing things to reflect on is how much things have changed!  In the early days of The Sniffer, we debated issues such as ‘what is this nutty Facebook thing about?’ ‘what do you make of Web 2.0?’ and more.  What are some of the changes or issues that jump out at you in tech since 2005?

Cathi also introduces us to the world of extreme, high octane beer! (Via Gizmag)  Would you drink these beers?

Also: virtual bagpipes (via Gizmodo)! Well, Nora does have a wee Scottish attachment to the pipes!

 

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In this podcast for trendwatchers, Nora Young talks about McDonald’s new moves in Tokyo to create sleek, design-based dining experiences (via CNNgo). What’s up with that? Is it part of their ongoing moves in the coffee wars?  Perhaps it’s a response to declining birth rates and the aging baby boom. What do you think?

Meanwhile, Cathi Bond talks about the return of plastic shoes!  This time, in classic ‘fast fashion’ mode, they’ve got designers’ names attached (via JC Report).  Nora asks: ‘what about the stinky feet?’

 

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In this trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond mentions the movie Crash: the David Cronenberg one, not the Paul Haggis one.  In the “one more damn thing to worry about” file, Nora Young discusses the news that we have done such a poor job of recycling the metals used for electronics such as cell phones, that we’re at risk of running out of them (via New Scientist).

Meanwhile, Cathi mentions this wacky trend: vending machines for gold!

 

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In today’s trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond talks about the possible future for Diaspora, the social networking service due out this summer.  It’s the brainchild of a group of NYC students, and aims to be an answer to Facebook, by allowing users to hold onto their data. What do you think? Would you use it? Is the technical benchmark too high for most users? (via Gizmag)

Nora Young mentions this thought-provoking post at Tomorrow Museum.  How about you? Are you an online extrovert/real world introvert? Or vice versa?

 

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In today’s trendwatching podcast, Cathi Bond and Nora Young tell Nora’s colleague he’s got to watch some Preston Sturges movies.

More importantly, Nora talks about Puma’s collaboration with Yves Béhar on the Clever Little Bag. (Via Contagious)

Meanwhile, Cathi Bond thinks things have progressed a little since the Office in a Bucket.  She brings you the fabulous OfficePOD.  Check it out via Inhabitat and let us know what you think.

 

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Commenter Erik rightly pointed out the upset in the tablet market, with HP pulling its planned tablet computer. The Globe and Mail adds to the picture with news that RIM is postponing release of a new tablet.  What do tablet-makers have to do to compete with the iPad? Would it make sense to introduce some of the extra functionality that the iPad is missing (eg a camera)? How dangerous a strategy is it to hold off on releasing a tablet, potentially letting Apple corner the market? Share your thoughts!