How our brains build social worlds …
"This raises the interesting question of how our brains deal with deception. Somehow, a balance has to be struck: it would be too costly to question the motive behind every interaction, but taking everything at face value makes us vulnerable. Neuroscientists have become very interested in the differences in brain activity between interacting with a person considered trustworthy and one perceived as dangerous and deceptive."
"One key difference may be a shift in the balance between unconscious mirroring of another person's actions and expressions and conscious attempts to grasp the other's motives. This may lead to a decoupling from the other, a kind of separation within the interaction, as activity diminishes in areas that mirror experiences, while higher-order, cognitive frontal functions kick in."
via How our brains build social worlds - opinion - 02 December 2009 - New Scientist.
Holiday Inn ‘Green’ Signage Yields $4.4M Savings Annually
As part of the makeover, a redesign of the iconic brand logo required new exterior signage at more than 3,200 locations that will now incorporate energy-efficient, long-life GE Tetra LED lighting systems. By replacing neon and fluorescent lighting with LED lighting systems, the company expects to save $3 million annually in maintenance costs and $1.4 million in energy costs, according to a press release.
Denmark approves new police powers ahead of Copenhagen summit
This is the best solution they could come up with? Arresting people "they suspect might break the law."? Wow.
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The Danish parliament today passed legislation which will give police sweeping powers of "pre-emptive" arrest and extend custodial sentences for acts of civil disobedience. The "deeply worrying" law comes ahead of the UN climate talks which start on 7 December and are expected to attract thousands of activists from next week.
Under the new powers, Danish police will be able to detain people for up to 12 hours whom they suspect might break the law in the near future.
via Denmark approves new police powers ahead of Copenhagen | Environment | guardian.co.uk.
Research: More Meetings Cutting Paper, Energy, Travel and Wasted Food
While "greening" (like social media) may seem like an unprofitable fad to some old-timers, its important to remember how progress works.
In the 1890's many business people thought the telephone was a passing fancy... until everybody got one. Same with the fax in the 1980's and email in the 1990's. Its all about meeting the customer's expectations. Unfortunately, you cannot change the expectation of an entire society, especially if you are trying to cling to the past.
Part of running a business is doing what works. The other part, the leadership part, is anticipating what will work in the future and preparing for those opportunities.
If anyone out there thinks putting your head in the sand is a good option, I've got a long line of your competitors waiting to kick your butt while your head is buried.
Things are changing, whether you like it or not. Conspicuous consumption is tacky. If clients notice you aren't recycling, or making any attempt to be more efficient, they tend to wonder if you are up-to-date in any of your business affairs. They may even question themselves "Why am I still doing business with this troglodyte?"
The article below talks about ways some of the bigger, slower companies are finally getting around to "greening" their meetings. However, you will note, they are still throwing food away while people in town go hungry.
"This is becoming a standard," said Allyson Wagner, project manager for event management firm Meeting Consultants Inc., which worked closely with IBM, the host property and other suppliers to incorporate environmentally friendly practices at the 5,000-attendee Information on Demand event. "It's something that clients expect now. They're starting to look for this in their RFPs. If it's not already there, they're adding it in. They're expecting not only venues but their other vendor partners to bring something to the table."
via Research: More Meetings Cutting Paper, Energy, Wasted F&B.
Ink breakthrough puts the shine and 3D into printed images
"The first prints using the new technique (see image, below) are relatively poor quality because the measurement technique has limited resolution, Pellacini says. But future developments should improve the technique. The goal is to combine the technique with 3D printing to create 3D objects that look more realistic, he says."
via Ink breakthrough puts the shine into printed images - tech - 10 November 2009 - New Scientist.
DOOH (Digital Out-Of-Home) Forecast Dims
From 2002-07, the category grew by double digits, a phase Patrick Quinn, CEO and president of PQ Media, called the "gold rush." Today the medium, growing at a single-digit pace, is in its shakeout and consolidation phase.
"This is a critical phase in the evolution of the business. We'll see acceleration, but there are still issues out there including fragmentation, scalability and measurement."
Growing pains aside, DOOH continues to capture a larger share of the out-of-home market, accounting for 34 percent in 2009, up 13.9 percentage points from 2004. DOOH is forecast to gain another 7.5 points by 2014, expanding to 41.5 percent of the OOH market.
via DOOH Forecast Dims.
Contact lenses to get built-in virtual graphics
I don't mean to freak anybody out, but this is the way of the future...
If they can beam dynamic, digital video data to the surface of your eyes, there are going to be advertisers willing to pay for THAT space. I'm telling you, no place is sacred anymore. Signs, signs, everywhere a sign. So, what do you do? Fight the future? Embrace change? Pursue happiness? Rock & Roll! Happy Friday ...
"A contact lens that harvests radio waves to power an LED is paving the way for a new kind of display. The lens is a prototype of a device that could display information beamed from a mobile device."
'Our hope is to create images that effectively float in front of the user perhaps 50 cm to 1 m away,' says Parviz.
"Future versions will be able to harvest power from a user's cell phone, perhaps as it beams information to the lens. They will also have more pixels and an array of microlenses to focus the image so that it appears suspended in front of the wearer's eyes."
"Despite the limited space available, each component can be integrated into the lens without obscuring the wearer's view, the researchers claim. As to what kinds of images can be viewed on this screen, the possibilities seem endless. Examples include subtitles when conversing with a foreign-language speaker, directions in unfamiliar territory and captioned photographs. The lens could also serve as a head-up display for pilots or gamers."
Contact lenses to get built-in virtual graphics - tech - 12 November 2009 - New Scientist.
Remember this? >> Tesla \"Signs\"
Better Bike Lane Signage Is Low-Cost, High-Impact Solution for Urban Cyclists
While the rest of us spin our wheels waiting for that infrastructure cash to kick in so that we can have a smooth new bike path to ride on, Los Angeles-based designer Joseph Prichard has a much better idea--one that not only gets bikers on the road, but makes them safer too.
His proposal, Better Bikeways, calls for a simple, cost-effective overhaul of bikeway signage instead of the pricer options of paving new routes or marking dedicated lanes on the streets.
Read the full story @ Designerati | Fast Company
