Category Archives: Products

Gaming Relationships

By Simone | Published: August 10, 2011

I have often seen people reference the process of securing a significant other as a game, but rarely have I seen actual relationships presented as game-like exchanges. To me, it seems as though the thrill is in the chase, and once a couple settles, things get dull and boring. Perhaps that’s a major problem that needs to [...]

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Mexican Pointy Boots and Modern Pelts

By Simone | Published: April 16, 2011

While I’ve fallen down the gamification rabbit hole and have spent the past month and a half studying game mechanics and funware instead of blogging, I still have an eye out for fun new trends and the like. One of my favorites is the Mexican pointy boots trend.  About two years ago now, a bunch [...]

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Food Trend Alert: Hot Pot Cooking at Home

By Simone | Published: December 29, 2010

Hey, kids.  Just because I’ve been a bit silent on the blog front doesn’t mean I haven’t been researching.  More is coming down the chutes soon, but for the time being, I thought I’d toss out some fun thoughts on a potential food trend: in-home hot pot cooking.  Mmmmm.  Steamy. The photo above originates from [...]

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Halloween Costumes and Holiday Trends

By Simone | Published: October 31, 2010

Holidays make for excellent trend spotting devices as they’re steeped in ritual and occur at a fixed point every year.  Changes in holiday traditions, dishes, songs, costumes, and parties are indicative of changes in greater society. As it’s Halloween, trend spotters (at least in countries that celebrate the day) may consider what has changed- and [...]

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PlayStation Move and the Future of Gaming

By Simone | Published: October 11, 2010

I recently visited the SF pop-up “PlayStation HQ” where passers-by are invited to try out Playstation Move. What makes Playstation Move different from other movement intensive game consoles is the camera mounted over screens that tracks movement of the ping pong ball on a stick like controllers. The downside of the system is it does [...]

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2011 Fashion Trends to be Influenced by Small Designers

By Simone | Published: October 7, 2010

Fashion is a unique beast within the trend spotting industry.  In a recent paper on fashion forecasting and coolhunting, Marco Pedroni points out how Fashion, which used to involve a trickle down effect from haute couture designers to the masses, has evolved into a more complicated industry in which trends also make their way from the bottom [...]

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Trend Photography Guide Part VI: Product-Based Research

By Simone | Published: August 20, 2010

Product-based photography is an excellent means by which trend researchers can discover and disseminate new and interesting products. CScout Japan (a subset of CScout, an international trend forecasting consultancy) regularly shares photographs of new Japanese products in its blog posts and trend reports. As these particular product features indicate, certain geographic areas see new products long before they are internationally released. Photographing these products as they first make their way into a cutting-edge market makes it easier for trend consultants to share information on product innovation with interested clients in foreign markets.

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Old Design, New Technology

By Simone | Published: June 22, 2010

This Pylones water boiler is rather intriguing

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Object Lesson: Glass Beer Bottles

By Simone | Published: June 18, 2010

As beer is a carbonated drink, it has always needed a sealed container, and as the drink can be traced back to the ancient Sumerians, beer bottles have a surprisingly long and rich history.

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Object Lesson: Printer Cartridges

By Simone | Published: June 5, 2010

Printer cartridges- expensive, occasionally messy things that they are- have been the bane of our existence- but not for very long.

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