This notice struck me as interesting. Mobile phone has replaced cash. And yet, the presumption is that we all have a mobile for which payment is enabled. I'm not sure what happens if you don't have a mobile phone.
As an ironic twist, I took this photo with my mobile phone!
"Each of these jars of honey has the name and address of the producer. How about that for provenance in the supply chain?"
A poor photo from a shaky hand, but the point is well made. As we want more information about what we buy and what we eat, the logical extension is to put the name and address of the person who made the food on each jar. In this, food production becomes more craftsman like as each jar is its own work of art, with the artist signing each jar.
"This telephone handset caught my attention. Note the large buttons for elderly users. It is interesting how the design of products is changing as the profile of consumers ages."
Jacob Krejci (Flickr id) writes:
"Over a year ago on a chance encounter I snapped this picture. After some research I found that the man in the picture was the enigmatic HK Edgerton. The former head of the Asheville chapter of the NAACP who has made it his personal mission to defend the confederate flag marching from NC to Texas in order to spread his gospel.
And an extremly controversial gospel it is: Edgerton claims that slavery wasn't the horrible institiution that there was a harmonious relationship between slave and slaveowner. He likens his work to that of Martin Luther King, but civil rights leaders refer to him as a white supremist.
I most certainly do not agree with his viewpoint, but I fully recognize him as a remarkeable charcter and a living legend of the South. I have been quite fascinated and curious about him."
This picture is so interesting. It contains so much about identity confusion and self appreciation.
James Helmer (Flickr id) writes:
"STEUNG MEANCHEY, CAMBODIA. A refuse worker strolls across a mountain of garbage on his way to a recycling plant in the background. © james helmer"
It's interesting to think about what happens to our rubbish in the west. Much of our landfill is exported, where it is then trawled and recycled. I wonder how long it will be before our full landfill sites cease being 'contaminated land' and start to become 'mineral deposits'?
This is a trend that we covered in a previous post (see post).
Rizwan Quraishi (Flickr id) writes:
"Towards Shigrin Campsite, Nanga Parbat Southside, Northern Areas, Pakistan.
LUMS Adventure Society (LAS)"
Why is it that we need to go to the other end of the world in order to find self-fulfillment? What is it that is lacking in our lives that this sort of adventure fills? I liked this photo because it captures something essential in the lifestyles of the young today.
I liked this photo because it has so much to say about how uncomfortable we are with ourselves in our present time.
Some of us - such as the young man in the photo - project ourselves into a time that never was, the imaginary world of Star Wars. Others project themselves back into a romanticised world that never was, which is what 'The Victorian Image' is all about. This photo rather nicely juxtaposes the two.
Aren't we lucky that we have the time and wealth to be able to be uncomfortable about the time in which we are living.
This struck me as amusing. A little Smart Car operated by the City of Westminster in itsw parking enforcement. It contains a CCTV to record illegal parking and speeding.
This is billed as Europe's longest Champagne Bar. When I went through St Pancras, it was very busy because it was the only place that I could find to sit down in the station. The purchase of an over-priced glass of fizzy wine early in the day isn't exactly my idea of a good start to a trip to Paris.
The commentators at Trendwatching caught this as well as part of a 'Premiumization' trend. In their December issue they say:
"Basically, with more wealth burning holes in (saturated and experienced) consumers' pockets than ever before, quick status fixes derived from premium products and premium experiences will continue in full force next year."
Interestingly enough, in their photo, very few people are actually drinking fizzy wine - they look as if they have visited the bar just to sit down! (See full reference)
inrespose (Flickr id) writes:
"German gear. This chap was worried that I might capture his British army issue socks, which might spoil the authentic look. It all looked pretty authentic to me! On the one hand these chaps enjoyed showing off their nice German clothes and kit but they also did not like having their faces photographed."
It's interesting how some people find meaning in their lives by shifting into a different period of history. The whole re-enactment movement seems to tap into this trend. However, the mind boggles about those who find meaning by re-enacting the Holocaust. I also attended Salute 2007, and I found this display of very bad taste.
In Hong Kong, surprisingly large structures are constructed using Bamboo scaffolding. Bamboo is a naturally produced, renewable, and sustainable product. I wonder if this is a glimpse of future building products?
inrepose (Flickr id) writes:
"Insert 20p and select one of a range of prayers. An interactive sculpture which gives you back the money after providing an interesting message. Warning not to be used by the holy or holey. The prayers were about relationships with various chocolate bar brands."
An interesting combination of machine, spirituality, and commerce.
A three-way marketing promotion, linking Sainsbury (the supermarket chain), Innocent (the smoothie manufacturer), and Age Concern (a charity for the relief of poverty in the elderly).
This can be a useful device to create brand loyalty amongst consumers. For example, smoothie buyers tend to be young and affluent - just the demographic that Sainsbury needs to attract as a company.
The young also tend to give more to charity, so a link to a widely known charity is a positive affiliation. 'Fuel poverty' (where fuel costs absorb more than 10% of houshold income) is an issue that is increasing in profile in the UK that disproportionately affects the elderly. The little wooly hat on top of the bottle is just that - a marketing device to act as the cherry on the cake that consolidates the loyalty to the project by reminding us of outr grandmothers.
However, what happens of things go wrong? For example, if there were to be a scandal about Trustees expenses at Age Concern. Or if the smoothie ingredients were found to be 'impure'. The carefully constructed affiliation would collapse and sales may well plummet.
Perhaps affiliative marketing is a high risk strategy? If things go well, sales can be well in excess of what they otherwise would have been. If things don't go well, then the investment in the brand and its affiliations may not be recouped.
The US idea of Book Crossing, whilst having some resonance in Europe, hasn't really crossed cultures.
In the US, people read in coffee houses. In Europe, they converse. Equally, we might question the purpose of a book. If reading a book is an act of consumption (possibly more so in the US), then a book becomes disposable. If the book is an investment (possibly more so in Europe), then a book is bought to retain.
This indicates that a cultural nuance in one area (the US) may not be resdily replicated in another (Europe). Is it surprising that this book exchange in Starbucks Luzern is empty?
