Through the Looking Glass

Image: HBO's Voyeur

I might be a little late on this one but there was a great article in the NY Times last week. It discusses how people are increasingly making their lives more transparent, not only through voyeuristic architecture but also through the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Researchers interviewed for the article have indicated concern for a society that never experiences time behind closed doors and suggest.

"There is a behavioral connection between the unconsciously 'for show' lives of those living in glass condos and the consciously “for show” lives of those spending more and more of their time online, where domestic activities are recorded in achingly specific detail. The result is a cultural confusion about private and public."

Check it out here.

Exercise Solutions for the Busy Gal

Japanese girls are turning to Cobini fitness for the convenience of a corner store with the benefits of a workout facility.

Just stop in, jump on one of their machines and maintain your balance as the "foot pads churn up and down and back and forth at up to 1,560 times per minute."

"I love that I don't even have to change clothes," says 17-year-old Midori Nishioka as she bounces on a Conbini machine in Osaka.

While I appreciate efficiency as much as anyone else -- I hope I never get this lazy, busy or broke.

Thanks Wired.

Corporate Boutique - Oxymoron? Or No?

The WSJ recently covered the plans of Neiman Marcus to launch a boutique retail chain, called Cusp, in hopes of connecting with young women (20s and 30s). In a recent discussion with an office neighbor, we came to the conclusion that (at least for us) the mall has become a great spot to find basics. Ultimately however, when it comes to self-expression, we turn to more boutique operations for those items that stand out in a crowd. Fortunately such boutiques are popping up on every corner. I guess it was only a matter of time before bigger companies caught up with the small store, one-of-a-kind sales racks.

Anthropologie has been able to pull this off for quite sometime and although I hate their prices, I must say I love their clothes. Heck, I'm still in love with their kid-sister brand, Urban Outfitters (even if I am outside the target market by a few years).

People love boutique stores because their unique (not to mention you're helping out local biz). So will this trend diminish the uniqueness of boutique shopping? Who knows. Maybe it will even bring prices down a little. No? Please?

It only makes sense...

High Divorce rates=A sea of shared emotions (and commiseration)=A money making opportunity

Example: Wedding Ring Coffins

50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce, according to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri.”