With the chaos of today’s culture, society is turning to Mother Nature for comfort. The term “biophilia,” as popularized by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984, refers to “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.”  While some may get the impression being around plants is merely a warm and fuzzy concept, the…

Amazon just unveiled this compelling video of the store of the future.  (It is also posted below) By combining advances in camera technology, artificial intelligence and “sensor fusion”, the company believes that soon you will be able to just “grab and go.” In other words, in the near future, you’ll be able to walk into…

  Wearable Technology. Apple’s iWatch, FitBit, Oculus Rift have already arrived but society is just at the beginning of the “wearables” The question marketers need to ask themselves today is this: What will iWatch 2.0, FitBit 2.0 and Oculus 2.0 look like? My prediction is that the Internet will soon come directly to people in…

Yesterday, on my other website, I shared how Google’s new “Project Glass” might soon allow users to receive real-time voice translations of foreign conversations and, thus, render the need to learn a second language unnecessary. Many people–especially pessimists–immediately grasp how the technology might cause some foreign language instructors to lose their jobs. This is overly…

I’ve written about the importance of getting a “reverse mentor” on numerous occasions. I recently happened upon this article highlighting Tesco’s decision to create an advisory board of children ages 9 to 12. To be sure, the board’s directive is focused on a narrow area but the idea of tapping into the creative energy of…

What if we could end childhood diabetes, fight world poverty and engage in a more sustainable form of agriculture just by tricking our taste buds? Sounds farfetched–if not impossible–doesn’t it? After watching this insightful TEDx talk by Homaru Canto and Ben Roche, two innovative chefs from Chicago, I think you might have a more open…

My good friend, Nate Garvis, has an outstanding post on his blog, Naked Civics. It’s about the disposable coffee cup. This is no ordinary disposable cup, however. Through the use of elegant design, the new cup eliminates the pesky–and petroleum-based–plastic lid. To my mind, the new design is a wonderful example of the importance of seeing…

Last week, it was reported that frequent shopping by men and women increases the life expectancy of people in Taiwan.  This is undoubtedly great news for shopoholics but before you rush out to the nearest mall in an effort to boost the length of your life know that it is not true. Although the scientific…

The global supply chain is an impressive feat of modern management. The problem is that in its quest to squeeze out ever greater efficiencies with its "just-in-time" system of inventory it has left itself extremely vulnerable to large, rare and unpredictable events such as the recent Japanese earthquake-tsunami. Such events are, of course, unpredictable but…

I recently had the pleasure of going to Paris on vacation and happened to use the city's fine subway system on a daily basis. One of the things that struck me as odd was the large number of advertising posters for Martin Lawrence's new "Big Mamma" movie. Now, to be honest, I can't imagine why…