Zub Zan 40 Watch by Nooka
by: mocoloco, 2012-02-15 19:43:24 UTC
Nooka's latest watch sports a 40mm wide analog face and has removable straps for custom color combinations.
Custom Jeans Won't Make Your Butt Look Big, Will Change The Way You Shop
by: fast company, 2012-02-15 14:45:49 UTC
The future of shopping means every garment--and shopping experience--can be customized to fit both your body and your thirst for discovery.
I’ve seen this scenario before, but I will not name names. A woman with a delightful and sensible figure,
who looks quite gorgeous from any angle, cranes her neck around to the mirror
and asks, to nobody in particular, “Does this make my ass look big?”
You look around. Actually, she is asking you. There really
is only one reasonable answer to that question--but it isn't the truth.
Alas, here is the problem with shopping. It’s uniquely
personal, yet the massive mainstream retailers have to be
totally impersonal and personal at the same time. So what you often get is
messaging--advertising that convinces you of what is actually untrue, and jeans or outfits that really don’t quite fit. The brand slogan and the ad campaign
are supposed to convince you that you are in love with something that you're not. But, lacking other options, you settle.
That may be changing, in two very distinct ways.
Tech-Enabled Customization
This is the video that Ali Fenn, head of marketing for the custom-jeans outfit INDi, sent me after our conversation about customized shopping and fitting experiences for women in the jeans category.
[youtube Lnc0EuqAdJw]
Fenn says the real opportunity for retailers is making jeans for women that fit on real bodies, and to deliver that category in a way that is not manipulative.
Retailers currently depend on fit models--perfectly proportioned women between sizes 2 and 6--who are supposed to represent everywoman (even though the average size woman in the U.S. wears a size 14) to get an idea of how clothes will fit and drape on real bodies.
"Jeans shopping is tough; 70% of women and 40% of men say they wish they had jeans that fit," says Fenn. "It’s also emotional for people. People have their own body issues. There’s something about being able to go through this process online in a way that you wouldn’t go through in a brick-and-mortar."
The INDi Process, as they call it, helps customers use technology and e-commerce to find jeans that fit them. The video explains it pretty well.
Are retailers like Saks, Macy’s, or even K-Mart in trouble? Will they be able to offer this same customization?
Fenn isn’t critical of the big shops, but she says that the opportunity exists to change the current model, if people can grow comfortable with scanning technology and what’s new.
The evolution would be, eventually, a highly personal fitting room in your own apartment, set up with basic software and a Kinect by Microsoft, for example.
“The friction is that it’s new,” says Finn. “There’s a slight hesitation about not knowing exactly what it’s looking like.”
Still, Finn expects the future of offline shopping experiences to look like a mix of the highly customized version one can get using e-commerce at home or on a mobile device, with the convenience and reach of bricks-and-mortar. She even thinks there will be pairings of couture online-only brands that will do pop-up stores within the major chains, like Macy’s.
“Ultimately, they need to merge,” says Fenn. “On the one hand, going and trying on a bunch of clothes with friends…is a good thing. On the other hand, you don’t find something that fits great, or you are 20 pounds heavier than someone else, it can be not so fun.”
“You can do it online, but it can be tailored to you,” she says.
Moving From Big Boxes To Personal Retail Nirvana
Geetanjali
Dhillon, meanwhile, runs Republic
of Brown, a site for the hip Indian diaspora that is making a
pivot to customized global shopping.
The curated shopping craze swept Dhillon off her feet. She says she
realized the potential for Republic of Brown when she would share Twitter images of saris or other items bought during visits to India and get pelted with direct messages and tweets from people who wanted the same
items.
“People don’t just want to be told about something, they
want to buy it,” Dhillon says. “It’s like
people are going on a journey and rather than being told about an object and or
a place, they are allowed to shop for it in real time as an experience.”
Previous
conversations with retail innovators have shown us that content and context
seem to be the things that are missing
in most retail experiences. Confronted with a barrage of ad messaging and broadly swathed campaigns enticing women to buy, female consumers
are eagerly trying to hunt down shopping experiences that connect them to
something nurturing, real, and individual to their lifestyle.
Shopping is becoming more curated, more honest, and more
personalized. In these days of retail,
you can’t think big to be big. You have to think small to get big. Targeted approaches that are about the shopper as much as
they are about the retailer are crucial must-haves.
“I’m doing commerce plus," says Dhillon. "It’s curated. It all has to be
curated, right? So, it’s like commerce, plus a story, plus an emotional
experience, plus authenticity.”
[Image: Flickr user Helga Weber]
NASA Searching for Green Propellant
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2012-02-14 02:36:22 UTC
NASA has announced that they're seeking proposals for green propellant alternatives to the currently-used and highly-toxic fuel hyrdrazine. The space agency is asking for demonstrations of propellant technology that can perform as well as traditional fuels in future spacecraft, but have a much smaller impact on the environment and are less hazardous for those handling the fuel.
Hydrazine is efficient, can be stored for long periods of time and is used widely in satellite and science and exploration missions, but it costs the agency in processing times and extreme operational hazards because of its highly corrosive and toxic nature. NASA is hoping that a new propellant technology can be found that eliminates those hurdles (i.e. saves money) and possibly even improves performance.
Through its Technology Demonstration Missions Program, the agency will be accepting proposals until April 30 and then giving out at least one award to the best among the submissions that could be worth up to $50 million.
via NASA
Koomey: Why Entrepreneurs Offer the Best Hope as Climate Heroes
by: Greener Design, 2012-02-15 12:53:12 UTC
Jonathan Koomey, author of a new book on how the accelerating pace of innovation offers a world of opportunities for entrepreneurs to seize the climate moment for the greater good.
Building Business Value in a Changing World
by: Greener Design, 2012-02-14 22:52:14 UTC
KPMG explains how 'megaforces' like climate change, urbanization and food security are rapidly increasing the costs of doing business.
New bike-scooter design inspired by consultation with Bordeaux citizens
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2012-02-14 23:49:29 UTC
In November 2011, the City of Bordeaux in France began a special consultation with its citizens. In an exercise that could easily have created a Homer mobile, participants were asked to make suggestions on what they would like to see included in the design of a new town bike. Over 300 citizens shared their ideas, which designer Philippe Starck has now used as the inspiration for what has been provisionally called the City PIBAL Streamer - an eye-catching concept where riders can opt to sit and pedal like on a traditional bike, or stand on the platform and use like a scooter...
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New bike-scooter design inspired by consultation with Bordeaux citizensSection: Urban TransportTags: Bike,
Cycling,
Peugeot,
Philippe Starck,
Scooter
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Review: GEIGERRIG pressurized hydration pack
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2012-02-15 00:48:34 UTC
First of all, let's get one thing clear - conventional hydration packs aren't a problem that needs solving. You want a drink, you suck on the mouthpiece, it's as simple as that. Then again, standard-definition video, dial-up internet connections and friction-operated bicycle shift levers were all considered "good enough" at one time, too. It's hard to say if GEIGERRIG's pressurized hydration pack system will eventually join the ranks of HDTV, cable internet and indexed shifting, but based on my experiences with one of the company's test rigs, it could at least gain some converts...
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Review: GEIGERRIG pressurized hydration packSection: OutdoorsTags: Backpack,
Camelbak,
Review,
Sports,
Water Bottle
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Electronic Skylight with LEDs by Solectric
by: Jetson Green, 2012-02-15 07:01:55 UTC
Letting the sun’s rays reach your home’s interior rooms, or down to lower level, is a challenge on any project, and virtually impossible without cutting a large hole in your roof. But now, Solectric offers an electronic skylight that promises the next best thing — interior lighting that is powered by the sun and can be rendered at the same color temperature.
The Day-Light System connects a solar PV panel to one or two LED light fixtures. Because there is no sizable roof penetration or chase required to accommodate a light tunnel, the application can work well in many retrofit projects.
Lighting fixtures are available as recessed or surface mount and with some choice in diffuser style. And the lighting control is variable so in the early morning hours, the light level increases gradually. While at midday, the light is at its brightest.
Solectric also offers a couple add-on features to preserve homeowner control of their indoor environment. For example, SmartShine allows a homeowner to boost their electronic skylight’s output on cloudy days by supplementing it with power from the home.
For those times when you want to darken the rooms, a switch can turn off the connection between the panel and the fixtures. And different fixtures can produce daylight white (6000 K) or warm white (3300 K) to approximate incandescent light (~2700 K), according to the owner’s preference.
The Day-Light System costs about $300 for each panel-fixture combination. Solectric also offers a solar-powered fan, strip lighting, and LED lighting packages for storage sheds or off-grid homes.
[+] More about Solectric eco-friendly LED Lighting Systems.
Credits: Solectric.
Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:
- Home Lighting: Keep An Eye on LEDs
- Low Profile Tubular Skylight by Velux
- Google Intros Smart LEDs, Android@Home
New Study Finds That Electric Cars in China Using Fossil Fuels Have a Higher Carbon Footprint Than Gasoline Gars
by: Inhabitat , 2012-02-14 16:20:43 UTC
If you read Inhabitat, you probably know that we’re big fans of green transportation, but we do think it’s important to see the bigger picture when it comes to electric cars. A new finding from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville shows that electric cars in China have a higher impact on pollution than gasoline vehicles due to the fact that they draw power from the grid (which in China is powered 90% by coal). We should point out that this study only examined EVs in one part of the world – China – but there is a bigger picture to look at which is the fact that in order for electric cars to eventually become truly sustainable, we need to move towards ultimately powering them with renewable resources.
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Recycled Sauna in Finland Flies Past Planning Hurdles With Clever Mobile Design
by: Inhabitat , 2012-02-14 16:31:31 UTC
A woman in Finland wanted to convert an abandoned boathouse into a sauna for 12 years, but she couldn’t get municipal approval – so Denizen Works traveled from London to her home in Åland and came up with a viable solution. Responding to stories about a grandfather who used to put runners underneath his sauna and ride around on ice, the designers decided to put the recycled structure on a sled to make it mobile, and the government finally approved the plans. More details after the jump.
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