icSouthlondon: A text message service telling council tenants about housing repairs could be introduced. Under the scheme tenants’ representatives will get an alert about “one-off jobs” on things such as communal lighting and stairwells. But recipients will not be able to reply and messages won’t be worded in trendy teen speak, authority chiefs have promised. Lambeth council computer expert David […]
Tenants’ Mobile Solution
BMW’s Move
BBC News: BMW is preparing to enter the market for car-style people carriers, the firm’s chief has told BBC News. Speaking at a BMW event ahead of the Geneva motor show, Helmut Panke predicted demand for such crossover vehicles would soar in Europe. In contrast, he said, the popularity of van-style seven-seat vehicles and traditional saloon cars would fade. “Customers […]
Racing Fishes
Popgadget: Feeling guilty for keeping your goldfish in a little tiny bowl? The Goldfish Racetrack has an “infinity shape” so your goldfish (said to have a memory of 7 seconds) will think they are exploring the seven seas. I’m not sure if it’s humane or extra super cruel, tricking your fishies like this. I keep thinking of the fishbowl neurotics […]
Easy Driving
Technology Review: A car that swerves back into lanes on its own and a video system that makes parking a breeze were part of technological features on display by the Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. The technology that reporters tried out in test drives Monday at a research center outside Tokyo is part of Nissan’s efforts to make driving safer. […]
Pro Podcasting
IHT.com:The primarily amateur Internet audio medium known as podcasting took a small, hopeful step on Friday toward becoming the commercial Web’s next big thing. That step was taken by Odeo, a five-person start-up that is based in a walk-up apartment in the Mission District of San Francisco and was co-founded by a Google alumnus. The company plans to introduce a […]
Premium McDonald’s Coffee
Smartmoney.com: McDonald’s is testing high-end coffee in restaurants, and analysts say it’s a matter of time before that company and other U.S. fast-food chains start offering a better brew. Profits on specialty coffee, a nearly $9 billion a year retail market in the U.S., are too large for the chains to ignore. Test Results Positive So Far “McDonald’s is testing […]
Real-world Gaming
The New York Times: The first advertisement appeared in USA Today a week ago, right on schedule. People from around the world had stayed up all night waiting for it, talking in chat rooms and online forums. It had to be a clue, they thought. Everything before it had been a clue. “LOST. The Cube,” read the ad, posted at […]
Targeting the Teens
TheStar.com: When it comes to marketing to youth, it’s usually worse to aim at the demographic and miss, than it is not to advertise at all. When McDonald’s launched the “I’d Hit It” online advertising campaign in the U.S. — without knowing the slang translated to having sex with a cheeseburger — the gaffe blew up in the company’s face. […]
Soulmates Online
Yahoo! News: Lycos is making it easier for lonely hearts to find their soulmates online. The company will launch on Wednesday a search engine that only indexes dating Web sites, giving users links to personal profiles found at iMatchup.com, LoveAccess.com, Tickle, True.com, and Lycos’ own Matchmaker.com. “We did research last year and it revealed that [online] dating customers want a […]
Personalized Toys
Wired News: Picture an Elmo or Winnie the Pooh plush doll that knows a child’s name and favorite food, and tells stories and sings songs incorporating such personal details. Or a new version of Furby that recognizes voices and reacts with emotions from surprise to dismay, and responds to specific words a child says. These electronic toys, which make a […]