Carl rohde's serious trendwatching part 2

TILBURG 2013

DR. CARL ROHDE

25O F T H E B E S T C O O L H U N T S

S E R I O U S T R E N D WATC H I N G PA RT 2

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Contents

A brief introduction to International Lifestyle Studies 5

Introduction 9

Quality of Life at the heart of International Lifestyle Studies 15

25 of the best Coolhunts regarding Quality of Life

HealtH

1 Scanadu: a doctor in your pocket 22

2 Pain squad: hunting down pain 26

3 Lapka: the personal environment monitor 30

4 Only ten pounds: losing weight online, together 34

Food

5 Beyond eggs: a new kind of egg 40

6 Buurt toetje / thuis afgehaald: meals from nearby 44

7 Fresh Connect: connected food in the future 48

8 Diagnostic kitchen: the online personal kitchen 52

appearance

9 Granny’sfinest:designedbythenew,producedbythebest 58

10 Schorem Haarsnijder & Barbier: men’s clubs, new and retro combined 62

11 Electronic tattoo: stick it on 66

12 Me-Ality:abetterfit 70

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leisure

13 Friday afternoon couscous: eating together to live together 76

14 Three ‘Sweet Nothings’: it’s the little things that matter most 80

15 Realitree: collective gaming for a better environment 84

16 Cool pissing competition; pissing as a clean game 88

living

17 Solar energy everywhere: here comes the sun 94

18 Algae will save the world: creating innovative hope 98

19 Peer-to-peer banking: the next step 102

20 Peru billboard: produces drinking water 106

Human movement

21 Nike+ fuelband: moving together in more playful, exciting ways 112

22 Fc247laserbeamsoccerfields:playwhereverondemand 116

23 Automatic:superefficient,onlinedriving 120

24 Solar roadway: beyond tarmac 124

25 Hottug: quality time in a tub 128

SummaryofthemostimportantmentalitytrendsthatinfluenceQualityofLife 132

Contributions 137

Acknowledgments 138

Colophon 140

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A brief introduction to International Lifestyle StudiesInternational Lifestyle Studies is a four-year bachelor program that welcomes prospective

Lifestyle Professionals. Since 2010, these future professionals have been learning how

to develop new products and services that resonate with many people’s lifestyles.

Beforetheycanaccomplishthat,however,studentsfirstneedtoknoweverything

about social trends. This knowledge can then be used to invent creative ideas (concepts)

for new services/products attuned to the needs of various groups of people.

Lifestyle as a field of activity

Thefieldofactivitylinkedtolifestyleisveryversatile,becausepeoplecanexpresstheir

Lifestyles in many ways. The program distinguishes six sectors:

•HumanMovement

•Health

•Food

•Leisure

•Appearance

•Living

Program outline

The program begins with a 2.5-year general foundation phase, during which students

get acquainted with all six lifestyle sectors. They also focus on four skills: analyzing

trends, developing lifestyle concepts, realizing products/services, and giving advice

duringtheimplementation.Thefinal1.5yearsarededicatedtospecializationinminimally

two sectors.

Quality of Life

Students learn to apply their knowledge of trends and lifestyle to new lifestyle concepts

that contribute to the Quality of Life of the people the concepts are designed for.

They can make people more vigorous, for example, healthier, more relaxed, happier,

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ormoreconfident:theproductsandservicesdevelopedbyourstudentscanmakethe

world a little bit better. And that is an important mission.

Professional environments

At International Lifestyle Studies, we believe in the importance of getting acquainted

with your future profession as soon as possible. Students enrolled in all of our programs

workonassignmentsfromthefield.IntheLifestyleFactory(alearningenvironment

managed by the program staff,) students gain work experience within the context of

companies and organizations. Furthermore, students complete two internships, which

both last 18 weeks. This is the best way to gain experience as a trend analyst and a

developer of concepts.

Future employment

The future career of a Lifestyle Professional revolves around analyzing trends, developing

andintroducinglifestyleconcepts.Studentscanfindemploymentinmarketing,innovation,

R&D, but also in New Business Development. In addition, there is a growing number of

companies that use the knowledge of trends and consumer needs to develop new

concepts for their customers.

Finally, students can become self-employed as a creative entrepreneur or similar.

More than one hundred companies have indicated that they would like to work with

interns and graduates. Companies such as Achmea, De Efteling, Fair Trade Original, GGD,

Hema, Leolux, Mundial Productions, Nike, Hutten Catering, Philips, Thermae 2000 and

The Sting.

Well-known academic trendwatcher

Carl Rohde works for International Lifestyle Studies. He has made Trendwatching his

profession.HebelongstothetopofDutchtrendwatchers.Duringtheirfirstyear,

students participate in an international research project, International Cool City Hunt,

under the direction of Carl Rohde. In cooperation with students from other business

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schools and universities abroad, they seek out new concepts that might be considered

Cool. Not Cool hip but Cool that is attractive, inspiring, and has future growth potential.

The products and concepts discovered during these Coolhunts are analyzed to detect

future trends.

For this book, Carl Rohde has selected the 25 best examples of Cool that can enhance

people’s Quality of Life. These examples were all spotted by the best Coolhunters from

various academic years at International Lifestyle Studies as part of an ambitious Quality

of Life research project. In cooperation with the students, he analyzed these examples

thoroughly. His main objective was to make this valuable methodology more transparent

for students. Secondly, he wanted new generations of students to understand how the

academy perceives Quality of Life, and to inspire students to embrace the subject.

Andfinally,toshowrepresentativesoforganizationsandcompanieswhatILSandthe

readership Trendwatching do with trends in this course.

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Minor Trendwatching

International Lifestyle Studies offers the minor Trendwatching

twice a year.

All students who are enrolled at Fontys, or another University

of Applied Sciences, and who would like to learn more about

trends, and seek to use this knowledge in their future profes-

sion, can take this minor.

This minor teaches students how to systematically track,

analyze, and interpret mentality trends.

Students discover how the consequences of these worldwide

developments will impact their future professions. After comple-

ting this program, students will be able to apply trend insights

specificallytothesectorinwhichtheywork.Thisbook

contains a discussion of some examples that have been

observed by our students.

Enjoy reading!

Anja Sparidaans

Team leader ILS

Brochures and further information on this program are available at

www.fontysaci.nl/opleidingen/lifestyle and www.fontysaci.com/studies/lifestyle-studies

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IntroductionToday, a decent mobile phone can provide a villager in the heart of Africa with more

information than the president of the United States could have hoped for about twenty-

fiveyearsago.WithasmartphoneconnectedtoGoogle,suchavillagerhasbetter

telecomcapabilitiesthanthepresidentdidjustfifteenyearsago.Tokeepthelighton

for an hour, people with an average income today only need to work for about one

second.In1880,itwouldhavecostusfifteenminutesofworktokeepthedarknessat

bay for the same amount of time with a kerosene lamp. One hour of candlelight in 1800?

Sixhourswork.Anhouroflightfromasesame-oillampinBabylonin1750BC:fiftyhours.

All in all, we are doing pretty good. The vast majority of the current world population has

better housing, is better protected from disease and disaster, has better entertainment,

has more food, and lives longer than most generations before us. In the course of the

centuries, the Quality of our Lives has clearly improved. The examples mentioned

here were taken from a well-documented book on this subject by Diamandis and Kotler.

Its rather optimistic title: Abundance: The Future is Better than You Think.

Dread

None of this means that we live in paradise on Earth. The newspapers and literature

remind us every day. All over the world, the income gap is growing, which puts a lot of

pressure on the social cohesion of many a society. One in four mammals is threatened

withextinction.Worldwidefishstocksarealmost90percentdepleted.Thiswarrants

concern and gloom. And yet, there is no need to despair. The Internet and the Social

Webhavegreatlyenhancedhumanity’sorganizationalcapabilities.Twitterabounds

with nonsense, but it is also a mighty protest machine, that also acts as an early warning

system for danger and injustice anywhere in the world. All over the world, a myriad of

innovative technologies explore a more durable coexistence with our planet and each

other. Alongside the Social Internet, an Industrial Internet is now emerging. The trappings

of the Industrial Internet include microchips and sensors, that are attached to many

lifeless objects – think cars, refrigerators – enabling them to communicate with one

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another.Theconsequencesofthisrevolutioncannotbeguessed.Withoutadoubt,itwill

provide new opportunities to improve the quality of our lives. As explained in an issue

ofWiredMagazine:“Whentheobjectsarounduscantalktooneanother,theelements

of our physical universe will converge and spring to life. In time, this network will grow to

fulfillourneeds,understandourdesires,andenableourdreams.”

Challenges

Certainly, there is good reason to be cautious of these new trend developments. Are we

witnessingthedawnofaBraveNewWorld?Howisthisgoingtoaffectourprivacy?

And who is going to be in control of all these new possibilities? Us, the people, or a

handful of immensely powerful ‘Googles’? Despite all of these questions, there is no

doubt that this revolution offers challenges and possibilities to make a quantum leap

towards further improving the quality of our lives. They need to be embraced and

studied.Wemustnotallowdespairtoparalyzeus.Nopessimisthasevermadeapositive

contribution to the world. Admittedly, dread may be locked within our genes. For a caveman,

it was indeed wise to wonder if a bear may be lurking behind the next boulder.

Thisself-preservationreflexisstillwritteninourDNA.Butdowethereforeequalthis

little piece of fearful DNA? Life is too exciting and challenging for that. Our Quality of

Lifehasincreasedtremendouslyoverthecenturies.Whywouldwestophere?

Quality of Life

International Lifestyle Studies does not foresee an end to progress. On the contrary:

all of the sectors our students are mastering – Health, Food, Appearance, Leisure, Living

en Human Movement – revolve around improving Quality of Life. Quality of Life is one

of the pillars of the trend research carried out by our students and the lifestyle concepts

they develop for these sectors. The fact that students anticipate Quality of Life is one of the

reasons why the concepts developed at International Lifestyle Studies are contemporary

and innovative.

This book explains how such is accomplished. It contains an overview of Trendwatching

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activities carried out by our students for an ambitious Quality of Life research project.

The best Coolhunters from all academic years were preselected to participate in this

project. Following a trend presentation by the author of this book – focused on trends

connected to Quality of Life – they went in search of the best Examples of Cool. During a

number of master classes, the students perfected and further analyzed these examples.

Twenty-fivemagnificentexampleshavebeencompiledinthispublication.Eachexample

is accompanied by an explanation as to why they are so attractive and inspiring.

Their potential for the future and relation to Quality of Life are also explored. Finally, the

interrelatedness of the examples is explained. This, in turn, shows us which trends have

future potential, and may alter our existence. Not only our existence, but also our search

for improvement of the quality of our lives.

Coolhunting and Quality of Life

Trendwatching as a profession is gaining importance. International Lifestyle Studies is

proudtobethefirstandonlyprogramintheNetherlandstoplaceTrendwatchingat

the core of its curriculum. Trendwatching can be done in many ways. At International

LifestyleStudies,Coolhuntingisthefirstmethodthestudentslearn.Thismethodwas

developed in the Netherlands by trend research agency www.scienceofthetime.com,

and is practiced at International Lifestyle Studies. Starting from a number of solid

mentalitytrends–generalorsectorspecific–firstyearstudentsseekoutthenewest

and Coolest examples of these trends under the guidance of their teachers. And thus,

the students become Coolhunters: hunting for the Cool things in life.

Cool,inthiscontext,isdefinedasattractive,inspiring,andimbuedwithpotentialforthe

future. No matter which Examples of Cool the students bring forward, they need to

illustrate why they are attractive and inspiring. And why their Example of Cool has future

potential. Examples of Cool are our basic research units, of which hundreds are gathered.

Their meaning is then analyzed by teachers and more senior students. New examples can

give existing trends a new twist. Brand new trend insights may also emerge from the

material.Wedonotfocusonoverlyhip,gadgetytrends.Suchtrendsaretooshort-lived

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toserveasthebasisofasolideducation.Weconcentrateonmegatrendsandmentality

trends.Whichmentalitytrendsare‘hidden’withintheExamplesofCoolgatheredbyout

students?Whichmentalitytrendsemergewhenweperform‘clusterexercises’onallof

ourExamplesofCool?Andhowwilltheyinfluencethefutureofthesectorsselectedas

study subjects at International Lifestyle Studies? The answers can be found in this book.

The guideline and main subject of this book: How does this contribute to the quality of

our lives?

For this book, we have selected our students’ best Examples of Cool. They have been

itemized according to the six sectors of International Lifestyle Studies: Health, Food,

Appearance, Leisure, Living, and Human Movement. An investigation of the underlying

trends reveals that most trends have meaning and growth potential across the sectors.

Inthebackofthisbook,youcanfindanoverviewoftrendsthatsignifythemostimportant

developments. Each of the 25 Examples of Cool in this book is explicitly linked to these

trends.

Dr. Carl Rohde

Dr. Carl Rohde is one of the best-known trendwatchers in the Netherlands. He has his

own trend research agency: www.scienceofthetime.com or www.scienceofthetime.nl.

In 2011, he was named Trendwatcher of the Year.

From the very beginning, he has been involved in the creation of International Lifestyle

Studies at Fontys Hogescholen. For four years, he served as

professor of Trendwatching and Innovation, and was named

Professor of the Year 2012

in this capacity. He also works as a lecturer at the Hotel

Management School of Hogeschool Zuyd in Maastricht.

In addition, he is a professor of Trendwatching and Innovation

in China, at the Shanghai Institute of Technology.

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Quality of Life at the heart of International Lifestyle StudiesInternational Lifestyle Studies trains students to become Lifestyle Professionals:

highly educated people who know everything about Lifestyle. People who can develop

new products and services that suit the lifestyles and Quality of Life of various individuals.

To accomplish that, students need to know about social trends. This knowledge can be

usedtogeneratecreativeideasfornewconceptsandproductsthatfulfilltheneedsof

various people.

What is Quality of Life?

In the course of their training, students are acquainted with various dimensions of

QualityofLife.FelceandPerrydiscernedfivedimensions:physical,material,social,

emotional and productive wellbeing. Quality of life is an overall general wellbeing that comprises objective descriptors and subjective evaluations of physical, material, social and material wellbeing together with the extent of personal development and purposeful activity, all weighted by a personal set of values” (Felce & Perry, 1995). Quality of Life, therefore,

isfirstlyasubjectivenotion.OneindividualmaydeemQualityofLifetobeverylow,

undercertaincircumstances,whereasanothermaynot.Morethanfifteenyears

later, the amount of research and publications regarding Quality of Life has grown

tremendously,buttherestillisnodefinitivedefinitionforQualityofLife(Barcaccia,

2013.) Depending on the context, phrases such as Quality of Life, Happiness, Quality

ofExistence,WellnessandWellbeingareusedinterchangeably.

What we know about Quality of Life

A great amount of research has yielded much information on the various factors that

influenceQualityofLife.Firstly,QualityofLifedependsonadaptation.Thismeansthat

we get used to a situation that improves Quality of Life, such as winning the lottery.

The happiness generated by such a change does not usually last long. This adaptation

process, for that matter, also applies to situations that decrease Quality of Life, such as

losing one’s job, or getting injured while practicing sports.

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Secondly,QualityofLifeisinfluencedbysocialcomparison.Weconstantlycompareour-

selves to others; our Quality of Life improves when we compare our situation to those who

have less, and our Quality of Life suffers when we compare ourselves to those who have more.

Thirdly, Quality of Life is tied to our aspirations. If our aspirations are too high, the chance

of disappointment, which leads to decreased of Quality of Life, is great. To accomplish a

goodQualityofLife,itisimportanttohaveaspirationsthatfitourskills.Thisalsoapplies

togettingintoaso-calledFLOW(Jackson,Csikszentmihalyi,2001.)Remarkably,people

whogetintoaFLOWareoftenunawareofwhattheydidwhentheyexperiencedthis

FLOW.Evidently,optimalQualityofLifecannotbedescribedusingobjectivedata.

Fourthly, Quality of Life is tied to people’s needs. Maslow (1943) developed a catego-

rization model, according to which physiological needs form the basis, and the ultimate

need pertains to self-realization.

Fifthly, personal factors play an important role. Some people feel that they have a lot of

control over what happens to them. This sensation is sometimes described as ‘internal

locus of control’. Conversely, people who feel that they have no control, that the circum-

stances run away with them, that everything that happens is beyond their control, are

described as having an ‘external locus of control’. People with an internal locus of control

have a better Quality of Life.

WeknowwhichfactorsinfluenceQualityofLife,butwehavealsolearnedmoreabout

the advantages of a good Quality of Life. People with a good Quality of Life are healthier,

live longer, and are more productive at work. Furthermore, they recover more quickly

from physical injury, and are better at dealing with serious life events such as losing a job,

or losing a partner. It would be safe to say that people with a better Quality of Life have

and experience more success in their lives, both at work and in their free time.

Measuring Quality of Life

It is not easy to make a concept measurable, if we cannot even determine an unambiguous

definitionofQualityofLife.Sinceweareonascientificquestfor‘thetruth’,wehaveno

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choice but to use numbers to express Quality of Life, in order to make it more objective.

The government also has an interest in hard data for making policy that contributes to

the optimization of Quality of Life for the inhabitants of a country. Having numbers on

Quality of Life at one’s disposal helps when verifying the success of government policy

in this regard.

TheeasiestwaytomeasureQualityofLifeistoaskpeopleasimplequestion:“Howwould

you rate the Quality of your Life at this moment, all things considered, on a scale of 1 to

10;1beingthelowestand10beingthehighestscore.”Amoreexpensivetechniqueisto

measurecerebralbloodflow,ormeasuringthelevelofactivityinthelaughingmuscles.

These more expensive measuring techniques are closely linked to the question regarding

Quality of Life. Therefore, the question is the preferred method in many research

projects (Morse, 2012.) Various research institutes are engaged in research regarding

Quality of Life and happiness. In the Netherlands, all this research on Quality of Life

andhappinessisaccumulatedwithintheWorldDatabaseofHappiness,whichisledby

professor Ruut Veenhoven at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. The research shows

that Denmark has the highest happiness score (8.1), and that the Netherlands ranks 14th

with a score of 7.6.

The purpose of Quality of Life

A growing number of people regard Quality of Life as the ultimate goal in their existence.

NowthatourWesternworldappearstohavealreadymeteverymaterialandsocialneed,

there only seems to be one goal left to strive for: optimal Quality of Life, giving meaning to

life, self-realization, and happiness. Setting a course for Quality of Life can be accomplished

inmanyways,andatmanylevels.VariousfactorsthatinfluenceQualityofLife,suchas

age, family situation, and socioeconomic status, need to be taken into account. This not

only concerns individual Quality of Life, but also social and public Quality of Life. Our social

environment changes continually and changes fast, both at home and at work.

In order to accommodate these changes, social innovation that includes everyone is of

great importance: a different organization of our immediate (work) space and our society,

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and working in smarter ways. This process of change has already been initiated in recent

yearsbymeansofdistanceworkingandflexibleoffices,forexample.Companiesare

devising ways of working and work spaces, in which the distinction between work, home,

and free time becomes ever more vague. This development places high demands on

government, entrepreneurs, education, as well as (future) employees. New concepts

are required to create an environment in which we can continue to be productive in a

sustainable way, together, an environment in which we can expand the ‘network society’,

and in which we can also ascertain a good Quality of Life. This way, we can create an

environment in which everyone can participate, and contribute to a high-quality, sustain-

able society, in which social return on investment will be at least as valuable to companies

asfinancialreturnoninvestment.InternationalLifestyleStudiestrainsprofessionalswho

can help organizations realize social innovation, their ambitions, and their dreams for the

future. A good example of an innovative and contemporary concept is the inspiration

park‘MyFutureWorks’(MijnToekomstWerkt)inthecitydistrict‘Spoorzone’inTilburg.

The role of the Lifestyle Professional

InternationalLifestylestudentsusethedefinitionbyFelceandPerry(1995)inorderto

fathom the broad spectrum that is Quality of Life, and, based on this insight, to optimally

develop their core activities: Trendwatching and concept development. This way, they

learn how to improve the Quality of Life for various target groups in the capacity of

future Lifestyle Professional, accounting for the various parties concerned, such as

government, entrepreneurs, and education.

During their training, students come in contact with entrepreneurs and government in

thefieldinvariousways.Trendsaremappedoutandanalyzed,conceptsareprepared,

developed further through co-creation, and then implemented in cooperation with

entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs are advised on various possible scenarios.

Theory and practice go hand in hand all through the training, within a stimulating environ-

ment for entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity. In this way, students have developed

trendanalysesforNutricia(sectorFood),conceptsforANWB(sectorLeisure)and

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Fitland (sector Human Movement), and, based on current ‘Living’ trends (sector Living),

new concepts that were worked into an advice for Fontys Hogescholen in its new

building in the Spoorzone district in Tilburg.

Drs. John Matthijs

Teacher Quality of Life at Fontys International Lifestyle Studies in Tilburg

Bibliography

Barcaccia,B.e.a.(2013),DefiningQualityofLife:AWild-GooseChase?

in Europe’s Journal of Psychology, Vol. 9(1), pp. 185-203

Felce,D.&Perry,J.(1995),QualityofLife;ItsdefinitionandMeasurement,

in Research in Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 51-74

Morse, G. (2012), The Science Behind the Smile, in Harvard Business Review,

January-February2012

Jackson,S.A.&Csikszentmihalyi,M.(2001),Flowindesport,optimaalpresteren

en welbevinden, Bres BV, Amsterdam

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Health

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www.scanadu.com

SCANADU

Mara Storkmarahiana.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Happiness, joy, passion

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Health

01SCANADU: A DOCTOR IN YOUR POCKET by Mara Stork

The Scanadu is designed to be a medical grade Tricorder, using your smartphone and

Bluetooth. The Scanadu will be able to measure your heart rate, your skin and core body

temperature, your oxymetry, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ECG and your emotional

stress level – and in the future probably even more. Simply place the Scanadu on your

forehead for ten seconds, and in a snap, your stats are displayed on your smartphone.

In this way, you will gain access to the valuable data which your body provides every day.

Ifyouwish,youcansharethemwithrelevantpeoplesuchasdoctorsorsignificant

others.WiththeScanadu,youwillhaveanemergencyroominyourpocket!“Don’tlet

your precious information get lost. Use Scanadu to analyze, track and trend your vitals

withunprecedentedsimplicity”,aswww.scanadu.comproclaims.“Who’sthefirst

responderwhenyourvitalsignsareinflux?You!”WithScanadu,wearethelastgene-

ration to know so little about our health.

“more personalized advice can be given and received”

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The Scanadu is still under development. Currently, there is only

a prototype available. The designers are using crowdfunding

for the further development of the idea via www.scanadu.com.

Their claim, that the Scanadu will provide us with more infor-

mation on our bodies than any generation before us ever had,

is real and credible. Moreover, all this new, intimate knowledge

regarding our bodily functioning can be shared with whomever

we choose, most importantly our doctors.

Quality of Life Relevance

Even though the writings on www.scanadu.com may appear

somewhat too commercial and American for European tastes,

the concept behind the Scanadu is undeniably revolutionary.

Having a Scanadu is like holding a doctor in the palm of your

hand. A doctor who is in contact – online, naturally – with many

other doctors. They can conveniently view the history and

fluctuationsofourbodilyfunctioningataglance.Thislends

all parties involved a more profound and more detailed under-

standing of our bodies. And with this information, more perso-

nalized advice can be given and received, enabling us to handle

our health better. That is Quality of Life.

Trend Context

This is the kind of revolution this book is permeated with: new

means to store all kinds of information regarding our personal

performance; not on handwritten documents, not on our own

PC’s, but somewhere in the Online Universe: in The Cloud.

This also enables others – with our permission of course –

to access said information. Medical personnel for instance,

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in the case of the Scanadu.

The Cloud therefore implies that we

will be able to share countless personal

details with relevant people.

The Scanadu is an excellent example of

things to come. The opportunities for

improvement of our Quality of Life are

irrefutable. And for that matter, so are

the risks of (over)commercialization

andevenabuse.Wecannotweighthe

advantages and disadvantages with

absolute certainty. Such is the nature of

a revolutionary trend. The Rise of the

Cloudcancertainlybeclassifiedassuch

a trend.

Trends TheRiseoftheCloud,TheQuantifiedSelf,Facilitate My Life, Cool Personalization

The Future of Competition C.K. Prahalad & Venkat Ramaswamy (2004)Harvard Business School Publishing, ISBN 1578519535

Health

C.K.Prahalad and Venkat Ramaswamy, the authors of The

Future of Competition, were among the first to recognize

the immensity of the Cloud Revolution – even though they

did not coin the term. As the title suggests, the authors

focus on new business models that will accompany this

revolution. “The most basic shift will be in the role of the

consumer: from isolated to connected, from unaware to

informed, from passive to active.” A quote regarding our

collective health – and a taste of how the Scanadu and

other online medical instruments will shape our future:

“Traditional medicine ( “curing sickness”), preventive medi-

cine and improvements in the quality of life are rapidly

merging into a Wellness Space”. To fathom, adapt and per-

sonalize this Wellness Space in accordance with our needs:

therein lies the future of the health sector.

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Maud Brockwww.maudbrock.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Selflove, sharing and safety

PAIN SQUAD

www.cundari.com

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02PAIN SQUAD: HUNTING DOWN PAIN by Maud Brock

Children with cancer carry a heavy burden. They are often in pain.

Pain that drains their energy as well. Hospitals do what they can

to minimize their pain. To achieve this, it is essential to determine

how pain works. Only then are doctors able to prescribe optimal

medication. For this reason, all young cancer patients have to keep

a detailed pain diary. Easier said than done, especially when you

feelexhaustedafteratreatmentsession.Whatmakesiteven

harder, is that the diary entries have to be made every single day,

because not doing so, renders the information useless to doctors

and scientists.

To help them, patients at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto,

Canada, can now join the so-called Pain Squad. Their motto:

Hunting Down Pain. Members of Pain Squad receive an iPhone

featuring the Pain Squad app. The hunt for pain is thus stimulated

in a ‘playful’ way. The actors of a popular Canadian police series

are associated with Pain Squad. They welcome the children.

They encourage them to participate and to keep it up. Twice a day,

they remind the children to write their pain report. They also notify

them upon promotion, which they receive when they consistently

write their pain reports over a certain period of time. How bad is

yourpain?Forhowlonghasitbeenlikethis?Wheredoyoufeel

painexactly?Allthesequestionscanbe‘intuitively’filledinusing

theapp.Afterthelastreporthasbeenfiled,thePainSquadmember

inquestionreceivesacertificatefromthepoliceshow.

Pain Squad (app) is now being extended to various other hospitals

in Canada and the United States.

Health

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Children’s cancer is a horrible disease that can never be made Cool by means of a popular

police show and the Pain Squad app. But it is effective. It makes it easier for the children

to write their indispensable pain reports. It all begins with giving sick children a pleasant

moment, by getting them in touch with their television heroes in virtual reality. Subse-

quently, essential information required for maximally personalized treatment is gathered.

All of the information gathered in this way is assembled within The Cloud, at the disposal

of doctors and scientists. This enables them to advise and prescribe medication for

thebraveyoungpatientsofPainSquadmoreefficientlyandeffectively.Thisisabout

improving the Quality of Life for a target group we wish the very best for.

Trend Context

The trends that join forces in Pain Squad make it undeniably Cool and attach a lot of future

potential to the idea. First of all, Pain Squad is the progeny of the Rise of the Apps Culture.

WithinthisAppsCulture,wearebuildingavirtualparadisefilledwithmobileapplications

.Youwillfindotherexamplesfurtheroninthisbook.Together,theywillmakeourlives

easier, more pleasant and at times also healthier. But there is more to this story.

The information collected by means of all these mobile apps will not remain isolated; it will

be brought together and merged within The Cloud, the revolutionary trend that also

appeared in the previous example. The massive amount of Big Data gathered within the

Cloud enables us to add value to the quality of our further existence, using the power of

untold new knowledge. In combination with the Rise of the Apps and the Rise of the

Cloud,PainSquadfeaturesathirdtrend:PainSquadalsoadoptsGamificationforthe

encouragement of patients to accomplish their tasks. Playful competition is interlaced

with next level reward systems and immediate ‘celebrity’ compliments as soon as a task

is completed. All of these tactics have been used in the games industry with enormous

success.Now,theyarefindingmoreseriousapplications.TheRiseoftheGamification

Culture does not always draw positive comment, especially from older people. But no one

candenythatPainSquadeffectivelyappliesanumberofgamificationelements.

29

Reality is Broken Why Games Makes Us Better and How They Can Change The WorldJaneMcGonigal(2011)PenguinBooks,ISBN9780143120612

In Reality is Broken: Why Games Makes Us Better and How They Can Change The World,

Jane McGonigal evaluates the Gamification Culture in a refreshingly unorthodox manner:

“Game design isn’t just a technological craft. It’s the 21st century way of thinking and leading.

And game play isn’t just pastime. It’s the 21st century way of working together to accomplish

real change”. Pain Squad shows how this can be accomplished. It is a powerful instrument for

supporting the willpower and resilience of sick children by means of techniques perfected by

the games industry.

Trends The Rise of Apps Culture, The Rise of the Cloud, Cool Personalization, CoolWillpowerandResilience,TheRiseofGamificationCulture

Health

“The hunt for pain is thus stimulated in a ‘playful’ way”

30

www.mylapka.com

Lieke Dolswww.liekedols.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Freedom, respect, self esteem

LAPKA

31

03LAPKA: THE PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT MONITOR by Lieke Dols

The Lapka can be used to measure environmental factors, such as humidity, temperature,

electromagneticradiationandthenitratecontentofyourfood.Athome,attheoffice,on

a plane, at your holiday destination, or at a playground located too close to a busy

freeway. Lapka (currently) consists of four beautifully designed sensor cubes that can be

connected to your smartphone using the Lapka app. This way, you can store data, and

document changes over time. You can also share your data with others.

As far as room temperature and humidity are concerned, the Lapka is all fun and games.

The electromagnetic radiation of your (old) microwave oven, however, can be important.

And for those who like organic food, the Lapka nitrate sensor is a useful tool. The nitrate

level of a tomato, for example, gives an indication of the product’s organic quality.

Taken from the website www.mylapka.com:“TheLapkaOrganicSensorisdesignedto

lookforsignificantquantitiesofnitratesinrawfoodanddrinkingwaterinorderto

detectresiduesofsyntheticfertilizers”.WhentheLapkasensorsareconnectedtoa

smartphone, all data are visualized in an attractive and easily accessible way.

Health

32


The Lapka has not been on the market for

very long (for a few hundred dollars), and is

not a big hit yet. But it certainly has poten-

tial. Especially if Lapka succeeds in adding

more sensors. For hay fever allergens in the

summer, for example. Or for atmospheric

particulate matter. Or, more generally and

farther away, to measure the carbon dioxide

levels in many megacities in the developing

world.Weareatthebeginningofwhatis

sometimes referred to as the Sensor

Revolution.

The Lapka may evolve into an excellent tool

for all who want to monitor the health of

their environment and their food. But

Lapka’s importance stretches further than

an avant-garde niche of what some call

‘health freaks’. It would be unwise to

underestimate Lapka’s potential importance

to the developing world, with its dramatic

big city air pollution; where the quality of

food is often subpar. The great thing about

the Lapka is that data can be measured at

any point on our planet – and can be shared

with the rest of the world. In this way, the

Lapka empowers everyone, from health

freaks, who seek control over their own

food, to worried young fathers and mothers

33

who live underneath the smog of cities like

Beijing, New Delhi, Mexico City – all these

peoplereceivefactsandfiguresviathe

Lapka that they can use to validate their

environmental protests. Lapka puts our

fate in our own hands, more than ever.

That is unusual in a world in which trust in

authorities has crumbled, a world in which

we prefer to take care of our own affairs.

Trend context

Whatbeginsasameasuringdeviceforthehealthinessofourpersonalenvironment,

could well blossom into a collectively shared device used for addressing dangers and

wrongs worldwide. A multitude of highly personalized data collections can, after being

merged into Big Data within The Cloud, be transformed into an immensely powerful

knowledge base that documents the quality of our existence, and has the capability to

elicit improvements at the micro, meso, and macro level.

Trends TheRiseoftheCloud,TheRiseoftheAppsCulture,Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency,GrowingMistrust,Deep Sustainability

Wired is the best magazine about trends such as The Rise of The Cloud, The Rise of the Apps Culture, and the progress of the

Sensor Revolution. Many of its contributors also write books. Some of them make their appearance further on in this book.

Even though the tone of Wired is downright optimistic, there is also some room for indispensable criticism. Wired on our app

driven, immensely efficient and connected world, for example: “Everybody is amazed. Nobody is happy”.

Health

Wired: Why How to be a Geek Dad, issue. June 2012WiredMagazine(2012),TheCondéNastPublicationsWired: Raspberry Pi conquered the world, issue July 2013 Digital, UK Edition, David Rowan (2013), Onbekend

“data can be measured at any point on our planet”

www.only10pounds.com

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Ramon Stingesramonsterly.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Social, connectedness, freedom

ONLY TEN POUNDS

35

04ONLY TEN POUNDS:

LOSING WEIGHT ONLINE, TOGETHER by Ramon Stinges

The idea behind www.only10pounds.com is simple, playful and

serious: lose ten pounds in ten weeks time. How it works? You sign

up and pay a hundred dollars. This is not a fee, this is a deposit for

the bet you are about to place: to lose ten pounds in then weeks

time. After you sign up, you will receive an email stating the time

andlocation–inyourowncity–whereyoushallofficiallybe

weighed. After that, the bet is on. You are obviously supposed

tofightyourownbattleagainstweight,butinthewebsite’s‘Meet

the Players’ section you can (virtually) meet other contestants.

You can compare your own progress to theirs. You can encourage

each other, and exchange weight loss strategies.

Tenweekslater,yourweightisofficiallyestablishedoncemore.

If you succeeded in losing ten pounds, you get your money back.

If you lost less than the amount of weight you committed to, you

lose your money. The money left behind by the losers is divided

among the winners – after allowing a sum for the organization.

Simple, playful, smart and quick. You could say: Cool.


For beauty or for health, the battle against weight is being fought

by many. This is not a new battle, but it has become more urgent –

approximately one third of all Americans is medically overweight.

New and innovative methods have been thrown into the battle.

www.only10pounds.com is one example. It is a place where

peopleinterestedinlosingweightcanfindeachother(virtually).

This cultivates togetherness, which makes the battle against

weight a little easier. Simultaneously, www.only10pounds.com

Health

36

adds the element of competition – every person’s weight loss

results are visible to everyone else, the whole time. Am I doing

better or worse than my fellow players? Am I doing better or worse

thantheaverageplayer?Willpowerandself-controlarethus

mapped out and exhibited over the course of the entire program.

Thisencouragespeopletodedicatemoreefforttothefightagainst

fat – and to keep it up.

Trend Context

The recession may have thrown many of us upon our own resources.

Wemaythinkthepermissiveculture,inwhicheverythinggoes

andeverythingisallowed,hasgonetoofar.Wemaythinkthatour

children are being raised too weakly: a growing trend, where

mentalityisconcerned,istheNewFocusonDiscipline,onWill-

power. Recent research has shown that willpower must not be

considered to be an innate character trait. That would be way too

‘permissive’.Willpowermustbethoughtofasamuscle.Amuscle

thatcanbetrained.(“Icannotcontrolmyself.Ihavenowillpower.

Itisnotinmycharacter”nolongercountsasavalidexcuse!)

Whetheryouaredealingwithalcoholabuse,problemsraising

children or losing weight: the muscle of willpower can be trained.

Thefirststeptowardseffectivelytrainingwillpoweristoconsis-

tently record personal improvement and failure. The second

step is to review your personal record regularly. This is known as

self-monitoring. The next step is to share your personal record

withsignificantothers.Peergrouppressureemerges,which

helps you to further develop your willpower and become more

disciplined. www.only10pounds.com facilitates all of these steps

in a playful and profound way.

“This cultivates togetherness, which makes the battle against weight a little easier”

37

Trends ThePoweroftheSocialWeb,CoolWillpower&Resilience,TheRiseoftheGamificationCulture

An impressive book on this subject is Willpower: Redisco-

vering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister en

John Tierney. “When psychologists isolate personal qualities

that predict ‘positive outcomes’, in life, they consistently find

two traits: Intelligence and Self-Control. So far researchers

still haven’t learned how to permanently increase intelligence.

But they have discovered … how to improve Self Control.”

“They discovered that Willpower, like a muscle, becomes

fatigued from overuse but can also be strengthened over the

long term through exercise and training”.

Health

Willpower. Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. RoyF.Baumeister&JohnTierney(2012)PenguinBooks,ISBN 9780143122234

39

Food

40

BEYONDEGGS

www.hamptoncreekfoods.com

Lisa den Teulinglisaslifestylee.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Peace, love, chocolate

41

05BEYOND EGGS: A NEW KIND OF EGG by Lisa den Teuling

Whydidsoyburgersneverconquerthemasses?Becausetheyclaimtotastelikethereal

thing, and they don’t. Therefore, soy burgers, as well as other animal replacement foods,

are mostly embraced by vegans and vegetarians. They have the ideological stamina that

helps them cope with the disillusion of less than real meat. Many others simply do not.

Beyond Eggs is different. The eggs don’t come from chickens, but taste as good as the

‘traditional’ chicken-produced ones. Beyond Eggs is made from powder, mimicking the

physical and textural qualities of eggs, such as foaming, coagulation and color, to perfection.

Moreover, Beyond Eggs are about 19% cheaper, have a longer shelf life and are safer to

use. Unfortunately, the notion of munching something that has been concocted in a

laboratoryissomewhatappalling.JoshTetrick,the32yearoldfounderofBeyondEggs,

based in Silicon Valley, is working hard to ensure that his recipe will fool even the most

critical foodies. There is a telling YouTube clip featuring Bill Gates tasting Beyond Eggs,

the scrambled version, and not being able to distinguish them from real ones. That makes

BeyondEggsconfidentenoughtoaimforthemassmarket–forthegreatvarietyof

omnivores who occupy our planet.

Whywouldanyonebothertomakeaneggreplacement?Firstly,thereistheethical

dimension: many chickens are mass-produced and mass-destroyed like lifeless objects,

denying them any quality of animal life. More and more people feel bothered by this.

Beyond Eggs offers an alternative. Secondly, extracting protein from meat and other

animal-basedproductsishorriblyinefficient.Bythetimetheworld’spopulationreaches

9 billion in 2050, we will need better ways of producing edible protein. Beyond Eggs

leads the way.

Processedfoodhasabadreputation,becausemostofitcomeswithfillersandpreser-

vatives, and is loaded with sugar, salt and fat. By contrast, Beyond Eggs is made from

ingredientsthatincludepeas,sunflowerlecithin,canola,andnaturalgums.Theyare

also gluten free and cholesterol free. In fact, they are healthier than the real ones.

Food

42


Beyond Eggs focuses on adding value to the Quality of Life of us humans – especially

in a future world with more hungry mouths to feed than ever before. Furthermore,

Beyond Eggs is extending the aspiration for Quality of Life to the animal kingdom:

a concern shared by an increasing number of people.

Trend Context

Deep Sustainabilty: this is the trend Beyond Eggs can be associated with. In a world of

ninebillionpeople,wecannotescapeinnovativeformsofartificialfoodproduction–

Cultured Food is the popular term for this. Although we may have to get used to it, the

pressure to enjoy this new type of food will increase. There are commercial considerations:

‘natural’foodwillbecometooexpensive.Efficiencyconsiderations:CulturedFoodcan

be produced faster, in higher quantities. Human considerations: world hunger has to be

challenged. And consideration for animals: stop animal suffering.

Trends Deep Sustainability

“we cannot escape innovative forms of artificial food production”

43

Food

Abundance, The Future is Better Than You Think. Peter H. Diamandis & Steven Kotler (2012)Free Press, ISBN 9781451614213

Peter H. Diamandis and Steven

Kotler wrote Abundance: The

Future is Better Than You Think.

One chapter is devoted to the

production of food. Urban Farm-

ing will go ‘industrial’, so they pre-

dict. Why? Simple. Because it is

more efficient, and yields more

profit. “One thirty-story building,

one square New York Block in

foot print, could feed fifty thou-

sand people a year. One hundred

fifty vertical farms could feed

everyone in New York”. A further

leap into the future takes us to a

time in which meat is produced

artificially. “By growing beef in

bioreactors, we will become less

vulnerable to emerging diseases

– 70% of emerging diseases come

from livestock – and less vulnera-

ble to contamination – something

that occurs when workers in

slaughterhouses accidentally open

an animal’s intestinal tract”.

44

www.buurttoetje.nlwww.thuisafgehaald.nl

Lisa Wifelisawife.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: Growth, love, discovery (curiosity)

BUURT TOETJE /THUIS AFGEHAALD

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06BUURT TOETJE / THUIS AFGEHAALD: MEALS FROM NEARBY by Lisa Wife

www.buurttoetje.nl (neighborhood desserts) is charming, and operates on a very small

scale. It started with one person who moved to Bos en Lommer, Amsterdam, where he

did not know many people. The newcomer’s hobby: baking cakes and creating very tasty

desserts. More often than not, too much food is made, and, sadly, some of it ends up in

the garbage. Enter www.buurttoetje.nl. Everyone in the neighborhood who signs up,

can collect a piece of cake or some dessert. In the next phase, each cake collector will be

asked to bring an ingredient, as compensation, for desserts that are on the menu within

the next few days.

www.buurttoetje.nl is not about big, important matters. It is about desserts. The underlying

principle, however, concerns a momentous revolution within our society. It has become

easier to get in touch with people from your neighborhood via the Internet – since

everyoneisnowonline–thanitistoomeetthem‘offline’,inthestreet.Noteveryneighbor

in the street is interested in cake. But the ones who sign up for www.buurttoetje.nl are.

Acharmingandverysmall-scalecivilinitiative-“what’sinadessert?-cangrowinto

something big on the Internet. There, it can spread out to everyone who may like it.

www.buurttoetje.nl is very small. But www.thuisafgehaald.nl (home-made meals from

yourneighborhood)issignificantlybigger.Viathiswebsite,you’reinvitedtoshareyour

home-cookedmealswithpeoplefromyourneighborhood.Whetheryoucreategastro-

nomic masterpieces or macaroni and cheese … you can use the website to share your

food with your neighbors. Don’t feel like cooking? See what’s on offer in the immediate

area, and you will soon have something delicious on your plate. For a price that no

restaurant can compete with. And you will also meet people from your neighborhood.

Food

“New, online civilian initiatives are a trend”

46


Wedonotclaimthatcakeanddessertsimprovethequalityof

people’s lives. That is for each to decide. www.buurttoetje.nl and

www.thuisafgehaald.nl are part of something bigger and better.

Online empowered, civilian initiatives like these bring new life

to the neighborhood. Therein lies the Cool power of these web-

sites. New, online civilian initiatives are a trend. And this trend is

not limited to desserts and meals. Cars, ladders, drilling machines,

even spare rooms and repair services are offered and requested,

sharedandtradedviathis‘SocialWeb.’Thereareeconomic

advantages to this trend, because products and services can

be acquired for less than you would pay in stores. And only

when you really need them. There are social advantages: the local

exchange trading system helps you get to know your neighbor-

hood better. That is one of the things our hyperindividualistic

society yearns for. It contributes to the quality of our existence.

Trend Relevance

This trend is sometimes referred to as The Rise of the Sharing Economy.

Local initiatives receive new opportunities to grow, facilitated by the

Online Universe where we all meet. People can make contact in new

ways.Efficientandfun,andbeneficialtosocialcohesion.Ayearfrom

now, www.buurttoetje.nl may not exist anymore. But the Sharing

Economytrendwillpersist.Whatwillalsopersist:peopletaking

matters into their own hands, in ways that did not exist before.

These options have now been made possible by the online universe.

Trends ThePoweroftheSocialWeb,TheRiseoftheSharingEconomy,Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency

47

Food

The Death and Life of Great American Cities. JaneJacobs(1992)Vintage,ISBN067974195X

Decades ago, Jane Jacobs wrote a famous book: The Death and Life of Great American Cities. The book became a classic.

Her vision on neighborhoods and neighborhood life persist in more recent literature on cities and neighborhoods. Primarily

concerning the development of cohesion and trust. “Trust is formed overtime from many, many little public sidewalk contacts.

It grows out of people stopping by at the bar for a beer, getting advice from a grocer and giving advice to the newsstand man,

comparing opinions with other customers at the bakery and nodding hello to the two boys drinking pop on the stoop, eying the girls

while waiting to be called for dinner, admonishing the children, hearing about a job from the hardware man and borrowing a

dollar from the druggist, admiring the new babies and sympathizing over the way a coat faded… Most of it is ostensibly utterly

trivial, but the sum is not trivial at all”. This sum makes us feel connected to each other. That is Quality of Life. The quote is

reminiscent of neighborhood life in the nineteen fifties. That particular neighborhood life is mostly lost, but we would like to

get some of that feeling of interconnectedness back. ‘Trivial’ websites such as www.buurtoetje.nl contribute to its return.

Désiree Laureijssenstudsandfeathers.com

Qol for me is: Health, progress, balance

www.whirlpool.com

FRESH CONNECT

48

49

07FRESH CONNECT: CONNECTED FOOD IN THE FUTURE by Désiree Laureijssen

FreshConnectishowtheWhirlpoolcompanyenvisionsthefutureoffooddeliveryandfoodconser-

vation. Fresh Connect transforms the fridge as we know it into an advanced and differentiated cooling

system. A cooling system that is connected: ‘online’. The system ensures that there will never again

be too much or too little inside the refrigerator of the 21st century. Fresh Connect: beyond trash.

The backbone of the Fresh Connect phenomenon is its central cooling system. It regulates the

humidity level and temperature of all the accessories connected to the system. The central cooling

system is to be shared among various apartments. This helps to save energy.

Various storage accessories are connected to the central cooling system. Not only do they look good,

their design is also cleverly attuned to the food items they will hold. Take the Fruit Baskets, for example.

Theyhavetwolevels.Theupperlevelismeantforfruitsthatbenefitfromlight.Thebasket’shandle

has a light on the inside, that stimulates the ripening process and also helps to maintain freshness.

There are two kinds of light involved. There is a visible light, meant for enhancing the nutritional value

of the fruits. And there is also an ultraviolet light, meant for killing harmful bacteria. The lower level

of the fruit basket is designed for onions, potatoes and other vegetables that require dark conditions

for preservation. And then there is the Herbarium. It is designed to create an atmosphere in which

spices and herbs can be grown year-round. The Herbarium is equipped with an integrated light to

give the herbs and spices the right amount of light at all times, even on cloudy days. The system will

remind users to water the herbs on time. This invention also boasts a bread bin, a wine cooler –

where all wines are stored at the exact right temperature -, and coolers for products such as meat

andfish.

More than that, Fresh Connect taps into a unique ordering and delivery system. Food is delivered

directly to consumers by a network of suppliers specialized in fresh food. The middleman disappears

completely. Being connected to a network of services, consumers can order food from anywhere,

using their computers, smartphones or tablets. An online system keeps track of the food supply at

home. This will empower consumers to compile a superior shopping list. The online system will also

create a community network. This enables group ordering, which will be stimulated by means of

discountsforbulkordersandbymeansofcommunitypointsthatcanberedeemedforotherbenefits.

Food

50


Thisisfoodproductmanagementfitforthe21stcentury.Facilitatedonlineandthereforemore

efficientanduser-friendly.Andenvironmentallyfriendlyaswell,becauselessfoodwillbethrown

away.Withtheseargumentsandadvantages,FreshConnectscontributestoourQualityofLife.

But there are also some concerns with regard to Fresh Connect. If all products are delivered to

people’s doorsteps, and must initially be stored inside a communal cooling room in the hallway:

canitstillbeconsideredenergyefficient?Isitnotmoreenvironmentallyfriendlytocycletoyour

neighborhood store? And can the neighborhood store, which is essential to the liveliness and security

ofourimmediateenvironment,evencontinuetoexistifonlyafixedgroupoffoodproducers‘receive

permission’ to supply? Despite these potential disadvantages, on which Fresh Connect does not care

to comment, this example does hint at the radical changes our kitchens and refrigerators are facing.

Trend Context

Fresh Connect features three interconnected trends, vibrant, brimming with potential for the future.

ThefirsttrendisknownasTheInternetofThings(1):ifourwinecoolers,breadbaskets,andfood

suppliers are all equipped with microchips and sensors, and start to communicate with each other,

a new world will come into being. The Internet of Things will result in an optimally programmable

world that used to be unthinkable. (2) All the information that is being communicated will be stored

within The Cloud, a core phrase we encountered earlier. The information gathered there will be

available to anyone who wishes to supply us with goods and services. Or rather: to those who

bought ‘access’ to the personal information we stored in The Cloud. And that leads us to a third

discernible trend: in the future, many things are going to take place online; better facilitated and

attuned to our personal preferences – you could say: Cool Personalization, Next Phase (3).

This may also have its disadvantages: will our new reality become overcommercialized?

Trends The Internet of Things, The Rise of the Cloud, Cool Personalization, Facilitate My Life, Growing Mistrust and Deep Sustainability

51

Two books approach the ‘Fresh Connect’ future of our kitchens and cooling systems from

conflicting angles, even though neither of the authors mentions this particular example.

Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, authors of The New Digital Age, jubilantly outline the

Internet of Things trend. In Who Owns The Future, Jaron Lanier emphasizes the potentially

disadvantageous consequences of the ‘Fresh Connect’ Brave New Kitchens of the Future.

What happens to our neighborhoods if the shops disappear? Who is going to control our

lives, holding the keys to The Cloud in their hands?

Food

The New Digital Age. EricSchmidt&JaredCohen(2013)KnopfPublishingGroup,ISBN1848546211Who Owns the Future. JaronLanier(2013)Simon&Schuster,ISBN1451654960

“This is food product management fit for the 21st century”

52

www.design-philips.com

Jennifer van Woerkomzojennifer.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Enjoyment, life, love

DIAGNOSTIC KITCHEN

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08DIAGNOSTIC KITCHEN: THE ONLINE PERSONAL KITCHEN by Jennifer van Woerkom

A paradigm shift in the science of food is underway. Fifteen years ago, proper nutrition

meant augmenting the types of food we ate. Buzzwords such as low-carb, low-cal, non-fat,

low-glycemic, organic, and natural made their way into our food vocabulary. Yet we are

becoming fatter and unhealthier. Philips Design envisions a range of products that not only

identify the true contents of our food, but also determine how it affects our individual bodies.

The Diagnostic Kitchen enables people to take a much more accurate and personally

relevant look at what they eat. The system is comprised of a tabletop, a scanning wand,

and a swallowable sensor. The wand is an interactive device that provides you with real-time

data on what’s happening inside your body, such as its salt to water ratio, hydration, fats,

proteins, etc. If you dock the wand, and place a food item you might eat on the tabletop,

the wand will calculate how this item is going to affect your body.

The ultimate goal is to reach equilibrium. As you continue to use the system, you’ll gain an

understandingofhowfoodreallyaffectsyou.Whileyousearchforbalance,thewandkeeps

a visual record of your progress and displays it across its surface. This is a provocative

and unconventional approach towards food, but one that may have a profound effect on

how we eat.

Food

“The ultimate goal is to reach equilibrium”

54


Obesity is connected to eating behavior and health. It represents one of the growth

problems of our 21st century world. Certainly in the richer parts of the world. In poor

countries, but also in a country like China, which is developing into a rich country,

huge scandals occur with regard to poisoned baby formula, cooking oil, eggs. From very

different perspectives, people are worried about what they eat. Philips Diagnostic

Kitchen’s technology and approach towards food thus have a lot of potential for the

future. It does more than assessing the quality of the food products we use. The meaning

and the impact of these food products are also calculated for each person within the

Diagnostic Kitchen. This results in food and health advice that is more personalized

than what can be offered now. More so, because the advice integrates all of the physical

information from the past, present, and future (based on you DNA, for example) than can

be extracted from the individual in question. These data are collected by the Diagnostic

Kitchen itself – but also via data systems connected to the Diagnostic Kitchen – your

doctor’s,forexample.OrviatheScanadu,thefirstexamplementionedinthisbook.

Trend Context

ThemostimportanttrendassociatedwiththeDiagnosticKitchenisTheQuantifiedSelf.

It will become customary to measure everything related to our personal performance.

The Diagnostic Kitchen will accurately and systematically measure our behavior with

regardtofood.TheQuantifiedSelfmovementalsoimpliesdanger-NeuroticSelf

Measurement may be one of the mental disorders of the future. Such excesses put aside,

TheQuantifiedSelfmovement,theDiagnosticKitchenbeingoneexample,willallowus

to monitor ourselves better. Monitoring our behavior will offer us a deeper understanding

of ourselves, which we can use to change the course of our lives for the better.

Furthermore, we will not be monitoring various aspects of our behavior on our own.

WearegoingtouploadourinformationintoTheCloud,andshareitwithothers.

55

This could stimulate us further to make

positive changes to our behavior.

www.only10pounds.com, as described in

a earlier chapter, works according to the

same principle. Further on in this book,

in the chapters about Human Movement,

you will encounter Nike+ Fuel, which bears

similarities to the Diagnostic Kitchen.

All three examples share a common trend:

TheQuantifiedSelf.WhentheQuantified

Self rises up into The Cloud, the consequences

are going to be revolutionary.

Trends TheQuantifiedSelf,TheRiseoftheCloud,Facilitate My Life, Cool Personalization, Deep Sustainability

Food

The New Digital Age. EricSchmidt&JaredCohen(2013)KnopfPublishingGroup,ISBN1848546211

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, and Jared

Cohen, director of Google Ideas, wrote an optimistic book

about a future in which we are served by Quantified Selfs

and The Cloud (or, for more critical minds: where we serve

them): The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People,

Nations and Business. Schmidt and Cohen are very positive,

but how can they not be, they belong to Google’s top. “The

devices, screens and various machines in your future apart-

ment will serve a purpose beyond utility – they will offer

entertainment, wanted distraction, intellectual and cultural

enrichment, relaxation and opportunities to share things

with others. The key advance ahead is personalization.

You’ll be able to customize your devices to fit your needs,

so that your environment reflects your preferences.”

57

Appearance

58

www.grannysfinest.com

Anne Gielensannegielens.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: Love, embracing life

GRANNY’SFINEST

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09GRANNY’S FINEST: DESIGNED BY THE NEW,

PRODUCED BY THE BEST by Anne Gielens

There are many older people (65+) in the Netherlands. Some of

them surely feel lonely. Granny’s Finest, an online store, seeks to

changethatinaproductivewaythatbenefitseveryone.Many

senior ladies have been knitting and crocheting as a hobby for

decades. In doing so, they have gained great expertise in this area.

Granny’s Finest gets the elder experts in touch with young Dutch

designers. Together, they create clothing and accessories. They are

then sold via www.grannysfinest.com. The young teach the old.

The old teach the young.

Granny’s Finest is growing. Fashion designers are no longer the

only ones associated with the initiative. Photographers, make-up

artists,stylistsandmodelshavejoined.Theyallfindtheintergen-

erational learning experience unexpected and fascinating. Many

creativeyoungpeoplehavetroublefindingworkatthemoment,

Appearance

“Traditional handicraft returns in innovative, sustainable ways”

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because the economy is doing poorly. Granny’s Finest provides a stepping stone, for

creativity, professional growth, organization skills and entrepreneurship. The grannies

feel appreciated for their knowledge and experience. Some of them are freed from social

isolation.

Thegoodthingisthatthisisnotaboutcharity,charityoftenhasapaternalisticflavor.

Granny’sFinestisallaboutactivitiesandinitiativesthatbenefiteveryoneinvolved.

The money generated by these superb, high-quality products will be used to start up or

support new social projects.


Granny’s Finest touches upon various dimensions of Quality of Life. The products are not

only top quality, most of them are also sustainable. Traditional handicraft returns in

innovative, sustainable ways. Granny’s Finest is also a strong and sympathetic example of

socially responsible entrepreneurship. Creative young people are offered a challenge. In

times of recession, opportunities are provided for people about to start their careers.

Older people are drawn back into society in a meaningful, practical way. And lastly, not all

oftheprofitendsupintheowner’spockets,butisalsousedtosupportGranny’sFinest

and other good initiatives.

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Trend Context

Welivesintimesinwhichthegovernmentincreasinglywithdrawsfromsociety.Timesin

whichabundanceisnolongerself-evident.Thesocialfabricofoursocietyislosingflexibility

andresilience.Whilethenotsoenterprisingbecomemoresusceptibletodoomand

resentment, creative minds and intrepid optimists converge at phenomena such as

Granny’sFinest.ThisgrowingtrendiscalledSelf-organizingSelf-sufficiency.Timesmay

behardinourwesterneconomies,butthereisdefinitelyroomforoptimism.“Whenthe

goinggetstough,thetoughget…creative”.Granny’sFinestradiatesapassionthatmakes

people enthusiastic. And that is what we need; not just the participants of Granny’s Finest,

but society as a whole.

Trends Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency,DeepSustainablity

Paul Alofs wrote a book that perfectly suits Granny’s Finest: Passion Capital, the World’s Most Valuable Asset. The following

three quotes say it all: “Without passion you don’t have energy. Without energy you have nothing.” “It isn’t just passion. It’s

the values behind that passion.” “Passion Capital = Energy + Intensity + Sustainability.”

Appearance

Passion Capital, the World’s Most Valuable Asset.Paul Alofs (2013) Signal, ISBN 771007485

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www.schorembarbier.nl

Joris Boelensdjorisnul13.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Knowledge is power

SCHORUMHAARSNIJDER

& BARBIER

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grafi

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Sch

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Jel

le M

olle

ma

Foto

grafi

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10SCHORUM HAARSNIJDER & BARBIER: MEN’S CLUBS,

NEW AND RETRO COMBINED by Joris Boelens

Book stores, fashion stores, music stores, technology stores: they

are all doing badly. But there is one line of business that is going strong.

Hair salons, mainly men’s salons, have boldly succeeded in warding

off the crisis. In England, the number of barbershops has even

risen this year. This is probably due to the relative ease with which

a barbershop can be established. And also, because you can’t get

a haircut online. But there is more to the segment of men’s salons.

A proud barbershop has been opened up smack in the center of

São Paulo – on the Avenida 9 de Julho. Only for men, and consistently

inspired upon the atmosphere and barber techniques of the 1940s

and 1950s. It is a place where men of all ages can experience a bygone

era of sartorial gentlemen. No frills, unlike the standard salons.

You can have your beard shaved with a razor and hot towels, or

indulge in any of the other ancient techniques. This place exudes

all-male coziness.

In the UK, the online comedy series Smokey’s Barbers has become

a (cult) hit. The comedy revolves around cocky young barber Jazzie,

and his friends. They talk girls, and work under the watchful eye

of their volatile boss, Uncle Adot. Smokey’s Barbers does not only

feature in the comedy series. It is also a real (offline) place, where

raucous male laughter dominates a female-free atmosphere.

In Rotterdam, Schorum Haarsnijder & Barbier has opened up.

Only for men. Appointments cannot be made. That is a woman’s

thing. Just step inside, have a good time with the other men, and

wait your turn. The word hairdresser is off-limits at Schorum:

too unmanly. Barber, that sounds better. It does more justice to

Appearance

“A men’s ‘me moment’is somewhat different”

64

the male condition. In a time in which men also do the

dishes, change diapers, go shopping with their girlfriends

or go drinking with them, Schorum offers a social alter-

native, just like Smokey’s Barbers and the barbershop

onthe9deJulho.Menamongmen.Enjoyingabeer.


Womenhavetakenupthehabitofsavoringa‘memo-

ment’ from time to time, a little pampering moment just

for themselves. No stress, no commitments. Television

commercials entice women to spend these moments

enjoying some chocolate, or a Magnum, or to go

shopping. A men’s ‘me moment’ is somewhat different.

A visit to the barbershop, for example. Having a beer

there. To enjoy the company of other men. Obviously,

men go to a hair salon to come back out looking better.

But the feeling of visiting a ‘social club for men’ certainly

contributes to the quality of a modern man’s life.

Trend Context

Atfirstglance,theemergenceofbutch,men’sbarber-

shops, that double as social clubs for men, corresponds to

the social and cultural development of men taking better

care of their appearance. The emergence of the type of

man who knows how to pamper himself, and who, just like

the ladies, also likes fashion, shopping, and personal care,

is known as: The Rise of the Metrosexual. This has been

going on for more than a decade. A new generation of

hair stylists, or better yet: barbers, goes against this

65

current. In our metrosexual era, men are no longer by

definitiontheleadinggender,andtheyallperformtasks

that used to be considered women’s tasks. This is why

moments and places where men can be among men,

and have some hard-boiled fun together, are making a

strong comeback. These moments are no longer self-

evident in our politically correct world. On the contrary:

they are becoming a rare commodity. (At Smokey’s

Barbers, for example, smoking is allowed – something

that has become extremely rare.) The barbershops in

this chapter bring virile new life to men’s ‘me moments.’

That is Cool, and there is a market for it.

Trends Experience Economy

There are many books in existence that tackle this broad subject. In The End of

Men and The Rise of Women, Hanna Rosin reports on the American man, especially

the poorly educated, who is gradually losing status, power, and money. The bar-

bershops in this chapter could provide a safe haven for this type of man – for now.

In Branded Male: Marketing to Men, Mark Tungate takes this phenomenon to the

next level. He explains how these increasingly insecure men can be ‘marketed.’

“The shaving ritual is the ultimate all male ritual. Therefore: link male skincare

products to the shaving ritual. Further: choose authentic male role models. Add a

pinch of retro luxury to it all: think traditional barbershops…”.

Appearance

The End of Men and The Rise of Women. Hanna Rosin (2012) Riverhead Hardcover, ISBN 1594488045Branded Male, Marketing to Men.Mark Tungate (2008) Kogan Page, ISBN 749450118

Sanne Koningsmodezmadnes.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Happiness, personal growth, loving

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www.mc10inc.com

ELECTRONIC TATTOO

67

11ELECTRONIC TATTOO:

STICK IT ON by Sanne Konings

Takingadvantageofrecentadvancesinflexible

electronics, researchers have devised a way

to ‘print’ devices directly onto the skin,

so people can wear them for an extended

period of time, while performing normal, daily

activities. It is called epidermal electronics

and it looks pretty Cool. The devices consist

of ultrathin electrodes, electronics, sensors and

wireless power and communication systems.

In theory, they could be attached to the skin

to record and transmit electrophysiological

measurements for medical purposes.

Secondary purposes are imaginable as well.

Earlier generations of on-skin electronic

devices were easily washed off. The latest

generation, however, researched extensively

inthelabofJohnRogers,UniversityofIllinois,

is far more resilient and therefore useful for

longer periods of time, and in a wider range

ofenvironmentsthanjustthedailyoffice.

Some quotes from the Net commenting on

thestick-onelectronictattoo:“Asarunner,

Icanuseittomonitormyheartbeat”.

“Sometimes,Ipassareaswithsulfuricacid.

I’d like to monitor what I am breathing

there”.“I’dlovetouseitonmykids.Iamso

Appearance

“The Electronic Tattoo may be little in size, but it represents big trends and changes”

68

worriedthatsomethinghappenstothem,Godforbid”.“Greatfordivers.Theycanmeasure

theirexactdepth,theirbloodgassaturation,increasedsonicaccuracy.”Butcriticismand

worriesaboundaswell,notalwaysexpressedinthepolitestofmanners:“Thisin1984!

MicrosoftanditspallswillalwaystrackwhereIam.”“It’stheendofprivacy,andonlythe

extremelystupidonesdon’tseeorthinkthattheydon’thavetocare.”“Whatkindofsick

bastardwouldthinkthatthiscouldleadtoanythingbutevil?”


Withoutadoubt,thisisanimportanttechnologicalinventionwithimpressiveFuture

GrowthPotential.Wemaycallit:theRiseofStretchableElectronics.Alotofgoodcan

come from them. For instance, it will increase our capabilities of monitoring the health of

our bodily functions, but also of our environment. Furthermore, all these measured data

can be uploaded into The Cloud, where they will be analyzed, and then returned to us in

theformofhealthadvicethatismorepersonalizedthaneverbefore.Wecallthisbroader

trend the Rise of Intelligent Systems in Healthcare. In addition, the use of Electronic Tattoos

willfindmanyconsumernichessuchasrunnersanddivers,andtheworriedmums

mentioned above. In the next phase, the Electronic Tattoo can grow into a fashion accessory

as well. It all adds to the quality of our lives.

However, concerns arise as well. Can we ‘protect’ all the personal information that we

streamupintotheCloudfromunwanteduse?Whowillcashinonthesenewdevelopments?

Whatifourinsurancecompanylearnsthatourhealthisindecline,anddemandsahigher

monthlyfee?Whendowegiveuptoomuchofourpersonalprivacy,andbecomevulne-

rable to information abuse somewhere in the future? In that case, it might even diminish

our future Quality of Life.

Trend Context

The Electronic Tattoo may be little in size, but it represents big trends and changes.

Firstly, this is another example of how very personal and physical information will enter

the Online Universe to be analyzed in The Cloud. This will give us the opportunity to

69

liveourlivesmoreeffectivelyandmoreefficiently,inbetterhealth,andevenwith

more wisdom. Having said that, ‘we’ are not the only ones gaining revolutionary new

possibi-lities – to which the Electronic Tattoo shows the way. Also, companies that are

in a position to use and commercialize all the information we have generated and

uploaded,willgainrevolutionarynewpossibilitiestogenerateenormousnewprofit.

It will converge into a mentality trend that is steadily growing: the Culture of Mistrust

wearealreadyexperiencing-especiallyintheWesterncountries,thathavebeenhit

hardbythebankingcrisis.DistrustwillalsoseepintotheOnlineUniverse.Whocan

we trust with the information we have uploaded? How many of us will still be naive

enough to believe that Google never does evil – since they have occupied ‘our’ online

information universe? Stick-on Electronic Tattoos can become a fashion gadget.

But they are so much more.

Trends TheInternetofThings,TheQuantifiedSelf,The Rise of the Cloud, Facilitate My Life, Growing Mistrust

Appearance

Who Owns the Future.JaronLanier(2013)Simon & Schuster, ISBN 1451654960

In Who Owns The Future?, Jaron Lavier is very critical about the

impending, digitally enforced Brave New World, dominated

by Big Brothers like Google, Facebook, Twitter. “The effect

of digital technologies is to concentrate wealth not in the

hands of the people, us, but in the hands of the companies

behind these digital technologies… Progress should mean

rewarding more people, not fewer. At present, corporations

with the biggest computers, using data gathered for free

from everyone else, are able to earn immensely. They are

also able to calculate avoiding risk and earning money for

themselves and their clients, thus making society riskier

and poorer for everyone else.”

70

www.uniqueltd.com

Inge Muijshondtprikkelingen.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Enjoyment, comfort, beauty

ME-ALITY

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12ME-ALITY: A BETTER FIT by Inge Muijshondt

All women know it (men don’t): shopping for designer denim is a frustrating affair.

Sizes, for instance, are far from consistent across brands. This predicament is especially

acute when it comes to jeans for women.

EnterMe-Ality:a“digitalsizingstation”.ItwasrecentlyinstalledinfiveBloomingdale’s

department stores in the United States of America. The stations take 10 to 15 second

body scans of shoppers, matching their measurements against those of in-store and online

merchandise,torecommendbrands,stylesandsizeslikelytofitandflatterthemmost.

Aftercompletingascan,customersareprovidedwithaprintoutandanonlineprofilethey

canconsulttofindtherecommendedsizesandstylesforpresentandfuturepurchases.

Only brands that have provided sizing information to Me-Ality will be included in the list

of recommendations.

Me-Alityisn’ttheonlycompanytryingtotacklethefittingproblem.StartupslikeTrueFit,

which works with Macy’s and Oscar de la Renta, and Clothes Horse, which works with

Bonobos and Nicole Miller, have also developed algorithmic tools that help shoppers

choosesizesbasedonhowclothingfrommultipleotherbrandsfitsthem.

Appearance

72

TheMe-AlityatBloomingdale’sisthefirstofthistypeofscanner

to appear in a department store environment. Until now, the

spread of the scanners had been impeded by brand integration,

and the cost of the scanners themselves. As the cost of scanners

has decreased in recent years, pilot programs like the one at

Bloomingdale’s will probably start to boom soon.


Fighting to overcome frustrating moments is an obvious and

pervasive ingredient in our striving towards better Quality of Life.

Even when the subject of our frustration is as mundane as not

efficientlyfindingtherightsizesforthedesignerjeanswelike.

Here, Me-Ality steps in, with its digitally empowered measuring

service, amongst other digital body scanning solutions, as we

saw. Me-Ality is still in its pilot phase. However, we can expect to

see more technological initiatives that could make our shopping

experiences smoother and more pleasant.

Trend Context

Many of us lead hectic lives. The desire to live life as serenely and

pleasantly as possible is strong. That certainly applies to retail.

The retail business is well aware of the fact that present day

customers are not likely to return to their stores, if they do not

receive optimal, pleasant, and swift service. And that they may turn

to online shopping. Me-Ality is an attempt to counter this trend.

The scanner can be categorized within a broad trend we may call

Facilitate My Life. As is the case with many other examples in this

book,Me-Alityusestheonlineworldtomakeofflineprocesses

easier, in this case, inside a department store. If a customer uses

73

the Me-Ality repeatedly, the machine

gathers more knowledge, which can be

used to give more accurate advice.

Thanks to the algorithmic analyses based

on all of the information that has been

gathered. As indicated on the Me-Ality

website:“Algorithmictoolshavebeen

developed to help shoppers in optimal

manners to choose what clothing and

brandscombinationsfitthembest.”

Trends Facilitate My Life, Cool Personalization, The Rise of the Cloud

A good book about what the forthcoming Reign of the Algo-

rithms over our lives will mean is Christopher Steiner’s Auto-

mate This: How Algorithms Came To Rule Our World. “They

are faster than us. They are cheaper than us. And when things

work as they should, they make fewer mistakes than we do.”

Appearance

Automate This. Christopher Steiner (2012) Portfolio Hardcover, ISBN 1591844924

“Here, Me-Ality steps in, with its digitally empowered measuring service”

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Leisure

www.marokkanenbrug.com

76

Ilse Schoonenbergilsesdiaries.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Self realization, love, enjoyment

FRIDAY AFTERNOON COUSCOUS

77

13Leisure

FRIDAY AFTERNOON COUSCOUS:

EATING TOGETHER TO LIVE TOGETHER by Ilse Schoonenberg

ForChristians,Sundayisaspecialday.ForJews,it’sSaturday.MuslimshaveFriday.

Friday afternoons are their special time for togetherness, solidarity, and contemplation.

Oftentimes, a couscous meal is consumed together. In the Netherlands, a Moroccan

foundation called MarocBridge has been revitalizing this traditional custom in inno-

vative ways. Everyone who wants to join these Friday afternoon couscous meetings

is welcome, regardless of religion, origin, and skin color. As long as people are willing

to participate in conversations that inspire and unite. Couscous Friday afternoons are

characterized by an intrepid atmosphere. How can we work together? How can we

help each other? How can we start businesses? The emphasis lies on young people,

but certainly not exclusively. Because eating is something you do together, often with

people of various generations.

Everyone is seated at long tables. There is always a special guest, who ushers in the

78

evening’s main theme by means of a lecture.

At the end of the evening, the Friday

afternoon chairman visits all of the tables

to recapitulate what has been discussed,

and to see where the conversations at each

tablehaveled.RadioFunXthenreportson

everything. Friday Afternoon Couscous is

arecentinitiative.Thefirstsessiontook

place in May of 2013. The phenomenon is

now spreading over to various Dutch cities.

Not all Moroccan youths are harmoniously

integrated into Dutch society. They regularly

receive bad press. Couscous Friday Afternoons

counters this with community gatherings.

There is too much discord already.

Let’s concentrate on what binds us. And use

something that has always united us: eating

– couscous – together.


Our cities grow, and become increasingly

anonymous. All over the world, the income

gap widens, and as a result, so does the

social gap. This problem lies at the core of

diminishing solidarity, as perceived by many.

It strains the social fabric of our society.

79

Friday Afternoon Couscous meetings strive to counter this development. They try to bridge

the differences. They seek to parry the social erosion eating away at our solidarity.

This will contribute to our gross national happiness, and thus to our mutual Quality of Life.

Trend Context

Obviously, eating together is not going to instantly solve all of society’s problems. But it

does something, and it means something. Phrases such as ‘community-building initiatives’

regularly pop up in public debates and matching literature regarding the social erosion

within our overindividualized society. Evidently, there is a need for them. That comes as

nosurprise.CutbacksaboundinWesterncountries.Wearealsostartingtorealizethat

hyperindividualizationmaynotnecessarilybebeneficialtoourQualityofLife.Inemer-

ging economies – from China to Brazil – the gap between rich and poor grows, and the

ascendingmiddleclassesfinditincreasinglydifficulttoaccepttraditionalwrongs.

Here, too, ‘community building initiatives’ are being organized. As a form of protest,

but primarily to build something good together, on a small scale. The Friday Afternoon

Couscous Meetings belong to this movement. They want to make society more resilient.

Trends Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency,CoolWillpower&Resilience

Handmade Urbanism (ed. Marcos L. Rosa and Ute E. Weiland), describes and analyzes community-based initiatives in Mumbai,

São Paulo, Istanbul, Mexico City, and Cape Town. The lesson learned is the same every time: society needs them and benefits

from them. “Increasingly, people across the globe are engaging in improving the urban/social environments they live in. They

act in response to urgent issues and needs… Community-based initiatives indicate the ability of citizens to present solutions

to challenges posed by everyday life, and use creativity to transform and multiply existing resources.” This also holds true for

the Friday Afternoon Couscous meetings.

Leisure

Handmade Urbanism. MarcosL.Rose&UteE.Weiland(2013)Jovis,ISBN3868592253

“They seek to parry the social erosion eating away at our solidarity”

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Lucca Ristorantewww.estudiohuellacero.com

www.aquaone.com

Charlie Neijenhuis - den Teulingeverydaycharlie.com

Qol for me is: Rest, cleanliness, regularity

THREE‘SWEET NOTHINGS’

81

14THREE ‘SWEET NOTHINGS’: IT’S THE

LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST

by Charlie Neijenhuis - den Teuling

People like to be surprised when they go

to a restaurant. That can be done in a grand

way, in upscale restaurants for example,

but the bill is usually steep. Its can also be

done on a small scale. As long as there is

an element of surprise. Lucca Ristorante,

at Plaza Pedregal in Mexico City, for example,

setsasmallyetsignificantexample.

Desserts arrive at your table inside cheerful

littleflowerpots.Itsdoesn’tchangeanyone’s

life,butitdoesgiveyouanice“dessert

experience.’

Mexican jewelry brand Huella Cero fabricates

highly original necklaces, that may even be

a little provocative. (Huella Cero, by the way,

means Zero Footprint.) Their selection of

concrete necklaces is an exciting example.

They are made out of concrete waste,

generated by the remodeling and construc-

tion of apartments and houses. In order to

produce the least amount of waste possible,

Leisure

“The connection is a desire for experiences that are somewhat special”

82

Huella Cero recovers these materials and

transforms them in original art.

Lastly, there is a shop in Monterrey, also in

Mexico, that sells transparent toilet cisterns

withfishinside.Andno,thefishdonot

disappearwhenyouflush.Thedesignisnot

onlybeautiful,itisalsosurprisinglyfishfriendly.

Highly unusual, clearly, but it does provide a

‘flushingexperience’thatishardtoforget.


Whatdothesedesserts,necklacesand

cistern aquariums have in common?

And how do they relate to Quality of Life?

The connection is a desire for experiences

that are somewhat special, a little more

unusual than what daily life has to offer.

They are surprising, refreshing. In that

capacity, they add to the quality of our lives.

Admittedly, desserts, necklaces and cisterns

are incapable of transforming our lives.

But sometimes, it’s the little things that

matter. And that is what this is all about.

Trend Context

The age of the Experience Economy dawned

upon us a few years ago now. The power

of this trend was recognized years ago,

but it still shows no signs of abating.

83

Each year, new Examples of Cool pop up,

that underline how attracted and inspired

we feel by pleasantly special things and

surprising,specialthings.Withinthis

wonderful kaleidoscope of inventions,

we only focused on three adorable, little

examples here. Sweet nothings, you could

say. But the underlying idea – give us

something special and unusual, however

small – keeps the world economy turning.

Trends Experience Economy

Leisure

Experience Economy.B.JosephPine&JamesH.Gilmore(2011)Harvard Business School Publishing, ISBN 1422161978

Ten years ago, Joe Pine and James Gilmore wrote a book that

is considered to be one of the most influential business books

of the last century. Recently, they published the sequel to The

Experience Economy (The Experience Economy, Ten Years

Later): “One of the best business books of the 20th Century.

Now renewed for the challenges of the 21st one,” according to

one critic. “When a person buys a service, he purchases a set

of intangible activities carried out on his behalf. But when he

buys an experience, he pays to spend time enjoying a series of

memorable events – that a company stages… to engage him in

an inherently personal way.”

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www.starkdesignny.comwww.therealitree.org

Jalisa d’Hontjalisadhont.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Togetherness, student life, travel

REALITREE

85

15REALITREE:

COLLECTIVE GAMING FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT by Jalisa d’Hont

“Realitreeisanideathatneedsyourhelptogrow.Realitreewillbeagamethatcounters

all the politics and disinformation about climate change. Together, we can help to reframe

the conversation, and help our communities at the same time. Realitree was one of the

top ideas chosen by Al Gore and his organization: The Climate Reality Project. They’re

championingtheidea.Realitree’svisionistomakefiftyRealitreesarealityinfiftycities

around the world.

Realitree’s aim and ambition? To get people focused on the facts about the world’s climate

in a fun and productive way. How? That is the fun part! Realitree will be a game that you

can play in person, online, or on your phone. Each Realitree will be fed two types of data.

Real climate data from the community the tree is planted in. And another set of data:

your game play, in the form of tweets, FaceBook updates and actual, real-world activities,

like choosing clean energy for your home, or recycling. Each time you make a green choice,

Leisure

“They include an online dimension, which has become

a must in our time”

86

and spread the word, you help the Realitree grow in your community. Realitree will play

like a big Tamagotchi, a digital pet that you can play with your friends, your community,

and the world. Groups can compete against other groups. Cities against cities, or countries

against countries. Donations from you and other sponsors will help the cause. And when

peoplewin,theywinrealmoneyforrealenvironmentalprojectsintheirowncommunities.”

This is how Realitree is presented on www.therealitree.org. The next piece of text is also from

thesite.ItexpresseshoweffectivecommunicationworksintheageoftheSocialWeb:

“Weneedyourhelpandweneeddonations.Gotothesignuppagenow,andletusknow

whoyouare.Areyouagamedesigner,alawyer,acivicleader?Weneedallkindsof

people to help us run the Realitree organization. Like us on Facebook, and please con-

sider making a donation. Realitree is coming to your town and we want you to be one of

itscaretakers.”Realitreecombinesaplayful,leisurelyapproachwithseriousworkfora

better environment.


A worldwide, online facilitated gaming initiative to raise environmental awareness. One

that actually helps to improve the environment – in your local neighborhood, for starters.

There is no need to explain how this initiative can be linked to Quality of Life.

87

Trend Context

Fun, green gadgets are often appreciated. But our planet needs

moreprofoundandubiquitousinitiatives.SuperficialEcodoesnot

contribute to the quality of our lives in the long term. Deep

Sustainability is more sophisticated, as well as ‘cradle to cradle’.

This trend can actually make a difference. And that is what Reali-

tree is betting on. They include an online dimension, which has

becomeamustinourtime.AndthereisadimensionofGamifica-

tion: people compete with each other in a ‘playful’ way. The results

immediately become available to all other participants, which

stimulates people to undertake new activities.

Trends DeepSustainability,TheRiseoftheAppsCulture,TheRiseoftheGamificationCulture,Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency

When it comes to Deep Sustainability, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking

the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William

McDonough is the most iconic book available. The ecological

emphasis in this book never lies on trendy and gadgety things,

but always goes deeper. And that is what we need: “When your

plastic bottle becomes your parka… and in five years time, the

parka goes exactly the same dead-end cradle-to-grave where

a few years earlier the bottles would have gone: that is not the

kind of recycling we must focus on.”

Leisure

Cradle to Cradle, Reaking the Way We Make Things. MichaelBraungart&WilliamMcDonough(2002)NorthPointPress,ISBN865475873

www.nielsenpascal.nlwww.apollomedia.nl

www.achtung.nl

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Stijn van Arendonkstijnvanarendonk.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: Dreams, experiences, realization

COOL PISSINGCOMPETITION

89

16COOL PISSING COMPETTITION:

PISSING AS A CLEAN GAME

by Stijn van Arendonk

For decades, the people of the Netherlands celebrated ‘Queen’s

Day’ on April 30. On this day, the streets turn orange, the Dutch

national color. This year, Queen Beatrix abdicated, and we

welcomedanewking:Willem-Alexander.Arecordnumberof

visitorsflockedtoourcapitalcity,Amsterdam.

Although the visitors, almost a million of them, probably never

gave it much thought, the Amsterdam city council did worry about

the following logistic concern: all those visitors need to pee from

time to time. They needed to prevent people, especially those in

a giddy or tipsy state of mind, from peeing against the walls –

‘peeing in the wild,’ as we call it in the Netherlands. If too many

people do that...

On Queen’s Day – from now on: King’s Day – the Amsterdam city

council did more than installing mobile public toilets everywhere.

They even did more than launching an app, helping everyone to

findthenearestpublictoilets(urinwaar,or:urinewhere?wasits

name.) They also tackled the act of peeing itself, by adding a

cheerful,competitivedimension.“Challengeyourfriendstoa

pissingcontest,andwinaprize,”astheymarketedit.Mobilepublic

urinals in the Netherlands consist of four separate compartments,

allowingfourmentoopeeatatime.Whentheydidso,anearby

screen indicated their score: the force with which they performed

the activity, as well as the resulting amount of centiliters. Let’s call

it an unusual form of masculine hilarity. In any case, the idea

proved to be an adequate way to stop ‘peeing in the wild’, and turn

Leisure

90

it into a game instead. The streets remained dry, the walls didn’t

stink. The simple act of peeing was thus transformed into a

cheerful and memorable experience.


Each contribution to a clean, healthy city is a contribution to the

Quality of Life in that city. Each contribution to the well-being

of roughly one million partying visitors is a contribution the the

Quality of Life in that city. Such a thing manifests itself on a grand

scale on a day like King’s Day – the music stages, the cheers for

thenewroyalpair,thefireworks.Italsomanifestsitselfinthelittle

things, all the way up to managing the pee of countless, partying

visitors in an original yet adequate way.

Trend Context

Here, too, we come across the wish of many people to turn a

normal act into something special; to make it into something a

littlemorethanabanal,everyday(non)experience.Wealready

encountered the Experience Economy two chapters ago, in the

form of three Mexican ‘Sweets Nothings.’ This chapter proves that

even something like going to the toilet can be transformed into a

memorable experience. The Cool Pissing Competition also refers

toanothertrend:TheRiseoftheGamificationCulture.Ifwewant

to elicit a certain behavior, we could use threats, force,

or punishment. But human beings can also be playfully tempted into

desirablebehavior.IfyouaddelementsofGamificationthedimension

of temptation, the results can be miraculous. Even on the toilet.

Trends ExperienceEconomy.TheRiseofGamifictionCulture

“even something like going to the toilet can be transformed into a memorable experience”

91

Leisure

A sharp definition of Gamifica-

tion can be distilled from Got

Game by J.C.Beck and M.Wade

“Gamification techniques leverage

people’s natural desires for com-

petition, achievement, status,

self-expression, altruism, and

closure. A core strategy for gami-

fication is to provide rewards

for players for accomplishing

desired tasks. Types of rewards

include points, achievement

badges or levels, the filling of a

progress bar and providing the

user with virtual currency.

Competition is another element

that can be used in gamifica-

tion. Making the rewards for

accomplishing tasks visible to

other players or providing leader

boards are ways of encoura-

ging players to compete.” Prof.

Kevin Werbach, University of

Pennsylvania, offers a good

academic online course about

gamification via Coursea.

Got game: How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever. J.C.Beck&M.Wade.Boston:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2005.

93

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www.signalsnowboards.comwww.street-charge.com

www.soccket.org

Fleur Stiels Teun Aardenfleurminator.blogspot.com teunaarden.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Happiness, spontaneity, freedom Qol for me is: Ultimate happiness, being carefree,

SOLAR ENERGY EVERYWHERE

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17Living

SOLAR ENERGY EVERYWHERE: HERE COMES THE SUN by Fleur Stiels and Teun Aarden

Three Examples of Cool pointing in the same direction:

TheWindowSocketisanideasofabulouslysimple,thatitissomewhatstrangethatwehaven’tseenit

before. Designed by Kyuho Song & Boa Oh, the charger sticks to a window and draws solar power to

an internal battery, which enables one to either plug in small devices to the outlet right there and then,

ortosavethestoredpowerforuseduringnighttimehours.Atpresent,theWindowSocketisstillin

itsconceptphase,butinthenearfuture,thedesignersareconfidenttoincreaseitsefficiency,energy

storageandchargetime.Then,theWindowSocketwillmeetthemasses.

California-based company Signal Snowboards and techno-designer Dave Lee have teamed up with

PowerFilmSolartocreateasolar-poweredsnowboard.DevelopedinSignal’sfactory,theflexiblesolar

panels are adhered to the top sheet and then wired into a converter, mounted between the bindings.

To demonstrate the technology and functionality, Signal traveled to Mammoth Mountains in the north

of California with snowboarder Tyler Flanagan. They examined whether the product lives up to

expectations:simultaneouslychargingbatteries,camerasandphonesafteradayinthesnow.Justlike

96

theWindowSocket,theSolarPowerSnowboardisstillinitsconceptualphase.Butoneday,itwill

certainlyslideusintoadirectionfilledwithFutureGrowthPotential.

Recently,agroupoffemaleentrepreneurs,HarvardalumsJessicaLin,JessicaMatthews,JuliaSilverman,

and Hemali Thakkar created a Soccer Ball that captures and stores energy generated by play. It is named

the sOccket - a mash-up of ‘soccer’ and ‘socket’. The ingenious ball has been created with developing

nations in mind. Kids in countries where electricity is not readily available can play a game with

sOccket after school, and then bring it home to power a lamp, so that they can do homework. So much

better than working under the light of dangerous kerosene lamps…


These three contraptions are so much more than gadgets. Because they are so closely connected to

improvingthequalityofourlives.ThoughtheSolarSnowBoardisaprettyCoolgadgetforaffluent

snowboarders,theWindowSocketisaneasyfacilitator,adaptabletoeverybody’slife.ThesOccketaims

highest, by striving to improve the Quality of Life for those living in the more depraved corners of our planet.

Trend Context

TheSocialWebbindsusall.Moresothanwecouldhaveimaginedameredecadeago.Theramifications

are immense – from a variety of Arab ‘Springs’ to a kaleidoscope of crowd sourcing and crowd funding

initiatives.Inthedecadestocome,thisrevolutionarytrendofmeetingviatheSocialWebwillundoubtedly

persist,butTheSocialWebwillbeaccompaniedbyasecondweb:theIndustrialWeb.TheIndustrial

“more objects thanwe ever thought possiblewill be ableto generate andpass on energy”

97

Webreferstoaworldinwhichallofthematerialobjectsthatsurroundus–ourcars,trains,refrigerators,

fuse boxes, scales, trash cans, sports shoes, etcetera – will be equipped with microchips and sensors,

sotheycancommunicatewithoneanother‘intelligently’.TheIndustrialWebwillprovokeradical

changes.AtasteofthingstocomecanbesavoredinpreviouschaptersaboutWhirlpool’sFresh

Connect en Philips’ Diagnostic Kitchen.

Inthischapter,webegintoseetheoutlineofathird‘Web’:moreobjectsthanweeverthoughtpossible

will be able to generate and pass on energy, from window sockets to snowboards and soccer balls.

Thereisalsoarevolutionathandinthedomainofenergyproduction.Whenthatrevolutionmeets

theRiseoftheIndustrialWeb,theconsequenceswillbeimmense.Withapredominantlypositiveand

hopeful undertone, that it will certainly lead to improved Quality of Life.

Trends Deep Sustainability , Facilitate My Life

Chris Anderson wrote a book about the developments and consequences of the Rise of the Industrial Web: Makers, the New Industrial Revolution.

“We have seen what the Social Web of democratized innovation has done to spur entrepreneurship and economic growth. Just imagine what a

similar model could do in the larger economy of the Real Stuff: the Rise of the Industrial Web!”

Living

Makers, the New Industrial Revolution. Chris Anderson (2012) Crown Business, ISBN 9780307720955

98

Priscilla BerkheijPriscillaberkheij.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Freedom, discovery, encounters

www.iba-hamburg.comwww.splitterwerk.at

ALGAE WILL SAVE THE WORLD

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18ALGAE WILL SAVE THE WORLD:

CREATING INNOVATIVE HOPE by Priscilla Berkheij

Since the beginning of the Great Recession, many construction

projects in the United States have been abandoned. This also

happened to the Filene development project in Downtown

Crossing, Boston. The skeleton construction has already raised its

arms high into the air. But nothing else happens: the construction

site looks forlorn. The result: an eyesore at street level. An eyesore

that keeps reminding passersby of the unfortunate state of the

American economy.

One of Boston’s leading newspapers, the Boston Globe, wondered

iftherewasn’tanotherway.ThearchitecturefirmHöweler+Yoon

accepted the challenge, and teamed up with the designers of

SquaredDesignLab.Theyfilledtheskeletonconstructionwith

so-called ecopods: easy to manufacture, easy to move, large

containers, in which ecofuel-producing algae are cultivated.

Various Cool things are happening here. The desolation of a

construction site with an abandoned skeleton construction has

been transformed into a place with an exciting ambiance of

progress. Large robotic arms move the ecopods around constantly,

inanefforttofindtheidealatmosphericandlightconditionsfor

the algae to grow. The idea is for the ecofuel, made by the algae, to

initially be used for keeping the robotic arms in motion. From the

street, everything looks striking and innovative. The Filene

building project, a symbol of America’s decline, has become an

example of ecological resilience. And that is an inspiration.

Living

“all about the search for environmentally friendly

energy solutions”

100


Turning desolation into resi-

lience. Turning stagnant ugliness

into surprising design and an

ambiance of progress. Progress

dedicated to the imperative

search for eco-friendly solutions

to the world’s energy problem.

These things combined encom-

passthe‘AlgaeWillSavethe

World’project’scontribution

to the collective Quality of Life.

This is proof of the resilience

that characterizes, according to

many, America’s social DNA.

Trend Context

TheBostonian‘AlgaeWillSavetheWorld’projectisallaboutthe

search for environmentally friendly energy solutions. About tackling

creative challenges. And creating innovative hope out of desolation.

Inconclusion:‘AlgaeWillSavetheWorld’embodiesResilience.

Attractive and inspiring resilience acting as the engine and

motivator of an intensive search for Quality of Life.

Trends DeepSustainability,CoolWillpower&Resilience

101

Living

Resilience. Why Things Bounce back. Andrew Zolli & Ann Marie Healy (2012) Free Press, ISBN 1451683804

it should come as no surprise that the theme of collective Resilience comes to the surface in

times of recession. After all, we need our Resilience more now, than we would in easier times.

Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy wrote an excellent book on this subject: Resilience. Why

Things Bounce Back. Resilience is “the capacity of a system, or a person to maintain its core

purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.” “New scientific re-

search suggests that personal resilience is more widespread, improvable, and teachable than

previously thought. That’s because our resilience is rooted not only in our beliefs and values,

in our character, experiences, and genes, but critically in our habits of mind – habits that we

can cultivate and change”. Both quotes apply nicely to the ‘Algae Will Save the World’ project.

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www.lendingclub.comwww.zopa.com

www.prosper.com

Thijn van Veghelthijnforpresident.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Freedom, health, loyalty

PEER TO PEER BANKING

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19PEER-TO-PEER BANKING:

THE NEXT STEP by Thijn van Veghel

Lending money from a bank, even if you do it for the house of your dreams, is not exactly

a romantic matter. A deep sense of resentment toward banks has been mounting over

thepastfiveyears,alongwithstrongfeelingsofdistrust.Weknowabouttheirastronomic

bonuses,theirfineprint,andtheirworldwidefailure,thatisnowbeingmadegood

by tax payers. Long story short: we don’t want them anymore. But we can’t manage

without them.

Or can we? Could we turn to others instead, if we want to borrow money to make our

lives better or more pleasant? In the last few years, peer-to-peer banks have been on

therise.ThankstotheSocialWeb,whichmakesitaloteasiertogetintouchwitheach

other than before. This new, virtual meeting place also works for people who want to

borrow money, and people who want to lend money to others – no regular banks

involved. This phenomenon is called peer-to-peer banking. www.zopa.com was one

ofthefirst:asocialcommunityofborrowersandlenderswhoavoidedbanksfortwo

reasons. Firstly, because the interest rates on Zopa were better. After all, there is no

corporate bank wedged between the two parties. No need to redirect large sums of

money for expensive buildings and bonuses. And secondly, because many of us have

beguntohatetheofficialbankingsector.AsformulatedbyZopa:“Getlowrateloans

and high interest savings at Zopa, the UK’s largest peer-to-peer lending site… Zopa’s

Living

104

peer-to-peerloansofferborrowerscompetitivelowratesandflexibletermswithnoearly

repayment fees or hidden charges… Zopa’s savers earn higher returns on their savings

byparticipatinginsociallendingonline,whiletheyarehelpingtheUK’ssafestborrowers.”

This peer-to-peer banking movement feels sympathetic, romantic almost. But it remains

small.Despiteourincreasingdistrustandresentment,asfarasofficialbanksareconcerned,

we are still afraid to collectively turn our backs on them. How will we get our money back,

ifthatgenialZopaborrowersuddenlydecidestogooffline?CanZopapursuethese

people with the same austere power the cursed banks have? If we all start to believe that

the peer-to-peer banks can indeed do that, then peer-to-peer banking will not only gain

our sympathy, but a lot of future potential as well.


Organizing a better world together, facilitated by the revolutionary power of the Social

Web.Whatwouldsoundbetter?Whatcouldempowerusmore?Certainlyifweemancipate

ourselves from the banks that misbehaved so terribly? In these circumstances, peer-to-

peer banking has the potential to improve our collective (independent) Quality of Life.

Andyet,peer-to-peerbankinghasnotbecomeamassmovementyet.Weareincapable

or too scared to break free from the clutches of the big banks.

Currently, a second generation of peer-to-peer banking initiatives is surfacing. They are,

however more niche-orientated. There exists a peer-to-peer bank that exclusively focuses

on student loans. Two other peer-to-peer banks in the United States (www.lendingclub.com

and www.prosper.com)focusspecificallyonpeoplewithcreditcarddebts,whoareforced

topayanatrociousinterestrateof18%.ViathenewSocialWebbanks,theycanfind

moneylenders who charge less interest than that disastrous 18%. They can clear their credit

card debts instantly, and exchange their alarming interest rate for a more humane one.

Trend Context

This sympathetic peer-to-peer banking example not only teaches us about trends in

currentsociety,fromthePoweroftheSocialWebtothetrendofSelf-organizing

“peer-to-peer banking is still far from becoming a mass movement”

105

Self-sufficiency.Thisexamplealsoshows

us the responsibilities of Trendwatching.

Responsible Trendwatching is more than

enthusiastically spot examples of Cool.

Wecannotconfineourselvestoobserving

that peer-to-peer banking has attractive and

inspiring potential for the future (which is

ourdefinitionofCool),becausewecannow

avoid banks altogether, thanks to the power

oftheSocialWeb.Thatisindeedthecase,

but responsible Trendwatching has to dig

deeper than that. It also needs to conclude

that peer-to-peer banking is still far from

becoming a mass movement. That we

distrust the banks, but also, apparently,

each other, and the peer-to-peer banks’

ability to get our money back, if necessary.

That does not mean that everything will

remainasitwas.Itisaninvitationtofigure

out how these peer-to-peer banks could

becomeasmassmovement.Tofigureout

how the concept behind these banks,

which is already Cool, can be changed to

turn them into a big success.

Trends GrowingMistrust,ThePoweroftheSocialWeb,Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency

Living

Book

two quotes from two different books that highlight the

Coolness and popularity of peer-to-peer banks. In A Capi-

talism for the People, author Luigi Zingales quotes Thomas

Jefferson: ”I sincerely believe that banking establishments

are more dangerous than standing armies”. More than two

centuries later, many people agree. The vital strength of the

Social Web enables an organized counteroffensive, as we

have seen. That means big changes are afoot, according to

Adam Grant in Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to

Success: “For generations, we have focused on the individual

drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck.

But in today’s dramatically reconfigured world, success is

increasingly dependent on how we interact with others”.

A Capitalism for the People. Lugi Zingales (2012 ) Basic Books, ISBN 465029477Give and Take. A Revolutionary Approach to Succes. Adam Grant (2013) Viking Adult, ISBN 670026557

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www.pe.mayodraftfcb.com

Janneke Marisjannekemaris.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: World improvement, sustainability, simplicity

PERU BILLBOARD

107

20PERU BILLBOARD:

PRODUCES DRINKING WATER

by Janneke Maris

In the Peruvian coastal area, dotted with its

many little villages and also featuring capital

city Lima, it barely ever rains. Drinking water

is accordingly scarce. The humidity level,

however, is very high: 98%. UTEC, the

University of Technology and Engineering,

wants to become more socially involved

and make a big statement to that effect.

To accomplish that, they have developed

unique technology to produce drinking

water, by means of roadside billboards.

The high humidity level is an essential

advantage. The water is stored in a tank

underneath the billboard.

The billboard that produces drinking

water not only illustrates UTEC’s social

involvement, but also its innovative drive.

The combination of these things has turned

out to be an irresistible lure to prospective

students. Lastly, though most importantly,

thePeruBillboardgreatlybenefitsthelocal

population.Duringthefirstthreemonthsof

its existence, the Peru Billboard produced

thousands of liters of water for hundreds

of families. The locals are very enthusiastic:

Living

108

every village should get its own billboard! Meanwhile, UTEC has earned much renown

andpublicaffinity.Theuniversitynowattractsbetterandsociallyinvolvedstudents.

AsstatedintheaccompanyingYouTubeclip:“IthelpedUTECtosignificantlyboost

applications and train the next generation of engineers that can help to serve the

commongood.”


A university that helps the next generation of engineers to serve the common cause in a

high-profileandinnovativeway:couldtherebeanybetterexampleofimprovingQuality

of Life? This invention effects a tangible contribution to Quality of Life in the larger area

surrounding the university. As a bonus, a number of secondary objectives has been

fulfilled:agoodimagofortheuniversity,attractingstudentswhoaresociallyinvolved,

and providing advertisers with a unique location to proclaim their commercial messages.

on billboards that produce drinking water.

Trend Relevance

In our media-driven society, this example illustrates the vital importance of wondrous

projects – a billboard that produces drinking water – to draw attention and improve an

imago. It also illustrates that a lot of people have grown very tired of the usual television

commercials. A little more special please. Special is a billboard that produces drinking

water.Wearealsoenamoredwiththisexample,becauseitsignifiesadistinctand

effective form of socially involved entrepreneurship and communication.

On a deeper level, this example points to the fact that (unpolluted) drinking water is

becoming increasingly scarce in a large part of the world. And to the necessity to turn

the tide. Once every year, our world leaders, from the political as well as the business

sphere, meet in Davos. One of the biggest challenges for the 21st century, according to

this forum: drinkable water for everyone. This notion and necessity imbue the billboard

that produces drinking water with grandeur, importance, and potential for growth.

“because it signifies a distinct and effective form of socially involved entrepreneurship and communication”

109

Trends Deep Sustainability, Experience Economy

Two books regarding the complex dynamics surrounding the impending water crises (plural) are The Black Nile by Dan Morrison

and The New North: The World in 2050 by Laurence C. Smith. Morrison demonstrates how vitally important the Nile’s water

is to all of the countries it flows through. And how the tension is rising with regard to the distribution of that water. “Until

recent time ,there were colonial treaties to guarantee Egypt most of the water. That seems to be a thing of the past”. Smith

adopts a worldwide perspective that proves equally dismal: “We now withdraw so much water that many of the mightiest

Living

The Black Nile. Dan Morrison (2010) Viking Adult, ISBN 670021989The New North, The World in 2050.LaurenceC.Smith(2012)ProfileBooks,ISBN1846688930

and most historic rivers – the Nile, the Colorado, the Yellow River, the Indus – have barely a

trickle left to meet the sea.”

111

Human Movement

112

Wieteke Alvarezsnorrenparty.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: Inner peace, love, success

www.nike.com www.nikeinc.com

NIKE+ FUELBAND

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21Human Movement

NIKE+ FUELBAND: MOVING TOGETHER IN MORE PLAYFUL,

EXCITING WAYS by Wieteke Alvarez

The Nike+ Fuelband is a bracelet, a sports watch with all applicable features, and a motion

sensor, all in one. The Nike+ FuelBand records all of your daily movements and activities.

And it enables you to earn Nike Fuel activity points. The Nike+ FuelBand is connected to

the Nike+ community website at www.nikeplus.nike.com.

All movements and activities detected by the Nike+ FuelBand are sent to the website.

There, you can determine your athletic ambitions. All of your training activities and

results are automatically saved. Both your milestones and your lows can be tracked.

This gives you insight into how close you are to the goals you have set for yourself.

Youalsoreceivespecifictrainingadvice.Combined,thesefeaturesstimulateyoutostay

ambitious and go the extra mile. To move more, essentially. If all these activities stimulate

you to buy more of Nike’s products and services – running shoes with microchips,

the latest generation of sophisticated sports watches, the most recent version of

Nike+ Fuel – then Nike certainly will not complain.

“It allows us to monitor and compare. It allows us to share results with our friends”

114

Nike+ Fuel’s idealistic goal is to stimulate the world to move more. If you reach your

targets, you earn Nike Fuel activity points, that take you to the next level. But you can

also use them to get discounts on new purchases. So far, the Nike+ Fuelband has mainly

focusedonrunning.Whichcomesasnosurprise,sincerunningiswhatNikeisfamous

for. But now, Nike+ intends to expand its scope to all of the activities and movements

performed during the day. Set your targets, and check your progress towards your goals

every day. If the danger of failure is imminent – which you can see; soon you will even

be able to receive warnings – you could consider to put in some extra effort. If you

meet your goals, you receive points. You can also share your victory with your friends.

That stimulates them as well, and together you could decide to increase your athletic

ambitions for the near future.


Inviting everyone to move more, in a world struggling with towering health care costs.

Inviting everyone to set personal athletic targets, and to work toward meeting those

targets, in a world of epidemic obesity, including related heart and coronary diseases.

That is an irrefutable contribution to collective Quality of Life.

Trend Context

Nike+ Fuel straddles various trends. Such a wide scope inevitably leads tot success.

Firstly, Nike+ managed to add a digital dimension to a purely physical activity: all athletic

milestones and lows are stored digitally. Not only for your most recent run, but for all

ofyourrunningexploits.ThisisatrendwelabeledearlierasTheQuantifiedSelf(1).

Thus, Nike+ collects many data concerning our being, our condition, and our ambition.

All of these data are stored – enter The Rise of The Cloud – an analyzed (2). These Big

Data allow the supply of highly personalized advice, as well as recommendations toward

productsandservices.Withanindividuallytailoredfinesse,underpinnedbyalgorithms,

never before possible. Personalization has taken a new, more profound turn (3).

Lastly,Nike+touchesuponafourthtrend:theGamificationofourexistenceinthe

115

21st century (4).

Nike+ Fuel employs

playful, competitive

tactics to help us get

the best out of

ourselves. It allows us

to monitor and

compare. It allows us

to share results with

our friends. And all

of these factors

combined stimulate

us to move more

– to adopt a healthier

lifestyle.

Trends TheQuantifiedSelf,The Rise of the Cloud, ThePoweroftheSocialWeb,Cool Personalization, The Rise ofGamificationCulture

Human Movement

Reality is Broken. Why Games Makes Us Better and How They Can Change The World. JaneMcGonigal(2011)PenguinBooks,ISBN9780143120612Big Data, A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think. Viktor Mayer-Schonberger &KennethCukier(2013)EamonDolan/HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,ISBN9780544002692

Reality is Broken, Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by

Jane McGonigal is the most inspiring – and slightly provocative – book about the Rise of the

Gamification Culture. A quote that relates directly to what Nike+ Fuel is bringing about:

“Compared with games, reality is unproductive. Games give us clearer missions and more

satisfying, hands-on work. It simply stimulates us more intensely”. Big Data: A Revolution

That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and

Kenneth Cukier concerns the Big Data Revolution. “Facebook datifies our relationships.

Relationships always existed and constituted information. But they were never formerly

defined as data until Facebook’s ‘social graph’. Twitter enables the datafication of sentiment

by creating an easy way for people to record and share their stray thoughts, which has previously

been lost in the winds of time. LinkedIn datifies our long-past professional experience”.

We could add Nike+ Fuel to this list, because it datifies our athletic behavior – and, in the

future, all of our other movements as well.

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www.doubleyou.comwww.nike.com

Tessa van den Brandwww.tesssssa.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Laugh, enjoy, freedom

FC247 LASER BEAM SOCCER FIELDS

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22FC247 LASER BEAM SOCCER FIELDS:

PLAY WHEREVER ON DEMAND by Tessa van den Brand

All over the world, Nike is celebrated as one of the Coolest and most

admirable brands – along with Apple and Coca Cola. There is a good

reason for that. Nike means sports, and everyone who practices

sports knows it is a physically ‘intimate’ experience. Team sports

also include a social aspect. It makes us feel connected, even if we

do nothing more than sit in front of the television, and watch ‘our’

team. Nike gets associated with passion for sports, which is further

reinforcedbyallofthesportscelebritiesaffiliatedwiththebrand.

Nike is more than sports alone. Nike also stands for boundless and

remarkable creativity. Nike+ Fuel, as described in the previous

chapter, is one example. And so are the Laser Beam Soccer Fields,

launched by Nike as part of a communication campaign in the

summer of 2013 in Spain.

This is how it works. A group of sporty friends, who feel like playing

a game of soccer in an unusual location, call in the specialists of the

Nike FC247 team. They make sure they get to the designated location

inaflash.There,theysetupsomegoalsandamobileelevating

platform. From this platform, boundary lines are projected onto

the ground, so there is no need to paint them. And the games can

begin. The initiative was labeled Nike MiPista, Spanish for Nike

MyCourt.ItgeneratesmuchenthusiasmonYouTube.“Whyonly

inSpain?”peoplewonder.Furthermore,itbothersnoonethat

Nike presents and sells its latest collection of sports shoes at

these venues as a supplementary advertising campaign. One that

ismagnifiedmanytimesoveronYouTube.

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118


Exercise is healthy. Since Nike’s Laser Beam Soccer Fields entice us to do so, they contribute

to our Quality of Life. But that is not the only link between the Laser Beam Soccer Fields

and Quality of Life. They also enable people to practice sports in locations which, without

laser beam boundaries, are much less suited for these activities. For the trendy inhabitants

of Madrid, they could facilitate a game of soccer in front of City Hall, in a somewhat

clandestine ambiance that gives the excitement a further boost. But the laser application

can also create temporary sports courts out of thin air in less conspicuous places.

In underprivileged neighborhoods, for example,imagine how much enthusiasm the

FC247 team could generate there.

Nike’s initiative ends somewhere in between Madrid’s famous plaza’s and the anonymous

neighborhood court, yet much closer to the former than the latter. Nike seems to be

primarily concerned with scoring Cool on YouTube, and less so with athletic impulses for

underprivileged neighborhoods. That is far from unusual in our commercialized world,

but it also raises the following question: at which point do commerce and Quality of Life

start to clash?

Trend Context

Despite this critical note, Nike’s Laser Beam Soccer Fields campaign features various trends.

That explains why the initiative met with so much enthusiasm. In Cannes, where the

advertising industry showcases and rewards its best efforts each year, Nike proved a winner.

People love to partake in extraordinary activities. Especially when they are only temporary,

and therefore exclusive. It imbues them with Cool, which is something they like to publicize

on YouTube, etcetera. The initiative also empowers people: how Cool is it, to suddenly

be able to play in a (famous) location that was previously unsuitable for that? Lastly:

many young people consider the faux-clandestine aspect of Nike’s Laser Beam Soccer

Fields to be Cool: a little mystery adds extra adrenaline to an empowering athletic feeling.

Trends ExperienceEconomy,ThePoweroftheSocialWeb

119

In Skateboarding, Space and the City, author Jain Gorden quotes from a poem about the world

of skating, that applies just as much to Nike’s Laser Beam Soccer Fields:

“The location of this radical spot

Is kept a secret, believe it or not

This keeps out the wimps and others who don’t skate a lot.”

In The Temporary City, Peter Bishop and Lesley Williams discuss the meaning of the trends

associated with the Laser Beam Soccer Fields: “Technologies, such as the mobile phones, the

internet and social networking, that demand instant responses have … speeded up the pace

of life in affluent societies, as has the growing obsession with ‘real time’ information (on other

people, products, events and news)… We can predict that ‘live’ experiences and those that

even have a hint of ‘performance’, therefore will rise in value in our NOWISM world”.

Human Movement

Skateboarding, Space and the City. JainGorden(2001)BergPublishers,ISBN1859734936The Temporary City. PeterBishop&LesleyWilliams(2012)Routledge,ISBN041567056X

“People love to partake in extraordinary activities. Especially when they are only temporary, and therefore exclusive”

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Camiel Willemsspacingthrough.com

Qol for me is: Happiness, passion, humor

www.automatic.com

AUTOMATIC

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23AUTOMATIC:

SUPEREFFICIENT, ONLINE DRIVING

by Camiel Willems

The Automatic is a device that can be used

to connect your car to your smartphone.

You and your car can be ‘wireless’ all the

time, and you can also be tracked every-

where – with the help of your GPS and

your smartphone. In other words: your car

is connected to The Cloud. All of your

driving behavior can now be tracked.

Based on these data, advice can be given

to improve your driving. How to drive more

safely, for example, but also how to extend

the life span of your car.

www.automatic.comexplains:“Automatic

learns about your driving style and gives

you subtle audio cues when you do things

that waste gas. Like rough braking: braking

abruptlydecreasesfuelefficiencyand

dramatically increases wear-and-tear on

your car’s brake pads. Like speeding:

highway speeding may not save you much

time, but driving 10 MPH over the speed

limitreducesfuelefficiencyby12-15%.

Like rapid acceleration: Stepping hard on

thegaspedaldecreasesfuelefficiencyand

wastesmoney.”Withequalaccuracy,the

Human Movement

“The next generation of cars could be best described as computers on wheels”

122

Automatic gives you advice regarding the safety of your driving style. You receive a score

on various aspects of each drive. The Automatic also generates a weekly overview.

This means you can evaluate your driving style over extended periods of time. If you heed

the resulting advice, you can save money.

The Automatic does more. It features a crash alert for help, in case you have an accident.

Itnotifiestheemergencyservices,andyourbestfriendsandfamilyaswell.TheAutomatic

remembers where you parked. And, if you so choose, it also allows others access to your

car, to make car sharing easier. Finally, the Automatic also keeps track of gasoline prices,

andtellsyouwherethecheapestgasstationsare.“Automatichelpsyoutomakesmall

changesinyourdrivinghabitsthatcanleadtohugesavingsongasovertime,”according

to the website. Automatic equals 21st century driving: easier, more effective, more fuel

efficient,moresustainable.Fornow,theAutomaticonlyworksintheUSA.Buttheidea

ispowerfulandCool–andwilleventuallyconquertheworld.“Automaticcoulddofor

drivingwhattheiPoddidformusic,”sotheyclaim.Price:$69,95.


Nearly everything that streamlines our existence is considered to be an improvement

of our Quality of Life. Nearly everything that teaches us, in a gentle, easygoing way,

to improve our behavior, is considered to be an improvement of our Quality of Life.

The Automatic scores well on both counts: it makes life easier (and saves money), and it

hands out practical advice.

Trend Context

The Automatic also demonstrates the potential and the power of the Internet of Things

trend.WeencounteredtheInternetofThingstrendinearlierchapters–atWhirlpool’s

Fresh Connect, at Philips’ Diagnostic Kitchen, and also at the gadgets described in the

chapter named ‘Here Comes the Sun.’

The Automatic reveals what will happen if our cars become part of the Internet of Things.

Traditional cars mainly consisted of metal. They were metal on wheels. Then, computers

123

entered the car, and became

increasingly important.

The next generation of cars

could be best described as

computers on wheels.

Ford and Toyota are getting

new competition: Google and

Nokia. These computers on

wheels create all sorts of new

possibilities. The Automatic

gives us a taste of things to come.

Trends The Internet of Things, Facilitate My Life, Deep Sustainability

Two of the best publications regarding the Internet of Things appeared in The Economist as special reports. On 8 October

2011, the Beyond the PC report was published. A quote: “Many exciting developments in information technology (IT) are now

appearing in the hands of consumers. A trend that tech types refer to as the ‘consumerisation’ of IT.” On 27 October 2012,

A Sense of Place appeared: “Nokia Is collecting minute details about roads to feed into advanced driving systems: anticipating

a hill, for instance.”

Human Movement

The Economist: The magician - (Article) Beyond The PC. (October 8th-14th 2011. The Economist (2011)The Economist GroupThe Economist: The man who must change China - (Article) A Sense of Place. (October 27th - November24th 2012). The Economist (2012) The Economist Group

124

www.solarroadways.com

Madeleine van Wettummadeleinevw.tumblr.com

Qol for me is: Have, improve, keep

SOLAR ROADWAY“The Solar Roadway invokes a utopian vista”

foto

grafi

e: D

an W

ald

en

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24SOLAR ROADWAY:

BEYOND TARMAC

by Madeleine van Wettum

The Solar Roadway is the brainchild of Scott

Brusaw, an electrical engineer, and his wife

Julie.Theirquest,tomakeSolarRoadways

a reality, was an adventure in itself. A quote

by Scott Brusaw, taken from www.solar-

roadways.com:“Yearsago,whenthephrase

‘GlobalWarming’begangainingpopularity,

we started battling around the idea of

replacing asphalt and concrete surfaces

with solar panels that could be driven upon.

Human Movement

126

Wethoughtofthe“blackbox”onairplanes.Wedidn’tknow

what material that black box was made of, but it seemed to be

able to protect sensitive electronics from the worst of airline

crashes.Ourroadsmustbeabletodothesame.”“Supposewe

made a section of road out of this ‘black box’ material and

housed solar cells in it in order to collect energy. This energy

could pay for the cost of the panel. The end result would be a

roadthatwouldpayforitselfovertime.”“Evenfurther:Whatif

weaddedLEDsto“paint”theroadlinesfrombeneath,lighting

uptheroadforsafernighttimedriving?Whatifweaddeda

heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the

rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in

northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to

rollin,andtheSolarRoadwayprojectwasborn.”

The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads,

parking lots, and driveways with Solar Road Panels. This way,

we would be able to collect energy from the new Solar Roads

to be used in our homes and businesses. This renewable energy

will replace our current need for fossil fuels. That, in turn, would

cut greenhouse gases tremendously.

Quality of Life Context:

Scott Brusaw and his wife are visionaries. Down-to-earth ones,

with organizational talent to boot. Scott, for example, made a

successfulappearanceatTedX.Theyknowhowtoreelinfunds,

andthefirstexperimentswiththeSolarRoadwayshavebegun.

Roads that generate energy from the cars that drive on them.

There is no need to explain how this invention contributes to

our future Quality of Life.

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Trend Context

The Solar Roadway invokes a utopian vista. Admittedly, it all has

toberealizedfirst,andthatwilltaketime.Buttheargumentsas

towhyithastoworkandcanwork,accordingtoScottandJulie,

areplausible.Theirargumentsarealsoconfirmedbytheprogress

theyhavealreadymade,asrelativemavericks.Weliveintimesof

recession and cost reductions. That makes many people cautious.

But that is no reason to stop us from embracing the visionary

possibilities of new technologies. The industrial technology of the

19th and 20th centuries has brought a lot of progress. But also

pollution. It is no longer considered a blessing. That does not hold

true for the postindustrial technology under development right

now. The importance of Sustainability is no longer overlooked.

And technology can become optimally Cool.

Trends Deep Sustainability

Michio Kaku wrote an impressive book on the technologies that will shape life in the 21st

century: Physics of the Future. A reviewer wrote: “This book summons up the sheer wonder

of science. Based on interviews with over 300 of the world’s top scientists, Kaku gives us an

insider’s perspective on the revolutionary advances that mean that we’ll soon be able to take

an elevator into space, access the internet via our contact lenses, scan our DNA for signs of

disease and even change the shape of objects… This isn’t just the shape of thing to come. It Is

Already Happening.”

Human Movement

Physics of the Future. Michio Kaku (2011) Doubleday, ISBN 385530803

www.hottug.nl

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Maartje Driesmaartjedries.wordpress.com

Qol for me is: Appreciation, passion & love

HOTTUG

foto

grafi

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Ho

ttu

g

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25HOTTUG:

QUALITY TIME IN A TUB by Maartje Dries

AHotTugisawood-firedhottubinwhichyoucanenjoyablissfulbath.TheHotTugis

a tugboat that transports you through the water, through quaint Dutch landscapes,

or the port of Rotterdam. The HotTug was designed for carefree fun on the water. There

is absolutely no need to move around in a hot tub, but you can. And of course, you can

landanywhereforapicnicoraswim.“Ithadtobemorethanalittleboat,ithadtobea

multipurposevessel,inwhichyoucanfeelatonewithyoursurroundings.Whenthe

HotTugisfilledwithwater,nothingmorethananarrowledgeseparatesyoufromthe

Human Movement

“HotTug invites us all to gently float back to our senses”

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wateryouarecruisingin,”accordingtodesignerFrankdeBruijn.Hehasalotofexperience

with wood stoves on the ship where he lives and works. That experience helped him to

designtheHotTug’swood-firedunderwaterstove.Inside,2000litersofwatercanbe

heated to an agreeable temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The HotTug is a very recent invention, but it proves mediagenic. In September 2012,

it was introduced to the public at Hiswa, the biggest boat show in the Netherlands.

Possibilitiesforserialproductionarebeingexploredatthismoment.Whenwouldyou

consideryourHotTugprojectasuccess?Withoutahintofhesitation,FrankdeBruijn

responds:“WhentheHotTugismooredatvariouslocationsinEurope,byholiday

homes,campinggroundsandsaunas.”Andsoonafter,inwater-lacedinnercitiesand

various big ports.


Weconcludethisstorywiththemostrelaxingexamplethatbubbledupamong

theCoolhuntsdiscussedhere.TheHotTugisoriginal,therecanbenodoubt.Also,itdefi-

nitely offers a memorable experience. To be able to enjoy familiar and unknown places

from a new perspective, from quaint landscapes to lively harbors: that is what sets

HotTugapart.Andfinally,theHotTugbeckonspeopletorelaxintheprevalentculture

of ‘nowism’ (as explained in the Trend Context and suggested reading with the Laser

Beam Soccer Fields chapter.) To relax in a era dominated by fast, continuous, online

communication. HotTug subtly invites us to ponder what really increases our Quality of

Life.Afloatinghottubmayevencontributemorethanthenextefficiency-enhancingapp.

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Trend Context

Our society is sometimes referred to as a stress society. Despite all of the machines – and

apps–thatmakeourlivesmoreeffectiveandefficient,thereisnoindicationwhatsoever

that our lives have become more relaxed. Quite the opposite: the ‘always on’ culture of

‘nowism’, in which everything that happens, all over the world, enters our consciousness,

we easily become aware of all the things we cannot experience. The evident need among

many young people to share each experience immediately on the ubiquitous Facebook,

removes us from the here and now. Especially if we keep checking how many likes we

receive for each uploaded photo. All these things combined accelerate the stress society.

HotTug,however,invitesusalltogentlyfloatbacktooursenses.

Trends Experience Economy, Facilitate My Life

The HotTug invites us to contemplate what is really important in life. C.M. Christensen wrote about this subject in How Will

You Measure Your Life? Where can we find true fulfillment with regard to work, relationships, and leisure time? Within our

stress society, many people lose direction when it comes to the most important questions. Christensen wants to provide us

with a new compass. “You’ll often see the same sobering pattern when looking at the personal lives of many ambitious people.

Though they may believe that their family is deeply important to them, they allocate fewer and fewer resources to the things

they would say matter most”. To reevaluate what is truly important: the HotTug is not such a bad place to do that.

Human Movement

How Will You Measure Your Life. C.M. Christensen (2012), HarperBusiness, ISBN 62102419

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Summary of the most important mentality trends that influence Quality of Life1. THE RISE OF THE CLOUD will be the most revolutionary trend movement in the

yearstocome.Once,westoredourinformationinofflinefilingcabinets.Andlater

on, we stored it on our personal computers. From now on, information will be stored

in the Online Universe, somewhere in The Cloud. All of the personal information

that we share (voluntarily or without knowing) is gathered in The Cloud. Analyses

of these Big Data knowledge collections give ‘them’ more insight into us, so they can

give us better service and advice. But there is also a risk of being stalked. The conse-

quencesareimmense,andinfluencemostoftheothertrendslistedbelow.

WedocumentthewaysinwhichTheCloudimpactsallofthesectorsdiscussedin

this book. Thanks to The Cloud, we can greatly improve our Quality of Life, as

demonstrated in various examples in this book. But there is also reason for concern:

whatisgoingtohappentoourprivacy?WhichBigBrotherswillknow(too)much

about us, and make money at our expense?

2. THE POWER OF THE SOCIAL WEB is a trend that has been around for years, yet

lost none of its power, and still manifests itself in new examples each year. The Internet

enables us to unite with many new people. Sometimes for fun. And sometimes, the

newconnectioncapabilitiesoftheSocialWebhavefar-reachingsocialconsequences.

TheArabSprings,forexample,wouldnothaveoccurredwithouttheSocialWeb.

Inthisbook,youwillfindmanynewCoolexamplesofthePoweroftheSocialWeb.

ThistrendinfluencesQualityofLife,becauseitempowersandunitespeople.

3. In conjunction with the Rise of the Cloud, the next trend appears on the horizon:

THE RISE OF THE INDUSTRIAL WEB. The lifeless objects that surround us,

such as our cars, our sports shoes, the things we buy in our shops, the food we store

in our refrigerators: they are going to be equipped with microchips and sensors,

which will enable them to communicate with one another. All of the information

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thus gathered will be stored within The Cloud. The Big Data systems inside of

TheCloudwillkeepgrowing.TheRiseoftheIndustrialWebwillundoubtedlyalso

be used to improve the quality of our lives. This book contains some clear examples

of this. In professional literature, this trend is sometimes referred to as The Internet

of Things. The idea is basically the same: lifeless matter is going to communicate.

ThefocusofTheRiseoftheIndustrialWeblieswiththeimplicationspertainingto

new products and services, whereas The Internet of Things revolves around the

things that can make life easier, faster, but also more commercial.

4. THE QUANTIFIED SELF is linked to the three trends mentioned above. But the

angle is different: our very own personal self and life. How we perform in this highly

personal self & life – from our blood pressure to our athletic exploits, from our

day-night rhythm to our driving behavior – is going to to be measured comprehen-

sively and in much detail. By means of the microchips and sensors of the Industrial

Web.Thisway,wewilllearnagreatdealaboutourbehavior,andalsoaboutthe

consequencesofthisbehaviorto,forexample,ourhealth.Wecanalsometiculously

track when exactly we failed, for example in relation to meeting our athletic aspirations.

Or how, where, and when we thwart our own ambition to lose a few pounds.

TheQuantifiedSelfshowsuseverythingindetail.Itwillalsogiveussuggestionson

how to improve our Quality of Life – again, in detail.

5. THE RISE OF THE APPS CULTURE. All of the trends mentioned above are about

connectingourphysical,offlineexistence,our‘WorldofStuffandSpaces’,tothe

Online Universe. This will give rise to many new possibilities. They usually reach us

through a ubiquitous mosaic of apps, that has accommodated the Rise of the Apps

Culture. Keeping a close eye on what turns up and becomes popular within the Apps

CultureinturnyieldsvarioustrendsthatwillinfluenceourfutureandQualityofLife.

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6. SELF-ORGANIzING SELF-SUFFICIENCY. Now that the government is withdrawing

and economizing, citizens have little choice but to take matters into their own hands.

In the last few years, all kinds of new civil initiatives have popped up. The participants

work together to improve the quality of their lives, their neighborhoods, their society.

Necessityandsatisfactiongohandinhand.TheSocialWebcanfacilitatethese

formsoforganizationbetterthaneverbefore.Wemaycallitonlinefacilitated

Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency.Or:onlinefacilitatedcommunityspirit.

7. THE RISE OF THE SHARING ECONOMY is closely connected to the Culture of

Self-organizingSelf-sufficiency,buthasadifferentangle.Whywouldwekeep

everything in our possession 24/7/365? Our cars, our step-ladders, our couches

that remain unused in the night: can we not share them? As long as we can use them

exactly when we want to. That is the Rise of the Sharing Economy. This trend, too,

isfacilitatedininnovativewaysbytheRiseoftheSocialWeb.Andthistrendisalso

expanding, and appears in many new manifestations each year. Also: wherever

things are shared, Quality of Life unfolds.

8. FACILITATE MY LIFE. Many of us feel that we live a stressful life, that we are part of

astressfulsociety.Weconstantlysearchforwaystofacilitatethislifeassmoothly

andpracticallyaspossible.Withconstantnewtwists,illustratedinthisbookbynew

and sharp Examples of Cool. Here, too, digital technology plays and important role:

think of all the apps that are produced to Facilitate Our Lives.

9. COOL PERSONALIzATION is an old trend – remember the enthusiasm back in the

day when Nike launched sports shoes that could be customized to our liking. This trend

isnowexperiencingasecondlife.ThankstotheQuantifiedSelftrendandallofthe

information on individuals that is stored within The Cloud. This allows for more power-

fullypersonalizedproductsandservices.Frommedicationspecificallyattunedto

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individuals to sports shoes that consider future wear and tear of our bodies as we

get older, as stored within our DNA data. That is Cool Personalization, Next Phase.

10. COOL WILLPOWER & RESILIENCE. In these times of recession, we are thrown

back upon ourselves. The Rise of the Sharing Economy is a (collective) response to

this. A renewed interest in willpower and resilience, self control and discipline, is an

individual reaction to this situation. How to train these traits? How to improve them,

that is a new trend. Monitoring our behavior can help us accomplish that. It gives us

averypreciseoverviewofourprogress.Inthis,TheQuantifiedSelfandCool

Willpower&Resiliencecometogether.

11. GROWING MISTRUST. No matter how attractive and inspiring these trends may

seem, there is also reason for concern. Fear of losing one’s privacy, for example.

OranxietyoverthepossibleriseofanonlinefacilitatedBraveNewWorld.

Apprehension of the growing knowledge and therefore power the Googles of this

world have over our lives. Together, these fears give rise to the mentality trend of

Growing Mistrust. In recent years, it was mainly the subterfuge of the banks that

drove us towards the culture of Growing Mistrust. The next wave of mistrust will

be focused on the companies that control The Cloud – and us. It is clear that life in a

cultureofGrowingMistrusthasanadverseinfluenceonQualityofLife.Therefore,

fightingthiscultureequalsimprovingQualityofLife.

12. THE RISE OF GAMIFICATION CULTURE. Computer games play an important

role in the lives of many young people. The immense appeal of games can partly be

explained by their remarkable symbiosis of frustration and reward. Gamers work

hard and disciplined in order to reach their goals, and game designers know the

game mechanisms that accomplish this effect. These game mechanisms will now

also be used in ‘real’ life, in education, for example, or at work. Basically in all of

the sectors discerned by International Lifestyle Studies. That is The Rise of the

GamificationCulture.

13. THE ExPERIENCE ECONOMY is a trend that has been around for a long time,

but it continues to validate its innovative power and vibrancy. As soon as people

rise above the minimum they need for existence, they start looking around for

special things. For unusual experiences that are memorable, that add to their

Quality of Life. A number of Examples of Cool show how this looks now, and how

it will look in the future.

14. Last but surely not least: DEEP SUSTAINABILITYpersists.Weareincreasingly

aware of the alarming state of our planet’s environment, and the need to turn the

tide. There is no (more) environment fatigue. The stakes are simply too high.

The search for solutions is too urgent, but also refreshing, optimistic, and uplifting.

For more information about these trends, check www.scienceofthetime.nl or

www.scienceofthetime.com

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Contributions:

Mara Stork marahiana.wordpress.comMaud Brock maudbrock.wordpress.comLieke Dols liekdols.wordpress.comRamon Stinges ramonsterly.wordpress.comLisa den Teuling lisalifestylee.wordpress.comLisaWife lisawife.tumblr.comDésireeLaureijssen studsandfeathers.comJennifervanWoerkom zojennifer.wordpress.comAnne Gielens annegielens.tumblr.comJorisBoelens djorisnul13.wordpress.comSanne Konings modezmadnes.wordpess.comInge Muijshondt prikkelingen.wordpress.comIlse Schoonenberg ilsediaries.wordpress.comCharlie Neijenhuis – den Teuling everydaycharlie.comJalisad’Hont jalisadhont.wordpress.comStijn van Arendonk stijnvanarendonk.tumblr.comFleur Stiels fleurminator.wordpress.comTeun Aarden teunaarden.wordpress.comPriscilla Berkheij priscillaberkheij.wordpress.comThijn van Veghel thijnforpresident.wordpress.comJannekeMaris jannekemaris.tumblr.comWietekeAlvarez snorrrenparty.tumblr.comTessa van den Brand tesssssa.wordpress.comCamielWillems spacingthrough.comMadeleinevanWettum madeleinevw.tumblr.comMaartje Dries maartjedries.wordpress.com

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Acknowledgments: 1 Scanadu www.scanadu.com

2 Cundari www.cundari.com

3 Lapka www.mylapka.com

4 Only Ten Pounds www.only10pounds.com

5 Hampton Creek Food, Inc www.hamptoncreekfoods.com

6 Buurttoetje www.buurttoetje.nl Thuisafgehaald.nl www.thuisafgehaald.nl

7 Whirlpool www.whirlpool.com

8 Philips Design www.design.philips.com

9 Granny’s Finest www.grannysfinest.com

10 Schorem haarsnijder & barbier www.schorembarbier.nl

11 MC10inc www.mc10inc.com

12 Unique LTD www.uniqueltd.com

13 Stichting Marokkanenbrug www.marokkanenbrug.com

14 LuccaRistorante (flowerdesserts) Estudio Huella Cero www.estudiohuellacero.com (concrete earrings) Aqua One Technologies, LLC www.aquaone.com(fish’nflush)

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15 Stark Design www.starkdesignny.com www.therealitree.org

16 Apollo Interactive Media www.apollomedia.nl Achtung! www.achtung.nl

17 Signal Snowboards www.singnalsnowboards.com (solar snowboard) KyuhoSong&BoaOh (WindowSocket) Soccket www.soccket.org (Soccket)

18 Internationale Bauausstellung www.iba-hamburg.com Splitterwerk www.splitterwerk.at

19 The Lending Club www.lendingclub.com

20 MAYO www.pe.mayodraftfcb.com

21 NIKE, Inc www.nikeinc.com Nike www.nike.com

22 Doubleyou www.doubleyou.com NIKE, Inc www.nikeinc.com

23 Automatic www.automatic.com

24 Solar Roadways www.solarroadways.com

25 Hottug www.hottug.nl

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ColophonPublished by Fontys Academy for Creative Industries and Science of the Time

ISBN: 9789081843713

Arrangement and text: Dr. Carl Rohde

Translation: Barbara de Vries

Editor: Anja Sparidaans

Production: Maartje Dries

Co-production: Priscilla Berkheij

Design: Blauwzuur

Printed by Drukkerij Verhagen

This edition: 2500 copies

Information:

www.scienceofthetime.com,

www.scienceofthetime.nl,

www.fontysaci.nl/opleidingen/lifestyle and

www.fontysaci.com/studies/lifestyle-studies

Carl rohde's serious trendwatching part 2

Education

Transcript of Carl rohde's serious trendwatching part 2