Among the young and tech-savvy, Sixth Sense technology that layers pertinent information (directions, reviews, or a buddy’s geo-location) over real-time experience is a must-have. Now, some of that same technology is being employed for those deprived of the ability to see, as new gadgets and apps give the blind more complete experiences in undertakings otherwise made difficult or impossible due to their lack of sight.
Touchscreen Braille Writer: Touchscreen devices present an insurmountable obstacle for the visually impaired. Lacking buttons or other palpable reference points, screens can’t be navigated sight unseen (at least not without audio and voice commands). But engineering student Adam Duran recently devised a workaround: an app that orients a tablet’s virtual keyboard to a user’s fingertips, rather than requiring the user to locate it by touch. Unlike traditional screen reader programs, Duran’s app is a screen writer. It features a self-adjusting Braille keyboard of eight keys, with corresponding audio cues to confirm correct typing. If released, the program could ultimately supplant traditional Braille note takers, which cost upwards of $5,000.
Juice cleanses are pretty much guaranteed to help people shed at least a few excess pounds of holiday baggage, but they may do more harm than good. Besides potentially wreaking havoc on one’s metabolism, there’s the hunger-induced irritability that can alienate friends, family and colleagues. Looking for more moderate means of ridding their bodies of toxins, many are latching on to cleanse meal plans that include solids and are likely more sustainable over the long term.
Food Lover’s Cleanse: It may not be picking up exactly where its more traditional sister Gourmet left off, but the rebranding of Bon Appétit magazine has struck a chord in today’s progressive dining culture. A popular topic of tweets and blog entries as of late, its Food Lover’s Cleanse is winning over consumption-conscious diners with its healthy, yet savory, approach to eating. Less a diet than a guide to clean eating, the FLC includes a number of recipes – like pumpkin shrimp curry and braised clams with soba – that its followers will probably be reluctant to abandon at the end of its recommended two-week duration.
As the Internet democratizes everything from fashion (see: any of the hundreds of street style blogs) to high art (Exhibition A makes Olaf Breuning pieces available to the masses), it was only a matter of time before the beauty world became equally accessible. Whether it’s using social networking to help users find a new face wash or facilitating connections with hair stylists, a handful of new digital platforms are, literally, sitting pretty.
Bloom.com: For women who are turned off by pushy salespeople who don’t know a blusher from a bronzer, Bloom.com is their haven. The new website combines the best of online retail and social networking. After completing a survey to make a personal profile, shoppers are connected with relevant product reviews from like-minded members. Also, they can search top products among friends and across Bloom.com users as a whole. Although the site is always adding new brands, the roster is already impressive: The 100-plus options range from Neutrogena to Yves Saint Laurent. And if it turns out that one’s online friends aren’t all that helpful, there’s a 365-day return policy.
With suspender-wearing mixologists becoming cocktail lounge mainstays, oenophiles getting creative with their wines, and elaborate punch bowl drinks showing up on cocktail menus, it follows that old-fashioned bitters would get their due. With the revival in full swing, New York has become the boomtown home to a bevy of small-batch, handmade brands redefining the 19th century staple.
Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters: When Jason Rowan and Mark Buettler launched Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters about a year ago, their target audience was bartenders. But when all 75 bottles of their maiden batch sold out by the end of the first month, it became clear that its appeal was much more wide-reaching. Since then, they’ve upped production, creating inventive flavors like Rhubarb and Black Mission Fig. Amateur cocktail mixers who aren’t quite sure what to do with a bottle of Sriracha bitters can look to the pros: Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters are appearing on menus at hotspots like Momofuku Ssäm Bar, where mixologists Chris Harrington and John DeBary serve a Mango Sriracha cocktail.
In 2009, Kickstarter validated the online pledge system as a viable means of fundraising. Echoing the popularity of crowdsourcing, crowdfunding has become a wildly successful way for entrepreneurial and creative projects to get off the ground. A number of online platforms have followed Kickstarter’s lead, combining social networking and philanthropy to put financial backing back in the hands of the 99 percent.
Lucky Ant: Though it’s a tough time to own a small business, allegiances to local communities have never been stronger. Lucky Ant wants to garner the power of localized crowdsourcing to empower people to invest in their own neighborhoods. Every week, the organization alerts its members to a new potential project in their respective locale. Anyone can chip in, but, like with Kickstarter, the money is collected only if the initiative reaches its pledge goal. Those who contribute receive perks and rewards from the business they support, making them resident VIPs. Currently available to New Yorkers only, Lucky Ant is expected to crawl into more cities soon.
