RSS Page demlemeThis RSS feed is copyright (c) 2007 by www.TrendCentral.com. Resyndication and republication is expressly forbidden.The Intelligence GroupTest Name (test@test.com)en-UShttp://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7950 A few months ago, a website called What The &%$! Should I Make For Dinner? became a viral hit. While the novelty of it was admittedly mildly amusing, the random recipe suggestions were less than appetizing. Fortunately, there are a number of other new online resources to come to the rescue when faced with the dilemma of culinary indecision. Technology2010-09-02T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7945 We are constantly awed by the wizardry of technology. The fact that our mobile GPS can guide us through winding countryside back roads, or that Shazam can tell us what song is playing in our favorite boutique, continues to astound us. But phones aren't the only products that can "learn" our wants, needs and desires. Indeed, smart technology is now being applied to everything from greenhouse gear to furniture. Heck, someday soon the whole idea of "pillow talk" may take on a whole new meaning. Technology2010-08-27T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7937 Our LA office colleagues have more than a few thoughts on their automotive preferences. But that doesn't mean that our NYC compatriots, many of whom rely on Zipcar for their weekend escapades, don't have at least a passing interest in cars. In fact, some of us cannot think of a better way to spend a rainy Sunday than listening to Car Talk archives or watching a marathon of TopGear. Either way, the following cutting edge auto innovations have us all abuzz with anticipation of our next vehicular purchase. Technology2010-08-17T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7912 Though their vinyl collections may be bigger than their iTunes libraries, most TapeOp-subscribing, Abbey Road Studios-worshipping musicians will likely agree that music technology has dramatically streamlined the creative process from the days of reel-to-reel. Even in the midst of an analog nostalgia movement, digital developments are continuing to evolve the face of music making (and music gaming). Technology2010-07-16T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7903 Sometimes social networking turns from enjoyable to just pure exhausting. We keep forgetting to check in on the newly wealthy Foursquare, and it has been almost a full hour since our last tweet. While social networks are supposed to streamline our social lives, our real lives are ironically more complicated, what with keeping all of our network profiles, friends and passwords straight. Here are three new tools that offer some hope of help: Technology2010-07-06T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7894 From books to meat, modern vending machines are making a number of unexpected retail items available on-the-go. This now multi-billion dollar industry has put flat irons in upscale Canadian bars (that's right, ladies, get down on that dance floor - you can straighten those frizzies in the bathroom) and caviar on high-end office blocks in Moscow. Don't bother saving your spare nickels and dimes: all of these machines accept plastic. Technology2010-06-23T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7868If we remember one thing from our college creative writing class it was the repetition of our instructor's favorite axiom, "Show, don't tell." New technology revolutionizing the concept of interactive narration probably wasn't what our professor had in mind, but we can't help feeling that some programmers are evoking that phrase in the most literal sense. Specifically, with the advent of augmented reality apps and the iPad craze, it seems as though storytelling will never be the same. Technology2010-05-18T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7852 Buying and selling concert tickets has become a game as complex as drafting a fantasy baseball team. Because so many tickets are now sold via "secret" password-protected pre-sales, scoring entrance to your favorite band's show may now require reading music blogs written by those whose main goal in life seems to be hating on the hip. Then there's the problem of scalpers buying them up before you can even log on to Ticketmaster, as many parents of tween girls have experienced. Not to mention the exorbitant ticket prices that remain prohibitive to many in this prolonged recession. Consequently, we are seeing a number of novel initiatives occurrTechnology2010-04-26T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7851 The phrase "there's an app for that" once meant being able to expedite the retrieval of need-to-know information, like current ski conditions or the closest cinema to wherever you happened to be. Now, there's an emerging category of almost unfathomable mobile apps that actually can replace physical products with digital magic. We're hoping this means there will someday be a sunscreen app so that we can finally pass through airport security without having to toss that bottle of SPF 90. Technology2010-04-23T00:00:00-04:00http://www.trendcentral.com/Webapps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7844 In the ongoing battle between good and bad food choices, the most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal is knowledge. And, whether or not you've seen Food, Inc., it's pretty clear that the sources of our "American diet" are a controversial topic. From the backyard gardener to the urban Whole Foods enthusiast to the Midwesterner reliant on the closest Walmart Supercenter, consumers are demanding details about the sources of their food purchases. Thankfully, we're beginning to see more tools designed to give us that information, hence allowing more consumers to make informed choices, even if it's just about a bag of lettuce. Technology2010-04-15T00:00:00-04:00