Added 17 September, 2013
While the future of shopping is not quite ubiquitous, it's moving a step closer with a new hands-free payment system now being distributed by PayPal. Beacon is a little device that retailers simply plug into a wall socket. The device sends out a Bluetooth low energy signal to anyone who walks into the store with the PayPal app loaded on their...
Added 16 September, 2013
Locavorism: eating local or hyper-local food that is harvested nearby has taken the foodie world by storm. But that doesn't always mean that the vegetables from the restaurant's roof garden were harvested that day. Now De Kas Restaurant and Nursery in Amsterdam is taking this trend to the extreme with a commitment to the freshest dishes possible,...
Added 16 September, 2013
Fast food is just not fast enough for some people, as evidenced by the debut of a new technology from McDonald's that lets Americans order and pay for Big Macs and other items from their mobile phones. McDonald's is currently testing a mobile payment application in Salt Lake City and in Austin, Texas. After ordering via a mobile phone, customers...
Added 16 September, 2013
Ever since retail was invented, window shopping has been one of the most revered pastimes for countless would-be shoppers world over. Window shopping combines the finest a store has to offer with artistic merchandising that is meant to tempt, provoke and perhaps even titillate. Now Turnhills, a smart iPhone app lets you window shop at your...
Added 16 September, 2013
Even casual readers of WikiTrends know that wearable technology is the Next Big Thing. Regular readers know that biometric identification is also coming down the pike, what with the iPhone's fingerprint unlock now becoming mainstream. Currently, we are seeing lots of gadgets that are taking advantage of both these trends, meaning that we can...
Added 16 September, 2013
We've seen organic beers and wines, and even some vodkas. But is organic Cachaca really necessary? The distillate, a native of Brazil, is the main ingredient in a properly made caipirinha. But chances are, if you are knocking back caipirinhas that your body's health is not paramount. And does alcohol made from organically grown sugars and grains...
Added 15 September, 2013
We reported recently on a new South Korean public transport motorway that wirelessly recharges electric busses as they drive. We wrote about a pilot program in the US state of Michigan in which cars are communicating with each other. And we also reported on the fact that all of the traffic lights in Los Angeles are now synchronized with each other...
Added 15 September, 2013
Now that rooftop farming is firmly entrenched in contemporary culture, people are getting even more creative about the possibilities of what can be done up there. We've seen beekeeping operations and even goats on roofs. Now in Bangkok they are farming spirulina, an edible algae super food with a high protein content and a complete compliment of...
Added 15 September, 2013
A slew of websites are endeavoring to bring people together offline to facilitate new connections in ways that could never have happened before. These include sites for taxi-sharing, meeting likeminded others on airplanes, group buying, and even sharing hotel rooms in order to make new friends share expenses. Next up is EatWith, an on-trend...
Added 15 September, 2013
While the Internet is great for all kinds of things, there are many sites, including those in travel and retail have decided to employ actual humans to create a hyper-personalization that digital algorithms just can't match. Now that model is coming to online dating. The concept of digital dating is now firmly entrenched in contemporary culture,...