Gen Xers split their time between Facebook and face-to-face networking

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING Even though Millennials get tons of cred for being tech native — born into a world of computers, cellphones and Xboxes — Gen Xers grew into these technologies during the early days of the Internet and the web. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they embraced technology that […]

PORTION PATROL

by Lisa Pierce WHAT’S HAPPENING At a time when pennywise consumers have learned (reluctantly?) to stomach cutbacks in consumption, PepsiCo hopes to convince them to be pound smart. The global soda marketer is upsizing bottles of their low-sugar brands in the U.K. to “encourage” healthier drinking habits and help oversized Brits downsize their girth (FoodProductionDaily.com […]

OF NOTE: Virtual handcuffs, deadwood copyrights, women’s undergarments and child rage (11.5.09)

-At Iconoculture, we still believe It Sucks to Fly, but trip planning might suck a little less since Expedia has dropped its fee for booking flights over the phone. Broadband-challenged consumers can now save a few bucks and spend some quality time on hold. -What happens when blind justice stumbles into the ethereal abyss we […]

Potty project: Rear Projection TV Urinal

by Paul Katz WHAT’S HAPPENING Who says drinkers can’t multitask? The Horse Bazaar bar in Australia has created the world’s first Rear Projection TV Urinal. The projector displays a continuous image on the back of the urinal so viewers won’t miss a minute of their favorite show while taking some “me” time; in the more […]

Online platforms report, analyze and criticize immigration policies

by Abelardo de la Peña Jr. WHAT’S HAPPENING Discussion on the hot-button issue of immigration is wide-ranging on the Web, as journalists, pundits and activists go online to report, analyze and criticize. Joaquin Ramon Herrera, a.k.a. Nezua, offers nuanced perspectives and commentary as The Unapologetic Mexican. The writer/filmmaker/illustrator writes on immigration with regularity, including a […]

San Francisco to citizens: Recycle and compost or else

by Lisa Leonard WHAT’S HAPPENING In June 2009, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a proposal for the most comprehensive mandatory recycling and composting law in the nation — part of the city’s effort to achieve zero waste by 2020 (SFGate.com 6.10.09). Beginning in fall 2009, every household and business must sort refuse into […]

Stix: Fat-burning for the technology age

by Stefania Revelli WHAT’S HAPPENING Calling all calorie counters: Graphic designer Cyrene Quiamco has introduced Stix, a concept phone she claims will help burn calories while charging (Textually.org 7.19.09). The phone — which attaches to the wrist, purse or belt — only recharges when users jog, jump, shake, stroll or perform other modes of physical […]

Payday loans: Even worse than critics say

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING A new study by the Center for Responsible Lending finds that the payday loan industry is not nearly as good as advertised for unbanked and underbanked consumers (Consumerist.com 7.14.09). Payday loans are targeted at lower income consumers who have no other access to credit. They receive a loan in advance […]

Pie power: Creating community through dessert

by Nina Elder WHAT’S HAPPENING Pie Lab — a pop-up dessert shop in Greensboro, Alabama — serves pie, with a little hope on the side. Hale County, where Greensboro is located, is one of the poorest counties in America and it still struggles with deep-seeded racial divides. The organizers of Pie Lab hope to create […]

Reincarnated McMansion Project to upcycle a big abode into two eco-friendly digs

by Nissa Hanna WHAT’S HAPPENING A team of leading architects is asking Australian McMansion owners to enter the Reincarnated McMansion Project. The winner gets to have his obese abode dismantled … but in its place will stand two new eco-friendly accommodations. The project’s mission is to show Aussies an alternative to the existing unsustainable McMansion […]

The Uniform Project takes on conservation-chic for a cause

by Katie Elfering WHAT’S HAPPENING Until recently, most fashionistas wouldn’t be caught dead in the same frock every day for a whole year. But that’s exactly what style-setter Sheena Matheiken is doing with the Uniform Project, her effort to showcase a sustainable wardrobe model and raise money for charity. Every day, Matheiken dons 1 of […]

A “regular” cookbook for digestive troubles

by Tory Davis WHAT’S HAPPENING The Un-Constipated Gourmet: Secrets to a Moveable Feast — 125 Recipes for the Regularity Challenged cookbook by Danielle Svetcov promises to help consumers poo sans lectures on exercise, low-fat eating or odd food pairings involving Metamucil. Instead, the book offers gourmet recipes (the author boldly compares her tome to The […]

Hard times at the Bunny Ranch

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING While Americans are engaging in more hanky panky during the Great Recession, they seem to be doing it at home and on the cheap: The legal brothels of Nevada are suffering from the economic malaise (The Observer 6.28.09). According to the Nevada Brothel Owners’ Association, many of the state’s bordellos […]

Gout makes an unwelcome comeback in overweight America

by Cree McCree WHAT’S HAPPENING Old-fashioned gout is back, and that’s not a good thing. Once the scourge of aristocrats bloated with fatty foods, the painful arthritis affliction is now stalking America’s overweight middle class. As many as six million Americans suffer from the disabling joint disease, which has doubled in incidence over the past […]

Who walks away from an underwater mortgage?

by Hans Eisenbeis WHAT’S HAPPENING A June 2009 academic study from the University of Chicago looks very closely at the factors which influence some Americans with negative equity to walk away from their homes, even if they could afford to continue making mortgage payments. The mathematical tipping point: The researchers found that homeowners whose negative […]