While on the one hand alcoholic beverages continue to get wackier, incorporating new gimmicks from energy supplements to neon coloring, the trend towards traditional, high-end, small batch booze continues unabated. In a clear sign that Scotch Whiskey is in demand, the first single malt distillery is opening in Scotland in over 100 years. The...
Unless you are a thoroughly modern woman who has recently given birth, you may not be aware of the challenges that come with the need to breastfeed. Jetsetting mothers are about to get some relief with the installation of “lactation suites” in American airports. Mamava, a Vermont-based company, is rolling out the first of these suites – small,...
Almost everybody with a smartphone has probably taken a selfie. The practical needs of taking loads of close-ups of your own face are dubious, and many have pointed to it being rather narcissistic, but perhaps it is leading to something even more serious: a rise in plastic surgery procedures. Sure, we’ve always had mirrors, but they provide us...
If you're an international flier you have almost certainly come home with a pocket of foreign change that ended up in the bottom of a junk drawer. Many airports and some airlines collect spare change for charity, but so far these initiatives seem to have failed to ignite the imagination of travelers or get a very big percentage of the billions...
While it may seem as though some teachers are like robots, now the actual machines are starting to become part of the educators' toolkit. It makes sense that robots will someday be able to teach, but researchers in Switzerland are now bringing into the classroom to learn. Children learning to write are being asked to teach robots what they know...
In response to a huge expansion in travel and tourism worldwide, airports, airlines and other travel industry providers are scrambling to appeal to an ever greater variety of cultures and clients. Newly wealthy middle classes from formerly impoverished places is fueling much of the growth in travel. In Asia, many of these travelers are coming...
The green trend and sustainability is one of the biggest trends for the rest of our lives, and we are seeing it embraced by people and businesses all over the world. What's interesting is that governments are now getting into the act, making laws and pronouncements that don't just make greening a social trend, but a legal one as well. Now the...
What is the latest trend in luxury travel? Listen. Yes, it's silence. The world's wealthy travelers are not just paying to get away from it all, they are paying not to hear it all either. We're now seeing hotels – from luxury resorts to business-travel chains – marketing things like noise-free zones, triple-paned glass, soundproof walls, and...
As technology takes over our lives, an increasing number of businesses are imposing limits on the use of various devices on their premises. First it was cell phone use, in cinemas and theatres. Now phones are being banned in many waiting rooms and at café cash registers. Can't you just buy a coffee without having your phone up to your ear,...
With social acceptance of LGBTQ identity at an all-time high, new toys, media, and other products marketed to children are beginning to reflect this shift in social values. Public debate was recently sparked in Argentina after a mother posted a photo online of what became known as the world’s first transgender doll. Named Pirate Fairy, the doll...