The New Face of Mobile Advertising

Forget Your Phone, Now It’s Your Clothes

If you think you’re overwhelmed by ads on apps like Facebook and Google on your computer and on your smartphone, just wait. The company, E-Ink Holdings, that brought the cool non-glare, ultra-readable display to the Kindle by Amazon has announced it can now print on fabric — updatable print on the clothing on your back.

According to a recent article in Fast Company, E-Ink has been working hard to discover more applications for its technology beyond the e-reader. The company has come up with a way not only to print on regular fabric, but also on Tyvek^®, the “ripstop” material used for extra-strong envelopes, banners, vehicle covers, and more.

Just imagine covering your car with not just a branded tarp, but a tarp that is constantly updating its message. Local dealership running a no-money down special? Your car in the driveway might be the new billboard in your neighborhood.

It’s the clothing possibilities, however, that really exercise the imagination. As can be seen in the photo from Kit Eaton’s article in Fast Compay, the potential is unlimited. As he puts it, it “instantly makes us imagine Google selling Wi-Fi-connected T-shirts that update with adverts based on the wearer's location and who's walking by; in our location-enabled age this is highly plausible… Or maybe you could wear your Twitter feed or a smarmy animated gif smack across your chest. At this point we imagine mood-riddled teenagers using their T-shirts as a live-updating display to mirror their angsty inner thoughts...the mood ring for the 21st Century.”

There is a scene in Stephen Spielberg’s “Minority Report” where Tom Cruise speeds through a public passageway, bombarded by personalized and personally addressed advertisements on the billboards as he passes them. At least those billboards are stationary; if t-shirt advertising becomes a reality, it’s entirely possible the ad will follow you. 

What Can You Say in Five Minutes?

 

Author Says Time Limits Are the Key To Meaningful Conversations

What started as an “inside joke” for author Vivian Diller has turned into a conversation phenomenon among her family and friends. In her article on HuffingtonPost.com, Ms. Diller describes the evolution of her casual suggestion to her friends that they limit to “five minutes… the time we spend talking about our suffering body parts, so that we can move on to discussing other more enjoyable matters?” into a guideline that has been adopted by an ever-expanding circle.

Word about the Five-Minute Rule spread and soon, to her surprise, Ms. Diller was hearing stories — and thanks — from her in-laws, her friends, her married children, even her younger children, about how the rule improved their conversations and communication. Her daughter told her, “ ‘I hate to admit it, but your Five-Minute Rule keeps us from going on about relationship minutia.’ "

Scientific American reports that a study performed by Washington University shows that “adding five substantive conversations to your weekly social calendar could boost your spirits dramatically.” The happiest subjects in the study were found to have spent 70 percent more time discussing the unhappiest topics. Adhering to the Five-Minute Rule, this could be accomplished in less than half an hour a week.

Ms. Diller has compiled a list of age-bracketed topics that should fall under the Five-Minute Rule:

The Greatest Generation — Aching knees; aching hips; the new knee!; the new hip!, “remember when everyone listened to Frank Sinatra?”

Baby Boomers — Botox, Viagra, and all that keeps things up; sags, bags and all that droops, “remember when we heard Frank Zappa?”

Gen X’ers — child’s chess awards; child’s soccer awards; “remember when we listened to rap instead of Raffi?”

For her complete list, read her article here.

Ideas for Mother’s Day

 

Some Ingenious Ideas for Mother’s Day Gifts

Mother’s Day is coming up (May 8) — the day you get to show the mother (or mothers) in your life how you appreciate her. Here are a few ideas and resources to help you find just the right gift.

Comfy, cuddly robe — if your mom is a robe wearer, nothing beats getting a new soft, plush fleece robe (you can find them online at sites like Zappos, Overstock, and Victoria’s Secret).

Personalized recyclable shopping bag — for the mom who seems to always be going to store and bemoaning all the trees it takes to make those paper bags. Check out PersonalizationMail for details.

Donation — for the mom with a heart of gold, make a donation in your mother’s name to a charity that means something to her, or introduce her to a new cause that means something to you.

E-reader — can’t keep your mom’s nose out of her book? Turn her on to the glories of carrying a library around in her pocketbook and having instant access to millions more books. Some of the most popular include the Kindle, from Amazon, Nook, from Barnes & Noble and the iPad, from Apple.

For other, more traditional Mother’s Day gift ideas, check out RedEnvelope, Gifts.com, and AskMen.com.