In Turku University there is a new educational program for kids: Kids university. They have interesitng lecutres by top scientists for kids about various stuff like space, bacteria and history. The lecutres are aimed for 7-10 years old kids. Kids have their own passport to collect stamps about the lectures that they have participated. In the kids university there is also “an adult park”, where kids can leave their parents while participating the lectures. Adults have some other program arranged by scientsts by the university. The kids university is also arranging summer camps for kids.

Leasing or part time ownership is something big in the future I think. Leasing could be one good solution for decreasing material consumption from the environmental point of view.  

Of course the success of leasing depends much on the good business ideas around this theme. Everybody knows leasing cars and videos, and even construction tools, but did you know that you can also lease luxory handbags, babyclothes, books, even dogs (!) In one of the meetings I participated, one woman spoke out an excellent idea for leasing: suitcases. You only need them once and a while, and when you do not need them, they take an awfully lot of space. So who is the brilliant company who ceases this business idea ???

(My suitcase is travelling in couple of weeks to Mongolia with my dear friend.) 

Image: From aeroplane at Helsinki-Vantaa airport coming from London

One of my friends, working in a big Finnish company, told me with enthusiasm in her voice that she has just made a first VOIP call. Since that she has only used VOIP calls when calling her business parners. Actually, she told that in their company using VOIP calls is encouraged and she even got a shrt training for using the VOIP system.

My dear friend is not maybe the first one to adopt new technologies (not the creator or lead user but maybe an early adopter), but when she does, I certainly know that the change is coming in couple of years. My friend told me that many people from their company have abandoned using SIM cards in their internet phones and just call VOIP calls. We had a short discussion with my friend that what are the business logics and opportunities for the operators in some years to come. We agreed that in the future mobile phone manufacturing will probably be focusing more on manufacturing portable internet tablets, but what will the operators do that remains a mystery.

Customizing is a really hot trend that is noticed by various manufactures and retailers. You can for example buy customized lap tops today with various colors and patterns but of course there is nothing like making your pimping by yourself! There exists for example a blog for IKEA fans for showing their IKEA “hacked” products. But what really amazed me was pages for sharing pictures of your pimped bibles. Check it here.

You probably remember the documentary of Mc Donald’s: Supersize me. The documentary was full of critique to the culture of eating a gigant unhealthy meals. Fast food, specially hamurgers and related food, is a big trend in the world and supersizing is another in these places. But when there is a trend there is usually a countertrend raising. Minnies is a restaurant chain that offers not supersized but minisized foods. It is interesting to see the demand for that kind of restaurant in USA. (note: the image of this post has nothing to do with Minnies!)

Today I was having a lecture in an advertising agancy Family Inc’s 4 year birthday party. Besides of me there was another speaker, Brand Building Expert Minna Anttonen from Ben&Jerry’s, which is still a quite unknown ice cream brand in Finland even though well known for example in USA. Minna Anttonen had very interesting speak about the brand and she was the first lecturer that I have got some ice cream (very good!!)

Ben and Jerry’s is a premium ice cream brand with fine idea behind it. It does not advertise itself at least here in Finland but it is involved in many “social conscious” campaigns and through that it seeks to get good publicity. For example in last year it promised to give one euro/ sold ice cream pack to some charity. People were asked to what purpose to give the money. The mental health issues of young people got votes the most, and they donated the money to Helsinki Mission crisis phone targeted to help young people.

Ben and Jerry’s has the first fair trade ice cream for sale here in Finlad and it serves carbon neutral ice-cream. They also use green energy sources for ice cream production and are really concerned about the climate change issues- and also act based on their concerns. Doing good for the society is really one of their targets. Specially here in Finland this kind of social counsiousness of companies or brands is unique. I hope that many other companies start to follow the excellent example of Ben&Jerry’s !! One interesting question is that how does Ben&Jerry’s philosophy suit to Unilever’s one. I really hope that Unilever as a megacorporation would adapt one of its brand’s philosophy more. 

image from page: http://www.consortfrozenfoods.co.uk/index2.php

NTT  in Japan has started to sell device that transmits data across the skin of human body and lets the user to communicate with other electronic device by just touching them. NTT considers this device called FIRMO to be useful for security purposes in companies (using it like “key”), but of course this device will have huge potential for many applications. Firmo is based on NTT’s RedTacton human area network (HAN) technology, which is designed to allow convenient human-machine data exchange through natural physical contact for example by clothing, gloves and shoes. Currently the device is very expensive (8 000 USD), but in the future the price is expected to drop when the mass customizin starts.

Source: pinktentacle

image: RBB Today

Could a group of a computer game players win a Nobel price for finding medicine for HIV or malaria? Possibly in the future if a game called FoldIt manages to gain success and harness the power of smart players all over the wolrd. The game was designed by experts in computer science and biotechnologym, and the purpose of the game is to spur players to solve the mysteries of science all over the world. In FoldIt game the  task is to fold protein to match the best for immune system of human body. Computers can also do this, but the caluclulating capacity needed for right answers might take too many years, so the designers of the game believe more in intution of the gamers. This is an unique example of using crowdsourcing- and making it also fun and exiciting at the same time.

source: Science Daily

Picture of a toaster spotted at Kodin1 Anttila, a store selling furniture and all other stuff.

Now in Finland it is time for bicycling. The weather starts to be so warm that you will even enjoy bicycling. A couple of weak signals concerning bicycles came into my mind. Another one of them I read some days ago from Helsingin Sanomat,the main news paper in Finland. It was about a request of bicyclists from Holland. They demanded airbags for cars, but this time outside of the cars. This will decrease the risk of bicyclist to seriously injure or die when hit by a car. Another weak signal comes from Japan. It is a new bicycle parking place. Check the video here.