We have all (or most of us) heard or read about them (engadget,etc...) After reading various articles about Nabaztags I clicked on the Nabaztag website to find out more. Violet a French company with experiences in wireless technology mood lights created the so-called smart wireless rabbit. Checking the availability in the UK (we are lucky as Nabaztags are currently only distributed in France the Belgium, Switzerland and the UK) off I went to the Conran Shop on Marylebone High Street, only to find out that they are apparently sold out in the whole of the UK.

14 characteristics of a natural network weaver:

1. Opportunity seeking: sees opportunities everywhere
2. Loves to connect people to each other
3. Able to unearth resources of all types and kinds
4. Able to remember many names and resources
5. Able to dialogue easily with people and get them to disclose information
6. Comfortable with uncertainty but persistent in making things happen

Coming soon, a follow up on my statement at Ars Electronica 05.

That China will be the saviour of the West; some observations here in America underline my thesis. Sadly I have to admit that maybe consume delirium and the senseless addiction to consumerism will save us from the disastrous situation China is riding into, like to become the no 1 fuel consumer and in context to the pollution mess these millions of Audis will generate, when Chinese workforces arrive on that point to feel for a ride in an BMW instead of a home grown copy cat. More later, but you can already post comments here. Ah democracy says everyone can ride a 4x4 SUV tank. In Los Angeles they joke around saying: that mothers, need to ride these SUV’s because it gets bumpy when male homeless lying on the streets.

How quickly a whole zeitgeist, idea of lifestyle and trend can change becomes obvious, if you look at the following clip taken in October 2001.

Steve Jobs of Apple Corporation reveals the iPod. At that time, the iPod was not more than a fantastic vision. Today, it's ubiquitous reality.

Before boarding my flight to Minneapolis, my only association with this city, apart from the usual stereotypes one might have regarding the Midwest of the US, was the one of being the hometown of “the artist formerly known as Prince”. But my vague image of Minneapolis was to be replaced soon, as I was to attend the “Spark Festival of Electronic Music & Art”, hosted by the University of Minnesota.

Iced venti soy chai latte (numbers from US)

Community Outreach: "Starbucks makes my community a better place."

10,500+ retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.
40 million+ customers per week worldwide.

For the fiscal year that ended (Oct. 2) Starbucks reported:
20% gain in sales, to $6.4 billion,
27% rise in earnings, which hit $494 million.

Bravo! An interesting article today in the Education Guardian, poses the question of whether UK universities are too reliant on overseas students.

This is something which I have been thinking ever since I started the MA course at Ravensbourne (when I realised there were only 4 British students (out of 18) on the course). So I think it’s about time this issue got some coverage.

The basic premise of the article International Rescue is that the UK universities have changed in dramatic and complex ways since the governments 1999 initiative to increase the intake of international students, which has generated billions of pounds in fees. In 2004, this revenue brought in £4bn in fees (and possibly this amount again in spending on living costs in the UK). Some universities gain a third of their total income from overseas fees, highlighting the importance of this financial input.

* Yes\n* No\n* not bothered\n