Archive for July 2005

RateBeer.com has a list of worst beers in the world as rated by the thousands of beer enthusiasts. As the site says: "We aren’t picking on the fat kid as much as we’re making a few big brewers accountable for their products that are more about beer hype and marketing than substance."

1 Steelback Tango - Steelback Brewery
2 Busch NA - Anheuser-Busch
3 Steelback Silver - Steelback Brewery
4 Sleeman Clear - Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co.
5 Michelob Ultra - Anheuser-Busch
6 Coors Non-Alcoholic - Coors Brewing Company
7 B-40 Bull Max - Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co.
8 Black Label 11-11 - Malt Liquor Miller Brewing Company
9 ODouls - Anheuser-Busch
10 Jacob Best Ice - Miller Brewing

RateBeer’s Top 50

This month marks the release of the maiden issue of the SHIFT Report a quarterly consumer research report focused exclusively on perceptions of Social Responsibility and the effect this has on people’s work, lifestyle choices, brand relationships and purchasing decisions.

Kiertin De West who runs Ci who publishes the report says, "The report is a strategic business tool developed by Ci (Conscientious Innovation) for companies and brands that are keen to better understand and track the cultural shift to sustainability."

Read the rest of this entry »

The BBC is asking its readers to vote for this year’s Stirling Architecture Prize. Says the BBC about the prize:

The £20,000 Stirling prize, awarded each year by the Royal Institute of British Architects, aims to set an example to architects working all over the UK.

The buildings are each remarkable in their own way, but now’s your chance to see them for yourself and cast your vote.

Strangely, the pictures on display at the BBC are totally inadequate to help readers form a qualified opinion. So here are websites with more infos about the contestants:

• BMW central building Leipzig, Zaha Hadid Architects
• Lewis Glucksman Gallery, University College, Cork, O’Donnell + Tuome
• The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EMBT/RMJM Ltd
• McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Foster and Partners
• Jubilee Library, Brighton, Bennetts Associates with Lomax Cassidy
• Fawood’s Children Centre, Alsop

So hurry up, go cast your vote!

Contributed by Iralki West

To be honest, we’re only writing this because every other trend site is. Another report from Pew Internet & American Life tells us something we could have guessed anyway:

"Youth are leading the transition to a fully wired and mobile nation."

"Most teens will block messages from those they want to shun or avoid."

Pew Report

We’re a little bit slow on this one, but it’s been worth the wait. Taiwan seems to have cornered the market for restaurants where you eat from toilet bowls. Yes. we’d love to suggest that this is a load of crap, but it seems like it’s true. Restaurants are pooping up in all sorts of places - from small night markets in Chiayi City to a newly forming restaurant chain with a location in Taipei.

More

Every second German between 14 and 69 years of age engages in online purchases. GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung / Society for consumer research) come to this conclusion in their newest research on online shopping. Pharmacy products and package holidays experienced the strongest sales growth in 2004, the former profiting from new legislation.

Contributed by Irakli West

Emily Turrettini runs three high profile telecom blogs from Switzerland reporting easy to digest news on the developments in the evolving cell phone industry. She’s a well respected blogger and has been quoted or mentioned by Wired, the NY Times , the BBC and the WSJ online. IF gave her a call.

IF

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Dottocomu reports that NTT Com has announced it’ll be offering a service to financial institutions whereby account holders use their cellphone as a "key" to verify their identity and withdraw cash.

Article

Yesterday it was email, today it’s sunshine: ManChic reports that Motorola and Oakley have unveiled a new line of Bluetooth wireless technology eyewear designed to keep consumers connected without squinting.

RAZRWire shades "frees the wearer from cumbersome wires and allows active users to quickly answer or place calls with the touch of a button."

ManChic