An article in The New York Times today highlights the increasing tendency of teenagers to greet each other by hugging, to the bewilderment of their parents, who are more accustomed to handshakes. Not just limited to family, good friends, and lovers, hugging has become a standard way to say hi in high school hallways. There are even distinct varieties of hug:
There is the basic friend hug, probably the most popular, and the bear hug, of course. But now there is also the bear claw, when a boy embraces a girl awkwardly with his elbows poking out. There is the hug [...]

This parody ad comes from the team at 92YTribeca. Nice little viral effort written and Directed by Michael Showalter. Satire always reveals so many social truths.

At the same time we’re seeing the curtailing of one drink category with a dubious reputation – drinks like Sparks that combine alcohol and caffeine will be discontinued or reformulated –  a new line with similar image issues rises to take its place.  Lead by Drank, a purple-tinged carbonated beverage that combines the natural calming qualities of Melatonin, Valerian Root and Rose Hips, the so-called “relaxation” or “anti-energy drink” category has been born.  Although it contains ingredients most would expect to find in a health food store next to the healing crystals, who it’s being marketed to might surprise you.
Wishing [...]

The NY Times has managed to break its own story, noting that today – Monday, January 5th – marks the first time that the paper will sell significant advertising space on its front page.  The horizontal color ad, consuming 2 1/2 inches of space at the bottom of the page, has been purchased by CBS and marks a growing trend among print newspapers struggling with lower readership and advertising dollars to find new ways to generate revenue in tough economic times.
Most major American papers sell front-page display ads, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Los Angeles Times, [...]

ESPN, the sports media arm of the Walt Disney corporation, has released a beta version of its streamlined site with the fully featured version set to go live on January 5th.  The launch comes at a time when ESPN has witnessed ad sales lagging on its network of television channels due in no small part to the slowing economy. Reducing clutter, particularly on the homepage, became the clear goal with the year long redesign,  a move the company hopes will attract more users in the sought after 18-34 year old male demographic, in turn making the site more appealing to [...]

In his weekly Consumed column in the NY Times magazine, Rob Walker has provided a great back-to-basics guide to Second Life – for all you folk who just need a recap – with some insights into how brands (real world and Second Life) can benefit the residents.

The NY Times looks at moves to target kids.

We’ve been watching the tech-craft movement stirred up by folks like Make Magazine for a while, now the NY Times picks up on the trend in a lengthy article.