We can always count on DARPA, The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to fund unique research. We reported recently on their sleep prophylactic which allows humans to stay awake for 36 hours at time. Now they are pouring $15 million dollars into a program they hope will lead to ways to sniff out terrorist based on the scents of their sweat, urine, tears and other bodily secretions. The program once called Odortype Detection Program has been renamed. It is now the Unique Signature Detection Project.
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It appears that one of my dream gadgets, an origami dvd player, is closer to becoming a reality. Sony plans to create electronic devices that fold for easy storage inside a pocket and become rigid when unfolded. The origami gadgets will be made of a flexible polymer containing conductive rubber bracing struts filled with a gel of aluminosilicate particles suspended in silicone oil.

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The June issue of Harvard Business Review online has a great piece about avatar-based marketing. there’s an overview of avatars and how they function in virtual worlds. There are also examples virtual worlds created as adverworlds such as Coke Studios, Mokitown and Stagecoach Island. What I found most interesting was the concept of avatars as shadow consumers; and the possibility that they could influence purchases in both the virtual and the real worlds. Residents of virtual worlds have the potential to provide excellent opportunities for sustained engagements with brands, but virtual worlds are not a one-size fits all market. Each virtual world has its own distinct culture an important point to keep in mind if planning a marketing campaign in virtual worlds.

In the future we’ll see more bridges between real world and virtual world businesses.