Haft2Know

Every year at this time, 'Top 10' lists get released: ones that tell us how to dress next year, what cities to travel to, and what music festivals or law schools we should consider attending. Following are a few that caught our eye.

Pantone introduces their 2010 Fashion Color Report, answering the question that people ask us all the time: "What colour will be big next year?" According to Pantone, it'll be from an array of colours that are definitely pretty, but not wimpy; soft pastels that are kept grown-up and sophisticated by their slightly grey cast. Somehow both nostalgic and forward-thinking, they merely hint at another, very adult time.

Here's a summary.

And a downloadable PDF is here.

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TrendWatching.com presents their annual list of top 10 consumer trends, for 2010. These are trends they feel will help shape global demand next year, and in turn, supply. Themes centre around the end of the recession, pragmatism of goods of services, and of course the environment.

The sociology of the city features high in the list. A hundred years ago, less than 5 percent of the world's population lived in cities. In 2008, that number crossed the 50 percent threshold for the first time in history. In the last two decades, urban population of the developing world has grown by an average of 3 million people per week. What does this all mean to those living in urban centres?

Another familiar one to us is known as 'Tracking & Alerting' - using wireless communication to notify potential customers of what's available, and where - at any given moment. A perfect example of this is this past Haft2Know, about a mobile truck that sells warm cookies and desserts and alerts its NYC customers to its whereabouts by its website, and its Tweets.

The trends are fascinating, and in depth. Check out all ten here.

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Finally, Lonely Planet has just released their list of top 10 countries to visit in 2010. If you don't know, Lonely Planet is the go-to resource for people looking for a travel adventure that's a little out of the ordinary. Some destinations not usually considered include El Salvador and Suriname. Others are unsurprising repeat recommendations - Portugal, Greece (pictured) and New Zealand. A surprise on the list is the United States, which the company has deemed 'cool again', thanks probably in no small part to a young and popular President.

Here's a great collection of images of these places, courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald.

And the Lonely Planet book about all of them is here.

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Mickey Mouse is perfect. He's polite and he's happy all the time and rarely gets riled. At one time, he was a cultural powerhouse in the United States, representing everything good and loving. A visit to Disney.com however proves that Mickey's light has been fading in favour of those of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas brothers, and whichever other new characters are appearing in Disney DVDs. Mickey Mouse has become irrelevant.

And so, like he does every other decade or so, America's icon is getting a makeover. To better connect with kids, Disney will update MIckey's look and breathe into him new characteristics that are less squeaky clean, and more cunning. Mickey will think and question and doubt. Above all, he'll become more realistically heroic; and heroes don't always do the right thing. Look for new Mickey in 2011.

Mickey's bio page

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Leave it to the people that brought us Saab, H&M and tiny meatballs to invent something so fantastic as sparkling vodka. These Swedish little bubbles in Camitz Sparkling will tickle more than just your nose; they'll address your taste fancy, and your sense of visual delight as well. Just in time for the holidays, this little pioneer is now available across North America, and promises to be a harbinger of what's to come from the spirit world.

The sparkly link

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In our ongoing quest to find things to custom order on-line, our friends at Hipstery.com might be at the helm of the next wave of custom ordering, which is this. You don't actually design it / choose it / determine it yourself, you merely supply information to the seller, and based on what they discover about you, they select it for you. Hipstery.com will ask you a number of questions including "What's your preferred method of air travel?" and "At the movies, which armrest belongs to you?". Depending on your answers, a t-shirt is chosen to suit you and sent along. The burden of choice can be daunting.

Here it is

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