Ok, let me explain what’s going on. Pilot is a stationary company responsible for those things we used to use all the time… you know: pens?  Well in a clever merging of the “old” with the “new” they have come up with a way to turn your own handwriting into a font!

Check out how it’s done here:

Emails can be impersonal and uniform, I guess in some ways we stamp our personality with the content. Bringing back personal handwriting to emails is not just a novelty; it’s a deeply felt connection to our sense of individuality and the written word that, to a certain extent, has been lost.

Unfortunately we can’t save the program to our computers yet and have to go to www. PilotHandwriting.com to send emails (…but directing traffic to their site is also pretty smart too, right?)

What really draws me to this is it’s a new take on customization, something we focus in on in the Wave of Deity Complex™; the ability to personalize and select your own options, beyond the simple idea of “yes I want cheese on that.” Sure, not everyone is going to end up with what they want to happen, but the fact that you can have a hand in deciding the fate of a character is pretty interesting and fairly unexplored outside of the singing competition popularity contest of American Idol.

We’ve seen everything from the customizable soda machine to the paint by number dress, and I think this may rank up there in the top of unique ideas, granted there’s not much information out on the project. Because eventually, customization gets boring, when you can customize and personalize everything, nothing really feels compelling when people ask how you want it. But throw it into a mass audience all pushing for different outcomes, then maybe we’ve got a new champion. Think of it as crowd sourcing television, a concept that is being used in Japan right now for snack foods.

You gather the popular opinion, and build the product around it, instead of around what a creative team decides. However, if they’re planning this to be a weekly show, then the writing staff’s and production crew is going to have their work cut out for them. But then again, what the people want the people get.

Deity Complex™ is all about viewing “my world, my way” so this is a great example of how you can customize the huge amount of information that is coming at you.  We here at Culturewaves® know too well that managing your various news sources from Facebook, Twitter, product mentions, blogs and rss feeds can feel like drinking from a fire hose with a straw.  So when things like this come along we jump in and start trialing… so far I, personally, like it a lot.

Especially because you can get all meta with it: “you can even view how many Google users are using each of custom created sections, see section ratings, and sort by type, category, rating, or users.”

So if there is something you’re passionate about (hopefully your business right?) and you want to know the latest news in that field or category… check it out!

Well I’m a Capricorn/Aquarius so I’ll wholeheartedly agree with that assertion But it got me thinking about the current state of the job market and how picky employers get to be right now!!

I guess it’s an age-old commerce principle: a “flooded market”- more competition = more choice for buyers.

So employers are in the prime position to flex their “Deity Complex™”.

You know what, if I was in that position – I’d totally do the same thing and more…  I’d do natal charts and numerology and consult the tarot et al. But I’m into that stuff…  I’m also used to the Entertainment Biz which is HUGELY discriminatory about age, height, weight, looks accent- everything!!

It’s interesting to think how you would craft the criteria for your own “personal army” if you were/are in such a position.

Now more than ever employers get to say: “It’s my world, my way™”

What were you like?  No wait, better yet… what were your short comings?  Did you have anything that you would have changed or at least -liked to have had a hand with? I think we all had some rough times in our own unique ways.  What if there was a little doll that could give you some “good mojo” for those times?   As kids go back to school, I recently came across these little “dolls” that can be used as a keychain… for their lockers, school bags, etc.

“Meet The String Doll Gang®, a band of kooky characters handmade in Thailand, each String Doll has his or her own special power that is always positive and helpful (no voodoo dolls here)!”  I was so taken by these $10 works of art!!

There are so many great characters with such helpful “powers” to choose from!! Roller girl “Drew Block-her-more” keeps her opponents in check.  Isabelly “shimmies your shyness away”.  The nerdy little “Dexter” helps you fly through your home work.  Medusa “turns annoying people into stone”.

Awesome.

This is a great Deity Complex™ piece because it’s a product that explores different personalities.

There are so many to choose from you are sure to find that special doll that helps with your child’s particular…umm… challenge.  I think the String Doll Gang is a lovely example of something that is essentially for kids but adults can really appreciate… coz those little “issues” can often linger into adulthood… right?

“Thanks to satellites, surveying, and ever-increasing computing power, mapping has become geographically accurate beyond the dreams of a medieval mind. But many of those same technological advances have also brought us full circle: Maps have increasingly become vehicles not just for telling us how the world looks, but for organizing and representing all sorts of information. The past year saw an explosion of such maps, portraying everything from earthquake devastation to voting patterns to international reading habits – often made on the fly, by citizens, in response to events. “
My favorite type of mapping that is really exploding with creativity is a method for strategically distorting a map called a CARTOGRAM.

“Cartograms reflect information by inflating or shrinking parts of the map to reflect something besides accurate square mileage – income, perhaps, or population.  The value of the cartogram, Newman argues, is its simplicity. Even a color-coded map, after all, requires a legend. But cartograms embed information in the contours of the map itself, using our assumptions about maps, and our familiarity with the actual shape of the world, to drive home the point. “

Some of my favorite examples of this are:
Map of oil producing and consuming nations
The world’s innovation hubs, mapped out
We have seen a lot of data being represented in “Subway Map” form like this:
Web Trend Map – One of our own Farmer’s even created an awesome model of Life Evidence and Human Behavior Trends for ’08 in this style.

The sheer range of thoughts are interesting too.  You’ll see examples of how google maps and google earth are being used to display data that promotes understanding of a cause ie:
Where Renewable Energy Projects Can Be Built
Mapping Traffic Pollution Sends MESSAGE Loud and Clear

Or Maps that follow trade and commerce:

Such as maps based on data from the US Geological Survey’s National Imagery and Mapping Agency gives insight on trade by revealing the busiest shipping lanes

Or find out: What Your Cell Phone Is Teaching Companies
Ever wondered what old men in Wisconsin are spending their money on? Then check out the Zappos map – a real time map which charts orders made in the United States in terms of where the order is being shipped to.

I urge you check out the neemee collection called MAPPING and feel free to add to it!  It’s a fascinating subject that has so many applications.  I mean, we all have to deal with information and data on a daily basis and these creative designs and methodologies are making it so much easier for us to digest a subject’s complexities or scale.

Before the Internet you had to be “in the know” to even have a clue that certain bands existed. If you wanted to find out if someone was really a punk, or rocker or hip-hop head all you had to do was to throw out a couple band names and bam! You would know instantly if they were a poser.

It wasn’t like you could just search punk and find a list of bands to check out, you had to follow a scene to really be a part of it. That took time and desire. Because of that, your record collection and the bands you liked defined you in a way that was much more meaningful than it does today. i.e. How can you call yourself a ( fill in the blank) if you don’t have ( fill in the blank)!

This is starting to sound like a Time Travel piece; it’s not.  It’s a mix of Deity Complex and Power Plays

Not only are these shirts a  way to make a personal statement, they are also a good way to fish out the real lovers of a genre. For instance: only someone who really knows their hip hop is going to even know who Special Ed is much less recognize the lyrics

I’m your idol, highest title, Numero Uno

But if they do… you instantly know they are authentic. If they don’t, when they ask about your shirt you can school ‘em. Either way, this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself and show everyone you’re the real deal not just some Internet poser.

It makes sense. Every other government funded entity has their own toys to use made specifically for them: fire department, military, emergency medical technicians, and mail carriers. So why haven’t police departments gotten their specially tailored vehicles? Not sure, but they will now. The fully loaded E7 Carbon Motor is what they’re getting, a vehicle designed especially for cops, by cops, featuring over 100 new details requested by officers. While a bit robo-copish, the vehicle screams “I’m in control” to the last detail, here’s a few:

-jumps curbs {check}

-molded solid back seat with no “stashing” cracks {check}

-biological, chemical & radiation sensors {check}

-substantially better fuel efficiency {check}

-suicide rear doors for easier criminal loading {check}

-laptop/printer station {check}

-flashlight holder {check}

-lo jack {check}

We have to admit the E7’s looks are a bit more intimidating than the retrofitted Chevy Impalas and Crown Victorias out there, but intimidation seems to go hand and hand when someone demonstrates that “it’s my world, my way.” (At least, that’s what we hope criminals feel when they get up close to one of these babies).

That may soon change if the new BMW Lo-Rider concept makes it to production. In terms of design the Lo-Rider is the equivalent of a nun leaving the convent to become a stripper. The form-over-function attitude of the Lo-Rider is a welcome departure for the BMW brand image.

The most exiting aspect of this concept is that it was designed with customization in mind. Along with the proposed bike comes a slew of bolt on accessories that range from seats to tailpipes, allowing the rider to change the bike to suit their particular personality and riding style. This could prove to be a big money maker for BMW and BMW dealers because nobody likes to customize like motorcycle riders like to customize.

BMW's chief designer David Robb says:

"This bike gives you the opportunity to do something different. You can change it to the way you want it – you can have the exhausts going up or down, you can have one seat or two, you can go from having something very cruisey to something very racy."

The Lo-Rider could be ready to hit the streets as soon as 2012, and if it does we will be at the door of our local BMW dealer with checkbook in hand.

In a country where human rights for humans were starting to look iffy, it appears crazy to extend them to other species as seems to be happening in Europe. Humans have always had a real problem in conceding any rights to anything else on the planet.

The average tribe anywhere sees themselves as humans and puts everyone else outside that category. Though the apes haven’t done anything to us to deserve being downgraded to human status, it’s good to see people starting to give real thought to protecting their rights. Capitalism by its nature tends to dehumanize by making everyone and everything a commodity, and major religions tend to put us over the birds of the air and the creatures… in a way that isn’t  healthy for us or them either. Re-thinking this is way past due.

This may be a temporary aberration toward sanity, but I’m glad to see protection for our closest kin as many species of them approach extinction. By the way my apologies to Charleton Heston's ghost for the title-couldn't resist.