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leap into less choices

February 29, 2008 in choices, positive | No comments

It’s leap day and that alone seems like an odd decision which leads to the question how do we make choices and do we often have to many options to choose from? There is a great article in the NYT titled The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors.

The article by John Tierney focuses on Dr. Ariely a professor at MIT and behavioral economics expert developed a game that tests rationality in decision making. Dr. Dan Ariely found that people avoid closing doors on options in order to avoid the emotion of loss.

Perhaps this fear of the emotion of loss can explain workaholics that can’t turn down a project or playboys that can’t seem to commit. Maybe it helps explain our overbooked, dvr/tivo society, 1,000 cable channels, you tube, multi-tasking love affair with choices and the need to have all these available options.

Of course this also explains why often in Miami some people attend 2 or 3 events on a given night while RSVPing YES to 5 or 6, it’s all about keeping options open. However, too much time is spent deciding and commuting (especially in Miami traffic). This kind of thinking seems like it’s straight out of Ariely’s new book Predictably/Irrational .

So many options, so little time but I suggest next time you have an important decision remember to step back and look at the bigger picture and then choose to simplify.

back on the chain gang

January 2, 2008 in Miami, design, events, music, technology, trends | No comments

The holidays are over and now it’s back to normal well easing back into normal and by next week we’ll be there. Funny that the temperatures in Miami finally dipped below 50 after the holidays.

As I think about 2008 I start to set aside a few calendar dates, organize favorite sites, and focus on some growing interests and trends like adding a luxury twist to an existing idea. Ideeli and Gilt Groupe embraced the idea of selling one luxury item per day at a discounted price while supplies last, both are similar to Woot:

A Few Calendar Dates:

Few New Favorite sites:

Interests:

6

December 26, 2007 in arts, fashion, music, trends | No comments

We’re wrapping up the 2007 calendar year and there are Best of lists and Top countdowns everywhere you look and most of the time they’re obvious or uninteresting however, sometimes these lists provide insight into great talent.

Refinery 29 released its end of year seasonal playlist Breaking Records featuring their 20 favorite albums from 2007 including

Refinery 29 also listed Best New Fashion Designers of 2007 among them

Cool Hunting provided their choices for the Top Five Photographers of 2007 out of those five my favorites are

The New York Times magazine has the seventh annual Year In Ideas issue to look back at the ideas that shaped 2007.

The New York Times is also looking forward to next year and featured Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2008 which is blue iris (click through color timeline).

The NYT article written by Cathy Horyn quotes Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute: “Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspects of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic.”

The growth of blue’s popularity and dominance is in line with the Hot Trends predictions from JWT’s Marian Salzman and Ann Mack, which states that blue will become the new green as it relates to eco-friendly matters.

It’s hard to think that Green could ever be replaced. Green traditionally symbolizes nature, trees, freshness, youth, energy, ecology, agriculture, cleanliness, refreshing, growth, fertility, Spring. And yet blue also has great symbolism so we’ll wait and see. I could maybe see it happening for more ocean/marine centered environmental issues but I still think people and companies are going green.

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