COOLHUNT - The downside of the Internet.

We all know there are advantages and disadvantages about the Internet. The Internet allows people to be ridiculed and a lot of people can become unsure because of confronting images on the Internet.  The next story is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

WHAT? A few weeks ago I saw a video on Facebook that went viral about a fat man dancing. I just thought it was another video were someone was laughed at. But then I read an article in 'Metro' where that same man appeared. But this time his video was noticed by a lot of people. Many Internet users took action to support the man. And now he gets a dance party organized by 2.000 women with performances by Pharell Williams and Moby. Meanwhile with the help of crowdfunding there is almost 21.000 euros available for the fat man dancing. The money is to bring the man from London to LA for his party. The money that is left over will be donated to a foundation against bullying. Facebook has also created a page to show support to the #DancingMan.

WHY? I think this example is amazing because at first you see the disadvantage of the internet. But then it's turned around to an advantage. By using crowdfunding they make a statement about bullying. It's like a smack in the face for the people who made fun of the man whose name is Sean. Also the transparency plays an important role in this story, because everyone around the whole world can see this video and you can do anything with it. If we look at this in a greater picture we see Globalization. In this case the result is positive. But there are cases in which the result is not so bright. Therefore I think it's amazing that they donate the money to a foundation against bullying. This initiative is also a form of collaboration. Because people work together to give someone the time of their live. I think that in the future people there will be more initiatives like this because I don't think the bullying will stop just because of this example. 

'The original post'

Source
http://www.metronieuws.nl/koffiepauze/2015/03/dansfeest-voor-dikke-dansende-man-met-pharrell

COOLHUNT - Playing the piano together.

Last week when I arrived at the train station in Nijmegen something was different. I heard a beautiful sound coming towards me. It was the sound of a beautiful piano piece. It sounded loud and with a great  acoustics. Then I saw it. A guy was playing the piano on the station. At first I thought what is this? Did someone bring their piano to the station? But when I came a little closer out of curiosity I found out what it was. 

WHAT? It's an initiative from the organization 'Buiten Spelen'. It's the fifth piano in Nijmegen. There were already other piano's spread through the city. The intention is to bring people together spontaneously so that they can make music together. When I arrive at the station I hear people play beautiful music and it's really worth to listen to them. The piano is paid out of crowd funding. They renovated the piano before they put it on the station. Now it's a great way for people who have to wait for the train to come together and make great music! You can see the photo that I made myself. And also a video from 'Omroep Gelderland'. They will tell you something more about the initiative (in Dutch). 

WHY? This is a really cool idea because the train station (NS) is often compared to negative thoughts, trains who are always late, people who are in a hurry and little irritations between travelers. This piano brings a bit of life and joy to the train station! I thinks it's a great way of sharing which in my eyes is the 'macro' trend in this story. We are so busy with sharing everything through social media and even in restaurants you see that sharing is a trend (like tapas). It's also a great example of togetherness. People come together and they just forget their stress and hurry and just make some music! And other travelers who are maybe not as musical as the people who are playing can just enjoy the music. Because the acoustics are great in the station! 

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8F_TtVkbBk

Source: my own photo

Source: http://www.omroepgelderland.nl/web/nieuws-1/2070232/vrij-bespeelbare-piano-op-station-nijmegen.htm#.VC-lgEuVd4E

COOLHUNT - The clothing library

In April 2013 a clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed. These factories are known for their extremely low paid employees and extremely dangerous working conditions. Those people work very hard but don’t get paid enough for it. And the clothes are sold for much more in Europe. These ratios are not good. We spend a lot more money on clothes and also we never have enough (especially the women among us). The question is can we create a more even distribution and can we stop the child labour in third world countries.

WHAT? Well this is a big problem but 3 friends in the Netherlands came up with a plan of starting a clothing library in Utrecht. Karin Zwiep one of the founders says: “Costumers can borrow clothes for 4 weeks with a card”. And when the costumers bring it back they will wash it because it seems that people don’t trust each other washing qualities. Evita one of the founders has done some research for her study, which showed that people more often exchange clothes and they don’t want to buy it anymore. But how do they get the library filled with clothes? They put large buckets in the city where people can put in their old clothes. And they got a lot of clothes from the organisation Humana. They also have a special feature that they can bring costumers in contact with designers that will make their piece of clothing unique. The target audience is primarily young women because they are the biggest users en polluters.

WHY? This is an idea that can grow in the future because if it works it can be introduced into more cities and maybe we can bring the consume numbers down a bit. It’s a great example of Togetherness because we can share clothes trough an open library. The value behind this trend is definitely sharing because this has became a great part of our lives like Facebook etc. So if you’re interested go to Utrecht where you can borrow clothing in the clothing library. You can keep it for four weeks and then you’ll have to return it. A great way of sharing!

Source: ‘Bewuste modeliefhebber kan naar de kledingbieb’. (Metro, do 18-09-14)

Sources:
* http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2668/Buitenland/article/detail/3431680/2013/04/25/Bangladesh-200-doden-die-20-cent-per-uur-verdienden-voor-onze-goedkope-T-shirts.dhtml

* ‘Bewuste modeliefhebber kan naar de kledingbieb’. (Metro, do 18-09-14)

COOLHUNT - The life saving bracelet.

According to ‘Noorderboog’ each year more than 600 kids in Dutch hospitals end up with unconsciousness caused by the use of too much alcohol. Or even worse they will end up in a coma. And if you are lucky one of your friends will bring you home before it’s to late. So how can we prevent the number of teenagers that ends up in the hospital?

WHAT? A bracelet that will measure your alcohol and dehydration levels when you go out. It’s called the ‘Vive Smart Bracelet’. This bracelet with all his functions has to make sure that you come home save and don’t end up in the hospital. What are those functions? Well you can connect the bracelet with an app that will measure your alcohol level when you start drinking. During the evening the bracelet will send random vibrations and when you squeeze it the bracelet knows you’re OK. If you don’t squeeze the bracelet will send an aware through social media to your friends so they can check on you if you’re all right. It can be used by anyone who goes out for a drink.

WHY? It is a cool idea because maybe in the future a lot of patients that come into the hospital with an alcohol problem could be prevented because of this bracelet. And maybe the quality of going out will be a lot more fun. It is an Inline trend because a bracelet is an offline thing with in this case an online function. I think the need behind this trend is safety. We see a rise of young kids that end up in the hospital drunk and I think with this product parents and friends don’t have to worry anymore.

So maybe this is the future of going out? The product still needs some thinking because there are some problems but I’m excited about this idea because I hope it will prevent a lot of alcohol problems in the future!

Source: http://www.nsmbl.nl/handig-deze-armband-vertelt-je-vrienden-of-je-dronken-bent/

Sources:

* http://www.noorderboog.nl/ziekenhuiszorg/patienten/onderzoeken-en-behandelingen/nazorgtraject-alcoholvergiftiging-bij-jongeren

* http://www.nsmbl.nl/handig-deze-armband-vertelt-je-vrienden-of-je-dronken-bent/