The Idea List

From Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan of the Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2008:

Kohl’s, Sears Build Brands As Children Clothe Their Avatars Online

Retailer Kohl’s Corp. this month launched a new line of apparel, but the plaid skirts and printed T-shirts won’t be sold in its 957 stores. Instead, it’s selling them on Stardoll.com, a virtual community for teens and tweens where kids can fork over “Stardollars” — purchased online at a nominal sum — to buy apparel for their online characters.

With back-to-school sales off to a slow start, more old-line retailers and clothing labels are reaching out to kids online, enticing them to try virtual versions of their togs in hopes of making actual sales later. Kohl’s first virtual line features pieces from its new Abbey Dawn collection, designed by singer Avril Lavigne. In its first 16 days, Kohl’s Stardoll boutique logged some 2.2 million visits and sold 1.8 million items. Kohls.com lured 97,000 visitors who clicked through from the boutique site. [...]

From Jeremy Herron of the Associated Press, August 18, 2008:

NEW YORK (AP) — Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey released Sunday.

Not surprisingly, younger people tend to get more of their news on the Internet, while older folks use traditional media such as television and newspapers, the Pew Research Center’s biannual survey on news consumption habits said.

Pew said the results show an increasing shift toward online news consumption, but that there is now a sizable group of a more engaged, sophisticated and well-off people that use both traditional and online sources to get their news. [...]

The Idea Center’s President, Barry Martin, and Operations Manager, Brian Gordon, were each awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Henrico County Division of Fire last Wednesday, August 6th.  The commendation was the county’s response to Barry and Brian’s heroism in January of this year when they ran into the burning home of the Casazza family to rescue Jo Ann Casazza. 

“It was a very moving and humbling experience.  We were honored to receive this commendation from the men and women who risk their lives everyday,” Brian commented after the presentation.  Held at the Henrico County Training Building, the ceremony honors fire fighters that have gone above and beyond their calls of duty.  Barry and Brian were the only regular citizens among a number of fire fighters to receive awards during the program.  In attendance were the families and friends of those being commended for their selflessness, as well as a number of local officials and members of the media.

The Idea Center would like to officially welcome the newest member of our team, Brian Gordon!

Brian has come to us from Richmond’s Martin Agency, bringing with him years of experience in media buying and broadcast supervision.  He will be using his talents to help our customers with their advertisement placement and purchasing needs as the in-house Media Guru.  Equally as importantly, he will be putting his knowledge of the inner-workings of the successful agency to good use as our new Operations Manager.

As a Hokie with a B.A. in Marketing Management, Brian brings a lot to the table and gives The Idea Center yet another tool with which to serve our clients.  And did we mention he plays a wicked harmonica?

The Earth’s population is expected to grow to 9 billion by the year 2050, 80% of which is expected to live in urban areas. As a result of this anticipated urban population growth and the rising costs of fuel and transportation, there is a growing question: How do we provide fresh vegetables and farm produce to the cities at the lowest possible cost with the lowest ecological impact? One potential solution being considered is vertical farming, a space saving, energy efficient crossover farm that combines skyscrapers with traditional agriculture. Expected to arrive by 2015, these towering “sky-farms” will grow food indoors, no longer relying on mother nature to provide the perfect growing conditions, which, in turn, means no crop failures due to weather issues. Not only that, but the interiors are ultra-efficient, both with their energy and water frugality and in the sheer amount they can produce (4-6 times the production capacity, per acre, of a traditional flat farm!). Indoor farming is entirely organic, meaning there is no necessity for herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers, and significantly reduces issues of fossil fuel usage and agricultural waste, as the process uses no tractors or plows, and the customary shipping costs from rural to urban settings is nearly eliminated. Just picture it: reliable, clean, cost-effective farms where we need them, revitalized rural ecosystems where previous farmland has been reclaimed by nature, and a sustainably greener future.