There is a relatively new type of currency that is more important than money or bitcoins. It is the value of being “liked” in the virtual world. Like many discoveries that I uncover, this one began with an acronym frequently found in texting circles. I had seen OOTD several times and I was familiar with other ones like OTT, (over the top), but I just thought that this was similar. But on a trip through the rabbit hole, YouTube, I ran across the term again and followed the bouncing ball. OOTD is “outfit of the day” and after checking out some videos, I saw an interesting process.

The OOTD videos are primarily hosted by females and cover many age groups. However, the teens seem to be the vast majority, and there are thousands of these “tutorials”. They are essentially girls showing what they are wearing; makeup, hair, fingernails, and videos generally based on appearance. But what I found interesting is that they are promoting retailers as if they were selling or marketing the clothes and other accessories. For all purposes, it seemed like a commercial being paid for by the companies that they are “representing”. But, after a little research it was clear that they were not being compensated by money but by being “liked”! The number of hits, thumbs up, thumbs down, and subscribers are the currency of choice. Many of the young girls almost beg for subscribers and really try to “put on a good show”. So, the trend is an interesting metric of life in the virtual world. Unlike the clearly biased videos planted by retailers for positive review, these seem like sincere efforts to share and entertain and to be “liked”.

There are some questions that are inherent in this trend: Are these videos harmless? How much money do these girls spend to be “liked’? Will retailers try to corrupt the system and begin to contaminate the presenters with payment? These are tough questions to answer but clearly the line between the virtual world and the real world are becoming blurred. Stay tuned as we follow this trend and please “like”, and post positive comments so I can be “liked” as well!

There has been a trend in jewelry design that has been becoming more popular with the advent of flexible microcomputers, conductive thread, and mulch-colored light emitting diodes. These designs have been mostly decorative and intended for fashion and not function. But the trend is beginning to change as there is recognition that jewelry can be both fashionable and functional; particularly with safety in mind.
Enter the world of Cuff, founded by Deepa Sood, and this may change how we look at necklaces, bracelets, key chains, and other accessories. It is based on a simple removable and interchangeable module with Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.  When pressed, the module pings anyone who the wearer defines on an iOS smart phone. Called Cufflinc, the module is fairly inexpensive at around $30.00 or E 21. The jewelry itself is scheduled to sell for a range from $50 to 150 dollars. It will be available at the end of this year and can be pre-ordered. The only flaw that I can see is that in order to be effective there has to be a cell signal. The module is waterproof and has an internal battery with a one year life. I tried to find out if it will eventually be useful on the Android platform but at this time, I have not been successful. As my readers know, I do not endorse products but I will include the link to Cuff here. You can check the idea for yourself and comment as desired.
This could be the start of some significant safety for everyone who watches trends in technology. Personally, I would like to see a miniature stun gun!