Photo enthusiasts can now use Photoshop Express to manage and edit their photos on line. They can export the results to, for example, Facebook or Photobucket.

The Dutch health care provider Meavita Nederland offers Care from a Distance, clients receive care via images and sound, supported by measured data such as blood sugar levels. With Care from a Distance a consultation with a doctor or other medical professional can take place at a distance via television or a broadband connection. Care providers can monitor clients at a distance and support them via home electronics and telemedicine (ITC care services). The client provides the care provider with data such as blood pressure, ecg and weight.

LG has released a telephone onto the Korean market with a silicone key pad that feels like human skin.

Dutch broadcasting corporation Avro's television guide, Televizier, is launching a socail network with its renewed online guide. Visitors can discuss television programs, share viewing tips, become 'buddies' with other fans and viewers, read news reports and become tv critics. If you post on the site enough you can become a 'superfan'. The reviews that 'superfans' write are included in the Televizier magazine.

Hyves celibrates the Dutch national holiday Queens Day with nine different logo illustrations: By clicking on the image shown nine different Queens Day illustrations appear in the top left position.

News network eKudos rewards members who introduce new members with money. If the visitor you have introduced registers on eKudos this is automatically coupled to your Adsense account (your income). A link is established between you and the new member. When you place articles on the public pages there are Google adverts that produce income for eKudos, these adverts are coupled to your Adsense account and you recieve a proportion of the income. The more active you are and the more you write the better. If you also bring new members in then that produces income for you too because the mechanism also works at deeper levels. If you want to give it a try then register via the link in this article, it's as simple as that!

Last month social psycologist Robert Cialdini, author of the brilliant book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (of which a milion copies have already been sold) gave an excellent presentation for the NIMA MDG (Marketing of services) at Dialogues house Amsterdam. He showed how you can use simple principles to spectacularly improve the results of of communication with customers, simply by applying factors of social psycology. He explained the six basic principles. Robert's talk was followed by Janine Himpers-Verhoeven, listening consultant at Altution. Here is my personal perspective on the priciples explained by Robert with additions from Janine.

Samsung has demonstrated a telephone with which it is possible to walk around in the virtual world Second Life. Users can blog in the real world and telephone the friends in Second Life. The telephone will be released onto the American market in the second half of 2008.

With Microsoft's click-able video every brand can make all videos click-able. As soon as the arrow appears there is more to be seen. When the consumer moves the mouse over the click-able object the information appears. Brands that already make extensive product videos can easily apply this technology immediately. Brands that call themselves publishers and are looking for a suitable advertising models can very probably make use of this. It is immediately relevant for the consumer: as soon as they see something that interests them they can immediately get more information if they wish.

The district council in Hengelo, the Netherlands, helps its citizens to claim the correct subsidies by providing a 'money searcher'. Via the computer they enter a wide range of details about pay, benefits, tax credits, rent, savings and insurance policies. Within 10 minutes they receive personalized advice.

Sony uses "People, Planet, Product" in its communication. Nicely chosen. You have the world. That's the Planet. As well as other life there are humans, People, mainly important to ourselves. Together we make products (the ultimate form of co-operation between all the people of the world). The phrase "the product of our labors" is well chosen. We consume the products. By consuming ever more we change the world, the circle is complete. Simple.

On this new site from South Park Studios you can watch all the installments of the popular American series for free. New installments are deleted after seven days and are then made available again after 30 days (for contractual reasons). Before each film a short advert is played. On the site the user can download ring tones and 'embeddable clips', play games and create their own South Park figure as well as a few other fun things.

Technical experts have succeeded in allowing people to steer their avatars in virtual worlds like Second Life by standing opposite a screen. By jumping, bending backwards, forwards, left or right it is possible to get the avatar to walk in the desired direction. It is also possible to fly by using certain movements of the hands. This is nice step forwards but there is still a long way to go.

This screen shows a womans face that, in this instance, responds to a man. She reacts to the position of the mans face but also to his fingers: for example she closes her eyes if he strokes her eyelids. Her mouth also responds. She leaves if you stroke her nose, but returns with flowers.

Humans think in images and concepts but not in written language. Very rarely does someone see something literally written in their thoughts. We dream in 'happenings'. Now that the virtual world has come into existence it is possible that in the long term (think 2050) a world will come into existence where 'reading' and 'writing' has evolved into a hobby. Something that people needed to do in the past but that's now just fun to learn, just like making clogs, crocheting or milking cows.