Katie Cordrey

Writer/Artist

Articles

1,892

Views

15,898,000

Location

The Columbia River Gorge

Member Since

Dec 2007

Katie Cordrey is interested in EVERYTHING including the ways that we achieve a high tech - high touch balance in our lives.

What is unique that's not in your bio?

I own, and know how to use, a chainsaw.

What's your favorite accomplishment?

Being an entrepreneur. I think Andy Warhol was on to something when he said, "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art."

How do you define cool?

Cool starts as an "ah ha!" moment that so crackles with energy, it jumps personal bounds and excites others.

What is your secret to uncovering trends?

Uncovering trends is less a secret than a natural outcome of being persistently curious.

What do you enjoy most about Trend Hunter?

Confirmation of the fact that we humans are endlessly creative.

What is your favorite trend?

It's hard to pick favorites, but I like the move toward 'the commons.'

What are your tips for writing a juicy post?

Connect the reader to the story subject quickly, clearly, and emotively.

How do you reset to be creative?

I sleep. I also hike, once rested, physical exertion helps to restore balance and creativity.

What inspires or excites you?

I am inspired by the natural world.

Predict something awesome for 2020?

The 'workplace' will be a state of mind, not an office.

Digitally-Tossed Pet Treats

iCPooch Treat Dispenser Tames Terrified Terriers and Other Pets

The Internet-enabled iCPooch treat dispenser lets absentee pet owners alleviate their guilt and their pet’s separation anxiety by tossing them a treat from a distance. It installs wirelessly and... MORE

Scannable Headstones

These QR Code Headstones Give a Virtual Connection to Those Departed

Scannable QR code headstones are beginning to displace traditional obituaries and memorial halls. In China, where paying respects to ancestors holds more cultural significance than it does in other... MORE

Stocking Seats

No Nonsense Pantyhose Recycling Turns Leggings into Park Benches

Using old pantyhose to stake tomato plants and make sachets is not going to do the trick when stockings are no longer suitable for wearing; this is where the No Nonsense pantyhose recycling program comes… MORE

Smelling Distance Ads

Siose Antiperspirant Roll-on Deodorant for Men Posts Pit-Level Promos

Ads for Siose Antiperspirant Roll-on Deodorant for Men have been strategically installed on bus doors in China, where they are being exposed to the arm pits of passengers grasping the handrail above their… MORE

Convertible-Making PSAs

Colorado State Patrol Ad Reminds Drivers to Keep Their Heads

With a message that reads, "You can turn any car into a convertible. Tailgating a truck can turn any car into a convertible," this Colorado State Patrol ad is designed for impact in order to make drivers… MORE

Two-Wheeled Timepiece Sculptures

Dan Tanenbaum Crafts Intricate Watch Parts Motorcycles

After seeing some miniature watch parts motorcycles online and then learning the two-wheeled treasures were not for sale, Ontario artist Dan Tanenbaum, a compulsive watch-collector with a nagging need… MORE

Mushroom Bricks

Mycroform Molds Shape Fungi-Based Building Material into Blocks

If the idea takes off, fungi-based building material may help alleviate the often difficult to recycle toxic and hazardous byproducts of today's construction industry while providing an abundant supply… MORE

Agrarian Art Installations

Running Fruit Ladders Project Puts Focus on Family Farms

Running Fruit Ladders is a large, roving public art installation that celebrates small farms in the Oregon/Washington Columbia River Gorge. John Maher is the artist behind the project and hopes to engage… MORE

Mobile Music Makers

Mason Jar Music Turns Empty Buildings into Recording Studios

Mason Jar Music Company turned the problem of under-capitalization into a challenge that it met by using abandoned buildings as music recording space. The start-up was looking for a recording space with… MORE

Socially Networked Crime Sprees

Police Warn About Theft by Flash Robs

Flash robs are on the rise and that has a lot of retailers worried. Using the same social media and networking technologies used for other flash mob activities like dancing and political protest, flash… MORE

Anti-Assault Protests

SlutWalks are a Response to Attitudes About Rape

SlutWalk protest marches began in April of 2011 in Toronto, Canada, and are now an international movement of rallies in cities worldwide. The SlutWalk started as a response to January 2011 comments by… MORE

Comfy Canopy-Covered Camping

Sleep Off the Ground Without Bug Bites in the Netted Cocoon Hammock

For anyone who has ever camped out in Florida’s Everglades or Washington State’s Mosquito Lake, the value of this netted cocoon hammock will be immediately clear. Not only will the hammock lift you off… MORE

Portable Poultry Pens

The Little Egg Chicken Tractor is a Coop That is Easy to Move

The Little Egg Chicken Tractor is a great choice for small-scale chicken ranchers who want a compact, easy-to-use hen house that can also help fertilize their lawns. Not only will laying hens and crowing… MORE

Drinking Fountain-Finding Apps

The We Tap Smartphone App Keeps Public H2O Locations in Sync

Thanks to a partnership between Google and the Pacific Institute, an open-source drinking fountain app called We Tap that allows users to find and share the locations of public water fountains is under… MORE

Stone-Cold Drink Chillers

Scotch Rocks Make Drinking Scotch on the Rocks a Literal Experience

Scotch Rocks are hand-cut granite stones polished to mirrorlike perfection, but unlike other stone drink-chilling cubes, Scotch Rocks are packaged in a unique branded wooden box with a sliding top. The… MORE

BYOB-Based Stores

Portland's Yellow Shelf Project Has Products for Your Empty Containers

The Yellow Shelf Project provides yellow shelves to retailers willing to stock them with locally made, waste-free, toxin-free products that customers take home in their own containers. Everything from… MORE

Solar-Powered Web Hosting

MyEco Server Provides Carbon-Free State-of-the-Art Green Data Center

MyEco Server offers the services of a reliable, solar-powered green data center called the Green Facility. The Green Facility is North America’s first data center that features a rainwater collection and… MORE

Pocket-Sized Geolocators

Find Pets, People or Possessions with the Garmin GTU 10 Tracker

If you need to keep track of people, pets or property, the Garmin GTU 10 may be just the gadget you need. Once the Garmin GTU 10 is paired with Garmin’s service via an online setup, the unit will report… MORE

Speedy E-Bike Conversions

Seattle-Based Clean Republic Makes Eco Transportation Easy

In under two years, Seattle e-bike startup Clean Republic has gone from prototype to delivery of more than 1,000 units. Clean Republic is a garage-based company that markets an e-bike conversion kit for… MORE

No-Beat Heart Replacements

Continuous-Flow Pumps Act as Total Artificial Heart

A total artificial heart was successfully implanted in a fatally ill 55-year-old patient in Texas. The device produced a continuous flow, was implanted in the space that the patient’s natural heart once… MORE

Split-Body Figures

Paige Bradley's Expansion Sculpture Breaks Corporal Confinement

This Expansion sculpture opens the imagination and calls into question what we would be if we could break our worldly bounds to manifest our internal self in the world. It's the work of artist Paige Bradley,… MORE

Reinvented Landscapes

12,000 Rain Gardens Campaign Builds Habitat and Protects Puget Sound

In the spirit of the phrase “if you have lemons, make lemonade,” it makes perfect sense for residents of Seattle and the nearby Olympic Peninsula, who receive between 36 and 52 inches of rain each year,… MORE

Glitzy Gay Rights Protests

Code Pink Activists Glitter Bomb Tim Pawlenty

Tim Pawlenty , a U.S. Republican presidential hopeful, was in San Francisco conducting a book signing for his memoir, Courage to Stand, when activists dazzled him with a twinkling pink glitter bomb and… MORE

Bus-Riding Horses

Seeing-Eye Ponies Use Mass Transit in Portland, Oregon

Miniature horses (a.k.a. seeing-eye ponies) have joined seeing-eye dogs as officially-recognized service animals in the United States and may soon be riding buses and trains with their owners in Portland,… MORE

Infographic Font Mazes

Julian Hansen's So You Need a Typeface is a Font Decision Matrix

Julian Hansen is a 22-year-old graphic design student at the Danish School of Media and Journalism whose poster titled “So You Need a Typeface” was impressive enough to land him an article in Inspiration… MORE

Neighborhood Energy Farms

Community Solar Gardens are Sprouting Up Everywhere

Community Solar Gardens are an inventive way that everyone, regardless of housing type, can own solar panels. It doesn’t matter if their home is shaded by trees, part of an apartment complex, is on the… MORE

Color-Popping Fingertips

American Apparel's Limited Edition Neon Nail Polish for Summer

This summer’s eye-popping neon fashion colors aren’t just for clothes! American Apparel’s Limited Edition Neon Nail Polish is available in six explosive hues that include Neon Green, Neon Yellow, Neon… MORE

Intactivist Doinkle Activists

Initiative to Ban Circumcision on San Francisco's November Ballot

San Francisco has an active body politic and often leads the rest of the country in innovation and social change so it shouldn't come as a surprise that a group of San Francisco ‘intactivists’ has gathered… MORE

Opt-in Phone Directories

San Francisco's Phone Book Ban Could be the End of the Yellow Pages

San Francisco was the first city in the United States to ban plastic bags and it may also be the first to enact a phone book ban. The Board of Supervisors voted 10 to 1 to ban phone books from being delivered… MORE

Sea Garbage Harvests

European Fishermen Earn Cash for Ocean Trash

The EU is underwriting a pilot program that will let fishermen earn cash for ocean trash. If the plan works, it could not only help clean up the debris, but prevent the common practice of tossing up to… MORE

Life-Changing Brain Scans

New Test Could Determine Consciousness in Vegetative Patients

There is a new test that may help determine whether consciousness in vegetative patients exists. By monitoring the way brains respond to sounds played through headphones, researchers are able to determine… MORE

Controversial Animal Research Ads

RAT-HER Billboard Asks Who You Would Rather See Live

Recently, a number of pro-animal-research RAT-HER billboards were seen in Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore and Madison, Wisconsin. Funded by the nonprofit Foundation for Biomedical Research,… MORE

Pollution-Eating Buildings

Smog-Bashing Architectural Veneers Wear Alcoa's EcoClean Skins

Alcoa Architectural Products has introduced a patent-pending architectural panel called Reynobond with EcoClean. Reynobond is a prepainted aluminum coil-coated panel. EcoClean is a proprietary superhydrophilic… MORE

High-Tech Bandages

The Heart Nanopatch Provides a Scaffold for Natural Tissue Rebuild

Researchers are using carbon nanofibers stitched with polymer mesh to make a heart nanopatch that allows nature to heal damaged heart tissue. The heart nanopatch creates a scaffold that heart cells populate… MORE

Youth-Centric Policy Proposals

Paul Stern Wants the U.S. to Shift to Age-Weighted Voting

Paul Stern of the Ground Report has proposed that America implement age-weighed voting to give the young more power. Stern reasons that old people don’t have as of a stake in the future as do the young… MORE

Artery-Implanted Generators

Tiny Vascular Turbine Uses Blood Flow to Produce Power for Pacemakers

Swiss researchers have invented tiny vascular turbines that, when placed inside a human artery, can produce energy to power pacemakers and other critical medical devices. The vascular turbine could be… MORE

Featured Ideas

Meditative Table Designs

Artist Sebastian Brajkovic Freezes the Motion of Time in Furniture

Brajkovic table designs are meditations on time and space that combine stretching and stilling with familiar reference points. They have a lot to say. Brajkovic’s low aluminum Lathe table seems to be… MORE

Almost Serious Pottery

Clay Art from Cody Pottery Features Funny Feet on Bowls and Mugs

Bowls and mugs arenâ€™t the only pieces that clay artist Terri Cody creates in her Ritzville, Washington studio, but they are some of the more amusing. Many of the designs come with unexpected footing-â€”duckâ€™s… MORE

Fly-By Leak Finding

Pilotless Drone Plane Monitors Water Meters & Stops Water Waste

Cities like New York lose more than 45 percent of their water because of leaky pipes. Israeli-based Arad Group has invented a fly-by leak finding system that uses a two-pound airborne drone to both monitor… MORE

Suspension Rug Huts

Rughut Mat Transforms from Floor Covering to Personal Space

The Rughut by Myung Jieun is an interior rug that doubles as a cozy hut. The hut is formed when the rug is drawn up by pulling on an orange colored elastic cord. Once it's gathered into a hut shape, the… MORE

Culture-Driven Economic Revivals

Coal & Steel Region Forges Art Future as EU Culture Capital

The Ruhr region of western Germany was once a thriving industrial zone that is now a collection of abandoned industrial sites. The disused sites are being transformed into museums and performance venues… MORE

Electric Roadsters

The Dual-Motor RUF Porsche eRuf Greenster for 2010 Production

The â€˜Greensterâ€™ is an all-electric green car married to a classic-looking roadster design. It is the result of a collaboration between RUF Automobile and Siemens Corporate Technology. The Greenster… MORE

Disconnected Interviews

Sarah Palin Dishes on Natural Gas, Sexist Jokes & the Economy

Sometimes news interviews don’t make much sense. A case in point is a 'Today Show' interview of Sarah Palin conducted by Matt Lauer. The interview began by questioning the Alaska governor about a natural… MORE

iPhone Cases for Gearheads

Case-Mate ‘Vroom Tire Tread Pattern' for iPhone 3G

The Vroom Tire Tread Pattern Case for iPhone 3G by Case-Mate is made of impact-resistant rubber. With your purchase, you get the rubber case, screen protector, a card to squeeze out bubbles while installing… MORE

Recycled Feline Loungers

DIY Cardboard Cat Chaise is a Catastic Idea

Cats love cardboard boxes and cats love to sleep. Why not allow these two facts to culminate in the DIY production of an eco-friendly cardboard chaise lounge for your feline friends? The instructions… MORE

Cake Kits for Dogs

'Puppy Cakes' Boxed Mixes for DIY Canine Celebrations

Puppy Cake owner, Kelly Chaney wondered why cake mix should be a people-only product. After a bit of pondering, she decided that it shouldn't. That was the beginning of 'Puppy Cake' cake mixes for dogs.… MORE

Mushroom Bricks

Mycroform Molds Shape Fungi-Based Building Material into Blocks

Sustainable Spanish Ecotecture

A-Cero & Joaquin Torres Design Eco Power Research Facility in Murci

Madrid-based international architecture firm A-cero and architect Joaquín Torres won an architectural competition for an academic research center that studies renewable energy sources in Murcia, Spain.… MORE

Neighborhood Batteries

Community Energy Storage Comes to Ohio and Detroit

Backed with $75 million in US Department of Energy smart grid demonstration grants, American Electric Power is starting a first in the country large-scale distributed battery storage project. The project… MORE

Handpainted Eyeglasses

Artful Sun Shields and Readers by Karin Frye

Karin Frye handpaints sunglasses and reading glasses with colorful geometric designs. The eyewear is available in a number of styles and the readers are available in different magnification strengths.… MORE