Keynote Speaker

Omar Yusuf

Journalist, philosopher, political theorist
Articles
615
Views
2,572,000
Location
Downtown Toronto, Ontario
Member Since
Jun 2011
The name's Omar and I'm 21 years old. I play a level 14 Rogue in Dungeons and Dragons, I comment on contemporary politics and I study metaphysical philosophy. The movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” appropriately describes my life. Go watch it' the 1956 version.
What is unique that's not in your bio?
By no stretch of the imagination have I led a "normal" life. From video game design to Hapkido instruction, I've done it all! Fortunately, after two decades of nomadic globe-trotting, I've found my niche: journalism. And what better way are good ideas transmitted? I submit that none exist.
What's your favorite accomplishment?
Being published in Electronic Gaming Monthly, a magazine which I read from the age of six.
How do you define cool?
Jazz. More specifically, Thelonius Monk.
What is your secret to uncovering trends?
As the famous Buddhist philosopher Laozi puts it, “First you must become. Then you will know.” That's my round-about way of saying, participate in the trend and find out where it's going: Up or down.
What do you enjoy most about Trend Hunter?
The things I learn on a daily basis. One hour on Trend Hunter leaves me with more news and information than the average university lecture.
How do you reset to be creative?
A cigarette, a coffee and some quiet.
What inspires or excites you?
Humanity, computers and how both will combine in the near future.
Predict something awesome for 2020?
We'll all upload our minds onto computers. Think of The Matrix, minus the antagonistic machines.
Palatial Billionaire Trucks
Palatial Billionaire Trucks
The JetVan Shields the Wealthy from the Prying Eyes of the 99%
With the eyes of the world drawn to the alarming disparity in global wealth and income, it's become difficult for the captains of industry to flaunt their fortunes without scrutiny, and the JetVan gives… MORE
Elderly Assuaging Androids
Elderly Assuaging Androids
Toco-Chan is a Robotic Panda That Keeps Grandpa Company
Despite what alarmist sci-fi writers may have assumed about the nefariousness of robots, modern machines are especially poised to take care of the elderly, and Toco-Chan is willing to prove it. Dr. Kabe… MORE
Curb Revival Campaigns
Curb Revival Campaigns
The Anda Project is Thankfully Beautifying Argentina
Taking inspiration from the success of the tile-plastering Space Invaders, a renowned street artist, a loose affiliation of Argentine DIY individuals have congregated under the banner of the Anda Project,… MORE
Professional Play Date Services
Professional Play Date Services
Floh Gives Socialites a Non-Awkward Way to Make Friends
Acknowledging the reality that adults have few socially-approved means of making new friends, Floh is an innovative new social network that hopes to connect Bohemian adults with like-minded professionals.… MORE
Energy-Sucking Supercomputers
Energy-Sucking Supercomputers
The K Computer is the World's Fastest, Clocking in at 10 Petaflops
A joint endeavor atwixt the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Fujitsu Corporation led to the recent completion of the K Computer, the first computer to break the 10 petaflop barrier and the fastest… MORE
Joy-Detecting Joysticks
Joy-Detecting Joysticks
Sony's Biometric Controller Will Know How Entertained or Stressed You Are
According to recent patents filed on behalf of Sony Entertainment, the industry may be one step closer to the game-changing reality of a Biometric Controller. The idea has been floating around for years,… MORE
International Time Tellers
International Time Tellers
The GMT Watch Lets You Know the Hour Around the World
The GMT Watch, designed by the legendary watchmakers at Greubel Forsey, will ensure you're never late for an appointment abroad, or in your native country. To all the globetrotting businessmen: This timepiece… MORE
Green Gridiron Stadiums
Green Gridiron Stadiums
Apogee Stadium Aims for Carbon Neutrality in all 31,000 Seats
Setting an example for the wide-eyed students roaming through their halls, administrators at the University of North Texas decided to erect an entirely eco-friendly amphitheatre known as Apogee Stadium.… MORE
Tomato-Gushing Geysers
Tomato-Gushing Geysers
Weddings Will Have to Replace Chocolate With the Ketchup Fountain
Just when you thought wedding receptions couldn't get anymore exciting, a handful of art school students engineered this monument to snack food eating: the Ketchup Fountain. The fundamentals of the Ketchup… MORE
Convenient Book-Delivery Safes
Convenient Book-Delivery Safes
Amazon Lockers are Perfect for Those Who are Impatient
You'll jump with excitement at the news of the Amazon Locker on the condition you meet two requirements: You're a native New Yorker, Londoner or Seattle citizen, and a regular customer of the online retailer.… MORE
Tabletop Tablet Games
Tabletop Tablet Games
GameChanger Presents Tech-Infused Fun
Ever since Sony first showcased the augmented reality perks of their EyeToy, I've been waiting for more tabletop games to integrate widely-available technology like the iPad into their gameplay, and finally,… MORE
Outer-Space Attire
Outer-Space Attire
British Pop Icon Jessie J Borrows Her Outfit from the 5th Element Set
As a lifelong fan of Luc Besson's award-winning film The Fifth Element, one might ask how I feel about soul artist Jessie J "borrowing" her dress from the film's female role. To be honest, I'm slightly… MORE
Life-Saving Geckos
Life-Saving Geckos
The TBCP-11 Will Prevent Danger in the Near Future
Biomimicry is the practice of reverse engineering natural life and fabricating machinery based on the observations, and the TBCP-11 is the perfect example of how to productively learn from the 5 billion… MORE
Upper Atmosphere Airships
Upper Atmosphere Airships
The Tandem Airship Heralds the Beginning of a New Space Age
The line dividing the domains of outer space and inner-atmosphere flight is quickly being blurred by inventions like the Tandem Airship, which recently claimed the record for the highest altitude flight… MORE
Sun-Powered Camping Tools
Sun-Powered Camping Tools
The 'mPowerpad' Ensures Your Batteries Stay Charged
Tech-savvy campers and backpackers can breathe easy knowing that the 'mPowerpad' is market-ready! The solar-powered device boasts a plethora of practical solutions to outdoor problems, including the ability… MORE
Laser-Powered Prosthetics
Laser-Powered Prosthetics
The Pentagon's Fiber Optic Arm is Being Fitted to Amputated Veterans
When an American soldier is wounded in the process of serving his country, the Pentagon and armed services have a tendency of throwing their full weight behind his recovery, and the Fiber Optic Arm hopes… MORE
Nuclear Level Notifications
Nuclear Level Notifications
The Home Radiation Detector Will Message About High Radiation Counts
Building atop their success with their radiation-sensing iPhone attachment, the researchers at Scosche have pushed their most recent invention into the limelight: The Home Radiation Detector. So-called… MORE
Tree-Tracking Chips
Tree-Tracking Chips
The Green Action Institute is Preventing Deforestation with RFIDs
Radio frequency identifiers (RFIDs) have been used to track product proliferation, lost pets and the progress of secure cargo, but now the Green Action Institute is hoping to prevent the illegal deforestation… MORE
One-Second Morning Meals
One-Second Morning Meals
The Flip-Down Breakfast Toaster Prepares a Meal Fast
For the typical unattached urbanite, breakfast is a lonely bowl of cereal, but with the Flip-Down Breakfast Toaster, it certainly doesn't have to be that way. Instead of being reminded how depressing a… MORE
Multi-Tablet Outlets
Multi-Tablet Outlets
Fuel Two iPads in No Time with the Dual Travel Charging Hub
At this point, most households can boast ownership of one or more iOS devices, and fortunately for those families, Mobile manufacturer Qmadix has recently introduced the Dual Travel Charging Hub, a power… MORE
Eco-Friendly Moth Patches
Eco-Friendly Moth Patches
Clothes Plasters are the Green Way of Maintaining Tattered Clothes
After pulling her oft-neglected clothes from her closet, graphic designer Jennie Maizels noticed a number of gaping holes created by hungry moths and devised the Clothes Plasters, a line of patches meant… MORE
Transportation Synergy Plans
Transportation Synergy Plans
The Thames Hub Airport Will Truly Connect London with the World
Despite already being considered a world-class business and vacation destination, the city of London is embarking on an $80 billion project called the Thames Hub Airport, a terminal which will make trans-European… MORE
Mid-Market Eco Cars
Mid-Market Eco Cars
The 2012 Focus Electric is Ford's Attempt at Going Green Permanently
The automotive industry is only beginning to come to terms with the reality that the era of gas-guzzling vehicles is long over, and industry giants like Ford are slowly reconciling with the environment… MORE
Calorie-Counting Apps
Calorie-Counting Apps
PlateMate Will Provide All the Information of a Nutritionist
Because hiring a nutritionist to judge the health value of everything you eat is hardly a reasonable option, Harvard researchers Jon Noronha and Eric Hysen developed PlateMate, an intuitive application… MORE
Substitute Super-Cities
Substitute Super-Cities
Back-Up Tokyo is the Government's Special Plan to Replace Japan's Capital
In almost every piece of science fiction, Japan is devastated by some maniacal genius, a meteorite or nuclear war, so upon hearing about the government's plan titled Back-Up Tokyo, an initiative to built… MORE
Outer-Orbit Laser Lassoos
Outer-Orbit Laser Lassoos
NASA's Optical Tweezer Will Bring the Imagined Tractor Beam to Rea
Proving the age-old adage “science-fiction informs science” to be wholeheartedly true, NASA’s Optical Tweezer hopes to bring the infamous tractor beam from Star Wars and Trek into the tangible real world.… MORE
Upcycled Plum Containers
Upcycled Plum Containers
InPlum Reclaims 'Fruit Waste' to Fabricate a New Building Material
After noting that her country of origin, the Republic of Chile, was the second largest exporter of dehydrated plums in the world, Genoveva Cifuentes sought to find a use for the 47,000 tonnes of annually… MORE
Household 3D Holograms
Household 3D Holograms
HP's TopShot Printer Not Only Prints, but Scans in 3 Dimenions
While everyone knew the day would eventually come when printing 3-dimensional objects from home was feasible, few people anticipated the arrival of HP's Topshot Printer, which not only copies, prints and… MORE
Multiple Helping Hamburgers
Multiple Helping Hamburgers
Burger King's New Pizza-Sized Whopper is a Meal for Five
Somehow the Japanese seem to have the best ideas, even when they're under the management of Western entrepreneurs; the Pizza-Sized Whopper is a testament to their devotion to innovative marketing, competitive… MORE
Hero Heritage Banners
Hero Heritage Banners
Greg Guillemin Amassed His Knowledge of Art Deco to Produce These Posters
Art Deco, an eclectic and artistic style that germinated in 1920s Paris, has inspired all spheres of design including jewelry, fashion, industrial design and even these comic book adaptations by Greg Guillemin.… MORE
Personal Flight Outfits
Personal Flight Outfits
Get Ready for Halloween 2012 With the Rocketeer Rocket Pack
Though Halloween may already be over, it's never too early to prepare for next year and the DIY'd Rocketeer Rocket Pack will take the better part of the next year to cobble together. Don't worry though,… MORE
Reusable Solar Relay
Reusable Solar Relay
The LuminAID is an Inflatable, Waterproof, Solar-Powered Lightbulb
Backpackers and disaster survivors are always in desperate need of accessible, renewable light sources and the LuminAID hopes to occupy that vacuum of consumer demand with its intuitive, low-maintenance… MORE
Glowing Jogging Jewelry
Glowing Jogging Jewelry
The SlapLit Turns Slap Bracelets From Fashion Accessory to Safety Gadget
Slap bracelets numbered among the dozens of trite fads that dominated the '90s, yet their quaint charm is being repurposed for the sake of outdoor safety thanks to the SlapLit. It's always been important… MORE
Hovering Attack Humvees
Hovering Attack Humvees
The Pentagon's Transformer FX Will Take Infantry Combat to the Skies
After initial contractual bidding concluded late last year, the Pentagon and its peers in the weapons industry have finally cobbled together the final plans for the military's famed flying Humvee, the… MORE
Song-Sharing Apps
Song-Sharing Apps
Embarrass Yourself Worldwide with the Red Karaoke Application
Red Karaoke capitalizes on the subculture who loves to belt out tunes, and aims to connect fans and cover artists from across the planet with this new app. Whether your thing is John Elton or the Wu-Tang… MORE
Monstrous Coffee Mugs
Monstrous Coffee Mugs
The Creature Cup is the Best Way to Scare Yourself Awake in the Morning
For some people, coffee in the morning isn't enough, they need an arresting shock or scare before they're fully awake; for those people, there's the Creature Cup. Available in two variations, these cups… MORE

Featured Ideas

Luminous Latte Lamps
Luminous Latte Lamps
Christian DuCharme's Light Fixtures Forces Us to Think About Coffee
Made from hundreds of famous NYC "It's a Pleasure to Serve You" coffee cups, filters and spoons, Christian DuCharme's art installation asks difficult questions about pop culture's ambivalent, sometimes… MORE
Dystopian Adaptation Deals
Dystopian Adaptation Deals
HBO Picks up Stephen King's Dark Tower Books for Serialization
Fans of Stephen King, arguably the most important horror writer in modern fiction, are typically aware of the radical departure from King’s earlier work that The Dark Tower series represents. Regardless,… MORE
Creative Cremation Cultivation
Creative Cremation Cultivation
Poetree is a Plant that Grows from the Ashes of Your Loved Ones
Although the death of an animal (human or otherwise) is naturally eco-friendly, funeral conventions have made the process 'un-green' and sometimes toxic -- fortunately, Poetree will connect the diseased… MORE
Classic Literary Gadgets
Classic Literary Gadgets
The Jane Eyre Dock Discretely Powers Your iPhone
The Jane Eyre Dock is the work of Etsy user 'inbook,' who either was intent on making a statement about obsolescence or simply never liked Charlotte Brontë's books. As time passes, demand forces continue… MORE
Freemium Video Games
Freemium Video Games
Team Fortress 2: Triple-A Goes Free-to-Play
For several years now, Team Fortress 2 has been a creative venue for the developers at Valve, allowing the game designers to steadily introduce risky, yet promising ideas. The company’s enterprising philosophy… MORE
Webcam-Connected Bars
Webcam-Connected Bars
Gobefore Combines Facial Recognition, Social Media and Heavy Drinking
If you’re sitting at home and mulling over whether to visit your local dive, Gobefore should help you come to a swift, albeit Orwellian conclusion. Established by handful of Sonoma County... MORE
Tasteful Transmission Towers
Tasteful Transmission Towers
Plexus and Other Pylon Designs Will Soon Invade the Countryside
The 88,000 electrical pylons embedded across the British Isles haven't received so much as a paint job in their century-long existence, so Plexus, T-Pylon and other designs hope to replace the aging look… MORE
Outer-Space Attire
Outer-Space Attire
British Pop Icon Jessie J Borrows Her Outfit from the 5th Element Set
As a lifelong fan of Luc Besson's award-winning film The Fifth Element, one might ask how I feel about soul artist Jessie J "borrowing" her dress from the film's female role. To be honest, I'm slightly… MORE
Instant Inhaler Energy
Instant Inhaler Energy
The AeroShot Wakes You up in a Matter of Milliseconds
The AeroShot is precisely what most people need in those fleeting morning moments when one questions his or her ability to crawl out of bed. Sometimes, you simply need a kick of energy. Designed in the… MORE
Alcohol-Driven Tourism
Alcohol-Driven Tourism
The Fabled Drink Mezcal is Attracting Tourists from Around the World
Best known for having a worm or two at the bottom of each bottle, Mezcal is among the least-known traditional Mexican drinks -- but not for long. The strange, agave-based drink is fueling interest in the… MORE
Detergent-Free Threads
Detergent-Free Threads
Researchers at UC Davis Have Successfully Invented Self-Cleaning Clothes
The world of laundry hasn't seen real innovation for a long time, until the announcement by material chemists at UC Davis that they had completed research on self-cleaning clothes. That's right, the fibres… MORE
Personnel-Rating Apps
Personnel-Rating Apps
We&Co Allows You to Meet Your Barista and Rate Him
If you haven't yet introduced yourself to your neighborhood barista, bartender or videostore clerk, We&Co; will help you break the ice. A new iPhone application released on July 15 allows business owners… MORE
Interactive Fashion Factories
Interactive Fashion Factories
The New Balance Flagship Store in NYC is a Conveyor Belt of Style
The operative theme at the New Balance flagship retail location in the Big Apple is experience. The footwear manufacturer wants you to experience its products, the lifestyle it offers and the brand itself.… MORE
Comedic Technology Campaigns
Comedic Technology Campaigns
The 'Everyone On' HP Touchpad Advertisements are Hilarious
In the hopes of differentiating itself from other companies in the now saturated tablet market, Hewlett-Packard has launched the 'Everyone On' campaign -- an ambitious move that enlists the star power… MORE