Have you noticed how people are saying “back in the day” all of a sudden? Even people that weren’t born “back in the day”. What does it mean? OK, it’s the title of a (2014) film, but surely that’s not it. My take on it is that it means back before things got complex and confusing (or perhaps pre-2008 when money went mad, in which case 20-somethings were indeed around then).

Will the phrase disappear and fast as it arrived (like “step up”, “Heads up” or “reach out”) or will it endure? I’ll give it to the end of this year.

Spotted in Birmingham yesterday. I know it’s a bit of fun, but it does worry me a little.

I couldn’t resist just one more. I guess this falls under the trend heading of ‘convenience’ or perhaps its deregulation? I’m now back in the UK but sitting in London City airport, which is, without a doubt, the easiest way to fly anywhere in the UK. I’m off to Denmark for the day.

I’ve been at Cape Canaveral trying to make myself more interesting. However, the really interesting stuff has been littered all around. I especially liked the apples made to taste like grapes (Grapples, of course), although I was very disappointed that the apples that taste of bubblegum have been withdrawn due to a lack of demand. Also of note is the Disney fruit pictured.

On a more serious note, did you know that US electricity use is close to falling year on year? How come? Surely it’s growing massively. The reason, apparently, is the decline of heavy manufacturing in the US.

Spotted in Wal-Mart.

I’m not kidding. You will be able to buy this very soon. Probably this year. A company has invented a toy called the Force Trainer that allows you to lift a ball by just thinking about it. It really is mind over matter. Electrical thoughts in your brain are transferred to the machine and this starts a small fan that blows the ball up a tube. It’s not quite levitation but it’s close. Two firms already in the mind control toy business are Mattel and Uncle Milton Industries.

A contact at the Times newspaper just sent me an email saying that at ASDA (a UK supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart) has announced that local food sales are up 41% on this time last year in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland has also shown a marked increase in sales, with 29% increase in sales.

I’ve been bagging on about localisation being a powerful counter-trend to globalisation for some time and also, obviously, the importance of provenance, not only within food but also in other areas too. This is something that’s worth tracking in my opinion. I’d expect globalisation to slow in coming years with economic protectionism rising significantly.

BTW, just book a copy of a History of the Future by Jacques Attali. Report soon.