Abstract Digest #14

Abstract Digest #14
Hello and welcome to this week’s Abstract Digest, a roundup of the weeks best in creativity, news and discussion. Let us know if we missed any articles on Twitter.

Future
John Lewis predicts the rise of the ‘master shopper’ and virtual reality.
Affordable motion capture suit will let you experience the full potential of virtual reality.
Apple’s Tim Cook prophesises ‘massive change’ ahead for the car industry.
7 amazing online fashion startups changing their industry.
Junior doctors: 7 in 10 to leave NHS if Hunt pushes through new contract.
Oslo will be completely car-free by 2019.
Aspirin trial to examine if it can stop cancer returning.
Wikileaks to release contents of CIA chief’s email account.
London is now home to the Starbucks of the future.

Present
This smart hairclip translates sound to vibrations for the hearing impaired.
Facebook has launched a feature that will warn you if it suspects that “state-sponsored” acts are trying to access your account.
Who is Justin Trudeau, Canada’s next prime minister?
Scientists make an artificial heart out of foam.
This clever ad uses everyday metaphors to describe fight with breast cancer.
Solar power can make a difference in the small, but important things.
An inside look at YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service.
Retailer Monsoon tops the UK ‘minimum wage of shame list’.

Past
Ermahgerddon! What happens when you become a meme.
Playboy magazine has lost its cool and now its nudity – where does it go from here?
Game of trolls: how I took on the internet sexists with Misogyny Monday.
In politics the meaning of ‘moderniser’ is hard to pin down.
The ‘best times to post’ debunked – for good.
Eight ridiculous Americanisms I shed after a decade of international travel.
10 tricks to appear smart during meetings. (Maybe).
‘Snapchat makes me feel insecure’, writes 15 year old.
What marketing predictions did Back to the Future Part II get right?
Should we ditch kids menus in restaurants?

Also
NYC taxi pilot will ditch the meter and calculate your fare with GPS.
Proud amputees celebrate their prosthetics as fashion accessories.
A digital skills charity are pushing to make sure that everyone has ‘the five basic digital skills‘ – do you?
World record holding chicken sends first tweets for fast food outlet.
Traditional Japanese instruments make this ‘Smooth Criminal’ cover cooler than the original.
As promised, Nike finally reveals sneakers with powered laces.
Stanford built a self-driving, electric DeLorean and it does donuts.
Take a stroll through an abandoned castle.