A zebra’s black-and-white stripes resemble a barcode–now biologists are USING them that way, to identify individual zebras from a photo. In StripeSpotter, a scientist draws a rectangle around an image of the zebra’s side in a photo, then this part of the image is automatically sliced into a number of bands. Each zebra’s "barcode" is then entered into a database, so individual zebras can be identified from photos–an ideal way to keep track of the herd.read more

"Black Friday" is a strange name for the official first day of the Christmas shopping season, but people may have started calling it that because shoppers behave so badly in their rush to capture bargains.
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Can you forge an emotional bond with a brand so strong that, if forced to buy a competitor’s product, you suffer separation anxiety? According to a new study, the answer is yes. In fact, that bond can be strong enough that consumers are willing to sacrifice time, money, energy and reputation to maintain their attachment to that brand. Researchers C. Whan Park and Joseph A. DeBell asked consumers about several prominent brands: Quaker Oats oatmeal, iPod, and a university. Their study suggests that the greater a person’s brand attachment, the greater sacrifices a consumer will make to connect with or remain connected to it. In fact, their study suggests that this brand attachment can even be strong enough to induce separation anxiety when favorite brands are replaced by other products.read more

If you’re waiting for your Valentine’s Day present – The stereotype of a man’s reluctance to ask for driving directions holds true when he goes shopping as well: Women are much more likely to seek out other people, including store sales help, for guidance about purchases whereas men are more apt to go it alone.

Men also feel that they have certain areas of expertise. For instance, in a survey, men viewed themselves as much more knowledgeable about wine than the women, despite the fact that women buy 80% of the wine purchased in the United States.
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