Cash free and free cash

The Twitter ‘free cash' phenomenon has spread to Europe.  In the US @HiddenCash has been posting clues online to the whereabouts of cash prizes.  The idea was copied in the UK and, it has been announced, will expand into France and Spain.The idea is simple - the donor publishes clues to the location of hidden cash.  Those who find it are asked to tweet photos of themselves with their ‘treasure'.  The idea is more than 21^st century philanthropy - it is also being billed as "a social media experiment for good".While some people are tracking down free cash via social media, others are looking forward to a cash free summer.

Cash free

• London buses have announced they are becoming ‘cash-free'.
• Following in the footsteps of Burning Man in the US and the UK's 2012 Wireless Festival, many Swedish music festivals are planning to become cash-free occasions in 2014.  Festival-goers will be able to pay by swiping their armbands which they will have ‘topped up' with cash before they arrive.

Wearable tech

The smart festival armband is just one example of a connected wearable.  This year's Brand Z survey (featured elsewhere on this blog) highlights the rapid growth of both the apparel and the technology sectors.  These two sectors overlap in wearable technologies.  A recent example is the proposed launch of Ringly, a gold ring which vibrates and lights up to let the wearer know they are receiving calls or texts. Apparently missed calls of the bane of women who can't locate their own phones in their own handbags (!)