Items by By ROB WALKER
NYT > Business
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The Machine That Makes You Musical
Posted: November 26th, 2011, 10:00pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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Is everyone musical? One sonic pioneer thinks so. And he has the technology to prove it.
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Consumed: Highfliers
Posted: November 27th, 2010, 10:09am EST by By ROB WALKER
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Why the manufacture of private jets is still big business.
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Consumed: Good News, Bad News
Posted: October 30th, 2010, 12:30am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Can negative publicity help? The research says yes — under the right circumstances.
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Consumed: A Real Find
Posted: December 4th, 2009, 1:33pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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A furniture maker hypes its wares by leaving them out with the trash.
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Consumed: Sleeping Gag
Posted: November 28th, 2009, 4:51pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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A joke sleeping bag is just absurd enough to get serious interest.
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Consumed: Reality Bytes
Posted: November 13th, 2009, 11:23pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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Does “augmented reality” technology help us see deeper into what’s before our eyes?
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Consumed: Exclusivity for All
Posted: October 2nd, 2009, 11:08pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Buying expensive luxury goods — along with an aura of virtuous thrift.
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Consumed: Cleaned Sheets
Posted: August 28th, 2009, 10:58pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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A stripped-down version of a mass retailer offers one business model for the Great Recession.
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Consumed: Boxers, Not Briefs
Posted: August 7th, 2009, 11:58am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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An indie designer comes up against a big trademark owner — and the unexpected happens.
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Consumed: Eyelash of the Beholder
Posted: August 1st, 2009, 6:07pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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A pharmaceutical doesn’t claim to cure an illness. But is it a symptom of a different disorder?
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Consumed: Marketing Pose
Posted: July 23rd, 2009, 3:27am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Saluting the sun in a downward-dog economy.
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Consumed: This Year’s Model
Posted: July 10th, 2009, 12:48am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Wearing one dress for 365 days sounds austere — but not in this case.
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Consumed: Refurbishing Normal
Posted: April 16th, 2009, 11:01pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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How consumer expectations about the home have changed, and how they might change again.
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Consumed: Work Study
Posted: April 12th, 2009, 12:01am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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How to create a million-dollar business before graduating from college.
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Consumed: Panel Discussion
Posted: April 3rd, 2009, 11:14am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Buying into solar power — and into the potential appeal of collective buying.
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Consumed: S.U.V. and Sympathy
Posted: March 17th, 2009, 2:24pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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An automaker offers reassurance — and, perhaps more important, commiseration.
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Consumed: S.U.V. and Sympathy
Posted: March 17th, 2009, 2:24pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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An automaker offers reassurance — and, perhaps more important, commiseration.
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Consumed: Funny Business
Posted: March 10th, 2009, 5:21pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Blankets with sleeves benefit from satire — and the sales are no joke.
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Consumed: Dumb and Dumber 2.0
Posted: January 30th, 2009, 2:12pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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An old joke gets a digital remake — and attracts consumers in a down economy.
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Consumed: Tap Dance
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:25pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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Want to stand out in a category that’s all about subtracting? Add something.
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Consumed: Slow Pitch
Posted: January 3rd, 2009, 11:03pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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An “anti-energy” drink’s novel image: chic — or shameful?
NYT > Health
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Consumed: Slow Pitch
Posted: January 3rd, 2009, 11:03pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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An “anti-energy” drink’s novel image: chic — or shameful?
NYT > Business
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Consumed: Talk Is Cheap
Posted: December 12th, 2008, 5:01pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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Consumer spending finally falters — can it be good news?
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Consumed: Delayed Gratification
Posted: November 28th, 2008, 12:41pm EST by By ROB WALKER
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A new installment for an old form of payment.
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Consumed: Goodwill Hunting
Posted: November 1st, 2008, 11:49pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Rebranding castoffs as couture or at least competitive with Wal-Mart.
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Consumed: Ultimate Branding
Posted: August 31st, 2008, 12:57am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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A clothing line promises the “lifestyle” of people who kick one another in the face.
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Consumed: The Sole of a Worker
Posted: August 15th, 2008, 5:48pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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A simple shoe popular among Chinese laborers gets a style makeover for the Western consumer.
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Consumed: New Looks
Posted: August 3rd, 2008, 12:40am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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An art entrepreneur makes his way into a new realm -- the art world.
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Consumed: Mash-Up Model
Posted: July 19th, 2008, 12:28am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Music you could never buy on iTunes tests the pay-what-you-want business model.
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Consumed: The Indie Look
Posted: June 13th, 2008, 6:06pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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T-shirts celebrating little-guy capitalism — or at least the idea of it.
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Consumed: The Silence Generation
Posted: June 7th, 2008, 1:26am EDT by By ROB WALKER
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Technology adapts to eliminate the clatter of the city life, one person at a time.
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Consumed: This Joke’s for You
Posted: May 1st, 2008, 1:55pm EDT by By ROB WALKER
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A satirical product from a dark comedy crosses over to reality.