Nate Graham

Is customisation and personalisation sustainable?
I think the context of customization and the brand behind it really matters. If customization emphasizes utility and is consciously created, with a focus on sincerely valuing the item, then it can be sustainable. If, instead customization is being implemented only for the sake of conspicuous consumption or for scarcity,…
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What is the best "Local Morning Media" that you read, listen or watch with your first cup of coffee?
I've been enjoying Percolate (http://www.percolate.com) in the mornings. It's a service that aggregates the most talked about news from your personal reader feeds, twitter account, and more. Since it serves up the top 5 blips, it quickly lets me know what's up, and saves me from reading and re-reading about…
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Who are the top 3 start-ups to date for 2011?
Whether or not they were created in 2011, I think the start-up stars (at least in mindshare) are definitely Color, AirBNB, and Square. Interestingly, it seems that much of their press revolves around the question of legitimacy. In regards to Color this means questioning the value of startups in general…
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Beer: The Rise Of The Can
I think a lot of the buzz around cans reached a fever pitch (at least on East coast, USA) with the arrival of Brooklyn-based Sixpoint in a can, earlier this summer. Brooklyn brewery started canning in 2011 too. Though drinkers have been swilling PBR and the like for ages, the…
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What are the top innovations in stores at the shelf that improve the user experience and drive sales?
I'm excited about social recommendation enhancing experiences with current examples being Crushd -crushdwines.com or Recco - myrecco.com. The ability to tap into the expertise of personal networks is potentially very powerful if done well and can scale broadly to many categories including: restaurants/specialty foods, technology, media, personal services, and more.
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