A group of Stanford students faced an impossible challenge: design an ultra-low cost, high-performance knee joint that is built for extreme conditions of the developing world. Two years later, their Jaipur Knee has been fit on over 300 amputees across the globe and highlighted in Time Magazine and Fast Company. 

We stopped by their Palo Alto office to see how they did it.

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Our new study in collaboration with interTrend, released 6/15/11:

In Japan, post 3/11, the similarities between Twitter and Haiku are uncanny. Twitter quickly became an outlet for emotion: shock, sadness, love, but mainly hope. Beyond the overall increase in Twitter-use, there was a shift in conversation towards these emotive keywords, according to a study just released by interTrend and Bassett & Partners.

Perhaps the new appeal of Twitter stems from this poetic form that is deeply ingrained in the Japanese psyche: Haiku.

For a culture that is traditionally seen to be reserved, this kind of openly emotional outpouring is nothing short of a cultural revolution. After 3/11, Twitter has bridged gaps among generations, social classes and regions within Japan. It has also given Japanese the opportunity to feel more included in the global community, and foreigners a better view into Japanese culture.

We’ll be posting the full written report soon; for an advance copy or to schedule a presentation, send us an email (cara.silver@bassett.tv).

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