Nike has researched how the weather conditions influence the physical activity of amateur athletes. The team behind Nike FuelBand, Nike’s revolutionary bracelet that measures a person whole-body movement throughout the day, conducted a research to reveal the perfect atmospheric conditions for all sorts of athletic performances. The team used the activity patterns data collected across the USA, so the results apply to Americans only.

The London-based advertising agency isobel has conducted an online survey among 1250 UK adults in December 2013 to discover the happiest brands in the UK. As it turns out, for the British the happiest brands are digital giants, confectionary and body care labels. The ranking is topped by Cadbury, Andrex, Google, Fairy and Nivea, with a range of banks and political parties occupying the bottom of the list.

Advertising agency JWT London has conducted a research in summer 2013 to discover what it means to be a man today. The 27-page study reveals the insights into hopes and fears of 500 British consumers of three generations of men: Gen Y, Gen X and Boomers. The “Masculinity & Modernity: Investigating the Men of Britain Today” research spans three major themes—the outer man (self-image, style, beauty, body, and more), the inner man (signals of masculinity, male pride, and more), and marketing to men.

Traditionally, at the end of each year the research firm JWT Intelligence releases the list of Top 100 Things to Watch for the coming 12 months. While in 2013 the most trending topics were the rise of «appcessories,» peer-to-peer partnerships, detoxification and mindful living, in 2014 we might witness the boom of haptic technology, so-called heads-up movement and development of edible packaging.

IBM has unveiled its annual report “5 in 5,” featuring predictions on computing technologies—cognitive systems—that will develop within the next 5 years to improve our lives. The forecast is focusing on such areas as learning, retail, healthcare, urban living and safety—each theme is illustrated by a vivid infographics and animated video plus a prediction provided by a researcher/expert in the field. Find highlights from the paper below.