Taking Beer and Nuts to a Whole New Level

I have no clue how I have missed 10 years of a spice maker trying to drive taste trends, but I (and I suppose 95% of the public) missed the tenth annual McCormick^® Flavor Forecast this year.

I could not make this up if I wanted. McCormick^® , the world's largest spice company, has been unleashing this prognosticating tool since 2000. Their latest version can be found here. They've even opened up MORE with a grilling edition and a holiday edition.

I titled the blog post today on the 5th combination in their standard edition this year: almonds and ale. Seriously.

The flavor pairings only started in 2007, but the very notion that you can be predictive of what chefs, cooks, and laypeople at home will cook with is... brilliant?

The company has chef Kevan Vettar look at the crystal ball with a team of folks from around the country to come up with such combinations.

The seering works:

The [McCormick's] share price has more than doubled in the decade since the 2000 forecast. Since 2005 between 13 and 18 percent of nonretail sales have come from new products launched in the three preceding years.

What can you do with this? Does your business work in a creative field that would allow you to help drive the trends?

Can you create a report that drives attention to your business?

If nothing else, would you like to try some Sloppy Joe Sliders that taste of beer and nuts?

Slow Death or Rebirth for Myspace?

Are we really watching the slow inevitable death of Myspace? With the integration with Facebook complete and the push towards what appears to be a mobile only function , isn't it time to call this one? One report says that Myspace is making $200 million less this year. They are functionally giving up on Myspace Music , which was always their bread and butter. Without the music tie in, why would people BOTHER with Myspace? I'm talking about it because my wife's band has used every medium known to mankind to promote themselves online and Myspace has been nothing but dead weight from the very beginning. Only bands and their most ardent fans go there. The rest are on Facebook. There is talk of selling Myspace, but who in their right mind would consider it? This will have some interesting implications for bands down the road. Many use Myspace as their de facto website, just pushing their domain name onto the customizable site. Now apparently, Reverbnation , a North Carolin

Check out my appearance on the The Toddcast Podcast

Click and watch the podcast recording of my appearance on the Toddcast Podcast Such a fun time!

New Life

It's weird, sad and slightly freeing. I've been headed towards a completely different life for a lot longer than I even knew. It took me a while to catch up to realize it was happening. Thankfully, I was cognizant enough to see it finally and mostly ready for it. It's amazing when you have the rug completely pulled out from underneath you. The adjustments are jarring. I made mistakes, but like most I learned from them, adapted, and tried my best to do better. The reason you see that truck next to a storage place? That's the sum of my life right now. Never take for granted that you will work hard for something or someone, and it will end up meaning very little. You are guaranteed nothing, owed nothing, promised nothing. Anything and everything can be taken away in a heartbeat. I wrote this to my kids a while back: I tried to be the best father I could be based on what I knew when I knew it and how I could. One of the lessons for your life needs to be: you need to b

Todd Lyden

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