Now that we've covered the basic methods of identifying topics, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. This can be tough work, but I don’t mind getting a little messy. I’m like the Mike Rowe of trend hunting – but without the contract to pimp Ford trucks. Maybe you have a gut feeling about something that might be a trend. Before you unleash your mind-dazzling observations on the community, put a little more thought into exactly WHY you think it is a trend. There's a very fine line between a genuine trend and the herd mentality of mass adoption.

Where would Bruce Springsteen be without his trusty blonde Telecaster? What would Annie Leibovitz do without her camera? How could Elmer Fudd hunt Bugs Bunny without his shotgun? Whether you are a rock star, a celebrity photographer, a cartoon archenemy … or a trend hunter – you need the right weapon to get the job done. We already established that everyone is a trend hunter to some extent. But your level of success depends on the time, tenacity and tools that you bring to the table.

Every day I wake up, look in the mirror and marvel at the gorgeous physical specimen staring back at me. I soak it all in and think about how lucky my wife is to have me. Then I shake off the remnants of that final pre-alarm dream and take another look at the disheveled guy with unruly red locks and badass Jedi boxers. That’s when I see the 40-year-old father of a 4-year-old daughter, a husband, and a friend to what seems to be an endless array of people. I am blessed with innumerable online "F3s" (friends, fans and followers) with whom I feel the need to connect in some way. I also feel hopelessly out of touch.

Hi. My name is Justice, and I'm FOMO. This means I have a "fear of missing out." This affliction causes me to be “cool hunting” at all times as I try to stay on top of what's breaking in creativity. Think of it like petting the cat in “Dune” to get the serum that will maintain my life. Stupid. Dear Lord, did I really just type that?

Cloud computing services: This should come as no real revelation. Cloud computing and everything cloud-related will explode from here on out. I'm also going to make the assumption that my readership already knows about cloud computing. If not, go here and get your learning on.

Subject: "Budget Crisis" Dear Mrs. Adams, I know that this may fall on deaf ears but in all my political ignorance I've only recently come to understand the breadth of the budget crisis through educated conversations with my spouse. I'm not sure what is being done, but I wanted to express my fear to someone with the power to change.

Fall (October) rollout Rumors & Discussion websites: http://iphone5world.net/ http://iphone5release.org/ http://www.iphone5specs.org/

I was hit with sound clarity in a discussion over the weekend that came to a crystal-clear resolution for me is that the United States of America is going to be in an never-ending conflict with factors beyond our control due to the advancement of social media, it's citizen journalism and the emotional weaknesses of its people. If you have a cell phone you have the power to enact great emotional upheaval. And dependent upon your view of chaos math, that content could even go as far as starting a war. And this does not come on a soapbox claiming innocence of this stance, I will outline thoroughly that I'm as/if not more guilty than you all.

That's right, with a bit of crowd-sourcing and a whole lotta' love we give you the 'awesome sauce' list. I'm sure there's a million things we missed, so consider this a conversation starter. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Here's a little list* that I complied of things that I think are not nearly as good as the past two (even three) decades. This is of course my opinion, but it's my blog so piss off. But seriously the "craft" of so many things has just failed us as a society, as we readily are willing to digest any crap because we're to lazy to make anything better

Here's an interesting article debating the likes of #EA and others regarding digital influence: http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/social-media-a-bad-measure-influence/227557/ - while well rounded, I must say to think that #SoMe is the (by no means) not the only measurement. Most current metrics are flawed to begin with as there's no defined standards and regulatory compliance. I practice #SoMe and don't hold nearly the stock in klout and other services as this article seems to portray. What are your thoughts?

In a day and age where more content is generated in a minute on Facebook than a year virtually a decade ago, I see publishing a book as tired mediocre into the foray of 'perceived credibility'. Much like the psychological phenomena of 'social proof,' it seems that you're only invited to the big-boy table if you cranked out a few boxes of dead trees...