Issue Date: January 20, 2008

The year of living smart

It's not enough to simply live better these days. All of us can push the edge a bit with new products ranging from ultra-mini cars to T-shirts that seek out Internet signals. Take a look at these.

By Reed Karaim

The early forecasts for 2008 have been, shall we say, not all that optimistic. A slump in the housing market, rising energy prices and unsteady financial markets have contributed to a feeling that the year could be a tumultuous one.

Prices for the ultra-mini car start at less than $12,000.

Nonetheless, life doesn't halt for uncertain times. The secret to doing well isn't hiding under the bed, but facing the world and making informed choices. In that spirit, we hereby christen 2008 "The Year of Living Smart."

To help you get in the mood, we have assembled our annual list of clever new products and smart new books, plays and fashion trends that are likely to capture your attention this year.

They range from the truly ingenious to the endearingly silly, because whatever the new year brings, a healthy sense of humor remains a sign of true wisdom.

Zippy wheels
We start with a car that actually has "smart" in its name. The Smart ForTwo, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, is a two-seat automobile that makes the Mini Cooper feel like a school bus. Only 8.8 feet long and a touch over 5 feet wide, the Smart ForTwo looks like a compact car that has had its rear end surgically removed.

After selling more than 800,000 Smart ForTwos in Europe and other areas around the world, Mercedes-Benz has decided the time is right to bring the vehicle to the United States. The Smart ForTwo, set to debut this month, is expected to start at $11,590, climbing to $16,590 for the convertible. Whatever model you choose, you'll get about 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 on the highway, a full complement of safety devices and the joy of knowing you can park in a fashion model's shadow.

Powerhouse umbrella
In 2005, three college students in the Netherlands began working on a design for an umbrella that wouldn't get blown inside out in fierce winds. The asymmetrically shaped umbrella they came up with looks a little like one of the helmets worn by the bad guys in "Star Wars," but the full-size model can withstand winds of 70 mph without turning into a bowl that collects rain. It's now available under the Senz by Totes brand name for $50 or $55.

Art beyond the boundaries
A number of major exhibitions this year will celebrate pioneering artists old and new.

A new exhibit looks at how movies affect our perception of reality.

Beginning Feb. 27, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art gives Americans a chance to view the works of rebellious 19th-century French painter Gustave Courbet. His landscapes and nudes, which scandalized the public in his day, helped pave the way for Impressionism and, later, modern art. "It's the first full retrospective of his work in 30 years," says Tim Griffin, editor in chief of "Artforum International" magazine. Griffin also is excited about "The Cinema Effect: Illusion, Reality and the Moving Image," a two-part mixed-media show on "how the movies have affected our perceptions." The first part of the exhibit, "Dreams," opens Feb. 14 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

Compelling reads
Muhammad Yunus shared the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of the world's poor. Now, the Bangladeshi banker and economist is bringing the lessons he has learned to a wider audience in the book "Creating a World Without Poverty," published by PublicAffairs Books and available this month. "He's created amazing programs that have been transformative in the Third World," says Charlotte Abbott, a contributing editor of the "Publishers Weekly" calendar of upcoming titles. "He's a very inspirational figure."

Other upcoming books to check out include "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, written with former USA WEEKEND contributing editor Jeff Zaslow and due from Hyperion Books this spring; Jhumpa Lahiri's second collection of stories, "Unaccustomed Earth," coming from Knopf in April; and John Grisham's "The Appeal," which Doubleday is set to release this month.

Big and blooming fashion
Femininity will abound this spring, and one motif that will be big -- literally -- is flowers. "We've been seeing big, bold flowers on everything," says Andrew Bolton, a curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. "It's almost a 1950s Dior and Balenciaga flower, nota shrinking violet." In contrast to the strongly feminine look of the '50s, however, today's trend is reminiscent of the '80s "glamazon" style, Bolton says. "I'm seeing broader shoulders and shorter skirts," he says. "It's an em-powered female image, almost a superhero influence."

For men, it's time to suit up. "I've been noticing the return of the suit," Bolton adds, noting in particular the revamped look of designer Thom Browne. "He has shrunk the suit's proportions down, and his philosophy is that men should wear suits as easily as they wear jeans. It's been very successful."

Signaling your inner geek
Feel like flaunting your inner geek?

The stronger the signal, the more brightly the logo lights up.

If so, we've got just the shirt for you. Thinkgeek.com is selling a black T-shirt featuring an antenna logo with radiating waves on each side of it. Here's the clincher: The logo actually lights up in the presence of a wireless signal. The stronger the signal, the more brightly the logo lights up. If you find someone else who thinks this is truly cool, you have met your soul mate. The shirt is available for $29.99 at thinkgeek.com.

Double duty on the slopes
Really serious skiers depend on different skis for different conditions and even for different moods. A stiff ski enables you to be more powerful and aggressive on the slopes, while a flexible ski is well-suited to more leisurely conditions. Now, the German company Völkl offers a ski with a split personality. A flip of the switch on a Tigershark ski engages dual carbon fiber rods inside the ski that increase its stiffness for tougher skiing conditions. Want to slow down and glide into the lodge? Flip the switch again to disengage the rods and make the ski more flexible. The skis, priced at $1,199, are available in the U.S. market this ski season, online and at sporting outlets.

Tattoo "Infinitink"
Let's say you were madly in love with Billy Bob. Now, not so much. The problem is you've got Billy Bob's name tattooed across your ... well, someplace where the six or so passes from a laser necessary to burn away the tattoo are likely to be extremely painful. If your tattoo artist had used Infinitink, available at tattoo parlors in March, you would be facing much less of an ordeal. Infinitink, sold by Freedom-2, is permanent -- as long as you want it to be. Infinitink uses dyes held within tiny polymer beads that are easily flushed out of the body when short pulses of intense light from a laser break down the beads. Price: depends on the tattoo.

Into the music mainstream
This year's musical picks are relative newcomers to the mainstream. Three to listen for: Lil Wayne, the Whigs and Hot Chip. Lil Wayne, of New Orleans, "is the self-proclaimed 'Best Rapper Alive,'" says Joe Levy, "Rolling Stone" magazine's executive editor, "and ["Tha Carter III"] is the record on which he is really going to try to stake that claim." On the indie-rock side, the Whigs, a trio from Athens, Ga., have made "an album with the energy and smarts of the Strokes' first record," Levy says of "Mission Control," out later this month. "The songs are really tightly constructed and pull in a lot of classic pop and rock influences." He also is excited about Hot Chip, a British "electro-pop" group that uses "a lot of '80s sounds, but are also very current."

Clever steps
If you live in an urban environment, you have probably seen women commuting to work in low-heeled shoes while carrying high heels for the office in a bag. This task could be unnecessary if women find Camileon Heels to their liking. The heels on these shoes can be converted from high to low; the extra length of heel, which can be removed with a tug, tucks into a special channel in the sole. "It's so simple, even a man could do it," jokes Lauren Handel, CEO and co-founder of the company with her brother, who came up with the idea. They're available in a variety of styles and colors online (camileonheels.com) and at select retail outlets.

Fresh approach on Broadway

Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" gets a high-tech twist.

One of the most anticipated shows this Broadway season is a revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George," with a modern twist. "What makes it different is the use of digital animation and video," says Ben Brantley, chief theater critic for "The New York Times," who saw the new version in London. "It's a play about a painter, and projections are used to make figures materialize in front of you. The theater is always doing kind of an awkward dance with innovations in technology, but this is a lovely integration and makes me feel hopeful." Directed by Sam Buntrock, the play opens Jan. 25. Ticket prices range from about $36 to $125.

Several 1950s plays also are making a comeback this season. Brantley is curious to see how Spike Lee fares with his Broadway directing debut, a spring revival of "Stalag 17," a comedy-drama about American airmen imprisoned in Germany during World War II. Brantley calls Lee "one of the most original and authentic film directors to emerge in America in the past 30 years."

Frappa Stout contributed to this report.