We’ve all experienced the frustration of meeting someone we’d like to see again—romantic or otherwise—but not knowing how to find them later. Now, for all those occasions there's blinka.me, which aims to give users a second chance to reconnect.

Currently in beta, New Zealand-based blinka.me offers a way to find those we've met just fleetingly at a bar, airport, conference or event, even if we don't know their phone number, email or name. Working on the basis of what it calls "moments"—specific times and places in which a meeting took place—blinka.me uses patent-pending technology to match up the people who met. Users begin by entering the details of their moment, including what happened and something about them and the person they'd like to reconnect with—"you tried to buy me a drink," for example. It's up to them whether to make the moment private or share it with other users, friends and followers to help get a match. Either way, if the other person involved enters the moment as well, both parties get an email notification. The two can then have a safe, private chat through blinka.me and decide if they want to pursue it further, including sharing profiles and personal contact information.

The site's founders explain: "We can see a language and culture developing around this—for instance, you see an old colleague at the airport but are rushing to get to your gate so you say, 'hey, blinka me and we can connect and catch up.' It works because you’ve run out of cards and you don’t remember his name! At a bar you see the girl of your dreams but you're too nervous ask for her number so instead you just say, 'hey, blinka me and maybe we can catch up later'."

blinka.me's challenge, of course, will be creating enough awareness of the site to make it likely that both parties in an encounter will enter the moment. Toward that end, the site's five-person team is currently seeking others interested in working on the project. One to get involved in early...? (Related: Electronic business card forges online connections — High-five the panda to connect online — Dating cards fuse physical & virtual connections.)

Website: www.blinka.me
Contact: duncan@blinka.me

Spotted by: Amanda Browne

Expiration dates are commonly found on most food products, but there is currently no law requiring similar labelling on cosmetics. Aiming to protect consumers from the potential hazards of out-of-date makeup and other like goods, Seattle-based Beauty Alert has developed a line of stickers to remind consumers when they're likely to go bad.

All cosmetics have a shelf life—essentially, how long they can stay good while unopened—as well as a home use life span, or how long they remain safe once opened. When either of those periods ends, spoilage can begin, Beauty Alert says, reducing a product's effectiveness and allowing bacterial growth that can cause irritations or infections. Targeting the home use life span is the company's new line of stickers, which come in versions specific to cosmetics that expire in three, six, 12 or 18 months after opening. Consumers simply write on the appropriate type of sticker the date on which they opened the product and affix the sticker directly to it. Then, they'll be reminded to replace the item once that time period has passed. Packages of 24 stickers—six for each type of home use life span—are available online for USD 8.50 each.

Innovation is all about scratching consumers' itches, so to speak; find an unmet need of your own, and your back will likely get scratched in return! ;-)

Website: www.beautyalert.biz
Contact: stacya@beautyalert.biz

Spotted by: Sarah Harlett

Combine advances in medical genetics with the age-old pursuit of immortality, and it comes as no surprise that DNA storage is a growing industry. In such a personal line of business peace of mind is paramount for consumers. Recognising this, Swiss DNA Bank offers ultra-secure DNA storage that meets Swiss banking regulations. For a one-time fee of USD 399, customers can store both their self-swabbed DNA and up to 1 GB of digital data, forever. The DNA and the web servers are held in a former Swiss military underground nuclear shelter in Gstaad, aptly named Swiss Fort Knox. Subscription fees are invested in "conservative Swiss investment formulas", the annual interest from which Swiss DNA Bank claims is sufficient to sustainably cover storage costs.

By saving both DNA and digital 'memories' (in any file format), Swiss DNA Bank is aiming to preserve the fullest approximation of an individual for his or her heirs, who can buy access to their relatives' shared data for USD 69. The online data storage can also be purchased individually for USD 299, and will likely appeal to a separate market of consumers eager to keep confidential info out of the wrong hands. The encrypted "Forever Account" is accessible only to the holder of two passwords: one created by the user upon sign-up, the other generated by a constantly changing key card supplied by Swiss DNA Bank. (Related: Unlocking online assets in event of death — Genome mapping services.)

Website: www.swissdnabank.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Road warriors may enjoy virtually unlimited choices when it comes to finding a place to work, but by no means are those options all equal: wifi availability, noise levels and even the quality of the coffee served can all have a big impact on a mobile worker's productivity.

That's where WorkSnug comes in. The mobile application uses augmented reality to show users what workspaces are nearby along with reviews of their offerings. The WorkSnug team checked hundreds of spots—from small cafes to formal co-working spaces—and reviewed them on such factors as wifi access, power supply, noise levels, community feel and—yes—even the coffee. Mobile workers simply launch the application on their iPhone 3GS and use the phone to scan what's around them. The application then displays the information it has about what's nearby; there's also an option for users to add reviews of their own.

Created in association with headset maker Plantronics, the free app is coming soon for London and San Francisco, with data for other cities coming later this year. Meanwhile, more information is available via Twitter. One to watch! (Related: ING app for Google phone uses compass and camera to show nearest ATM.)

Website: www.worksnug.com
Contact: feedback@worksnug.com

It used to be that hiring sites focused primarily on objective information about the jobs they listed. Then the transparency movement set in, and sites like CareerTours, MedRecruit, Glassdoor and KODA increasingly began including more subjective considerations. Now continuing in that vein comes GetaGreatBoss, a South African site that aims to help workers find great bosses.

Operating under the principle that "people join companies, but they leave bosses," GetaGreatBoss facilitates reviews of managers by those best qualified to do so: the people who work for them. Both HR departments and managers themselves can initiate such reviews through the site, whether for honest feedback or to help recruit new employees to work for them. Employees are then emailed for their evaluation of the boss's managerial style, and all feedback is kept anonymous; there's even a way for managers to conduct a subsequent anonymous online conversation with the employees who reviewed them. The cost to initiate a review is USD 220, while for an extra USD 10 per month managers can keep an active link to the results for use with their resume. If, alternatively, a current employee reviews a manager and the manager then requests a full-fledged review from GetaGreatBoss, the employee earns a USD 50 commission; similarly, the same amount goes to recruiters and online job portals that include links to GetaGreatBoss reviews with their ads. Potential employees, meanwhile, can search GetaGreatBoss's online job listings, each of which contains a link to the results of the review of the boss in question.

There's no doubt managerial style plays a key role in the employment equation—as do corporate culture, lifestyle preferences and countless other considerations. In this era of transparency triumph (see our sister-site's latest briefing for more on that), smart companies are the ones that take pains to be as honest and open about as many factors as they can. Otherwise, the triumph may end up being their competitors', and not their own! ;-)

Website: www.getagreatboss.com
Contact: info@getagreatboss.com