Custom notebooks feature your tweets or Facebook feed

Original: Custom notebooks feature your tweets or Facebook feed

Now that sites like Facebook and Twitter have become a major part of many consumers' lives, there's growing need to bridge the online and offline worlds, as we've noted before. Efforts like HotPrints, News from YOUs and Kodak's new kiosk capabilities all get at that to some extent, and recently we came across two more interesting examples: Famebook and TweetNotebook, both of which embellish custom notebooks with select online content.

With Famebook, Facebook users can create a unique notebook featuring a post from their Facebook feed at the bottom of each page. By connecting to Facebook from the Famebook site, users allow Famebook to access their status updates. If there are fewer than 320 available, Famebook will duplicate some to fill the pages; if there are more, it makes a random selection. Either way, the result is a mostly-blank notebook with one timestamped update on the bottom of each page. Pricing is EUR 18 for a 200-page hardcover notebook or EUR 14 for the 320-page paperback version. Users can choose their own cover post and design.

TweetNotebook, meanwhile, does much the same thing but featuring the user's Twitter posts instead. Customers simply enter their Twitter name on the site, and it automatically populates each page in a blank 320-page notebook with one randomly selected tweet along with its timestamp and URL. As with Famebook, users can customize the cover post and design; three colour choices are available. Pricing on a TweetNotebook is EUR 12.

Both Famebook and TweetNotebook are the creations of Belgian agency Boondoggle. Who will push the OFF=ON integration even further—notepads, t-shirts, laptop skins, bags, anyone...?

Website: www.myfamebook.net — www.tweetnotebook.com
Contact: support@myfamebook.net — support@tweetnotebook.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Using E-Mail During A Blizzard To Drive Sales

Original: Using E-Mail During A Blizzard To Drive Sales

Furniture surface wirelessly charges mobile devices

Original: Furniture surface wirelessly charges mobile devices

That mobile phone charging is a universal nuisance is underscored by all the many efforts we've seen to alleviate the pain, including harnessing the wind, the sun, bicycles, dancers and foot pumps to make it easier. With similar intentions, Finnish Powerkiss has developed an approach that im

Powerkiss's technology consists of two parts: a charging transmitter that gets integrated into furniture, and a charging receiver that gets plugged into the electronic device. To charge a phone, users simply attach the small receiver stick to their phone and place it on the surface of the enabled object. The proximity allows the resonating coils in each of the two parts to work together to charge the phone. Powerkiss's charging packages have already been integrated into a meeting room table and a coffee table from Finnish Martela; the technology is also available for public use in Café Alvar A and the Via Lounge at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Though currently limited to mobile phone charging, laptops and other devices will eventually be supported as well, Powerkiss says.

Ultimately, Powerkiss hopes cellphone manufacturers will begin enabling their handsets with wireless charging capabilities, which would eliminate the need for the plug-in receiver. Towards that end, it seeks partners in the mobile technology world as well as those in interior architecture, vehicle design and—of course—furniture. Who will be the first on your block to release customers from the charging-cord shackles?

Website: www.powerkiss.fi
Contact: info@powerkiss.com

Spotted by: John Greene

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

A Princess That All Little Girls Can Admire

Original: A Princess That All Little Girls Can Admire

The Next Tech Goldmine: Medical Records

Original: The Next Tech Goldmine: Medical Records

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Expert fashion forecasts for the masses

Original: Expert fashion forecasts for the masses

Fashion fanatics have a number of online tools at their disposal—including countless places to design their own creations—but expert industry forecasts have traditionally been available only to paying professionals. Proving once again the increasing clout of the creative masses, London forecasting firm Trendstop now offers a free mobile app that delivers high-end fashion predictions to anyone.

Trendstop typically provides forecasts and analysis to fashion industry professionals, with clients paying some USD 3,495 a year for full access. Now, however, any mobile user with a passion for fashion can download the company's Trendtracker application for free. Available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and other mobile platforms, Trendtracker lets users monitor the latest runway looks, fashion news, trend ideas and inspiration right from their mobile phones. Coverage includes daily trend reports, news and photos from fashion shows from around the world, and runway schedules and event guides.

Where's the line dividing amateurs and professionals? That becomes a little less clear each day, thanks in part to consumers' insatiable infolust and the real-time apps that increasingly feed it. It's all part of what our sister site calls nowism. What up-to-the-minute data can your brand offer to forge a new point of connection with creative consumers...?

Website: www.trendstop.com/mobile_app
Contact: accounts@trendstop.com

Design your own swim shorts, earn up to $1,000

Original: Design your own swim shorts, earn up to $1,000

From jeans to bicycles, fabrics to sleeping bags, we've seen a wide array of products consumers can design themselves. Lest swim shorts aficionados feel left out, however, there's now a design-your-own site for those too—and it even rewards creators with cold, hard cash.

Aiming to do for swim shorts what Threadless has done for t-shirts, Shortomatic is a California-based company that invites consumers to upload their own art for a truly customised swim. All they need do is indicate their waist size and then upload the graphics they have in mind. They then position and size the art, choose their colours and add text for use on the waistband. Next, voilà! A unique pair of California-made boardshorts that's customised for them. Those feeling less creative can also browse Shortomatic's curated gallery of existing designs—currently, there are close to 700 exhibited there. Consumers feeling really artistic, on the other hand, can submit their designs in Shortomatic's Artist's Program. Designs accepted by the gallery curator are produced in limited editions of 200. Their creators r

The verdict is in, it seems safe to say, and consumers clearly like to have it their own way. Perhaps even more, however, they like to be paid for what they create. Help make that happen, and you'll see some sweet rewards yourself! ;-)

Website: www.shortomatic.com
Contact: customerservice@shortomatic.com

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

Original: Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

Worldwide bicycle registration service

Original: Worldwide bicycle registration service

Registering bicycles to make them easier to track down if lost or stolen isn't new. Many bike retailers put identification numbers on bike frames, and in some cities you can register bicycles with the police. The problem is that these methods are generally only effective at the local level. Enter German startup MyBikeNumber. Launched in December 2009, MyBikeNumber is a free online service that lets consumers register their bicycle and components, or search for them worldwide.

Users register their bike on the MyBikeNumber site using the frame number, and add photos to the profile page to help visually identify their bike. Registered bikes are allocated a unique QR code, which can be printed as a sticker and affixed to the frame. The code can be read by many mobile devices. MyBikeNumber also allows bike retailers to register their entire inventory under a single "dealer code". Registered cycles can be reported as stolen or lost, or recorded as sold to a new owner, through the site.

Consumers can visit the site and check the unique identifiers to ensure that the bicycle they are looking to purchase is not stolen. In the event that a bike is found to be stolen, a message can be sent securely through the site to inform the rightful owner.

According to the FBI, there were 221,936 bicycle thefts in the United States in 2008. Globally, the number of bikes reported stolen annually is estimated at 1.5 million. MyBikeNumber aims to help bike owners worldwide avoid becoming a statistic. Could this be a model worth emulating to trace other possessions vulnerable to theft? (Related: Lost & found in the 21st century.)

Website: www.mybikenumber.com
Contact: press@mybikenumber.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

Original: Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Worldwide bicycle registration service

Original: Worldwide bicycle registration service

Registering bicycles to make them easier to track down if lost or stolen isn't new. Many bike retailers put identification numbers on bike frames, and in some cities you can register bicycles with the police. The problem is that these methods are generally only effective at the local level. Enter German startup MyBikeNumber. Launched in December 2009, MyBikeNumber is a free online service that lets consumers register their bicycle and components, or search for them worldwide.

Users register their bike on the MyBikeNumber site using the frame number, and add photos to the profile page to help visually identify their bike. Registered bikes are allocated a unique QR code, which can be printed as a sticker and affixed to the frame. The code can be read by many mobile devices. MyBikeNumber also allows bike retailers to register their entire inventory under a single "dealer code". Registered cycles can be reported as stolen or lost, or recorded as sold to a new owner, through the site.

Consumers can visit the site and check the unique identifiers to ensure that the bicycle they are looking to purchase is not stolen. In the event that a bike is found to be stolen, a message can be sent securely through the site to inform the rightful owner.

According to the FBI, there were 221,936 bicycle thefts in the United States in 2008. Globally, the number of bikes reported stolen annually is estimated at 1.5 million. MyBikeNumber aims to help bike owners worldwide avoid becoming a statistic. Could this be a model worth emulating to trace other possessions vulnerable to theft? (Related: Lost & found in the 21st century.)

Website: www.mybikenumber.com
Contact: press@mybikenumber.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

Original: Female Entrepreneurs Less Profit Driven, More Risk Adverse

Personalised font software that mimics your face

Original: Personalised font software that mimics your face

Creative consumers can already craft their own fonts using FontShop's do-it-yourself font-building tool, but for those seeking an extra degree of personalisation—the ultimate degree, one might say—there's now Typeface.

Billed as a "typographic photobooth", Typeface's software translates facial dimensions into generative type design. Users of the software, which was created by Mary Huang of Rhyme and Reason Creative, sit in front of a webcam-enabled computer. Typeface then builds and adjusts a font based on the user's face, movements and facial expressions. When the user smiles, for instance, the font alters to reflect that; when they turn their head slightly, it changes again. The resulting individual typefaces can be saved and exported in PDF form. Huang intends to make a downloadable version of the software soon.

Similar in many ways to jewelry that replicates the wearer's scar, Typeface promises to take personalisation to a whole new level. One to help bring to the customisation-happy masses...? (Related: Green-minded font uses less ink.)

Website: www.rhymeandreasoncreative.com
Contact: rhymeandreason1.0@gmail.com

Spotted by: Jim Stewart

What's Your Size?

Original: What's Your Size?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-03-12 09:18.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.orgasizer.com/

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, Springwise]

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights, and Inventions

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

Make Your Ideas Mean

Take A Lesson In Entrepreneurship

Original: Take A Lesson In Entrepreneurship

New Bizop Classified Ads This Week

Original: New Bizop Classified Ads This Week

Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Original: Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2010-03-08 09:29.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.bttrventures.com/

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Two new graduates from UC Berkeley's Business School are trying to turn coffee grounds into a high demand food for local consumers. But the venture doesn't stop there, it gives back to the community as well.

What do mushrooms and a pile of used coffee grounds have in commmon?

"Mushrooms biologically grow really well in hardwoo social innovation grant from Cal, they researched and launched a for-profit social venture called BTTR Ventures; BTTR stands for "Back To The Roots." The goal is to be a sustainable company focused on social responsibility. They're accomplishing this by diverting one of America's largest waste streams out of Bay Area landfills.

"We realized America is like absolutely addicted to coffee," said Arora.

So it dawned on them they could help the environment, at least locally, by collecting a ton of coffee waste a week from local shops like Peets Coffee and Whole Foods' Alegro Cafe. And then at a local warehouse in Emeryville, a small crew of employees packs sterile bags full of grounds, growing hundreds of pounds of gourmet oyster mushrooms a week. After harvesting, they're sold at local farmers markets and grocery stores.

A Whole Foods store in Berkeley is one of seven in the Bay Area that buys the BTTR oyster mushrooms. Now each store orders about 15 pounds amp=1789&creative=9325">The

Online platform for long-distance bedtime stories

Original: Online platform for long-distance bedtime stories

Long-distance relationships are difficult enough to maintain among adults, but when young kids are involved, the chances of achieving a meaningful conversation from afar tend to diminish. That's where Readeo comes in, with a newly launched platform that lets families share bedtime stories through the web.

The Chicago-based company's patent-pending application integrates digitised picture books with webcam communication, allowing adults and children to share stories while seeing and interacting with each other. A diverse library is available on the site, including titles from publishers such as Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Candlewick Press, Blue Apple Books and Chronicle Books. The library is fully searchable, and families can create personalised virtual bookshelves of their favourites. A Book of the Month is available to all users for free, but unlimited use of the site costs USD 9.95 per month or USD 49.95 per year.

With its focus on stories, Readeo promises a new point of connection for families separated by travel, divorce, military service or just geographic dispersion. Currently, however, the site serves only United States users—other languages and countries, anyone? (Related: Narrate-your-own storybook videos.)

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

Spotted by: Claudia Allwood

Never give the wrong size again

Original: Never give the wrong size again

The best-laid plans to give clothing as a gift can be foiled in an instant for lack of the recipient's correct size. Aiming to banish such disappointments once and for all, Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends.

Users of OrgaSizer begin by registering with their age, location and gender, among other information. They can then enter all their sizes and preferences for a variety of different types of clothing. Along the way, users can decide what information they'd like to share with others, and exactly whom they'd like to share it with. Nothing is ever publicly shared, OrgaSizer stresses. Users can also create wish lists and request reminders about important gift-giving dates. Ultimately, the idea is that shoppers hoping to purchase a gift can then check the site from wherever they happen to be to see what the recipient wants, and in what sizes or variations.

OrgaSizer is still smoothing out the edges on its site, which at present is available only in English. More languages are coming soon, along with advertising support, it's hoped. Clothing brands and retailers around the globe: one to sponsor, partner with or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Gift-giving simplified through a prepaid plan — Never forget to send a birthday card.)

Website: www.orgasizer.com
Contact: www.orgasizer.com/Contact.aspx

Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Original: Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2010-03-08 09:29.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.bttrventures.com/

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Two new graduates from UC Berkeley's Business School are trying to turn coffee grounds into a high demand food for local consumers. But the venture doesn't stop there, it gives back to the community as well.

What do mushrooms and a pile of used coffee grounds have in commmon?

"Mushrooms biologically grow really well in hardwoo social innovation grant from Cal, they researched and launched a for-profit social venture called BTTR Ventures; BTTR stands for "Back To The Roots." The goal is to be a sustainable company focused on social responsibility. They're accomplishing this by diverting one of America's largest waste streams out of Bay Area landfills.

"We realized America is like absolutely addicted to coffee," said Arora.

So it dawned on them they could help the environment, at least locally, by collecting a ton of coffee waste a week from local shops like Peets Coffee and Whole Foods' Alegro Cafe. And then at a local warehouse in Emeryville, a small crew of employees packs sterile bags full of grounds, growing hundreds of pounds of gourmet oyster mushrooms a week. After harvesting, they're sold at local farmers markets and grocery stores.

A Whole Foods store in Berkeley is one of seven in the Bay Area that buys the BTTR oyster mushrooms. Now each store orders about 15 pounds amp=1789&creative=9325">The

The Spa Experience For Kids

Original: The Spa Experience For Kids

Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Original: Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2010-03-08 09:29.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.bttrventures.com/

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Two new graduates from UC Berkeley's Business School are trying to turn coffee grounds into a high demand food for local consumers. But the venture doesn't stop there, it gives back to the community as well.

What do mushrooms and a pile of used coffee grounds have in commmon?

"Mushrooms biologically grow really well in hardwoo social innovation grant from Cal, they researched and launched a for-profit social venture called BTTR Ventures; BTTR stands for "Back To The Roots." The goal is to be a sustainable company focused on social responsibility. They're accomplishing this by diverting one of America's largest waste streams out of Bay Area landfills.

"We realized America is like absolutely addicted to coffee," said Arora.

So it dawned on them they could help the environment, at least locally, by collecting a ton of coffee waste a week from local shops like Peets Coffee and Whole Foods' Alegro Cafe. And then at a local warehouse in Emeryville, a small crew of employees packs sterile bags full of grounds, growing hundreds of pounds of gourmet oyster mushrooms a week. After harvesting, they're sold at local farmers markets and grocery stores.

A Whole Foods store in Berkeley is one of seven in the Bay Area that buys the BTTR oyster mushrooms. Now each store orders about 15 pounds amp=1789&creative=9325">The

Entrepreneur Hits The Ground Running

Original: Entrepreneur Hits The Ground Running

Prizes for academics who solve real-world problems

Original: Prizes for academics who solve real-world problems

We've seen the crowdsourcing contest model applied to everything from business documents to doughnut design. The latest spotting? One Billion Minds, a prize-led innovation platform that connects problem-solving scholars with solution-seeking companies and non-profits.

One Billion Minds challenges student and alumni crowds from universities worldwide to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Challenges range from designing a USD 1 teaching aid for the education of children to developing an innovative solution for the garbage disposal problem in Kolkata. Prizes from the participating corporations include cash, professional recognition, and opportunities to interview for full-time or internship positions. Members can compete as individuals or teams.

In public beta as of September 2009, One Billion Minds is on a mission to change the world by unleashing the power of a billion minds on challenges in the areas of design, engineering, science, business, technology and social innovation. One to partner with or otherwise get involved in to make that happen? (Related: Crowdsourcing economic solutions for Ireland.)

Website: www.onebillionminds.com
Contact: general.inquiry@onebillionminds.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 

Kodak kiosks to print photos from Facebook and Picasa

Original: Kodak kiosks to print photos from Facebook and Picasa

We've seen several efforts recently to bring Facebook photos into the offline world, such as HotPrints' free, advert-supported albums. Now bringing such capabilities to brick-and-mortar stores comes a new initiative from Kodak that lets consumers print online photos from Facebook and Picasa using its in-store kiosks.

Starting this summer, users of Kodak Picture Kiosks will be able to access their web albums on Facebook and Picasa as well as Kodak's own Kodak Gallery service. The kiosks will make 4x6in (102x152mm) prints of the photos, provided the resolution is high enough to make a quality print. Kodak says it also intends to connect with other social networking sites around the globe.

Given that more than 3 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook alone each month, there are plenty of opportunities for forging OFF=ON connections for consumers whose memories increasingly reside in the virtual world. How can your brand help make those memories more tangible? (Related: Mini web-to-print photo albums.)

Website: www.kodak.com
Contact: tinyurl.com/emailkodak

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Original: Coffee Mashrooms? No, It's Not As Crazy As It Sounds.

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2010-03-08 09:29.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.bttrventures.com/

BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- Two new graduates from UC Berkeley's Business School are trying to turn coffee grounds into a high demand food for local consumers. But the venture doesn't stop there, it gives back to the community as well.

What do mushrooms and a pile of used coffee grounds have in commmon?

"Mushrooms biologically grow really well in hardwoo social innovation grant from Cal, they researched and launched a for-profit social venture called BTTR Ventures; BTTR stands for "Back To The Roots." The goal is to be a sustainable company focused on social responsibility. They're accomplishing this by diverting one of America's largest waste streams out of Bay Area landfills.

"We realized America is like absolutely addicted to coffee," said Arora.

So it dawned on them they could help the environment, at least locally, by collecting a ton of coffee waste a week from local shops like Peets Coffee and Whole Foods' Alegro Cafe. And then at a local warehouse in Emeryville, a small crew of employees packs sterile bags full of grounds, growing hundreds of pounds of gourmet oyster mushrooms a week. After harvesting, they're sold at local farmers markets and grocery stores.

A Whole Foods store in Berkeley is one of seven in the Bay Area that buys the BTTR oyster mushrooms. Now each store orders about 15 pounds amp=1789&creative=9325">The

Dog Bowls Built From A Pet’s Perspective

Original: Dog Bowls Built From A Pet's Perspective

I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Original: I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-03-04 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.retrofitness.net/

It was the decade that wrapped itself in Spandex, pulled on pink leg warmers without irony and felt the burn with Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.

And now, the '80s are fueling yet another fitness craze: Retrofitness--Eric Casaburi's chain of 1980s theme gyms. In just five years, the New Jersey-based f niche for a low-cost provider that gave a high-end experience. I did the raw math and figured I could be better and attract more customers at $19.99 a month than clubs charging $39 or $49 a month. I could build a cheap gym where you didn't need a tetanus shot when you left.

Was it a hard sell?
I was all about putting on a show--but vendors bought into my pitch and they sold me equipment at a much higher discount rate. I laugh now because I exceeded even what I told them. I said we'd have 10 clubs the first year; we had 15. I said 30 in Year 2, and we had 40.

Why the '80s?
We knew Generation X would be a big part of our customer base. I thought, "How can we attract and entertain them?" Eighties movies and '80s music just make you feel good; when you drop a marketing piece with an Atari joystick on it or Vans sneakers, people say, "I remember that." And actually, even younger pe

Tourist maps are not unique. Artistically rendered maps are available for many cities, usually created by a local artist. What distinguishes Guatemala-based mapmaking company Where To Go Maps is their focus on replicating the local approach globally.

Where To Go Maps is working towards creating a globalised mapping system that would see their free artistic city maps available to travellers for all major tourist destinations worldwide. In addition to presenting tourists with the best hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, attractions and sightseeing highlights that each city has to offer, Where to Go Maps also illustrate the specific locations of local businesses who advertise on the maps.

Currently available online and in downloadable form for seven cities—La Antigua, Guatemala City, Puerto Rico, Panama City, Cayman Islands, Madrid and Miami—Where To Go Maps is seeking partners to join them in creating maps for more cities across the globe. One to explore? (Related: Hand-sketched city maps feature drawings and local advice.)

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

Spotted by: Juan Olivero 

Dog Bowls Built From A Pet’s Perspective

Original: Dog Bowls Built From A Pet's Perspective

I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Original: I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-03-04 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.retrofitness.net/

It was the decade that wrapped itself in Spandex, pulled on pink leg warmers without irony and felt the burn with Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.

And now, the '80s are fueling yet another fitness craze: Retrofitness--Eric Casaburi's chain of 1980s theme gyms. In just five years, the New Jersey-based f niche for a low-cost provider that gave a high-end experience. I did the raw math and figured I could be better and attract more customers at $19.99 a month than clubs charging $39 or $49 a month. I could build a cheap gym where you didn't need a tetanus shot when you left.

Was it a hard sell?
I was all about putting on a show--but vendors bought into my pitch and they sold me equipment at a much higher discount rate. I laugh now because I exceeded even what I told them. I said we'd have 10 clubs the first year; we had 15. I said 30 in Year 2, and we had 40.

Why the '80s?
We knew Generation X would be a big part of our customer base. I thought, "How can we attract and entertain them?" Eighties movies and '80s music just make you feel good; when you drop a marketing piece with an Atari joystick on it or Vans sneakers, people say, "I remember that." And actually, even younger pe

Tourist maps are not unique. Artistically rendered maps are available for many cities, usually created by a local artist. What distinguishes Guatemala-based mapmaking company Where To Go Maps is their focus on replicating the local approach globally.

Where To Go Maps is working towards creating a globalised mapping system that would see their free artistic city maps available to travellers for all major tourist destinations worldwide. In addition to presenting tourists with the best hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, attractions and sightseeing highlights that each city has to offer, Where to Go Maps also illustrate the specific locations of local businesses who advertise on the maps.

Currently available online and in downloadable form for seven cities—La Antigua, Guatemala City, Puerto Rico, Panama City, Cayman Islands, Madrid and Miami—Where To Go Maps is seeking partners to join them in creating maps for more cities across the globe. One to explore? (Related: Hand-sketched city maps feature drawings and local advice.)

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

Spotted by: Juan Olivero 

Dog Bowls Built From A Pet’s Perspective

Original: Dog Bowls Built From A Pet's Perspective

I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Original: I Am Fit, 80's-Fit!

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-03-04 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.retrofitness.net/

It was the decade that wrapped itself in Spandex, pulled on pink leg warmers without irony and felt the burn with Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.

And now, the '80s are fueling yet another fitness craze: Retrofitness--Eric Casaburi's chain of 1980s theme gyms. In just five years, the New Jersey-based f niche for a low-cost provider that gave a high-end experience. I did the raw math and figured I could be better and attract more customers at $19.99 a month than clubs charging $39 or $49 a month. I could build a cheap gym where you didn't need a tetanus shot when you left.

Was it a hard sell?
I was all about putting on a show--but vendors bought into my pitch and they sold me equipment at a much higher discount rate. I laugh now because I exceeded even what I told them. I said we'd have 10 clubs the first year; we had 15. I said 30 in Year 2, and we had 40.

Why the '80s?
We knew Generation X would be a big part of our customer base. I thought, "How can we attract and entertain them?" Eighties movies and '80s music just make you feel good; when you drop a marketing piece with an Atari joystick on it or Vans sneakers, people say, "I remember that." And actually, even younger pe

Few would dispute the value of a business that breaks down barriers for consumers with disabilities. A shining example of this, Traveleyes is a UK-based travel company whose primary function is to make independent world travel more accessible, and more interesting, for the blind and visually impaired.

Traveleyes offers "multi-sensory experience" holiday packages worldwide for number-balanced groups of sighted and non-sighted holidaymakers. Every day, each visually impaired traveller is partnered with a different sighted traveller who describes the sights to illuminate the experience for their travel buddy.

For visually impaired travellers this means they don't always have to organise willing travel companions in advance. Instead they can simply browse Traveleyes' (highly accessible) website or audio brochure, phone to confirm a booking, and then jet off with new-found independence.

Sighted travellers benefit from a discounted price, and, the organisers believe, a more rewarding experience than they would get on a conventional package holiday.

Globally, around 314 million people are visually impaired, according to the World Health Organisation. As populations age, the size of this market—and its collective spending power—will increase. How can your brand better serve this segment of the population? (Related: Blind guides take sighted on sensorial walking tours.)    

Website: www.traveleyes-international.com
Contact: info@traveleyes-international.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 

Stuffed Toys That Kids Can Wear

Original: Stuffed Toys That Kids Can Wear

10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Original: 10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-02-28 12:16.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.alchemygoods.com/

Two years ago, Eli Reich was a mechanical engineer consultant for a Seattle wind energy company when his messenger bag was stolen. The environmentally conscious Reich, who rode his bike to work every day, decided that instead of buying a new one, he would simply fashion another bag out of used bicycle-tire inner tubes cardboard boxes and was convinced he could help movers, businesses and the environment by creating a solution to the cardboard quandary. For now, BoomerangBoxes.com offers an online exchange for those outside the delivery area to link up and exchange boxes with others for a nominal fee. With annual sales projections exceeding $750,000, the company boasts 75 percent-plus gross margins.



http://www.pickydomains.com/

Eugene Gromov is a domain wizard. Software developer by trade, he has accidentally discovered that software companies are having a hard time findi other Timmy reasoned that any ma

Best Friends Forever, By Contract

Original: Best Friends Forever, By Contract

Greeting card folds out into mini living garden

Original: Greeting card folds out into mini living garden

Greeting cards can be embellished with online attachments and crowdsourced designs, or sold through monthly subscriptions—but the fact remains that most are still just ... well, greeting cards. Not so the Postcarden, a pop-out card that transforms into a bite-sized allotment.

Combining gift and greeting card, Postcarden is available in three designs: Botanical, City and Allotment. Recipients open and unfold the card, then sprinkle water into the base and scatter the enclosed cress seeds onto the damp paper. The Postcarden will start to grow in a few days, and will keep for two to three weeks; once grown, the cress can be eaten. Designed and produced by UK-based A Studio for Design, the cards can be sent through the post and are printed in Wales by Ethical Packaging; the seeds and inner tray are sourced nationally as well. Each card costs GBP 7.50 and features enough space to write a personal greeting.

A Studio for Design is currently seeking contributing artists and stores interested in stocking Postcarden. Retailers and artistic minipreneurs around the globe: this one's for you! (Related: Eco-friendly gift cards & hotel key cards.)

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

Spotted by: Judy McRae

10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Original: 10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-02-28 12:16.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.alchemygoods.com/

Two years ago, Eli Reich was a mechanical engineer consultant for a Seattle wind energy company when his messenger bag was stolen. The environmentally conscious Reich, who rode his bike to work every day, decided that instead of buying a new one, he would simply fashion another bag out of used bicycle-tire inner tubes cardboard boxes and was convinced he could help movers, businesses and the environment by creating a solution to the cardboard quandary. For now, BoomerangBoxes.com offers an online exchange for those outside the delivery area to link up and exchange boxes with others for a nominal fee. With annual sales projections exceeding $750,000, the company boasts 75 percent-plus gross margins.



http://www.pickydomains.com/

Eugene Gromov is a domain wizard. Software developer by trade, he has accidentally discovered that software companies are having a hard time findi other Timmy reasoned that any ma

Tours of Prague – for teddy bears

Original: Tours of Prague – for teddy bears

Stuffed animals can already play a starring role in storybooks thanks to Typlume & Graphine's series La Vie de Mon Doudou. Now, for teddies with a taste for adventure, there's the opportunity to tour the sights of Prague and return home with a suitcase full of souvenirs.

Czech Toy Traveling bills itself as "the first global travel agency for teddy bears and cuddly toys", and it offers consumers with toys hankering to see the world a choice of several tour packages. The basic fare of EUR 90 ensures that a ted will communicate by email daily during his, her or its travels and then return home with photographs, a certificate and a gift. The extended fare, priced at EUR 140, adds more photographs, an "aromatherapy service", and an original travel box; while the premium fare of EUR 150 adds a photo album, a "massage" and an original shipment package. Toy Traveling serves only toys sized 80cm x 40cm x 40cm or smaller, and weighing no more than 3kg.

Toy Traveling currently focuses its tours solely on Prague, but it's already forming plans for expansion: Bratislava, Budapest, Munich, Berlin, Paris and Rio de Janeiro are all possibilities, according to the company's Facebook page. It seems to us there could also be a fruitful partnership with TinyPocketPeople, allowing consumers to take vicarious trips by sending mini versions of themselves. There are lots of opportunities in this quirky field—maybe it's time to start playing with toys again! (Related: Monthly mail service turns kids into globe-trotters.)

Website: www.sendyourdarling.com/toytraveling
Contact: toy.traveling@gmail.com

Spotted by: Giulia Cuccolini

Mompreneurs Band Together

Original: Mompreneurs Band Together

Laundry service delivers on three wheels

Original: Laundry service delivers on three wheels

We've seen eco-minded laundromats before—including Toronto's Beach Solar, which we covered last fall—but when pickup and delivery are included, the greenness can only go so far. Unless, of course, you're the Laundry Company of Buenos Aires, which uses pedal power to collect and return its deliveries for free.

Clothes washing and a variety of related services are all available from the Laundry Company, which supports a tree-planting program to keep its business carbon-neutral. All customers are given a reusable fabric bag for their clothes, thus eliminating the disposable plastic coverings that normally get used. The Laundry Company also uses low-temperature machines and detergents designed for minimal environmental impact, resulting in energy savings of 40 percent, it says. Best of all, pickup and delivery—available at no extra charge—are made on foot or by means of the company's bright red tricycles.

If laundry, produce, groceries, furniture and assorted cargo can all be delivered by bicycle—much to the satisfaction of legions of green-minded consumers around the globe—there's probably no reason your product can't be too. Or did you want to let your competitors be first to tap those particular eco-bounty rewards? ;-)

Website: www.laundrycompany.com.ar
Contact: info@laundrycompany.com.ar

Spotted by: Verge Manuel

New in the Directory This Week

Original: New in the Directory This Week

10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Original: 10 Online Businesses That Prove You Can Make Money Out Of Anything

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-02-28 12:16.

Posted in: Crazy Money

Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.alchemygoods.com/

Two years ago, Eli Reich was a mechanical engineer consultant for a Seattle wind energy company when his messenger bag was stolen. The environmentally conscious Reich, who rode his bike to work every day, decided that instead of buying a new one, he would simply fashion another bag out of used bicycle-tire inner tubes cardboard boxes and was convinced he could help movers, businesses and the environment by creating a solution to the cardboard quandary. For now, BoomerangBoxes.com offers an online exchange for those outside the delivery area to link up and exchange boxes with others for a nominal fee. With annual sales projections exceeding $750,000, the company boasts 75 percent-plus gross margins.



http://www.pickydomains.com/

Eugene Gromov is a domain wizard. Software developer by trade, he has accidentally discovered that software companies are having a hard time findi other Timmy reasoned that any ma