Advice from the crowds, with a market-research twist

Original: Advice from the crowds, with a market-research twist

The crowds are increasingly being recruited to offer advice on everything from outfits to marital disputes, as we've already noted before, and recently we came across yet another example. Opinionaided is a platform that allows users to get opinions in real time from friends, family and the public.

While its website is still in private beta,* Opinionaided has already been up and running as a free iPhone app since early last month. Wherever it's used, the service lets users solicit advice from their own contacts and the public on widely ranging topics such as the fit of a pair of jeans, the value of a home, the quality of a new movie or a personal creation. Questions and accompanying photos are presented in rapid fire, and users place their votes in thumbs-up or thumbs-down fashion, with comments tabulated and stored in a personal section for review. Monetization plans include market research services, with branded questions intertwined in the voting stream, according to Kurani Interactive, the platform's New Jersey-based creator.

Do the crowds like giving and receiving personal advice? Survey says "thumbs-up." Another one to watch! (Related: The wisdom of the crowds, tailored to expecting parents — More dispute resolution, courtesy of the crowds — Social search engine taps contacts for subjective answers.)

* Want to check out the site before its official launch? Springwise readers can get a sneak peek by using access code thumbsup.

Website: www.beopinionaided.com
Contact: info@kurani.com

Crazy Food Patents

Original: Crazy Food Patents

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-06-26 10:30.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

The editors at Esquire mined Google Patents for the strangest culinary creations going back to 1935, then looked into whether they're being produced today. You know, just in case you want a hamburger bun shaped like a bear.

Combined Hot Dog and Pretzel, Robert M. Kempher, 1990
Still in production? Yes. Auntie Anne's makes Pretzel Dogs, available fresh and frozen.

Bear Hamburg ofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMillion-Dollar-Idea-Everyone-Interests-Inventions%2Fdp%2F0470193360%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1248519777%26sr%3D1-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">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

Link of the day -

Improve Your Blog Now

Original: Improve Your Blog Now

Crazy Food Patents

Original: Crazy Food Patents

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-06-26 10:30.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

The editors at Esquire mined Google Patents for the strangest culinary creations going back to 1935, then looked into whether they're being produced today. You know, just in case you want a hamburger bun shaped like a bear.

Combined Hot Dog and Pretzel, Robert M. Kempher, 1990
Still in production? Yes. Auntie Anne's makes Pretzel Dogs, available fresh and frozen.

Bear Hamburg ofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMillion-Dollar-Idea-Everyone-Interests-Inventions%2Fdp%2F0470193360%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1248519777%26sr%3D1-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">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

Link of the day -

Tapping the crowds for sustainable ideas and funding

Original: Tapping the crowds for sustainable ideas and funding

If crowdsourcing can be used to help tackle economic problems in Ireland—not to mention those of the more personal kind—then why not the global environmental imperative? That, indeed, is just the aim of the Globe Forum, which hopes to use crowdsourcing to help people around the world build a more sustainable future.

Now in beta, Stockholm-based Globe Forum operates conferences and an active online community to help match the creators of good ideas with those who can help bring them to life. Specifically, the organization hopes to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and the public sector in a natural space "where breakthrough solutions can occur collaboratively," as the site puts it. Its matchmaking service, for instance, aims to match supply and demand for sustainable solutions, with expert facilitation, consulting and project management by the Globe Forum organization. Its intelligence arm, meanwhile, strives to provide market-leading research, industry insight and access to innovation. A crowdfunding section lets potential investors browse through promising new project ideas and fund the ones they like, while projects and organizations with sustainability challenges to be solved can post those in Globe Forum's "Challenges" section for a little collective

Anyone out there still doubt the power of the Global Brain? We didn't think so. Sustainability entrepreneurs: this one's for you!

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

Spotted by: Johan Lofmark

Crazy Food Inventions

Original: Crazy Food Inventions

Crazy Food Inventions

Original: Crazy Food Inventions

Crazy Food Patents

Original: Crazy Food Patents

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-06-26 10:30.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

The editors at Esquire mined Google Patents for the strangest culinary creations going back to 1935, then looked into whether they're being produced today. You know, just in case you want a hamburger bun shaped like a bear.

Combined Hot Dog and Pretzel, Robert M. Kempher, 1990
Still in production? Yes. Auntie Anne's makes Pretzel Dogs, available fresh and frozen.

Bear Hamburg ofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMillion-Dollar-Idea-Everyone-Interests-Inventions%2Fdp%2F0470193360%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1248519777%26sr%3D1-2&tag=deprice-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">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

Link of the day -

Tapping the crowds for sustainable ideas and funding

Original: Tapping the crowds for sustainable ideas and funding

If crowdsourcing can be used to help tackle economic problems in Ireland—not to mention those of the more personal kind—then why not the global environmental imperative? That, indeed, is just the aim of the Globe Forum, which hopes to use crowdsourcing to help people around the world build a more sustainable future.

Now in beta, Stockholm-based Globe Forum operates conferences and an active online community to help match the creators of good ideas with those who can help bring them to life. Specifically, the organization hopes to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and the public sector in a natural space "where breakthrough solutions can occur collaboratively," as the site puts it. Its matchmaking service, for instance, aims to match supply and demand for sustainable solutions, with expert facilitation, consulting and project management by the Globe Forum organization. Its intelligence arm, meanwhile, strives to provide market-leading research, industry insight and access to innovation. A crowdfunding section lets potential investors browse through promising new project ideas and fund the ones they like, while projects and organizations with sustainability challenges to be solved can post those in Globe Forum's "Challenges" section for a little collective

Anyone out there still doubt the power of the Global Brain? We didn't think so. Sustainability entrepreneurs: this one's for you!

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

Spotted by: Johan Lofmark

How To Build Your Self Confidence

Original: How To Build Your Self Confidence


photo credit: jcoterhals

Self confidence is one of the greatest attributes that you can have on your side, whether it is for business or personal life. The more self confidence you have the more likely it is that you will succeed in life and the more people that will look up to you as they see that you are confident and someone to follow. I recently read an article by Marshall Goldsmith at Harvard Business Review regarding boosting your self confidence that I feel everyone could benefit from.

Don’t worry about being perfect. There are never right or wrong answers to complex business decisions. The best that you can do as a leader is to gather all of the information that you can (in a timely manner), do a cost-benefit analysis of potential options, use your best judgment — and then go for it.

Take failure as it comes as a lesson learned rather than a giant road block that you can not get past. There may be times when you’re confused, frustrated or maybe even scared regarding a certain situation but the important thing is how you portray yourself on the outside to others. Always hold your head up and show confidence no matter what the situation is.

In the end I think we can all agree that everything we do in life and every decision we make is ultimately all about happiness as the end result, so show happiness in your work and everything you do!

Where Is My Tip?

Original: Where Is My Tip?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2010-06-23 12:30.

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.wheresmytip.com/

Cash may be increasingly rare as a method of payment in most transactions, but tipping remains one of those areas where it's still often the standard. Therein lies a problem for international travellers, who must juggle multiple currencies; Where's My Tip, however, aims to offer a solution.

Wait staff and b s must maintain an extremely high ratio of tips paid to tips requested to ensure they don't hand out cards as a way to avoid paying a tip. Membership in Florida-based Where's My Tip is currently by invitation only.

Paypal may not be many service-givers' first preference as a form of payment, but Where's My Tip says it's working on alternatives. At the same time, there's no denying the appeal of cashless tipping, particularly for international travellers short on local currency and unfamiliar with regional tipping norms. How about creating a brandable version that hotels can give guests for in-house or local tipping, with payments simply added to the final tab...?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

We don't have exact numbers for you, but for a large percentage of soccer fans, beer is an essential part of the game experience. Preferably cold beer. Which is why Dutch brewer Grolsch is stepping in to lend a hand to anyone whose fridge breaks down during this year's World Cup.

Customers can call the Koelkast Hulplijn (fridge hotline) and Grolsch will deliver a loaner fridge to tide them over. It's a fun example of the trend our sister site dubbed brand butlers—brands finding new ways to serve customers, usually free of charge and not directly related to sales. We're just slightly disappointed by the campaign's fine print: loaners were only made available to the first 40 people to call before June 19th (the World Cup runs from June 11th through July 11th). Something to keep in mind if you're planning a brand butler campaign of your own: unnecessarily strict limitations won't do your generosity justice ;-)

Website: www.grolsch.nl/koel/

Where Is My Tip?

Original: Where Is My Tip?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2010-06-23 12:30.

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.wheresmytip.com/

Cash may be increasingly rare as a method of payment in most transactions, but tipping remains one of those areas where it's still often the standard. Therein lies a problem for international travellers, who must juggle multiple currencies; Where's My Tip, however, aims to offer a solution.

Wait staff and b s must maintain an extremely high ratio of tips paid to tips requested to ensure they don't hand out cards as a way to avoid paying a tip. Membership in Florida-based Where's My Tip is currently by invitation only.

Paypal may not be many service-givers' first preference as a form of payment, but Where's My Tip says it's working on alternatives. At the same time, there's no denying the appeal of cashless tipping, particularly for international travellers short on local currency and unfamiliar with regional tipping norms. How about creating a brandable version that hotels can give guests for in-house or local tipping, with payments simply added to the final tab...?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

Earlier this year, we wrote about Shisheido's Digital Cosmetic Mirror, installed at a Tokyo department store to let women test makeup without actually applying anything to their skin. Following in Shisheido's augmented reality footsteps is L'Oréal, which will be trying out digital mirrors in the UK this summer.

How it works? Customers snap a digital self-portrait using the mirror's camera. They can then scan a product's barcode to see it 'applied' to their self-portait, using the system's touchscreen interface to select different colours or get recommendations for shades or products that match their skin tone or eye colour. Customers will also be a

Besides offering customers a convenient and hygienic way to try new shades and products, the mirror could help prevent buyer's remorse and therefore reduce (costly) product returns. The system used by L'Oréal was developed by EZface, which has also partnered with Boots and Walmart. As reported by Brand Republic, "L'Oréal will be trialling the kiosks later this month offering products from brands such as Maybelline, ahead of a possible commercial deal."

Letting customers try before they buy (dubbed tryvertising by our sister-site trendwatching.com) can be a remarkably potent way of advertising products. And a virtual approach, using augmented reality, seems like a natural fit for the fashion and beauty industries.

Website: www.ezface.com
Contact: business@ezface.com

Mooyah Redefines The Hamburger Business

Original: Mooyah Redefines The Hamburger Business

Great Marketing Flyer for Dentists

Original: Great Marketing Flyer for Dentists

Where Is My Tip?

Original: Where Is My Tip?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2010-06-23 12:30.

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.wheresmytip.com/

Cash may be increasingly rare as a method of payment in most transactions, but tipping remains one of those areas where it's still often the standard. Therein lies a problem for international travellers, who must juggle multiple currencies; Where's My Tip, however, aims to offer a solution.

Wait staff and b s must maintain an extremely high ratio of tips paid to tips requested to ensure they don't hand out cards as a way to avoid paying a tip. Membership in Florida-based Where's My Tip is currently by invitation only.

Paypal may not be many service-givers' first preference as a form of payment, but Where's My Tip says it's working on alternatives. At the same time, there's no denying the appeal of cashless tipping, particularly for international travellers short on local currency and unfamiliar with regional tipping norms. How about creating a brandable version that hotels can give guests for in-house or local tipping, with payments simply added to the final tab...?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

Cash may be increasingly rare as a method of payment in most transactions, but tipping remains one of those areas where it's still often the standard. Therein lies a problem for international travellers, who must juggle multiple currencies; Where's My Tip, however, aims to offer a solution.

Wait staff and bartenders should always be tipped directly on the bill, Where's My Tip stresses. Rather, it's focusing its cashless alternative on travellers who need to tip doormen, bellhops, housekeepers, valets and concierges. How it works? Users begin by paying an annual USD 100 membership fee, which entitles them to 100 free tip cards—additional ones are 50 cents each. Then, when they travel, they can hand out those cards instead of cash. Each card features a unique member ID number, which can be used by the recipient to request a tip online; there, they enter their name and Paypal email address as well as a suggested tip amount. Once that happens, Where's My Tip emails the tip request to the member, who can pay the requested (or other) amount with a credit card or Paypal account. Where's My Tip then forwards the funds to the person who requested the tip. All tips and tip requests are reviewed, routed and processed by hand to keep unwarranted tip requests to a minimum; at the

Paypal may not be many service-givers' first preference as a form of payment, but Where's My Tip says it's working on alternatives. At the same time, there's no denying the appeal of cashless tipping, particularly for international travellers short on local currency and unfamiliar with regional tipping norms. How about creating a brandable version that hotels can give guests for in-house or local tipping, with payments simply added to the final tab...?

Website: www.wheresmytip.com
Contact: pr@wheresmytip.com

Spotted by: Peter Yu

Remember These? AT&T’s You Will Commercials from 1993

Original: Remember These? AT&T's You Will Commercials from 1993

Sprout Robot

Original: Sprout Robot

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-06-17 08:55.

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.sproutrobot.com/

There's no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it's time to plant.

Aspiring gardeners begin by telling SproutRo xpand, according to one of the company's recent tweets. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring gardeners in other parts of the world?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

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

Duvet suits & boots for cold-weather lounging

Original: Duvet suits & boots for cold-weather lounging

By turning down the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit during the nighttime hours, consumers can save between 5 and 15 percent on their heating bills each year. With an eye toward helping to make that happen, Australian Lazypatch has created the Duvet Suit and other lounging gear aimed at keeping consumers warm while they reduce their energy usage at night.

With a drawstring waistband, large pockets for TV remotes and other essentials, a removable hood and a carrying bag that doubles as a pillowcase, the Duvet Suit is designed to keep wearers warm while they watch TV, take the dog for a bedtime walk, attend a sporting event or participate in any other occasion where cold can be a problem. Available in 12 different colours and patterns, the polyester-filled Duvet Suit is priced at AUD 130 for a full suit or AUD 65 for the pants or jacket alone. The AUD 170 Deluxe Down Suit, by contrast, features duck down and duck feather fill, also with a 100% cotton outer layer. Then there are Lazypatch's AUD 40.70 thermal boots with duck down filling and ultra soft leather/suede soles. Lazypatch is currently in discussions with a dyeing and printing company, meanwhile, to enable customized colours and patterns.

It may already be winter in Australia, but in the Northern Hemisphere there's still plenty of time before the cold weather sets in. Stockists in northerly climes: the timing could be just right for you!

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

Singapore airport's four-storey slide rewards duty-free spending

Original: Singapore airport's four-storey slide rewards duty-free spending

Airports are no strangers to innovation when it comes to attracting business, and we've already seen several interesting examples—Heathrow's installation of a writer in residence, for instance, and dance lessons at the Aeroports de Paris, to name just two. None of the ones we've seen so far, however, can achieve the same heights—quite literally—as Singapore's Changi Airport, which has installed a slide four storeys tall.

Reminiscent of artist Carsten Höller's wildly popular installation in the Tate Modern a few years back, The Slide@T3 bills itself as the world's tallest slide in an airport. That may well be true, for the thrill-seeker's dream stands a full 12 metres high, permitting top speeds of up to six metres per second. To encourage visitors to experience the thrill, Changi gives consumers two slide tokens for every SGD 30 they spend at the airport in a single receipt. For the faint of heart, there's also a one-and-a-half-storey version that can be tried for free in the airport's Basement 2 level. Changi Airport also, incidentally, maintains a Children's Playground, a multimedia Entertainment Deck and multiple movie theatres.

As Höller notes in an interview about his own slide, "the state of mind that you enter when sliding, of simultaneous delight, madness and 'voluptuous panic,' can't simply disappear without trace afterwards." It leaves a lasting impression, in other words—which, of course, is what the experience economy is all about. ;-) (Related: Bungee jump for high-end thrill-seekers.)

Website: www.changiairport.com/at-changi/events-and-promotions/the-slide-t3
Contact: www.changiairport.com/our-business/contact-us/feedback-and-enquiry

Spotted by: David Rhoades

Sprout Robot

Original: Sprout Robot

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-06-17 08:55.

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.sproutrobot.com/

There's no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it's time to plant.

Aspiring gardeners begin by telling SproutRo xpand, according to one of the company's recent tweets. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring gardeners in other parts of the world?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

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

Remember These? AT&T’s You Will Commercials from 1993

Original: Remember These? AT&T's You Will Commercials from 1993

Singapore airport's four-storey slide rewards duty-free spending

Original: Singapore airport's four-storey slide rewards duty-free spending

Airports are no strangers to innovation when it comes to attracting business, and we've already seen several interesting examples—Heathrow's installation of a writer in residence, for instance, and dance lessons at the Aeroports de Paris, to name just two. None of the ones we've seen so far, however, can achieve the same heights—quite literally—as Singapore's Changi Airport, which has installed a slide four storeys tall.

Reminiscent of artist Carsten Höller's wildly popular installation in the Tate Modern a few years back, The Slide@T3 bills itself as the world's tallest slide in an airport. That may well be true, for the thrill-seeker's dream stands a full 12 metres high, permitting top speeds of up to six metres per second. To encourage visitors to experience the thrill, Changi gives consumers two slide tokens for every SGD 30 they spend at the airport in a single receipt. For the faint of heart, there's also a one-and-a-half-storey version that can be tried for free in the airport's Basement 2 level. Changi Airport also, incidentally, maintains a Children's Playground, a multimedia Entertainment Deck and multiple movie theatres.

As Höller notes in an interview about his own slide, "the state of mind that you enter when sliding, of simultaneous delight, madness and 'voluptuous panic,' can't simply disappear without trace afterwards." It leaves a lasting impression, in other words—which, of course, is what the experience economy is all about. ;-) (Related: Bungee jump for high-end thrill-seekers.)

Website: www.changiairport.com/at-changi/events-and-promotions/the-slide-t3
Contact: www.changiairport.com/our-business/contact-us/feedback-and-enquiry

Spotted by: David Rhoades

Sprout Robot

Original: Sprout Robot

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-06-17 08:55.

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.sproutrobot.com/

There's no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it's time to plant.

Aspiring gardeners begin by telling SproutRo xpand, according to one of the company's recent tweets. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring gardeners in other parts of the world?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

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

New Bizop Classified Ads This Week

Original: New Bizop Classified Ads This Week

Sprout Robot

Original: Sprout Robot

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-06-17 08:55.

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.sproutrobot.com/

There's no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it's time to plant.

Aspiring gardeners begin by telling SproutRo xpand, according to one of the company's recent tweets. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring gardeners in other parts of the world?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

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

Reflective lace combines style and safety for bicyclists

Original: Reflective lace combines style and safety for bicyclists

The safety hazards of bicycle and scooter travel may demand protective gear, but that's no reason to stop being stylish, as we've already noted before. Recently we came across a new innovation for participants in either mode of transportation in the form of reflective lace that can be sewn into or worn over traditional clothing.

Reflective Lace, also known as "LFLECT," is available in lengths of 120cm or as a set of two ruffled elastic rings to be worn directly over socks, gloves or hair; both are priced at GBP 20. Eight colours are available—including antique beige, antique mint green, black, bright fuchsia and canary yellow—as are two designs, including one with a bicycle pattern and wavy border. Reflective Lace is currently available only from London-based Lost Values, but its maker welcomes inquiries from potential retail partners. Bicycle-related stockists the world over: one to offer your fashion-conscious customers...?

Website: www.reflectivelace.com
Contact: elena@lostvalues.com

Spotted by: Green Thing

P.S. Along with three other companies we've featured (Sugru, Make Do and Woolfiller) Reflective Lace is in the running for Sustainability's Next Top Model, a contest organized by our friends at Green Thing. Head over to the competition's Facebook page to vote for your favourite.

Sell Your Products to Tens of Millions of Customers

Original: Sell Your Products to Tens of Millions of Customers

Connecting With Your Community Online

Original: Connecting With Your Community Online

Health care by monthly membership

Original: Health care by monthly membership

In the United States, more than 40 cents of every dollar patients spend on health care goes toward insurance billing and overhead. That means clinicians must see more patients each day just to make ends meet, resulting in longer wait times, shorter appointments and higher costs. Aiming to apply some fresh thinking to an area that sorely needs it, Qliance has developed a new model for health care that works like a health-club membership and excludes insurance from the process.

Qliance reminds us of Hello Health for the way it aims to make medical services friendlier and more accessible for everyone. With three clinics in the Seattle area, Qliance gives its members unrestricted access to its clinicians and services for a monthly fee of between USD 44 and USD 129. No long-term contract is required; rather, members simply pay a registration fee of USD 99 and choose from two types of service plans—one with remote hospital coordination, or one with bedside hospital coordination by Qliance clinicians. Services include checkups, vaccinations, pneumonia, minor fractures, routine women's health exams, and ongoing care for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension or obesity—the primary and preventive care, in other words, that accounts for 90 percent of the medical issues that drive people to the doctor, according to Qliance.

Qliance has already received USD 13.5 million in funding, including investments from Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell, and it's aiming to expand outside Washington as early as next year. One to get in on early? (Related: Doctor 2.0 uses IM & sticks to house calls — A simpler way to make a doctor's appointment.)

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

Spotted by Susanna Haynie

Sprout Robot

Original: Sprout Robot

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Thu, 2010-06-17 08:55.

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.sproutrobot.com/

There's no end in sight to the gardening innovations popping up each week all around the globe. The latest spotting? SproutRobot, a San Diego-based web service that offers regionally optimized gardening plans and sends seeds when it's time to plant.

Aspiring gardeners begin by telling SproutRo xpand, according to one of the company's recent tweets. One to partner with or emulate for aspiring gardeners in other parts of the world?

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site

[Via - Springwise]

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

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Original: Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Over the past seven years, we've covered dozens of businesses that let customers design or personalise products. People love having it their way, and entrepreneurs can gain a competitive advantage by combining offline manufacturing with online sales and personalisation. Five recent spottings:

1. THE MAGICAL STORY MACHINE — For GBP 5.95 or less, the Magical Story machine allows users to record their own children's audiobook, along with a personal message. Users pick from a selection of popular children's stories, then record the words online using their computer's microphone and a web-based autocue tool. Appropriate sound effects and music are automatically mixed in with the storyteller's voice, and the result is made available for download as an MP3 file.

2. I AM A STUFFED ANIMAL — I Am A Stuffed Animal makes cuddly toys that resemble caricatures of real people. Users send in one or more photos of themselves (or whoever they want parodied) and some descriptive information such as interests and clothing choices. The stuffed Mini Me is then delivered within four to six weeks; a little more if the destination is outside the United States. The price? USD 69.

3. QUILTCREATOR — QuiltCreator.com allows consumers to come up with their own unique bed quilt by choosing from a wide range of themes, patterns and colours, using a drag-and-drop tool. Six to eight weeks later they'll receive a hand-crafted, 100% cotton quilt that matches their design.

4. EDELWISER — In a similar vein but a very different field, Edelwiser Ski lets users design the livery for the top layer of skis purchased from the Austrian company. Full-colour graphics can feature artwork, images and text. There are also downloadable templates for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator if users to prefer to do their graphic design using familiar software.

5. FLUID FORMS — Also from Austria, Fluid Forms is a design label that specialises in using CNC technology to create products customised by customer input. Their latest line is Streets Earrings: jewellery featuring an etched map of any location that's special to the earrings' future wearer. Like most personalisation concepts we've covered, it's all done with an easy-to-use web tool.

Spotters: Martina Meng, Judy McRae, Dave Lueder, Dietfried Globocnik

3 Ways to Make the Most of Business Opportunities

Original: 3 Ways to Make the Most of Business Opportunities

Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Original: Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Over the past seven years, we've covered dozens of businesses that let customers design or personalise products. People love having it their way, and entrepreneurs can gain a competitive advantage by combining offline manufacturing with online sales and personalisation. Five recent spottings:

1. THE MAGICAL STORY MACHINE — For GBP 5.95 or less, the Magical Story machine allows users to record their own children's audiobook, along with a personal message. Users pick from a selection of popular children's stories, then record the words online using their computer's microphone and a web-based autocue tool. Appropriate sound effects and music are automatically mixed in with the storyteller's voice, and the result is made available for download as an MP3 file.

2. I AM A STUFFED ANIMAL — I Am A Stuffed Animal makes cuddly toys that resemble caricatures of real people. Users send in one or more photos of themselves (or whoever they want parodied) and some descriptive information such as interests and clothing choices. The stuffed Mini Me is then delivered within four to six weeks; a little more if the destination is outside the United States. The price? USD 69.

3. QUILTCREATOR — QuiltCreator.com allows consumers to come up with their own unique bed quilt by choosing from a wide range of themes, patterns and colours, using a drag-and-drop tool. Six to eight weeks later they'll receive a hand-crafted, 100% cotton quilt that matches their design.

4. EDELWISER — In a similar vein but a very different field, Edelwiser Ski lets users design the livery for the top layer of skis purchased from the Austrian company. Full-colour graphics can feature artwork, images and text. There are also downloadable templates for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator if users to prefer to do their graphic design using familiar software.

5. FLUID FORMS — Also from Austria, Fluid Forms is a design label that specialises in using CNC technology to create products customised by customer input. Their latest line is Streets Earrings: jewellery featuring an etched map of any location that's special to the earrings' future wearer. Like most personalisation concepts we've covered, it's all done with an easy-to-use web tool.

Spotters: Martina Meng, Judy McRae, Dave Lueder, Dietfried Globocnik

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

General Mills Seeks Innovative Packaging Solutions

Original: General Mills Seeks Innovative Packaging Solutions

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Original: Five (more) businesses selling personalised products

Over the past seven years, we've covered dozens of businesses that let customers design or personalise products. People love having it their way, and entrepreneurs can gain a competitive advantage by combining offline manufacturing with online sales and personalisation. Five recent spottings:

1. THE MAGICAL STORY MACHINE — For GBP 5.95 or less, the Magical Story machine allows users to record their own children's audiobook, along with a personal message. Users pick from a selection of popular children's stories, then record the words online using their computer's microphone and a web-based autocue tool. Appropriate sound effects and music are automatically mixed in with the storyteller's voice, and the result is made available for download as an MP3 file.

2. I AM A STUFFED ANIMAL — I Am A Stuffed Animal makes cuddly toys that resemble caricatures of real people. Users send in one or more photos of themselves (or whoever they want parodied) and some descriptive information such as interests and clothing choices. The stuffed Mini Me is then delivered within four to six weeks; a little more if the destination is outside the United States. The price? USD 69.

3. QUILTCREATOR — QuiltCreator.com allows consumers to come up with their own unique bed quilt by choosing from a wide range of themes, patterns and colours, using a drag-and-drop tool. Six to eight weeks later they'll receive a hand-crafted, 100% cotton quilt that matches their design.

4. EDWELWISER — In a similar vein but a very different field, Edelwiser Ski lets users design the livery for the top layer of skis purchased from the Austrian company. Full-colour graphics can feature artwork, images and text. There are also downloadable templates for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator if users to prefer to do their graphic design using familiar software.

5. FLUID FORMS — Also from Austria, Fluid Forms is a design label that specialises in using CNC technology to create products customised by customer input. Their latest line is Streets Earrings: jewellery featuring an etched map of any location that's special to the earrings' future wearer. Like most personalisation concepts we've covered, it's all done with an easy-to-use web tool.

Spotters: Judy McRae, Dave Lueder, Dietfriend Globonik

Free Must Read Report for Entrepreneurs

Original: Free Must Read Report for Entrepreneurs

What Blogs Should You Read?

Original: What Blogs Should You Read?


photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

It’s not easy to know what is worth reading in social media these days. As technology makes it simpler and simpler to create content, the predictable problem this causes is that people who have no business creating content are doing it with abandon. Do any Google search that returns more than a million search results and you’ll easily understand the downside of this phenomenon. Recently posted on Open Forum.

One very simple way to figure out which blogs you want to read is to set up an RSS reader. This makes it super easy for you to set up a whole account where you can specify which blogs interest you and which ones you would like to follow.

Almost every blog out there will have a list of fellow blogs that they enjoy reading and may even recommend that others read as well. Take a look at those and see if there are some that tickle your fancy to add to your list of favorites.

Another great way to automatically get a hold of the blogs you want to read every day or even every week is by subscribing to all of your favorites, this way they will be automatically sent to you when they are posted to their websites.

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

Dutch automobile association touring France in shop on wheels

Original: Dutch automobile association touring France in shop on wheels

While national automobile associations have been branching out into other areas—from credit cards to car rental—the primary reason drivers sign up is for emergency roadside assistance. Building on that "there when you need us" sentiment, ANWB, the Dutch motorists association, has launched a mobile store that will tour France* this summer.

The ANWB's store on wheels will stop at campgrounds across France, selling tourists items they forgot to pack, from toothbrushes and sunblock to its own maps and travel guides. On July 10th, the association will sell its wares from rest stops along the Autoroute du Soleil, where it will be joined by motor care teams who'll check tire pressure, give traffic updates and clean car windows and mirrors. The ANWB will also treat drivers to a massage while sitters entertain their children. (This might seem excessive, but the Autoroute du Soleil is the main motorway from the north to the south of France, and is so choked with traffic on heavy travel dates that July 10th is dubbed Black Saturday.)

Last but not least, when drivers have finally reached their destination, the ANWB's 'Helping Hands' will pitch tents, fill jerry cans and even dry dishes.

All of which makes for a prime example of what our sister-site calls brand butlers. As trendwatching.com puts it, "serving is the new selling", and by following its members and assisting them when and where they need it most, the ANWB builds a stronger relationship with its customers and highlights the diversity of its offerings. (Related: Light therapy for weary travellers — Method's mobile laundry truck facilitates clothing donations.)

Website: www.anwb.nl
Contact: www.anwb.nl/contact-en-service,/contact.html

Spotted by: Ruben van Rhijn

* Not only has France long been the number one holiday destination for Dutch tourists, last year 92% drove there from Holland, making it a prime marketing location for the ANWB.

iPads for rent on Jetstar flights

Original: iPads for rent on Jetstar flights

Hard on the heels of our story about Bluebox Avionics' iPad-based in-flight entertainment system comes word of what appears to be the first carrier to test out the technology: Jetstar, the low-cost subsidiary of Australian Qantas Airways.

Starting later this month, passengers on select domestic Jetstar flights will be offered an iPad for a rental fee of AUD 10, according to Flight Global. Along with the device will come a wide assortment of music, movies, eBooks, magazines and games. The trial is being conducted in partnership with Bluebox and Stellar Inflight; if it goes well, Jetstar may roll out the iPad on all domestic and international services later this year, Flight Global reported.

Now that iPad sales have reached 2 million, it just might be time to think about how this technology could enhance consumers' experience of *your* tech-savvy brand... (Related: Hotel equips concierges with iPads — For £20, a way to try the iPad before buying.)

Website: www.jetstar.com
Contact: www.jetstar.com/gx/en/contact-us.aspx

Spotted by: Flight Global

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

Started Her Own Biz

Original: Started Her Own Biz

iPads for rent on Jetstar flights

Original: iPads for rent on Jetstar flights

Hard on the heels of our story about Bluebox Avionics' iPad-based in-flight entertainment system comes word of what appears to be the first carrier to test out the technology: Jetstar, the low-cost subsidiary of Australian Qantas Airways.

Starting later this month, passengers on select domestic Jetstar flights will be offered an iPad for a rental fee of AUD 10, according to Flight Global. Along with the device will come a wide assortment of music, movies, eBooks, magazines and games. The trial is being conducted in partnership with Bluebox and Stellar Inflight; if it goes well, Jetstar may roll out the iPad on all domestic and international services later this year, Flight Global reported.

Now that iPad sales have reached 2 million, it just might be time to think about how this technology could enhance consumers' experience of *your* tech-savvy brand... (Related: Hotel equips concierges with iPads — For £20, a way to try the iPad before buying.)

Website: www.jetstar.com
Contact: www.jetstar.com/gx/en/contact-us.aspx

Spotted by: Flight Global

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g

Fake Limes And A Flash Of Inspiration

Original: Fake Limes And A Flash Of Inspiration

The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Original: The Story Of Trivia Pursuit

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Fri, 2010-06-04 09:11.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


Chris Haney was the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit, one of the best-selling games ever and one that has inspired a raft of trivia questions based on its own success.

What game has the highest per-capita sales in Iceland? Which one has had its questions printed on Pringles chips? And what game was, at first, titled "Trivia Pursuit," until its inventor's wife suggested the name as a s f reference books to Spain aboard a ship—flying made him nervous. He spent nearly a year on the Costa del Sol writing questions. Back in Canada in 1981, the two inventors began producing the game as Horn Abbot Ltd., combing Mr. Haney's nickname with a version of Mr. Abbott's last name. But, the start-up process had proven stressful for Mr. Haney, who spent the months leading up to Trivial Pursuit's official 1982 release in seclusion. Business conversations gave him panic attacks, which he could control only by copious amounts of brandy and up to four packs of Camel cigarettes a day, he told Canada's Globe and Mail in 1983.

After a slow start, Trivial Pursuit took off as had no game in recent years—Monopoly was introduced in 1930 and Scrabble in 1952 (each game had predecessors).

In a guerilla marketing coup, the game was mailed gratis to celebrities who appeared as answers to Trivial Pursuit questions. This helped spark a trivia craze, and in 198 Haney found himself unable to g