четверг, 30 сентября 2010 г.

High-end calculators for rent to students

Original: High-end calculators for rent to students

It's a testament to the ubiquity of niche software that hand-held calculators are now a rarity in the enterprise and scientific worlds. They're still used in college classes, however, which is why Canadian Renac has been able to build a business on renting them out to students.

Rather than buy a graphic or financial calculator for use in just one or two classes, students can save more than 70 percent of the devices' retail price by renting one instead, Renac says. Six calculators are available on the Renac site, with prices beginning at CAD 1.25 per month for a BA II Plus financial device, for example. Monthly, semester, 10-month, 12-month and two-year plans are available, with lower rates for longer rental periods. When the student is done with the rented calculator, he or she simply puts it in a prepaid return envelope and mails it back to Renac.

Launched last month, Renac currently serves transumers on Canadian campuses. Who will bring something like this to the rest of the ownership-averse world...? (Related: Green car-sharing by the hour at Hawaii hotelsToy rental service targets businesses with waiting roomsRental service for kids' video gamesDesigner dresses for rent (back-up size included)www.renac.ca
Contact: support@renac.ca

Spotted by: Heather Buist

SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Original: SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2010-09-28 10:33.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.solvemedia.com/

It's always inspiring to see an entrepreneur hit upon an idea that solves two problems at once. Case in point: New York-based Solve Media. Combining websites' need for user authentication with advertisers' ongoing need for consumer attention, the company has launched a captcha-style tool that addresses both ends.

Rather than the no ore 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

google_ad_client = "ca-pub-9095123295552398"; google_ad_host = "ca-host-pub-1556223355139109"; google_ad_host_channel = "L0007"; google_ad_slot = "4866884086"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250;

Dry Bar: A Salon That Doesn’t Cut Hair

Original: Dry Bar: A Salon That Doesn't Cut Hair

среда, 29 сентября 2010 г.

SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Original: SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2010-09-28 10:33.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.solvemedia.com/

It's always inspiring to see an entrepreneur hit upon an idea that solves two problems at once. Case in point: New York-based Solve Media. Combining websites' need for user authentication with advertisers' ongoing need for consumer attention, the company has launched a captcha-style tool that addresses both ends.

Rather than the no ore 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

Nonprofits can always use extra manpower, but it's often professional skills that they need most. Catchafire is a site that aims to improve the quality of the matches between professionals and the nonprofits that need their help.

Now in beta, New York City-based Catchafire is similar in some ways to The Extraordinaries, which we covered this summer. The certified B-corporation begins by matching professionals who want to volunteer with nonprofits and social enterprises that need their skills. Matching is done on a variety of characteristics including skills, cause interests and time availability. By design, Catchafire projects each require 50 hours or less of flexible volunteer time to complete over less than three months; they are discrete, each with a clearly defined deliverable; and they are individual, or designed to be completed by one skilled professional rather than a team. Tasks involved typically include marketing, PR, design, social media, strategy and finance. The matching service is free for volunteers; nonprofits and social enterprises, meanwhile, are charged less than 5 per

Since the soft launch of Catchafire in May, it has matched more than 70 organizations with professionals who have volunteered more than 3,000 hours to provide over USD 500,000 in services. Currently, however, the company serves only organizations in the Greater New York City area. One to partner with or emulate to boost volunteership in your part of the world...?

Website: www.catchafire.org
Contact: catchus@catchafire.org

Spotted by: Margarita Barry

вторник, 28 сентября 2010 г.

Could Dick Tracy Watch Phones Be Next?

Original: Could Dick Tracy Watch Phones Be Next?

SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Original: SolveMedia - This Captcha Has Been Paid For

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Tue, 2010-09-28 10:33.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.solvemedia.com/

It's always inspiring to see an entrepreneur hit upon an idea that solves two problems at once. Case in point: New York-based Solve Media. Combining websites' need for user authentication with advertisers' ongoing need for consumer attention, the company has launched a captcha-style tool that addresses both ends.

Rather than the no ore 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

We've already seen jewelry made from both reclaimed and sustainably mined materials. Guided by a similarly eco-minded philosophy, Los Angeles-based (and Florence-born) WeWood crafts wooden watches and plants a new tree for every watch it sells.

WeWood timepieces offer Miyota movements in a variety of designs that are completely devoid of artificial and toxic materials, the company says. Several wood varieties are used in WeWood's watches, including Maple, Ebony and Guaiaco, a tree native to South America. A fourth type — called Red Wing Celtis — is typically used for flooring, and WeWood draws its supply from the industrial waste that would otherwise result. Perhaps best of all is that — much like Vermont's Naked Table workshops — WeWood plants a new tree for every watch sold thanks to a partnership with American Forests and Global Releaf. Each WeWood watch is priced at USD 119.

With their focus on sustainability and the use of story-laden reclaimed materials, WeWood's watches offer a new eco-iconic time-telling option for green-minded consumers. Eco-minded retailers around the globe: this one's for you!(Related: Furniture with a story, crafted from salvaged sailing dhowsEco-friendly gift cards & hotel key cardsBoxes made of cardboard laden with seeds.)

Website: www.we-wood.us
Contact: infous@we-wood.com

Spotted by: Jasmine

понедельник, 27 сентября 2010 г.

Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Original: Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Free and open source software has already opened up a world of opportunity for users unable or unwilling to pay the comparatively high costs associated with proprietary packages. Such benefits haven't yet come to the world of TV, however, which is why the Novacut project was formed.

Traditionally, the equipment needed to make a broadcast-quality TV show has been so expensive that only the big TV networks could afford it. That, in turn, made those networks the effective gatekeepers of the content. With new, lower-cost HDSLR cameras, however, are coming new opportunities for TV independence. So, Novacut aims to seize this opportunity to build a platform that allows artists to create, promote, distribute and fund independent TV shows and other video entertainment. Toward that end, it's writing a free, open source video editor aimed specifically at producing off-network TV shows using HDSLR cameras like the 5D Mark II, and it's also creating a like-minded video player through which fans can easily find, watch and support the results. Along the way, it hopes to enable a learning community through which aspiring TV makers can learn, teach and collaborate using a distributed workflow and cloud-based storage.

Colorado-based Novacut is currently seeking USD 25,000 in funding through Kickstarter by Oct. 1. Independent-minded media entrepreneurs: one to get involved in? (Related: Open source phone service for off-grid areasNo secret recipes at open source restaurantCrowdsourced dream cars inspired by destinationsAn open-source 3D printer for the masseswww.novacut.com

Spotted by: Jeffrey Ballagh

Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Original: Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-09-25 12:03.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.thedrybar.com/

Beware the woman with a blow-dry. She walks taller, negotiates tougher and can blind opponents with a toss of her freshly coifed locks. Such is the thinking behind Drybar, a new chain of high-concept salons in Los Angeles that caters solely to women who skip the cut and color for a simple shampoo and mane et you sleek, shower-curtain-straight locks). Each costs $35, plus gratis champagne. Even cheekier, the mirrors hang behind the customers so they have to stand and turn around for the big reveal. "Come on. No one really looks great with wet hair," Webb says. The overall effect is more Sex and the City-style saloon than salon.

Without a surplus of funds, Landau and Webb found creative ways to get the glamour quotient they wanted. To lure award-winning New York architect Josh Heitler of Lancina Heitler to design the space, the team offered him a slice of equity. "We took a little bit of heat for it, but we don't regret it," Landau says. "Because he had a vested interest in the concept, he gave us his heart and soul." They also enlisted the expertise of Webb's husband Cameron, an art director with Secret Weapon Marketing, who created the whimsical website, which attracted one investor before the first salon even opened. (In fact, a few of their femal amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=U

Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

воскресенье, 26 сентября 2010 г.

Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Original: Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Free and open source software has already opened up a world of opportunity for users unable or unwilling to pay the comparatively high costs associated with proprietary packages. Such benefits haven't yet come to the world of TV, however, which is why the Novacut project was formed.

Traditionally, the equipment needed to make a broadcast-quality TV show has been so expensive that only the big TV networks could afford it. That, in turn, made those networks the effective gatekeepers of the content. With new, lower-cost HDSLR cameras, however, are coming new opportunities for TV independence. So, Novacut aims to seize this opportunity to build a platform that allows artists to create, promote, distribute and fund independent TV shows and other video entertainment. Toward that end, it's writing a free, open source video editor aimed specifically at producing off-network TV shows using HDSLR cameras like the 5D Mark II, and it's also creating a like-minded video player through which fans can easily find, watch and support the results. Along the way, it hopes to enable a learning community through which aspiring TV makers can learn, teach and collaborate using a distributed workflow and cloud-based storage.

Colorado-based Novacut is currently seeking USD 25,000 in funding through Kickstarter by Oct. 1. Independent-minded media entrepreneurs: one to get involved in? (Related: Open source phone service for off-grid areasNo secret recipes at open source restaurantCrowdsourced dream cars inspired by destinationsAn open-source 3D printer for the masseswww.novacut.com

Spotted by: Jeffrey Ballagh

Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Original: Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-09-25 12:03.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.thedrybar.com/

Beware the woman with a blow-dry. She walks taller, negotiates tougher and can blind opponents with a toss of her freshly coifed locks. Such is the thinking behind Drybar, a new chain of high-concept salons in Los Angeles that caters solely to women who skip the cut and color for a simple shampoo and mane et you sleek, shower-curtain-straight locks). Each costs $35, plus gratis champagne. Even cheekier, the mirrors hang behind the customers so they have to stand and turn around for the big reveal. "Come on. No one really looks great with wet hair," Webb says. The overall effect is more Sex and the City-style saloon than salon.

Without a surplus of funds, Landau and Webb found creative ways to get the glamour quotient they wanted. To lure award-winning New York architect Josh Heitler of Lancina Heitler to design the space, the team offered him a slice of equity. "We took a little bit of heat for it, but we don't regret it," Landau says. "Because he had a vested interest in the concept, he gave us his heart and soul." They also enlisted the expertise of Webb's husband Cameron, an art director with Secret Weapon Marketing, who created the whimsical website, which attracted one investor before the first salon even opened. (In fact, a few of their femal amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=U

Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

суббота, 25 сентября 2010 г.

Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Original: Open video project aims to spur independent TV

Free and open source software has already opened up a world of opportunity for users unable or unwilling to pay the comparatively high costs associated with proprietary packages. Such benefits haven't yet come to the world of TV, however, which is why the Novacut project was formed.

Traditionally, the equipment needed to make a broadcast-quality TV show has been so expensive that only the big TV networks could afford it. That, in turn, made those networks the effective gatekeepers of the content. With new, lower-cost HDSLR cameras, however, are coming new opportunities for TV independence. So, Novacut aims to seize this opportunity to build a platform that allows artists to create, promote, distribute and fund independent TV shows and other video entertainment. Toward that end, it's writing a free, open source video editor aimed specifically at producing off-network TV shows using HDSLR cameras like the 5D Mark II, and it's also creating a like-minded video player through which fans can easily find, watch and support the results. Along the way, it hopes to enable a learning community through which aspiring TV makers can learn, teach and collaborate using a distributed workflow and cloud-based storage.

Colorado-based Novacut is currently seeking USD 25,000 in funding through Kickstarter by Oct. 1. Independent-minded media entrepreneurs: one to get involved in? (Related: Open source phone service for off-grid areasNo secret recipes at open source restaurantCrowdsourced dream cars inspired by destinationsAn open-source 3D printer for the masseswww.novacut.com

Spotted by: Jeffrey Ballagh

Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Original: Drybar - Hair Salon That Does Not Cut Hair

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2010-09-25 12:03.
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You


http://www.thedrybar.com/

Beware the woman with a blow-dry. She walks taller, negotiates tougher and can blind opponents with a toss of her freshly coifed locks. Such is the thinking behind Drybar, a new chain of high-concept salons in Los Angeles that caters solely to women who skip the cut and color for a simple shampoo and mane et you sleek, shower-curtain-straight locks). Each costs $35, plus gratis champagne. Even cheekier, the mirrors hang behind the customers so they have to stand and turn around for the big reveal. "Come on. No one really looks great with wet hair," Webb says. The overall effect is more Sex and the City-style saloon than salon.

Without a surplus of funds, Landau and Webb found creative ways to get the glamour quotient they wanted. To lure award-winning New York architect Josh Heitler of Lancina Heitler to design the space, the team offered him a slice of equity. "We took a little bit of heat for it, but we don't regret it," Landau says. "Because he had a vested interest in the concept, he gave us his heart and soul." They also enlisted the expertise of Webb's husband Cameron, an art director with Secret Weapon Marketing, who created the whimsical website, which attracted one investor before the first salon even opened. (In fact, a few of their femal amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=U

Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-Up Sept. 25, 2010

пятница, 24 сентября 2010 г.

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

Children affected by serious diseases and medical conditions either personally or in their families often don't really understand those illnesses or the treatments required to fight them. New Zealand-based Kidzcomics aims to change all that with a series of comic books designed to explain medical information for children.

The Medikidz series features five superheroes by the same name, each of them a specialist in a different part of the body. With stories designed to be fun and appealing, the comics aim to entertain as well as educate children about serious medical issues. Conditions covered in the Medikidz line so far include leukemia, epilepsy, diabetes, HIV and ADHD, among many others; rather than "sugar-coating" the topics, Kidzcomics' books aim to empower and educate children for better self-management and less fear. All content is written by professional medical writers and doctors and then peer-reviewed. Pricing is GBP 6.99 per comic book.

There are currently more than 50 million children afflicted by illness in English-speaking countries alone, Kidzcomics says. Who will offer something similar in other languages for other parts of the world?

Website: www.kidzcomics.com
Contact: www.kidzcomics.com/contacts/

Spotted by: Kendall Flutey

Your Link To All Businesses Mom-Owned

Original: Your Link To All Businesses Mom-Owned

четверг, 23 сентября 2010 г.

Medical comic books for kids explain serious diseases

Original: Medical comic books for kids explain serious diseases

Children affected by serious diseases and medical conditions either personally or in their families often don't really understand those illnesses or the treatments required to fight them. New Zealand-based Kidzcomics aims to change all that with a series of comic books designed to explain medical information for children.

The Medikidz series features five superheroes by the same name, each of them a specialist in a different part of the body. With stories designed to be fun and appealing, the comics aim to entertain as well as educate children about serious medical issues. Conditions covered in the Medikidz line so far include leukemia, epilepsy, diabetes, HIV and ADHD, among many others; rather than "sugar-coating" the topics, Kidzcomics' books aim to empower and educate children for better self-management and less fear. All content is written by professional medical writers and doctors and then peer-reviewed. Pricing is GBP 6.99 per comic book.

There are currently more than 50 million children afflicted by illness in English-speaking countries alone, Kidzcomics says. Who will offer something similar in other languages for other parts of the world?

Website: www.kidzcomics.com
Contact: www.kidzcomics.com/contacts/

Spotted by: Kendall Flutey

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

среда, 22 сентября 2010 г.

For GBP 3.89, expert evaluation of an item's worth

Original: For GBP 3.89, expert evaluation of an item's worth

If Antiques Roadshow has taught the viewing public anything, it's that there's often no predicting which antique objects will turn out to possess the most value. Aiming to help consumers get some idea for themselves, UK-based Value My Stuff Now is a site that promises a valuation within 48 hours for any photo submitted.

With a staff of experts based in England and experienced at Sotheby's, Christie's or one of the other major London auction houses, Value My Stuff Now evaluates antiques in a wide range of categories, including jewelry, memorabilia, books, stamps and Indian art. To request an evaluation, consumers begin by uploading photos and any details they have about the item(s) in question. VMSN then assigns an expert, who will return a full valuation within 48 hours. Valuation reports are presented in PDF, and they detail the item's history and value; an online valuation certificate, meanwhile, is held on VMSN's secure server. Consumers planning to sell an item on eBay can then link to that online certificate to show potential buyers the item's estimated value. VMSN's pricing begins at GBP 3.89 per item.

In this era of the sellsumer, few things are more important than knowing what one's assets are worth. One to partner with or emulate in the eBay market near you? (Related: Secondhand store showcases previous ownersJobs site estimates each candidate's worth.)

Website: www.valuemystuffnow.com
Contact: support@valuemystuffnow.com

Spotted by: Jonathan Kyle

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

вторник, 21 сентября 2010 г.

Home-Schooler Gets Lesson In Making A Profit

Original: Home-Schooler Gets Lesson In Making A Profit

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

Much the way IndieBound aims to encourage consumers to buy from independently owned bookstores rather than national chains, so Oregon-based Supportland is using incentives to reward them for choosing local businesses when they buy products and services of any kind.

Now in beta, Supportland has developed a rewards card that works at any of the company's network of some 50 locally owned Portland-area businesses. Using the free card, consumers are rewarded with points every time they make a purchase at one of those business. Those points, in turn, can be used toward the purchase of specific products or services at any participating businesses. Locally owned Poppy Massage, for instance, offers a one-hour massage for every 500 points earned at any business or businesses in the Supportland network.

Following its official Portland launch in January, Supportland hopes to expand across the US, with points transferable among regions — the entire infrastructure has been packaged, in fact, so that it can be completely re-branded wherever it's implemented, the company says. An iPhone app, meanwhile, is also in the works. One to partner with, emulate or otherwise get involved in?

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

Spotted by: Sarah Anne Jackson

понедельник, 20 сентября 2010 г.

Weekend Wrap-up Sept.18, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-up Sept.18, 2010

Custom travel guides designed for sharing

Original: Custom travel guides designed for sharing

Personalized travel guides figured prominently on our virtual pages back in late 2008, what with our coverage of Offbeat Guides, Tripwolf and Traveldk.com. Now, borrowing a page — so to speak — from these other offerings, Norwegian Stay.com is a social platform where users can create and share their own, custom guides.

Users of Stay.com begin by entering their destination city, prompting the site to draw from more than 150,000 attractions, restaurants and hotels in more than 50 cities to suggest a variety of venues and activities. Content reportedly comes from a range of online sources, including TripAdvisor and OpenTable. From there, users can zero in on just the spots they care about in their custom guides. For additional input, they can share their guides with others via Facebook and Twitter; they can also ask for advice, give recommendations and discuss travel experiences. An assortment of personal guides created by other users, meanwhile, can provide inspiration. In the end, users get a free, personal and compact guide that includes maps and meaningful details about the selected attractions, such as prices, operating hours, contacts, descriptions and pictures. Guides can be saved on the site and accessed online from any device with an Internet connection; alternatively, they can be downloaded

Now in beta, Stay.com is surely working on expanding its reach to more cities around the globe. It also might consider offering a professional printing option for travellers who want their guide to serve as a keepsake as well. It's clearly a crowded arena — one more to watch or partner with!

Website: www.stay.com
Contact: www.stay.com/support

Spotted by: Bjorn Verbrugghe

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

воскресенье, 19 сентября 2010 г.

1,500 board games on hand at wifi-free café

Original: 1,500 board games on hand at wifi-free café

It's not uncommon to see board games on display at restaurants and cafés, but they're typically used to prop up laptops at least as often as to provide hands-on entertainment. Aiming to re-create the offline interaction of days gone by, Toronto's Snakes & Lattes serves up not just coffee but also 1,500 board games available for the playing.

Billed as "the first board game café in Toronto," Snakes & Lattes dispenses with the free wifi; rather, it encourages its patrons to play games instead. For CAD 5 per person per visit, visitors can choose from the café's diverse collection, which includes staples like Monopoly as well as lesser-known offerings including Jumanji and Fireball Island, according to a report on BlogTO. Taking the concept even further, the shop's baristas serve as strategic advisors as well, dispensing instructions and tips for play along with the frothy beverages. Coming soon, reportedly, are themed nights, youth-focused initiatives and a rental system to let customers play the games at home.

Given the ubiquity of wifi-enabled coffee houses around the world, unplugging and focusing instead on low-tech games is an interesting premise that could win the loyalty of legions of mass-mingling consumers. It's similar, in some ways, to Meet Joe's offline and personal approach to social networking. One to watch! (Related: Five online services for getting together offlineOnline network for tweens requires offline introductions.)

Website: www.snakesandlattes.com
Contact: contact@snakesandlattes.com

Spotted by: Cathy Ly

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

суббота, 18 сентября 2010 г.

Weekend Wrap-up Sept.18, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-up Sept.18, 2010

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

It's not uncommon to see board games on display at restaurants and cafés, but they're typically used to prop up laptops at least as often as to provide hands-on entertainment. Aiming to re-create the offline interaction of days gone by, Toronto's Snakes & Lattes serves up not just coffee but also 1,500 board games available for the playing.

Billed as "the first board game café in Toronto," Snakes & Lattes dispenses with the free wifi; rather, it encourages its patrons to play games instead. For CAD 5 per person per visit, visitors can choose from the café's diverse collection, which includes staples like Monopoly as well as lesser-known offerings including Jumanji and Fireball Island, according to a report on BlogTO. Taking the concept even further, the shop's baristas serve as strategic advisors as well, dispensing instructions and tips for play along with the frothy beverages. Coming soon, reportedly, are themed nights, youth-focused initiatives and a rental system to let customers play the games at home.

Given the ubiquity of wifi-enabled coffee houses around the world, unplugging and focusing instead on low-tech games is an interesting premise that could win the loyalty of legions of mass-mingling consumers. It's similar, in some ways, to Meet Joe's offline and personal approach to social networking. One to watch! (Related: Five online services for getting together offlineOnline network for tweens requires offline introductions.)

Website: www.snakesandlattes.com
Contact: contact@snakesandlattes.com

Spotted by: Cathy Ly

пятница, 17 сентября 2010 г.

Mobile app service delivers location-based disaster alerts

Original: Mobile app service delivers location-based disaster alerts

Natural disasters and other emergency situations are very much a local phenomenon, yet little has been done so far to take advantage of the mobile world's new location-based capabilities. Enter CiviGuard, a new mobile app service designed to help governments deliver timely and contextual emergency information to affected civilians.

To make use of CiviGuard, federal, state and local command centers would begin by leveraging the technology to identify crisis zones when a disaster occurs. California-based CiviGuard then determines which cell phone towers represent those crisis zones and compiles a list of subscribers to its FIPS 140-2-compliant service who should be targeted with an emergency message. Those subscribers then receive notifications via SMS, push or email, alerting them to critical information including route plans, directions and other emergency warnings. The multitouch CiviGuard app currently supports iPhone, iPad and Android; coming soon are BlackBerry and Windows Phone. Pricing for government organizations is on a per-civilian, per-year subscription basis, and it includes deployment, command training, mobile device updates, 24x7 support and quarterly readiness testing.

Emergency management agencies around the globe: one to try out on your own smartphone-savvy population? Alternatively, developers: how about delivering a scaled-down, functionall version for less developed parts of the world? (Related: Emails warn patients about health-changing weatherCar insurer alerts clients by text message when roads get icy.)

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

Spotted by: Doug Jost

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

четверг, 16 сентября 2010 г.

At Vermont workshop, make your own hyperlocal dinner table

Original: At Vermont workshop, make your own hyperlocal dinner table

If consumers like to make their own pancakes, bicycles and wedding rings, it stands to reason that they might enjoy crafting their own dinner tables, too. The appeal gets even stronger, however, when those tables are sourced entirely from the local environment, with an opportunity to meet everyone involved. Such, in fact, is exactly what's delivered at a new series of workshops by Vermont furniture purveyor ShackletonThomas.

Six months prior to each Naked Table event, 100-year-old Sugar Maple trees are locally harvested from a sustainably managed forest in Vermont. They are logged, sawn, dried and machined by various local artisans until they're ready to be made into tables. Then, on the designated weekend, 15 guests arrive for an experience focused on "connecting people to each other and the environment, making things by hand," as the company puts it. Assisted by several ShackletonThomas furniture makers and finishers from Vermont Natural Coatings, participants spend the first day assembling, smoothing and finishing their tables. The weekend culminates the following day when people gather around the completed tables (joined to make one 75-foot-long table) for a celebratory, locally grown feast.

Participants also get to visit the woods with a professional forester to see the source of their lumber and identify a replacement seedling tree. The GPS coordinates of that tree are then recorded and attached to the base of the signed, numbered and finished Naked Table. Each table also comes with a certificate stating the origins of the wood and a list of the people who helped create the table — from the logger who cut the tree to the furniture maker who applied the final finish. Following a Woodstock community weekend event in late August, there is a one-day workshop coming up on Sept. 25; pricing starts at USD 1,600 per couple, including lunch and a t-shirt. Another weekend workshop is planned for October, with pricing starting at USD 3,200 per couple including also a two-night inn stay, meals, demonstrations and delivery of the resulting table within 300 miles.

It's hard to imagine any better embodiment of (still) made here appeal than a table one makes oneself in this way, and the status stories participants gain along the way are surely valued just as highly. Experience economy, meet the hyperlocal trend — go forth and multiply! ;-)

Website: www.nakedtable.com
Contact: info@shackletonthomas.com

Spotted by: Mark Hexamer

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

среда, 15 сентября 2010 г.

At Vermont workshop, make your own hyperlocal dinner table

Original: At Vermont workshop, make your own hyperlocal dinner table

If consumers like to make their own pancakes, bicycles and wedding rings, it stands to reason that they might enjoy crafting their own dinner tables, too. The appeal gets even stronger, however, when those tables are sourced entirely from the local environment, with an opportunity to meet everyone involved. Such, in fact, is exactly what's delivered at a new series of workshops by Vermont furniture purveyor ShackletonThomas.

Six months prior to each Naked Table event, 100-year-old Sugar Maple trees are locally harvested from a sustainably managed forest in Vermont. They are logged, sawn, dried and machined by various local artisans until they're ready to be made into tables. Then, on the designated weekend, 15 guests arrive for an experience focused on "connecting people to each other and the environment, making things by hand," as the company puts it. Assisted by several ShackletonThomas furniture makers and finishers from Vermont Natural Coatings, participants spend the first day assembling, smoothing and finishing their tables. The weekend culminates the following day when people gather around the completed tables (joined to make one 75-foot-long table) for a celebratory, locally grown feast.

Participants also get to visit the woods with a professional forester to see the source of their lumber and identify a replacement seedling tree. The GPS coordinates of that tree are then recorded and attached to the base of the signed, numbered and finished Naked Table. Each table also comes with a certificate stating the origins of the wood and a list of the people who helped create the table — from the logger who cut the tree to the furniture maker who applied the final finish. Following a Woodstock community weekend event in late August, there is a one-day workshop coming up on Sept. 25; pricing starts at USD 1,600 per couple, including lunch and a t-shirt. Another weekend workshop is planned for October, with pricing starting at USD 3,200 per couple including also a two-night inn stay, meals, demonstrations and delivery of the resulting table within 300 miles.

It's hard to imagine any better embodiment of (still) made here appeal than a table one makes oneself in this way, and the status stories participants gain along the way are surely valued just as highly. Experience economy, meet the hyperlocal trend — go forth and multiply! ;-)

Website: www.nakedtable.com
Contact: info@shackletonthomas.com

Spotted by: Mark Hexamer

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

понедельник, 13 сентября 2010 г.

Breath mint brand lets customers redeem points for vibrating toys

Original: Breath mint brand lets customers redeem points for vibrating toys

In Spain, breath mint brand Smint just launched a campaign offering people 'sensual' products in exchange for collecting points. A code is printed on each box of Smints; consumers register on Smint Me Hot, enter their code, and the points are added to their account. When they've saved up enough points, they can redeem them for adult toys. The selection includes a cellphone game that 'will make you vibrate with joy' (2 points), a small vibrator (10 points), a sensual candle (10 points) and a striptease set (20 points). Besides saving for gifts, each code also gives users a chance to win a trip to Bali. The campaign runs through February 2011, and participants must be 18 or over.

This isn't a racy effort by a niche company — Smint is one of Europe's most popular mints, from the makers of Chupa Chups lollipops. It's a mass brand connecting to the sensuous, adult side of its audience. Also, Smint Me Hot is mainly targeting women. As our spotter pointed out, the gifts on offer involve women taking the lead, which adds an appealing element of empowerment to a saucy marketing tool. Smint isn't the only brand that's taking a walk on the wild side; see our sister-site trendwatching.com's current trend briefing on maturialism for many more examples, including one by Chupa Chups itself.

Website: www.smintmehot.es

Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

воскресенье, 12 сентября 2010 г.

Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Original: Mobile Entrepreneurs - Chris Miller

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sun, 2010-09-05 08:35.
Posted in: Crazy Money
Link of the day - If You Sell Links On Your Site, I Will Buy Them Off You



http://www.chrislittlechicago.com/

After selling his Illinois gourmet food store and moving to Austin six years ago, Chris Miller was anxious to open another food-related business. So he became an early pioneer of one of food world's hottest trends: mobile food trucks.

Miller's hot ce,'" Yarrow says. "Virtual identity is as real as an identity created by a physical location."

For more unusual ways to make money, visit this site.

[Via - CNNMoney.Com]

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

In Spain, breath mint brand Smint just launched a campaign offering people 'sensual' products in exchange for collecting points. A code is printed on each box of Smints; consumers register on Smint Me Hot, enter their code, and the points are added to their account. When they've saved up enough points, they can redeem them for adult toys. The selection includes a cellphone game that 'will make you vibrate with joy' (2 points), a small vibrator (10 points), a sensual candle (10 points) and a striptease set (20 points). Besides saving for gifts, each code also gives users a chance to win a trip to Bali. The campaign runs through February 2011, and participants must be 18 or over.

This isn't a racy effort by a niche company — Smint is one of Europe's most popular mints, from the makers of Chupa Chups lollipops. It's a mass brand connecting to the sensuous, adult side of its audience. Also, Smint Me Hot is mainly targeting women. As our spotter pointed out, the gifts on offer involve women taking the lead, which adds an appealing element of empowerment to a saucy marketing tool. Smint isn't the only brand that's taking a walk on the wild side; see our sister-site trendwatching.com's current trend briefing on maturialism for many more examples, including one by Chupa Chups itself.

Website: www.smintmehot.es

Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto

Weekend Wrap-up Sept 11, 2010

Original: Weekend Wrap-up Sept 11, 2010

суббота, 11 сентября 2010 г.

Breath mint brand lets customers redeem points for vibrating toys

Original: Breath mint brand lets customers redeem points for vibrating toys

In Spain, breath mint brand Smint just launched a campaign offering people 'sensual' products in exchange for collecting points. A code is printed on each box of Smints; consumers register on Smint Me Hot, enter their code, and the points are added to their account. When they've saved up enough points, they can redeem them for adult toys. The selection includes a cellphone game that 'will make you vibrate with joy' (2 points), a small vibrator (10 points), a sensual candle (10 points) and a striptease set (20 points). Besides saving for gifts, each code also gives users a chance to win a trip to Bali. The campaign runs through February 2011, and participants must be 18 or over.

This isn't a racy effort by a niche company — Smint is one of Europe's most popular mints, from the makers of Chupa Chups lollipops. It's a mass brand connecting to the sensuous, adult side of its audience. Also, Smint Me Hot is mainly targeting women. As our spotter pointed out, the gifts on offer involve women taking the lead, which adds an appealing element of empowerment to a saucy marketing tool. Smint isn't the only brand that's taking a walk on the wild side; see our sister-site trendwatching.com's current trend briefing on maturialism for many more examples, including one by Chupa Chups itself.

Website: www.smintmehot.es

Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto