When Crazy Means Profitable

Original: When Crazy Means Profitable

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2011-03-19 10:49.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

1. Million Dollar Homepage

1000000 pixels, charge a dollar per pixel – that's perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up with the idea, is now a millionaire.

2. PickyDomains

Hire another person to think of a cool domain name for you? No way people would pay for this. Actually, naming domain names for others turned out a thriving business, especially, when you make the entire process risk free. PickyDomains currently has a waiting list of people who want to PAY the service to come up with a snappy memorable domain name. PickyDomains is expected to hit six figures this year. Full Story

3. Doggles

Create goggles for dogs and sell them online? Boy, this IS the dumbest idea for a business. How in the world did they manage to become millionaires and have shops all over the world with that one? Beyond me.

4. LaserMonks

LaserMonks.com is a for-profit subsidiary of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank, an eight-monk monastery in the hills of Monroe County, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Yeah, real monks refilling your cartridges. Hallelujah! Their 2005 sales were $2.5 million! Praise the Lord. Full Story

5. AntennaBalls

You can't sell antenna ball online. There is no way. And surely it wouldn't make you rich. But this is exactly what Jason Wall did, and now he is now a millionaire. Full Story

6. FitDeck

Create a deck of cards featuring exercise routines, and sell it online for $18.95. Sounds like a disaster idea to me. But former Navy SEAL and fitness instructor Phil Black reported last year sales of $4.7 million. Surely beats what military pays.

7. PositivesDating.Com

How would you like to go on a date with an HIV positive person? Paul Graves and Brandon Koechlin thought that someone would, so they created a dating site for HIV positive folks last year. Projected 2006 sales are $110,000, and the two hope to have 50,000 members by their two-year mark.

8. Designer Diaper Bags

Christie Rein was tired of carrying diapers around in a freezer bag. The 34-year-old mother of three found herself constantly stuffing diapers for her infant son into freezer bags to keep them from getting scrunched up in her purse. Rein wanted something that was compact, sleek and stylish, so in November 2004, she sat down with her husband, Marcus, who helped her design a custom diaper bag that's big enough to hold a travel pack of wipes and two to four diapers. With more than $180,000 in sales for 2005, Christie's company, Diapees & Wipees, has bags in 22 different styles, available online and in 120 boutiques across the globe for $14.99.

9.

Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

Original: Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

Lottery offers participants a chance to win startup's stocks

Original: Lottery offers participants a chance to win startup's stocks

Regular readers of Springwise may remember MatchFounders, the site that paired startups with potential investors or buyers in a manner similar to many online dating sites. Rather than using a match-making format, we now see Denmark-based startuplotto.com hoping to boost entrepreneurs' businesses and investors' profiles using a lottery-inspired mechanic.

Set up by 21stRetail, startuplotto.com is free to subscribe to, with subscribers receiving no more than one email per month. Contained within the email will be a short description of a new startup, with an invitation to sign up to its service or trial its product. If the subscriber accepts this invitation, they are then automatically entered into a lottery, handled by PricewaterhouseCoopers, to win 1 percent of the startup's stock. Simultaneously, the entrepreneur sending the invitation through startuplotto.com will receive a host of new members and users. In startuplotto.com's own words, "even if you don't win the lotto you'll still be helping entrepreneurs".

Entrepreneurs: one to use to expand your audience and boost your subscription figures? And everyone else: could this is be a way to get involved in the next big thing? (Related: Daily tips for startups, distilled from books old & new — Crowdsourced feedback offered to young startups — Platform lets investors clone experts' stock ideas.)

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

Snap a photo of a bill, then click to pay

Original: Snap a photo of a bill, then click to pay

Online payments may be easier to make than their offline counterparts in general, but there's still at least some pain involved in entering account numbers and other information. Aiming to push the convenience up another notch, Danish Danske Bank now lets consumers snap a photo of their bill and then simply click to pay.

Danske Bank customers begin by downloading the bank's mobile app, which is available for Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Even those who are not customers of the bank can use some of the app's features, which include funds transfer and bill payments. For the latter, customers can use their phone's built-in camera to avoid having to enter key details such as the account number and payment amount. Instructions for doing so are provided on Danske Bank's site, but essentially all customers need do is photograph the relevant section of their bill and then click to pay it.

Danske Bank's app is free, requiring only that users pay for data traffic. How can your brand tap mobile technology to make customers' lives easier? (Related: App instantly prices cars from a photo of their number plate — Restaurant's iPhone app lets users order and pay for food — iPhone app helps State Farm users submit a claim.)

Website: www.danskebank.se/sv-se/privat/Hembanken/Tjanster-i-hembanken/Pages/mobilbank.aspx
Contact: www.danskebank.se/sv-se/Kundservice/Pages/Kundservice.aspx

Spotted by: Johan Lofmark

When Crazy Means Profitable

Original: When Crazy Means Profitable

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2011-03-19 10:49.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

1. Million Dollar Homepage

1000000 pixels, charge a dollar per pixel – that's perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up with the idea, is now a millionaire.

2. PickyDomains

Hire another person to think of a cool domain name for you? No way people would pay for this. Actually, naming domain names for others turned out a thriving business, especially, when you make the entire process risk free. PickyDomains currently has a waiting list of people who want to PAY the service to come up with a snappy memorable domain name. PickyDomains is expected to hit six figures this year. Full Story

3. Doggles

Create goggles for dogs and sell them online? Boy, this IS the dumbest idea for a business. How in the world did they manage to become millionaires and have shops all over the world with that one? Beyond me.

4. LaserMonks

LaserMonks.com is a for-profit subsidiary of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank, an eight-monk monastery in the hills of Monroe County, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Yeah, real monks refilling your cartridges. Hallelujah! Their 2005 sales were $2.5 million! Praise the Lord. Full Story

5. AntennaBalls

You can't sell antenna ball online. There is no way. And surely it wouldn't make you rich. But this is exactly what Jason Wall did, and now he is now a millionaire. Full Story

6. FitDeck

Create a deck of cards featuring exercise routines, and sell it online for $18.95. Sounds like a disaster idea to me. But former Navy SEAL and fitness instructor Phil Black reported last year sales of $4.7 million. Surely beats what military pays.

7. PositivesDating.Com

How would you like to go on a date with an HIV positive person? Paul Graves and Brandon Koechlin thought that someone would, so they created a dating site for HIV positive folks last year. Projected 2006 sales are $110,000, and the two hope to have 50,000 members by their two-year mark.

8. Designer Diaper Bags

Christie Rein was tired of carrying diapers around in a freezer bag. The 34-year-old mother of three found herself constantly stuffing diapers for her infant son into freezer bags to keep them from getting scrunched up in her purse. Rein wanted something that was compact, sleek and stylish, so in November 2004, she sat down with her husband, Marcus, who helped her design a custom diaper bag that's big enough to hold a travel pack of wipes and two to four diapers. With more than $180,000 in sales for 2005, Christie's company, Diapees & Wipees, has bags in 22 different styles, available online and in 120 boutiques across the globe for $14.99.

9.

Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

Original: Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

When Crazy Means Profitable

Original: When Crazy Means Profitable

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Sat, 2011-03-19 10:49.

Posted in: Statistics And Other Lies

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

1. Million Dollar Homepage

1000000 pixels, charge a dollar per pixel – that's perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up with the idea, is now a millionaire.

2. PickyDomains

Hire another person to think of a cool domain name for you? No way people would pay for this. Actually, naming domain names for others turned out a thriving business, especially, when you make the entire process risk free. PickyDomains currently has a waiting list of people who want to PAY the service to come up with a snappy memorable domain name. PickyDomains is expected to hit six figures this year. Full Story

3. Doggles

Create goggles for dogs and sell them online? Boy, this IS the dumbest idea for a business. How in the world did they manage to become millionaires and have shops all over the world with that one? Beyond me.

4. LaserMonks

LaserMonks.com is a for-profit subsidiary of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank, an eight-monk monastery in the hills of Monroe County, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Yeah, real monks refilling your cartridges. Hallelujah! Their 2005 sales were $2.5 million! Praise the Lord. Full Story

5. AntennaBalls

You can't sell antenna ball online. There is no way. And surely it wouldn't make you rich. But this is exactly what Jason Wall did, and now he is now a millionaire. Full Story

6. FitDeck

Create a deck of cards featuring exercise routines, and sell it online for $18.95. Sounds like a disaster idea to me. But former Navy SEAL and fitness instructor Phil Black reported last year sales of $4.7 million. Surely beats what military pays.

7. PositivesDating.Com

How would you like to go on a date with an HIV positive person? Paul Graves and Brandon Koechlin thought that someone would, so they created a dating site for HIV positive folks last year. Projected 2006 sales are $110,000, and the two hope to have 50,000 members by their two-year mark.

8. Designer Diaper Bags

Christie Rein was tired of carrying diapers around in a freezer bag. The 34-year-old mother of three found herself constantly stuffing diapers for her infant son into freezer bags to keep them from getting scrunched up in her purse. Rein wanted something that was compact, sleek and stylish, so in November 2004, she sat down with her husband, Marcus, who helped her design a custom diaper bag that's big enough to hold a travel pack of wipes and two to four diapers. With more than $180,000 in sales for 2005, Christie's company, Diapees & Wipees, has bags in 22 different styles, available online and in 120 boutiques across the globe for $14.99.

9.

App provides real-time instant messaging translation service

Original: App provides real-time instant messaging translation service

Back in 2008 we wrote about SpeakLike's real-time translation service for web-based instant messaging, and recently we came across a like-minded contender offering a similar service as a mobile app. US-based TNT Creations' TransFire app provides real-time instant messaging translation in more than 50 languages for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Once a user has connected the app to their Google Chat, TransFire will automatically translate any incoming chat messages in real-time. For example, in a conversation between an English language speaker and a Japanese language speaker, the app would translate all incoming messages to English for the English language speaker, and all outgoing messages to Japanese. The app can also be used to help users learn foreign languages by sounding translated text aloud, and there are options to store favorite translated phrases. Nor does the app need to be used exclusively with Google Chat – users can copy in text from any source, such as a website, and ask TransFire to translate. The app is currently available from the App Store for USD 1.99.

Mobile communications continue to break down borders between global users, with language differences presenting one of the few remaining obstacles. Automated real-time translation offers a solution, as long as it's up to the challenge — one to test out for yourself! (Related: Translation service taps the native-speaking crowds.)

Website: www.transfireapp.com
Contact: tntcreations2010@gmail.com

Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

Original: Book: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo

Spicy Ice Cream

Original: Spicy Ice Cream

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2011-03-16 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://jenisicecreams.com/

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

Bauer teamed up with a friend to launch her "starter business," an ice cream stand in Columbus, Ohio's North Market, a public market with artisan food businesses. Although that business closed in 2000, her love of making unusual ice cream was still strong.

She and her husband, Char ly Bauer, began working on a new business plan and opened up a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Brother-in-law Tom Bauer joined the company as a partner a year later.

Determined to make her second run at the ice cream business a success, Bauer visited other food businesses and tried to figure out exactly why her first venture soured. She decided she needed to be meticulous about keeping customer favorites--such as salty caramel and wildberry lavender--in stock while using a second dipping freezer for more experimental flavors, which "could follow the seasons of the North Market."

Bauer also realized her pricey $10-per-pint flavors needed to have exceptional ingredients and be backed by a team of enthusiastic employees. With about 15,000 independent ice cream shops nationwide, according to the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, it's a tough market to crack.

Malcolm Stogo, founder of Riverdale, N.Y.-based ice cream consulting firm Malcolm Stogo Associates, thinks the Bauers' approach of branding themselves as the "unusual flavors" ice cream company was a smart one. He says the plan to start out very small and focus on the quality and uniqueness of the product, in addition to finding locations with high foot traffic, were key ingredients in Jeni's success.

Eight locations, plus Dean & DeLuca
But such success isn't always easy. Bauer agonizes over the texture of her ice cream and admits some of her more "out there" flavors don't work. (Roughly one in 100 makes the cut.) It takes about 16 weeks for the Jeni's team to take a flavor from concept to cooler, a nimbleness Stogo says is impossible for larger brands.

"When you think of ice cream, you have to think of milk as being water, protein, fat and lactose, which is sugar," Bauer says. "You have to think about how they all interplay together when they're frozen. If you don't understand those things, you'll have trouble making ice cream."

It's exactly t hat atte

App instantly prices cars from registration plate photos

Original: App instantly prices cars from registration plate photos

Car buyers around the world have long been able to tap into online databases for the latest valuations. However, aiming to let soon-to-be car owners do a little of that research on the move, a new mobile app from bilpriser.se can provide the estimated price of a car from a photo of its registration plate.

Swedish website bilpriser.se is a car price comparison site, which can tell visitors the value of a car — from the government registration database — once they enter the vehicle's registration plate number. The app works in a similar way, presenting estimated values based on the car's recent transaction history, with the major difference that it can recognize a car's registration plate from a photo taken on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. The app has details on over 9,000 car models and 80,000 model versions, and, as well as listing the cars estimated value, can deliver the technical specifications of the vehicle, run insurance cost comparisons. There is also the option to save cars that have caught the users attention as "favorites". The app is currently available from the App Store for SEK 7.

We've seen countless examples of consumers demanding more and more instant access to relevant information, a phenomenon highlighted by our sister site as part of the nowism trend. bilpriser.se has combined a useful mobile search function with clever implementation of image recognition technology. One to keep an eye on!

Website: www.bilpriser.se
Contact: kundtjanst@bilpriser.se

Spotted by: Johan Lofmark

Do You Really Need A VC?

Original: Do You Really Need A VC?

Schools constructed from discarded plastic bottles

Original: Schools constructed from discarded plastic bottles

If discarded plastic bottles can be turned into countertops, bedding, graduation gowns, and athletic apparel, then why not a school? We've come across numerous instances of schools made from plastic bottles lately, including one in the Philippines and several in Guatemala.

Reportedly the first of its kind in Asia, the school in San Pablo, Philippines, is made out of 1.5 and 2-litre bottles filled with adobe. Conceived and constructed by social entrepreneur Illac Diaz and nonprofit MyShelter Foundation, the new school was donated by the local government of San Pablo and built with the help of volunteers, according to a report on Inhabitat. Not only were the bottles donated and free, but the adobe filling used is cheaper than concrete and about three times stronger than cement, according to reports.

Then, too, there are the bottle school projects in Guatemala, six of which are already up and running, with four more in progress. The first was built in Granados in 2009 using a construction method pioneered by Pura Vida — filling plastic bottles with inorganic trash, before stacking them between chicken wire and covering them in cement. In the Granados project over 5,000 plastic bottles were used to construct two classrooms, containing 2053lbs of trash and using 9720lbs of cement. 297 children and youth currently attend the school, which, like the others, was built for around USD 10,000.

Similar in many ways to the Save the Beach Hotel, bottle schools are not just a clever way to turn waste into something useful, they're also a reminder of all the waste that's being generated in the first place. One to be inspired by! (Related: Five businesses that turn trash into appealing new products — Generator turns plastic bottles back into oil.)

Websites: www.bottleschoolproject.org and www.bottleschools.com

Spotted by: Denise Kuperman

Is This The Cheapest House in the USA?

Original: Is This The Cheapest House in the USA?

Spicy Ice Cream

Original: Spicy Ice Cream

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2011-03-16 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://jenisicecreams.com/

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

Bauer teamed up with a friend to launch her "starter business," an ice cream stand in Columbus, Ohio's North Market, a public market with artisan food businesses. Although that business closed in 2000, her love of making unusual ice cream was still strong.

She and her husband, Char ly Bauer, began working on a new business plan and opened up a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Brother-in-law Tom Bauer joined the company as a partner a year later.

Determined to make her second run at the ice cream business a success, Bauer visited other food businesses and tried to figure out exactly why her first venture soured. She decided she needed to be meticulous about keeping customer favorites--such as salty caramel and wildberry lavender--in stock while using a second dipping freezer for more experimental flavors, which "could follow the seasons of the North Market."

Bauer also realized her pricey $10-per-pint flavors needed to have exceptional ingredients and be backed by a team of enthusiastic employees. With about 15,000 independent ice cream shops nationwide, according to the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, it's a tough market to crack.

Malcolm Stogo, founder of Riverdale, N.Y.-based ice cream consulting firm Malcolm Stogo Associates, thinks the Bauers' approach of branding themselves as the "unusual flavors" ice cream company was a smart one. He says the plan to start out very small and focus on the quality and uniqueness of the product, in addition to finding locations with high foot traffic, were key ingredients in Jeni's success.

Eight locations, plus Dean & DeLuca
But such success isn't always easy. Bauer agonizes over the texture of her ice cream and admits some of her more "out there" flavors don't work. (Roughly one in 100 makes the cut.) It takes about 16 weeks for the Jeni's team to take a flavor from concept to cooler, a nimbleness Stogo says is impossible for larger brands.

"When you think of ice cream, you have to think of milk as being water, protein, fat and lactose, which is sugar," Bauer says. "You have to think about how they all interplay together when they're frozen. If you don't understand those things, you'll have trouble making ice cream."

It's exactly t hat atte

Spicy Ice Cream

Original: Spicy Ice Cream

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Wed, 2011-03-16 09:39.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://jenisicecreams.com/

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

While most ice cream entrepreneurs concern themselves with perfecting basic vanilla and chocolate, Jeni Britton Bauer started her career experimenting with flavors like bacon, salmon and curry. Her first concoction was a combination of chocolate ice cream and cayenne pepper essential oil.

"I just thought it was a super-creative thing to do: make something frozen hot," Bauer says. "So when I did that, I started thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I've never had ice cream with rose petal or basil or all these other wonderful things.'"

Bauer teamed up with a friend to launch her "starter business," an ice cream stand in Columbus, Ohio's North Market, a public market with artisan food businesses. Although that business closed in 2000, her love of making unusual ice cream was still strong.

She and her husband, Char ly Bauer, began working on a new business plan and opened up a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Brother-in-law Tom Bauer joined the company as a partner a year later.

Determined to make her second run at the ice cream business a success, Bauer visited other food businesses and tried to figure out exactly why her first venture soured. She decided she needed to be meticulous about keeping customer favorites--such as salty caramel and wildberry lavender--in stock while using a second dipping freezer for more experimental flavors, which "could follow the seasons of the North Market."

Bauer also realized her pricey $10-per-pint flavors needed to have exceptional ingredients and be backed by a team of enthusiastic employees. With about 15,000 independent ice cream shops nationwide, according to the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, it's a tough market to crack.

Malcolm Stogo, founder of Riverdale, N.Y.-based ice cream consulting firm Malcolm Stogo Associates, thinks the Bauers' approach of branding themselves as the "unusual flavors" ice cream company was a smart one. He says the plan to start out very small and focus on the quality and uniqueness of the product, in addition to finding locations with high foot traffic, were key ingredients in Jeni's success.

Eight locations, plus Dean & DeLuca
But such success isn't always easy. Bauer agonizes over the texture of her ice cream and admits some of her more "out there" flavors don't work. (Roughly one in 100 makes the cut.) It takes about 16 weeks for the Jeni's team to take a flavor from concept to cooler, a nimbleness Stogo says is impossible for larger brands.

"When you think of ice cream, you have to think of milk as being water, protein, fat and lactose, which is sugar," Bauer says. "You have to think about how they all interplay together when they're frozen. If you don't understand those things, you'll have trouble making ice cream."

It's exactly t hat atte

HolidayCrowd lets travel agents compete for consumers' business

Original: HolidayCrowd lets travel agents compete for consumers' business

Holidaymakers are often faced with an overwhelming range of options when searching for their ideal trip, with an endless list of online services promising to deliver the best deals. Aiming to flip this process on its head and deliver even more relevance, HolidayCrowd is a new service that enables travelers to outline their perfect trip and invite competing offers from travel agents.

Now in beta, UK-based HolidayCrowd begins by inviting prospective travelers to list a trip they'd like to take, even if it's only a general idea. Details such as a specific destination and budget can be included, but they're not essential. Participating travel agents then assess the request and build an itinerary, knowing that they're competing with one another. HolidayCrowd verifies each agent individually to ensure they're legitimate and licensed. After reviewing the bids, consumers can chat to get any questions answered, and then they can choose the one they like and book it for free through HolidayCrowd. In exchange, they get sent all reservations, confirmations, e-tickets and itineraries. HolidayCrowd, meanwhile, charges travel agents a commission fee of 3 percent of the total cost plus VAT.

Anyone still not sure the intention-based model is here to stay? Better check out some of our related coverage, then. After that, how about offering a like-minded service in your part of the world? (Related: In online auction, banks bid on consumer savings — Intention-based shipping brought to the UK — Bank helps clients buy homes that aren't for sale.)

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

Inventables.com: Innovator’s Hardware Store

Original: Inventables.com: Innovator's Hardware Store

Small Business $10K Contest

Original: Small Business $10K Contest

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Literary magazine published exclusively in audio form

Original: Literary magazine published exclusively in audio form

Last fall we featured Underwood: Stories in Sound, a magazine that's produced twice a year on vinyl LPs, so we were particularly interested when we recently came across The Drum, a literary magazine that's also published exclusively in audio form.

Featuring short fiction, essays, novel excerpts and interviews, The Drum is a Boston-based nonprofit that publishes 10 issues each year. Rather than delivering them for reading in print or online, however, the publication is designed for listening either online or as an MP3 download that can be shared with up to five friends. Most stories on the website are accessible for three months for free and then available for purchase thereafter from the archives. Subscription holders get access to everything for USD 25 per year.

In this age of podcasts and MP3s, tapping such media for an offering of "literature out loud," as The Drum calls it, could make good sense. Other publications in other niches — one to emulate, either as a sole delivery medium or as a complementary option? (Related: Books in bite-sized portions — Every issue of new mag is a work of art — On product publishing: magazine on a bottle.)

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

Spotted by: Susan Johnston

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Weekend Thread: What Other Sites Do You Read?

Original: Weekend Thread: What Other Sites Do You Read?

'Monster supplies' store hides creative writing workshop

Original: 'Monster supplies' store hides creative writing workshop

Regular readers of Springwise will already be familiar with numerous innovations designed to enliven children's education. Whilst many of these use technology to engage with youths, such as Top Hat Monocle's classroom voting via laptop and cell phone, UK-based Ministry Of Stories have taken a rather different approach — creating a fully functioning shop of monster supplies to function as a front for their creative writing workshops.

The London-based Ministry of Stories, set up by Lucy Macnab and Ben Payne, stocks a range of everyday goods re-purposed and repackaged for use by fairytale and make-believe monsters of all varieties. For example, visitors to the volunteer-run shop can walk away with items presented as "neck-bolt tightening kits" and "edible human preserves", for later use as wrenches and snacks. The shop, however, conceals a hidden writing workshop, which can be entered via a 'hidden' door. Once inside the workshop area, the group or class of children collaboratively create a story, which is illustrated by an artist in residence as they build the narrative. Once the story reaches its conclusion, the children must present the tale to 'The Chief' — the despotic editor — who, having approved the story, presents them each with a bound copy of their tale, complete with illustrations. During the creation process, the children are given assistance with their creative writing by the Ministry's volunteers, who also offer sessions to mentor children and young adults aged 8-18 on a one-to-one basis on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The Ministry was inspired by Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia, which has seen the creation of similar establishments across the US, with all the shops selling products based on different themes: pirates in San Fransisco, superheroes in New York, and robots in Michigan. This concept has already show that it has the legs to cross the Atlantic — one to get involved with or emulate near you? (Related: Teachers link libraries & children in rural India.)

Website: www.ministryofstories.org
Contact: info@ministryofstories.org

Spotted by: Chris Kreinczes

In India, personal documents stored physically and digitally

Original: In India, personal documents stored physically and digitally

Personal document storage is a trend that has followed naturally upon the heels of personal storage in general, overlapping not insignificantly with life caching and related services. We've already seen the emergence of offerings including Orggit and Sentemental, and recently we came across Kleeto, an Indian service that promises to store documents physically and digitally.

Kleeto aims to simplify consumers' paper management and — ultimately — reduce the usage of paper altogether. Toward those ends, it offers a way for individuals and families to preserve and pass down documents such as sale deeds, insurance policies and income tax records, as well as those of more sentimental value. Users begin by visiting the Kleeto site and choosing a plan that suits them; pricing begins at INR 200 for three months of storage for up to 100 physical documents plus 500 online. Kleeto will pick up the documents in question and securely scan them for storage online as well as warehousing them physically. Once online, they're available for password-protected search, access and downloading anytime and from anywhere. Each piece of data is secured with multiple backups as extra insurance against the risk of disk crashes, security compromise or equipment failure. If the user needs hard copies returned for any reason, Kleeto will deliver them back again. Between generations, meanwhile, all that must be passed down is a password.

Gurgaon-based Kleeto currently serves only Delhi (NCR), Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Gaziabad and Bengaluru. One to partner with or emulate in your neck of the woods? (Related: Life-caching service incorporates maps, photos and friends — Self-storage by mail — A virtual vault for information-age valuables.)

Website: www.kleeto.in
Contact: sales@kleeto.in

Spotted by: Jitan Sahni

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

BirTee-ing Up For Success

Original: BirTee-ing Up For Success

Site helps adults arrange care for their aging parents

Original: Site helps adults arrange care for their aging parents

Care for the aging baby boomer generation is a challenge we recently saw addressed by N2Care's MedCottage line of pop-up, medically equipped suites. Now, ConnectAde is helping boomers' grown children arrange hands-on assistance from the caregivers their parents need.

Whereas many adults tend to think that finding suitable housing is the main challenge in caring for aging parents, there are also a variety of medical, legal and financial decisions to be made. That's where Michigan-based ConnectAde comes in, with a step-by-step process that's designed to make the process easier. Users begin by entering their ZIP code along with their loved one's primary ailment and an email address. The free site then creates a Care Action Plan specific to the user's needs and geographic location, complete with next steps to take and local providers who can offer assistance. From there on, a private, secure dashboard helps families coordinate their loved one's care. Providers, meanwhile, can list themselves in the site's database for free, giving them a way to easily connect with new clients.

Ad-supported ConnectAde is free for both users and care providers; the only costs are a USD 5 fee paid by professional care providers each time they view the contact details and message submitted by an interested user. Currently, however, the site serves only those in the U.S. One to partner with or emulate for other parts of the world? (Related: Walking cane for seniors, upgraded with style — Home enhancement service focuses on senior citizens — Health and wellness shop focuses on seniors.)

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

Spotted by: Zachary Love

Dallas Market Center: Product Search Contest

Original: Dallas Market Center: Product Search Contest

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Tokyo skyscraper launches digital campaign while under construction

Original: Tokyo skyscraper launches digital campaign while under construction

A devoted Twitter following and a successful viral marketing campaign are two highly sought-after assets for any brand. However, they can also prove to be frustratingly elusive, with the recipe for success a much-debated topic. It comes as some surprise, then, to see a skyscraper embarking on a multi-faceted digital campaign — and even more so when the building isn't even fully built yet.

The structure in question is Tokyu's new Tokyo-based 34-story skyscraper Shibuya Hikarie, due to open in 2012 and set to house offices, restaurants, shops, a gallery and a music theater. To create interest in the building before its completion, a Twitter account has been set up @shibuya_hikarie, which invites visitors to take photos of the construction and tweet them with a #hikarie tag. During March, there will also be a competition for the chance to win gift vouchers for the concert hall/theatre/museum complex Bunkamura, and a chance to stay in the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel. To take part, entrants must attempt to replicate with their own camera a photo of the building taken from a secret location. Fans of the building can also print a QR code from the Hikarie website (PDF link), scan it with an augmented reality app, and generate a 3D model of the building. Again, photos of the virtual building can be submitted for a chance to win a JPY 5,000 Tokyu voucher.

It's certainly an impressive amount of activity towards the marketing of an unfinished building, however only time will tell if the subject matter proves compelling enough to generate genuine success. Whatever the outcome, there's plenty here to be inspired by for your own social network campaigns! (Related: Augmented reality app reveals architecture past, present & future.)

Website: www.hikarie-cp.jp
Contact: www.hikarie.jp/#/contact

Poke the Book: Do Something Now!

Original: Poke the Book: Do Something Now!

Dutch company takes pop-up dining to the great outdoors

Original: Dutch company takes pop-up dining to the great outdoors

Regular readers of Springwise will already be familiar with the many innovations we've seen in the restaurant industry, from an eatery with iPad based menus, a café stocked with 1,500 board games, and dog and child friendly cafés. In a similar vein to Street Dinner, Dutch company Buitengewoon In Het Land is now offering a 'wall-less' dining experience outside.

A major difference with Street Dinner however, is that Buitengewoon In Het Land's pop-up dining experiences occur in countryside areas of natural beauty. Accommodating over 100 guests, the sites are selected and the events and menus are planned in collaboration with regional producers, landowners and restaurant owners. Once the site has been chosen, the five-course dinners are then created by chefs using seasonal produce from the local area. Subscribers to the website are emailed updates on the location of the next dinner, who the head chef will be, and when the dinner will take place — with the season running from June to September. As well as proudly describing the quality of the friendly service, Buitengewoon In Het Land also reassures diners that they never need to worry about wet weather, as a back up site such as a greenhouse or stable is always ready on hand.

Buitengewoon In Het Land translates as 'Outstanding in the field', and by working closely with local producers and owners, it certainly has strong ecological credentials to match the name. One to be inspired by!

Website: www.buitengewooninhetland.nl
Contact: info@buitengewooninhetland.nl

Spotted by: Bjorn Verbrugghe

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Today in Entrepreneurial History: March 8

Original: Today in Entrepreneurial History: March 8

Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Original: Who Would Pay For Punishing Themselves?

Submitted by Dmitri Davydov on Mon, 2011-03-07 10:58.

Posted in: Crazy Money

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


http://www.ultrinsic.com/

With a college exam looming, Jeremy Gelbert found himself struggling for the motivation to sit down and focus. His friend Steven Wolf gave him a little incentive: He said he'd shell out $100 if Gelbert got an A -- but if Gelbert didn't, he'd have to pay Wolf $20. Gelbert took the bet and aced the exam.

That's when Ultrinsic was born. If the thrill of putting money on an exam provided some motivation for Gelbert, then it might do the same for other students, he reasoned.

"We recently got notice from the U.S. Patent Office that we got the patent for betting on grades," Gelbert says. "So that is a big win for us."

Gelbert, 23, and Wolf, 27, work full-time on Ultrinsic but aren't taking salaries. The company isn't yet profitable. About 7,900 students have created accounts, but only a few hundred actually have money in them.

Gelbert is confident the idea will take root.

"The business model is there. We have proof of concept," he says. "Now that we understand the model we are going to go ahead and ramp up. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't make money."

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

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur's Guide by Dan S. Kennedy

101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than One Thousand Dollars: For Stay-at-Home Moms & Dads

Make Your Ideas Mean Business

Link of the day -

Nothing Cheaper Than an iPad

Original: Nothing Cheaper Than an iPad

Virtual portal gives patients remote access to healthcare services

Original: Virtual portal gives patients remote access to healthcare services

Regular readers of Springwise will be familiar with innovative services such as those offered by Hello Health and Carena, who are currently utilizing webcams to offer "house calls" remotely. In a similar vein, One Medical have taken on the idea of web-based healthcare services and applied it not only to house calls, but to a full range of medical services.

One Medical's online portal enables patients to access their personal health records, renew prescriptions, schedule appointments and fill out medical forms — all remotely. There is also the option to contact a physician for follow-up advice and referrals, as well as the ability to books same-day appointments. As part of the offline care, the service offers longer appointments, claiming that this will improve doctor-patient relations, and they promise to respect patients' schedules by always meeting appointment times. There are currently five hospitals in San Francisco, and two in New York, with a third coming soon.

Remote access can help save time and money for both doctors and patients alike. Healthcare service that haven't gone online yet, don't get left behind! (Related: Online service takes the pain out of health insurance claims — Waiting-room service lets patients pass the time elsewhere.)

Website: www.onemedical.com
Contact: www.onemedical.com/nyc/locations