Archive for December 2009
Biz Rumor: Twitter Is Profitable
Content deals with Google and Microsoft, plus renegotiated rates with the telecom companies that carry its members’ tweets, have combined to make Twitter profitable, BusinessWeek reports. The Google deal and Microsoft deal, both announced in October, make Twitter members’ content available to Google’s search engine and to Microsoft’s Bing. These deals are worth around $25 [...]
New Mom & Physician Create Baby Boutique
SignOnSanDiego.com: The boutique, which opened in September, is the brainchild of an Encinitas obstetrician, Dr. Robert Biter, and retail business consultant Laura Ann Fairchild. They met last year when Fairchild was pregnant with her first child and Biter was her physician. “We offer the one-stop shop, the learning environment where you can buy products approved [...]
Tis The Season For Ugly Christmas Sweaters!
From sweater parties to bar crawls and contests, ugly sweaters have made a big (green!) comeback. The folks over at The Daily Green have put together an interesting closet of sweaters. Thanks Grandma! Nothing says Happy Holidays like a sweater vest. I realllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy like it! Only the guy on the right could pull off the [...]
In June, Missouri doctor Stuart Hoover needed to create a Web video to market his new wellness center in Springfield. He had farmed out similar video projects in the past, at a cost of thousands of dollars and weeks of waiting. This time he took a chance on a $300 product called Instant Video Presenter, [...]
Biz Christmas Cards Are Good Biz
Have you sent out your business Christmas cards yet? Is it worthwhile to send out a season’s greetings to your business contacts? Yes! With building a relationship with your clients and prospects, a business Christmas card acknowledges that you took the time and effort to think of them, reports About.com Small Business-Canada. Don’t go overboard [...]
The Christmas Decorating Business
Tammie does people’s Christmas decorating for them, because they no longer want to do it themselves. She charges by the hour. It’s not that she needs the money. It’s that Christmas needs her.
Mundane tasks can be a waste of time not only for entrepreneurs, but for their team members. Get those dead-simple but time-consuming, someone’s-gotta-do-it tasks outsourced on the cheap using Labor-as-a-service startup CrowdFlower. You’ll need to create an account and add some credit to get your entrepreneur started. Photo by CrowdFlower.
Comscore has reported that holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 48 days of the November/December 2009 holiday season to date has reach $24.8 billion – a four percent increase versus the same time last year, according to a story in Website magazine. The most recent week began on a slightly disappointing note, with [...]
TweetCall is a Twitter-based application that lets you update twitter via phone voice calls, reports Makeuseof.com. Dubbed by its makers as ” Twitter by Voice “, you only need to dial a toll-free number (1-877-TWEET-CALL) and leave a voice message. Your message will then be transcribed by the app and posted to your Twitter stream [...]
ContraCostaTimes.com: Her first business venture in the United States ended badly with a surprise visit from the health department. Maricela Gutierrez was selling raspados — flavored ice — from a small table she propped up in a Bay Point grocery. The inspectors snapped photos and threatened fines. “They told me I’m not in Mexico,” she [...]
Mom’s Website Helps Inform New Parents About Different Car Seats
When you’re a new parent, one of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make will be on what car seat you’d like to use. With all the options that are currently available on the market it does not make the decision any easier. As a mom, Kacie Curtis knew what it was like to try [...]
Bizarre But Clever Christmas Decorations
The creative folks over at Mental Floss have put together an interesting collection of unusual Christmas decorations. Christmas In Alabama. ‘Nuff said. Dial 911! The story of how dangerous it is to hang Christmas lights. Beer Bottle Tree. No, I don’t have a drinking problem. Santa Relief. That IS a long sleigh ride. Photos by [...]
Toy Company Starts From Scratch
Ben Varadi is a master of child’s play. The 39-year-old spends most of his days testing, promoting and gabbing about toys, reports the World-Herald News Service. He teamed up with partners Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie to create the Toronto-based toy company Spin Master. Now the third-largest toy company in North America, Spin Master is [...]
Teen Inventor Puts Your Memory To The Test
A funny thing happened to Zach Levins on the way to learning a new word a couple of years ago – he invented a board game that also reportedly boosts your memory, reports Inventors Digest. A teacher introduced Zach, then 13, to the word “obsolete,” meaning no longer in general use or fallen into disuse. [...]
We all get holiday newsletters, but The Star Tribune asks how many of those single-spaced, four-page epics do you actually read? Wouldn’t it be easier if people used Twitter instead? With tweets limited to 140 characters, we’d have to keep it short and sweet. Here are some examples of what some holi-tweets might look like: [...]
Biz Gift Idea: Self Stirring Mug
Just pop two AAA batteries inside the base, fill the mug with your favorite hot beverage, add your sweetener or creamer – or, hey! Maybe you just like a nice hot cup of cocoa! Any way, press the button on the handle and whirr your drink into a perfect blend. No more sandy sugar in [...]
Wal-Mart Tests Drive-Thru Window
For almost a decade, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has been boasting that it will dominate Internet retailing the way it dominates strip malls, toppling Amazon.com Inc. as the world’s largest online merchant, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. This holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart has started aiming at what it sees as Amazon’s Achilles’ [...]
Website Connects Mompreneurs With Customers
NBC4i.com: It’s MarketMommies and it links moms in business with moms who shop. Local mom Toni Bloomfield came up with the idea. “If you have a mom business, you can come on and list your business for free and the goal of the site is to link you with shoppers,“ she said. In just a [...]
YouTube Video Leads To $30 Million Hollywood Contract
Fede Alvarez’s short film “Ataque de Panico!” (Panic Attack!) features giant robots invading and destroying Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, reports the BBC. It is 4 mins 48 seconds long and was made on a budget of $300 (£186). So far it has had more than 1.5 million views on YouTube. “I uploaded (Panic Attack!) [...]
Last Minute FREE Christmas Gifts
Jake Gaecke over at Appletell has put together a selection of free iPhone apps that even a Grinch would love. Ustream Live Broadcaster Finally, the app we’ve been waiting to see from Ustream! Live Broadcaster allows you to stream video live from your iPhone to the internet in real time. The service integrates with tons [...]
The Secret-Knock Office Door Lock
CNet’s Crave gadget blog has a cool story about a DIY secret door lock. DIY’er Steve Hoefer used a piezo speaker, a tiny gear reduction motor, an Arduino, and a PVC pipe to make his secret-knock door lock. It opens a door when it detects a secret knock. Here it is in action: Now if [...]
Thomas Alva Edison will receive a Special Merit Award from The Recording Academy this January according to The Morning Journal. Among his thousands of inventions, Edison patented his phonograph, the device that allowed people to record and play sounds. “Thomas Alva Edison was one of the most accomplished inventors in American history, holding nearly 1,100 [...]
Mashable has an interesting story about a 5th grader who is burning up the keyboard. Mackenzie can type 119 wpm. It’s not just a skill, it’s a hobby. She started playing on the computer at age 4 and spends her weekends typing. Her goal right now? “I’d like to get to at least 200(wpm).” By [...]
Unique products to inspire and amuse. Bacon Lip Balm. Don’t limit bacon consumption to meals – have it all day. The Commuter Tie. Hide your iPod Nano from the Boss. Dry Erase Clock. Combines your calendar with your clock. DIY Chip Maker. Look out Mr. Pringle! Photos by thinkgeek/thomaspink/gizmodo/Gadgets4all.
Women Entrepreneurs Should Go For The Million-Dollar Mark
It’s well-known that women rule their family’s pocketbook and make many of the major purchasing decisions in their households, and now there’s proof that women play a big role in the economy as business owners. According to a story on WalletPop a report from the Center for Women’s Business Research found that the eight million [...]
High Tech Takes Over Holiday Lighting
Cleve Wortham and his family used to get a kick out of visiting homes featured on maps of the best and brightest holiday decorations. Then his youngest child asked, “Dad, next year can we get on the map?” Boy, did they ever. reports The Denver Post. The “Worthams’ Winter Wonderland” display showcases one of the [...]
Trendspotter Springwise has seen one-of-a-kind jewelry created to replicate a wearer’s scar, as well as bracelets featuring a map of the New York City subway. Borrowing a bit of both concepts, Etsy designer triggerhappy offers two necklace designs that can be personalized to reflect the wearer’s story. Triggerhappy’s Narrative Cartography series features a tag made [...]
Daniel Sieberg spoke with Mattel’s Jim Sheridan about their new mind control toy, Mind Flex. The game uses brain waves to power a fan that floats a ball through an obstacle course.
Is there someone on your list who spends a lot of time in his or her car? Save them from a potential traffic violation with the Jupiter Jack, which allows you to use your radio as a hands-free device. Just plug the Jupiter Jack into your phone, tune your radio to 99.3 FM, and start [...]
From Old Sweaters To New Mittens
Wicked Local: Sitting on the cream carpet of her Lee Street home, just a stone’s throw from the Brookline Reservoir, Megan Woods doesn’t look like the kind of mom who spends her afternoons sifting through ugly sweaters in the back of a thrift store. But Woods has become a connoisseur of second-hand sweaters in the [...]
Biz Gift Idea: Vers Wood iPhone Case
Your well-loved iPhone deserves a lot better than the flimsy rubber case you bought after being badgered by that guy at the mall kiosk. The Vers Wood iPhone Case will let your iPhone know it’s good enough, it’s smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like it. $39.99 Photo by Vers.
Starting mid-January 2010, McDonalds will be offering free wireless Internet access at 11,000 of its 14,000 fast-food joints, reports Download Squad. Whether it will be ‘gated’ via some kind of time code on your receipt, or really free remains to be seen. This opens a scarily interesting kettle of filet-o-fish: is this service going to [...]
Jingle A Day Gets This Guy Paid
Hobby jingle maker Love Harnell is copying the model proven by I Wear Your Shirt — matching the social media sharing and the one-dollar-per-calendar-day-of-the-year surcharge — but substituting jingles for shirts, according to a story on Mashable. With LoveJingles, which officially kicks off on January 1, 2010, Harnell will cover, write and perform jingles for [...]
Most Watched YouTube Videos (Global)
This year has been the biggest yet for online video, and for the first time The YouTube Blog is sharing our official Most Watched lists and some of the fastest-rising search terms on YouTube. Some moments were big (President Obama’s inauguration), some small (a Minnesota wedding party erupts into dance), some expected (“New Moon”), some [...]
This Philco PC harks back to the very stylish Philco Predicta TV from the 50’s, old pre-war typewriters and just a dash of steampunk. Unfortunately, it’s just a concept at the moment, produced by SchultzeWorks Design. The design is being shopped around to manufacturers so maybe we’ll see these in the not too distant future. [...]
Store Helps Keep Moms-To-Be & Kids Fashionable
SalemNews.com: In 2007, Heather Roman and Noelle Moreno opened Chulamama, a designer maternity clothing store in Salem. Roman and Moreno, both mothers of two, felt there was very little for the pregnant, fashionable woman who didn’t live in a big city. So they sold Juicy Couture maternity jeans ($188) and lacy nursing bras ($36.98), with [...]
Business Is Good For Party Supplies Webpreneur
In a world where many people look forward to retiring someday, there are innovative women like Laurie Cohen that do things a little different. Not only did she leave retirement behind to help a company rebrand itself but she has since slipped into a new role as an entrepreneur. Originally she started with just one [...]
Inventor Makes World’s Greenest Toy
Entrepreneur Danny Bamping has launched what he claims is “the greenest toy in the world”, reports The Herald. The Carbon Cube, is claimed to be the toy with the lowest carbon footprint. It is made “yards away” from the Crazee Thingz Company HQ in Plymouth, and will only be available on websites. In 2010, the [...]
Finale Desserterie & Bakery in downtown Boston has always had a ZIP code. Now, thanks to the Internet search titan Google Inc., the dessert restaurant also has a bar code according to a story in The Boston Globe. The black-and-white square, with its pattern of irregular shapes, is pasted to Finale’s front door. It’s part [...]
Create And Sell Your Own Computer Games
UK-based YoYo Games lets you create computer games to earn a little extra cash, even if you don’t already have programming experience, reports trendspotter Springwise. Users of YoYo’s site begin by downloading its Game Maker software for free. That lets them create professional-looking games without having to write a single line of code. Rather, using [...]
Remember the old days when only movies and restaurants were rated on the Internet? Following the wave of Web sites aimed at rating real people’s job performance, such as ratemyprofessor.com and ratemydoctor.com, a California public relations guru has created ratemycop.com, reports The St. Petersburg Times. The idea: Public servants should be able to take a [...]
Christmas Trees That Don’t Shed
The scientist some call “Mr. Christmas Tree” has already conquered conifer diseases, developed guidelines to keep cut trees fresh and helped introduce new species to the American market, reports The Seattle Times. Now Gary Chastagner is using old-fashioned genetics to create a super-race of conifers immune to consumers’ No. 1 complaint about Christmas trees: needles [...]
Biz Gift Idea: Roll Up Drum Kit
For the drum hero in us all. Capable of being rolled up and stored in your desk drawer, this is the drum kit with six sensor pads that plugs into your PC to provide 70 percussion patterns, samples, loops, and effects while you play with your favorite music. The kit plugs into a USB port [...]
Everybody has a great idea that could change the way we work, the way we live or the way we play. Everyday Edisons, a TV program on PBS, documents the development process of 12 inventions and the parallel stories of the people who invented them. Selected from thousands at casting calls held across the country, [...]
Family Business Is Dedicated To Moms
The Orange County Register: In 1990 Mark Arimura lost his mother to ovarian cancer. In 1994, Mia Arimura lost her mother to colon cancer. Today in San Clemente, the Arimuras and their four daughters have just opened Possibilities Boutique, dedicated to the two moms and to a charity called Moms with Cancer. In their store, [...]
Inventor Dad’s Anti-Obesity Toy Snapped Up
Brett Gifkins was frustrated with the amount of time his three sons were spending on the computer, so he began designing a toy that would entice them outside, reports Scoop Independent News. The innovatively designed Sprinta, which requires no batteries and (to parent’s delight) is soundless, is manoeuvered via a flexible rod inserted on the [...]
Turning Dead Sea Mud Into Money
The afternoon sun beats down on the rocky hills and quicksand pits that surround the still, gray-blue body of water, which is flanked by Israel and the West Bank on the west and Jordan on the east. As its name implies, there’s little life in the Dead Sea. The water’s extraordinarily high salt content prevents [...]
Guitars Just For Girls And Women
Tish Ciravolo has founded the first company that makes guitars expressly for women and girls, reports USA Today. Daisy Rock is still a small player in the roughly $1.6 billion market for “fretted instruments,” as measured by industry trade group NAMM. The company is private and doesn’t provide financials, but says it has sold 150,000 [...]
Crowdsourced Marketing Ideas, 10 For $99
Small companies can already tap the power of the crowds for help with their graphic design, advertising and other business challenges. Whereas most such services reward the creator of just a single winning solution, however, FreshlyBranded pays its marketing creatives for the top 10 ideas, according to a story at trendspotter Springwise. Buyers begin by [...]
The idea of “free” has become extremely controversial in the technology industry, especially in the case of online content, reports Digital Trends. Rumors that favorite show streaming website Hulu will be charging for all of their content has most online-media-viewing junkies scared stiff. Sources for Hulu, after reaping the backlash of complaints, deny the rumors [...]
