Archive for August 2010
The dog days of August are almost over and so is National Inventors Month. We covered a lot of inventors and inventions this month. One of my favorites is the look back at inventors from the past who came up with ideas that we use without a second thought. Inventor Legends: Edwin Binney and Harold [...]
The 5 Greatest Fictional Inventors of All Time
Tom Swift Wile E Coyote Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts Doc Emmett Brown Q (James Bond) Photos by gizmodo.
One Green Entrepreneurs Discouraging Tale
Jim Piazzo was looking forward to becoming a green entrepreneur with the help of San Jose. While he still might become a green entrepreneur it probably won’t be with much help from the city reports The Mercury News. Here’s Piazzo’s story: Young tree surgeon tires of paying big dumping fees for tree limbs. He sees [...]
Pawsitively Natural Pet Foods For Healthy Animals
Although many people wouldn’t normally give it a second thought while pouring out some kibble for their dog, Carol Brown thinks twice about what they’re about to eat. After losing more than one dog to cancer, Carol decided there must be something she can do to help improve the quality of her pets’ life. She [...]
Trademark Is Your Invention’s Brand Protection
In celebrating National Inventors Month, we have concentrated on bringing you stories about inventors and inventions. In this post, we’re going to look at trademarks. Why trademarks? Federal trademark registration adds value to the products you have invented. According to the USPTO, a trademark is the name, symbol or logo that you have created to [...]
According to the Chicago ABC7 News website, 89-year-old Al Roth was inspired to invent the Clumsee after finding it increasingly difficult to hold onto his digital camera. The Clumsee is a handle extension for small digital cameras. The device screws into bottom of any point-and-shoot digital camera, allowing the camera user an easier grip than [...]
How much does it cost Netflix to stream a movie in HD? 5 cents 12.5 cents 23 cents 49 cents 99 cents View Results According to a story at Bloomberg BusinessWeek, delivering online video is becoming much more of a commodity business. The average price websites pay to stream video fell 40 percent to 45 [...]
A Silly Character For Kids That Parents Can Love
For Jennifer Kelman it started with a tearful nephew. She was babysitting while his parents were on vacation and each night after talking to his mom he would dissolve into a mess of tears. Jennifer felt horrible for her nephew and knew there just had to be something she could do to help cheer him [...]
Car Lashes Make Your Car Female
Many people anthropomorphize their cars. If your car is “female,” how do you make it obvious to everyone on the street? Car Lashes, of course! Video after the jump.
Shark Tank Season 2 Casting Call
The following is by Brenden Sherratt of In The Shark Tank. Shark Tank has begun casting for its second season. If you have a business, which needs funding by the sharks, please e-mail SharkTankCasting@yahoo.com. You’ll need to include your name, address, contact information, a recent photo, and a brief non-confidential description of your business. There [...]
Inventor Legends: Bette Nesmith Graham
Typists prone to making mistakes when using old-fashioned typewriters or word processors have Bette Nesmith Graham to thank for creating one of the most simple, yet lifesaving inventions in all of office-supply history. Born in 1924, Nesmith worked as a secretary while earning her GED in night school. While her husband was away in service [...]
Young Entrepreneur Gets Recognition And Help For College
Next month Zachary Gosling will be majoring in business at Drexel University but right now he is already a blooming businessman reports The Philadelphia Enquirer. In first grade, he sold rocks from his driveway to unwitting classmates, claiming that he had spiffed them up in a “rock cleaner.” At age 8, he opened his first [...]
According to a story in The Friday Flyer, like many inventors, Brian Belden saw a need and created a solution to improve the lives of others. While floating in Canyon Lake on a foam noodle last year on Memorial Day, Brian observed his friends shifting their beverages from hand to hand while trying to keep [...]
With their children strapped to their backs, Angie Freeman Shephard and Theresa Perez get to work with their diaper delivery business, Happy Bottoms Diaper Service, reports Anchorage Daily News. When Angie Freeman Shephard and Theresa Perez were pregnant last year, they tried to find a cloth diaper pickup and delivery service in Anchorage, but they [...]
The Louisville Courier-Journal is reporting that Elvis is back in the building — and economists suggest it may be a sign of better economic times ahead. Elvis is a dipstick, of sorts, for our economy,” Doo Wop Shop manager Rob Baker said. “The party business is coming back. People are not thinking twice about having [...]
Nike Patents Auto-Lacing Sneakers
Who doesn’t remember Marty McFly’s power lace-up Nike kicks from the fictional year 2015? Well, the scene must’ve had a lasting effect on Nike, because as the real year 2015 approaches, the company has filed a patent for an automatic shoe-lacing system that eerily resembles the one scene here: Editor’s Note: Shouldn’t the movie clip [...]
Post-Katrina Business Boom: Naked Pizza
President Obama recently marked the anniversary of Katrina with a visit to New Orleans. His goal was to remind everyone that they are not forgotten but with an uptick in entrepreneurs that focus might change reports NPR. Not long after the storm, New Orleans native Robbie Vitrano started a pizza place in the recovering neighborhood [...]
Microsoft Co-Founder Becomes Super Patent Litigator
TechEye.net is reporting that Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, has sued Apple, Ebay, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Youtube, Netflix, Office Depot and Staples – as well as the company formerly known as AOL – for allegedly infringing a number of patents he owns. Allen has not sued Microsoft. Technology which Allen says he owns was [...]
How much does it cost Netflix to stream a movie in HD? 5 cents 12.5 cents 23 cents 49 cents 99 cents View Results The answer tomorrow. Photo by Lightstorm Entertainment.
Unique products to inspire and amuse. Baby’s First Smartphone. What’s next? Baby’s first Prius? Stay Puft Caffeinated Gourmet Marshmallows. I gotta cram for an exam, get me the caffeinated marshmallows, stat. Celebrity Phone Stickers. Uh, excuse me while I take this call from Einstein…. Meatball Bubble Gum. That’s Italian! Photos by thinkgeek/trendhunter.
Would Photography Be Different Had It Been Patented?
Louis Daguerre was a successful commercial artist hoping to increase the realism of his giant diorama paintings, some of them 70 feet long by 45 feet high. When using a camera obscura to sketch the outlines (or cartoons) for his paintings, he thought it would be better to create images directly with the camera. He [...]
Tebow Suits Entrepreneur To A Tee
Aware of just how crazy his town was about Tim Tebow, Seth Finley launched a website dedicated to selling parody t-shirts reports the Denver Post. Although Finley isn’t getting rich yet, he figures the American Dream could come true. “I started a couple of months ago,” said Finley, whose real job is as the vice [...]
Turn Your Faucet Into A Water Fountain. Tapi Tap Squeeze Drink Fountain ($5 USD) is a simple device that turns almost any household faucet into a water fountain with just a squeeze. However, when you want a drink, just give it a squeeze and a stream will shoot upwards, allowing you to reach the water [...]
Denver Mixer For Women In Business
Denver Business Journal: The Denver Business Journal and The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa presents our “Women in Business BizMix ” a networking mixer exclusively for women, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Monday, August 30, 2010, at The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, 321 17th St., Denver. You also will have the opportunity to meet [...]
Niche Biz: Urban Chicken Consultant
It started as a joke when Jennifer Murtoff of Oak Park, Ill. printed up 150 business cards that identified her as an Urban Chicken Consultant. She had no real intention of turning her lifelong poultry passion into an entrepreneurial pursuit. WalletPop reports that it turns out that beyond the Chicago prairie, urban chicken coops are [...]
Inventor Solves Real-World Problems
Glenn Reid has been an inventor for over 25 years. He helped launch iMovie and iPhoto. He founded Inventor Labs in Redwood City to address such issues; specifically, to convert abstract ideas into tangible products aimed at alleviating real-world problems, reports The Daily Journal. There are typically 30 to 40 ideas under development at any [...]
Baby Gift Room Offers Unique Products For New Moms
A lot has changed since we were babies. While some products that our parents might have used are still around, there are many more options than ever before. Baby Gift Room recognizes these changes and offers only what they feel are the best options for new moms and anyone that needs the perfect gift for [...]
In This Store, Everything Is 100% Off
The New York Times is reporting that for six weeks, a group of people have been engaged in an unusual project in Bedford-Stuyvesant that they are calling the Brooklyn Free Store, where everything is available for the taking and nothing is for sale. The name of the store is painted on a purple banner hanging [...]
Inventor Legends: Edmund McIlhenny
Born in 1815, Edmund McIlhenny moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, around 1840, finding work in the Louisiana banking industry. By the eve of the American Civil War, he had acquired a small fortune and became an independent bank owner. During the Civil War, McIlhenny fled with his in-laws, the Avery family, to Texas, where he [...]
More than three decades after Clemens Franek moved to Los Angeles and teamed up with aspiring actor Woody Harrelson to sell beach towels whose circular shape helped beachgoers tan evenly, a Chicago appeals court has said the invention can’t be trademarked, reports The Chicago Tribune. Millions of dollars worth of the “most radical beach fashion [...]
Entrepreneur’s Kool Ties Keep A Loyal Following
A friend presented Phoenix business owner Steve Kafka with polymer crystals that were used on golf-course grass to allow it to absorb nitrates. But according to The Arizona Republic, the turning point was when the friend showed Kafka how incredibly absorbent the material was when introduced to water. He said, ‘If anyone can do something [...]
Cool Biz: Labels For Kids’ Gear
According to trendspotter Springwise, Oliver’s Labels sells a wide variety of name labels in multiple colourful styles, designs, formats and sizes. As an alternative to including personal information like phone numbers or addresses, however, Oliver’s gives its customers the free option of printing a 9-digit tracking system code on their labels that links them with [...]
THAT’S MY BUSINESS: Jennifer Letscher
Today, Rich Whittle interviews Jennifer Letscher about her sport bottle wash, SKWEET.
Entrepreneur Helps Women Pick Themselves Up After A Break Up
Ellie Scarborough suddenly found herself with a serious lack of confidence when the guy she’d been seeing for a year and a half broke up with her. Going through a long period of lows she decided to do something for herself. Picking up the phone Ellie went on to order the biggest bouquet of flowers [...]
Could This Be A Way To Pay Off The National Debt?
According to the Art Marcovici website, Cashvertise is the answer. The average 100 USD Note is circulating for 7.4 years, it changes hands on average 3x per week, so each ad on a 100 USD note is seen by more then 1000 persons. I would say, this can easily be sold at 5 USD/note.The other [...]
Art Class Inspires Mom To Start Jewelry Business
After taking an art class through an adult education program in Watertown last year Sandy Stark was inspired to embark upon a business reports the Watertown Blog. As a woman who already loved jewelry, Sandy was inspired by the opportunity to make her own. She uses a wide variety of materials so she can successfully [...]
Philadelphia Wants $300+ From Bloggers
Do you use Google AdSense or other ad services on your personal blog or website? If you live in the city of Philadelphia, you might want to rethink that decision. According to the Mashable web site, last week, the Philadelphia City Paper published an article discussing the potential impact of the city’s Business Privilege Tax [...]
In Van Tibolli’s early years it became apparent to Harold Leighton, writing for The Epoch Times, that he had formed a vision. Ván Tibolli is young and vital, with the charm of a Brazilian polo player. He also exerts the tenacity and willpower to make his the best company in the world in the field [...]
Amanda Dorsey has spent dozens of hours categorizing search results on eBay, verifying search-engine links and doing other online jobs for CrowdFlower Inc., a San Francisco employment agency. According to a story in Bloomberg Businessweek, Dorsey doesn’t get paid in legal tender. She takes her wages in the form of virtual money, which she’s used [...]
According to ThinkEquity, how much will consumers spend on virtual goods in the United States this year? $20.4 million $200.7 million $500 million $1.6 billion $2.8 billion View Results The correct answer is $1.6 billion dollars. And those are REAL dollars. Now there is a growing trend to pay people in virtual dollars. Check out [...]
Inventor’s Journal: Gene Luoma
In this episode, Rich Whittle talks with Gene Luoma, inventor of the Zip-It Clean drain cleaner. Also check out our other video podcast, THAT’S MY BUSINESS! Thursday, when Rich Whittle talks with Jennifer Letscher about her new sport bottle wash, Skweet.
Making Money from Students Writing Software
Maverick Software Consulting provides software consulting from mankato, Minnesota at prices that meet or beat Chinese and Indian software companies. How do they do it? Robert Cringley explains: This isn’t rocket science. The students are testing software, recording bugs, and doing middleware development mainly for a single client — Thomson Reuters. Reuters, in turn, has [...]
Surprisingly, it’s not just monetary rewards that motivate entrepreneurs. This video via Jeff Cornwall illustrates that it’s something else.
The Inventor Who Saved Christmas
Choosing not to pursue a medical career, Alfred C. Gilbert co-founded a company manufacturing magic sets in 1909. This company would later become the A. C. Gilbert Company, according to Wikipedia. Gilbert invented the Erector Set, a popular construction toy, in 1913. His inspiration was steel construction girders being used on the New York, New [...]
If you find yourself in the Hattiesburg area and you’re interested in learning a little bit about entrepreneurship and how business works then head on down to Pearl River Community College. Working together with MyBizAM project, they are offering a 33 hour Southern Entrepreneur Program (SEP) reports hattiesburgamerican.com. The program will teach individuals the basics [...]
Marketing Lessons From The Grateful Dead
I’ve never been a fan of the band, but have always marveled at the culture surrounding them – truly a unique following, turning each concert into an event beyond just music, reports Jon at 800CEORead.com. David Meerman Scott’s and Brian Halligan’s Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn From The Most [...]
Business Owner Lives For Finding Rare Furniture
PatriotLedger.com: A Luigi Brusotti 1938 consul mirror, a set of 1950s Italian dining chairs and a vintage pen holder vaguely reminiscent of ET’s spaceship fill some of the nooks and crannies of Peter Levis’s BG Galleries, an antiques and vintage furniture store in Hingham. Levis specializes in Italian, French and American designer furniture from the [...]
Celebrity Inventor: Francis Ford Coppola
Some celebrities aren’t just pretty faces. A few of them are also touched with that Yankee prowess for tinkering and invention, according to the Atlantic magazine. Critically acclaimed producer, director, and screenwriter, Francis Ford Coppola had dominated that whole film industry scene by his mid-thirties. After winning a bunch of Oscars for his Godfather films, [...]
Hair Accessories For Your Little Diva
At any age, the right hair clip or headband can really made a statement. My Little Diva Accessories is helping our daughters stand out from the crowd with their line of flowery bows. With a variety of styles and colors they have a little something for every girl. Little Diva is the brain child of [...]
Entrepreneur Sells Board Games For $24M
According to a story in The Advertiser, entrepreneur Shane Yeend has sold two of the first board games he developed for $24 million. “Fact or Crap” and “Battle of the Sexes” – which was Australia’s biggest board game and the sixth-largest board game in the US at one point – have been sold to Canadian [...]
