Wednesday, July 29, 2009

INTERESTING ENTREPRENEUR CONFERENCE-PITCH RICHARD BRANSON




http://www.perfectbusiness.com/ThePerfectPitch/?usatoday=1

http://www.perfectbusiness.com

LEARN HOW TO MASTER THE BLACKBERRY, THEN SELL YOUR KNOWLEDGE


By design, some aspects of BlackBerry are intuitive; however, many valuable features are not obvious and require some means of training. BLACKBERRY TRAINING classes will ensure that you are utilizing all of the tremendous functionality the solution has to offer.

www.blackberrytraining.com

Friday, July 24, 2009

LEARN TO BECOME AN APPLE CERTFIED SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL

During this 3-day Training Camp course for the Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) certification, students verify their understanding of Mac OS X 10.5 core functionality and their ability to configure key services, perform basic troubleshooting, and assist end users with essential Mac OS X capabilities. The Training Camp course is a highly interactive combination of lecture, lab, and exam-focused review sessions that merges accelerated learning principles with custom-developed courseware and instructors to deliver the highest examination passing rates in the industry.
http://www.trainingcamp.com/training/apple/acsp/overview.aspx

CREATE A CHARACTER BASED ICON OF YOURSELF


http://mywebface.mywebsearch.com/download/index.jhtml

REMARKABLE VIDEO ABOUT THE ACCELERTAING INFO CULTURE WE LIVE IN

TAKE 5 minutes to watch this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8


NEW STARTUP CAMP FOR EARLY STAGE ENTREPRENEURS


TheFunded Founder Institute is a new incubator that trains entrepreneurs on the best practices for building quality high-tech businesses. The Institute has recruited 25 renown start-up CEOs to mentor founders and lead weekly evening training sessions on critical company-building tasks. The Institute has also enlisted world-class partners, such as Microsoft BizSpark, to provide necessary company-building tools and services at below market rates. The inaugural, Summer 2009 semester will be held in Silicon Valley, and participating founders can access the sessions online as well.

http://www.founderinstitute.com

START YOUR OWN ONLINE SCHOOL

CafeCourses makes it easy to share your knowledge and expertise with a community focused on learning. The site is currently free to both take courses and create courses. Anyone can create a course on CafeCourses. Everyone is an expert in something; capture that information into a course so others can learn from you.

http://cafecourses.com

LEARN GRAPHIC DESIGN TO ENHANCED YOUR BUSINESS

This is a cool online design diploma course comprised of 12 modules. It provides valuable feedback is given by your tutor on assignments and grades. All software learning comes with step by step tutorial videos. There is no need for prior software knowledge, we educate from the ground up.
http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com

INTERNAL TWITTER DOCUMENTS REVEAL INTERESTING STRATEGIC INSIGHTS


In Mid July 2009, a French hacker stole and sent to TechCrunch blog more than 300 confidential Twitter documents. Many of the documents can be found here.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/16/twitters-internal-strategy-laid-bare-to-be-the-pulse-of-the-planet/

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

LOW COST ACCOMADATION VENTURE

Terrific site that pairs up people who are looking for a low cost place to stay with people who have an apartment or home to rent. Global.
http://www.airbnb.com

Monday, July 20, 2009

CREATE AND MARKET YOUR OWN BOARD GAMES

The Game Crafter is a new company that lets you build your own, fully customized, table-top games. Board games, card games — you name it, there’s a good chance these guys can put it together for you, with fully customized art assets and text.

http://www.thegamecrafter.com/home

PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE BANK OWNED HOMES

CREATE A CONTENT VENTURE BY AGGREATING INFORMATION FROM OTHER SOURCES

http://distilldigital.com

Interesting style magazine that compiles the best articles from a variety
of international fashion publication. Aggregating / curating content from a variety of sources under a new brand you create could be a low cost way to build a new content business.

INTERESTING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR THAT HAS EVERY "DISADVANTAGED" CATEGORY

In the last three years Military Hardware has supplied a very broad range of material to the Federal Government: Radio Frequency Amplifiers, Hand tools, specialized and highly complex kits, and a good variety of tactical gear. The Federal Acquisition Regulations require Government agencies to support “disadvantaged” businesses. The full range of “disadvantaged” categories is: minority owned, woman owned, Native-American owned, Veteran owned, service disabled Veteran owned, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8a, HUB-Zone, and labor surplus area. Military Hardware represents every italicized category. There are only two we do not have and we expect approval for the most important, Service-Disabled Veteran owned business, in the very near future. Once SDVOB is in place we will proceed with application for 8a. The stated DOD purchasing goals for 2009 are: 22.24% small, 5% small disadvantaged, 5% woman owned, 3% HUB-Zone, and 3% service disabled Veteran. Typically competitors have one or two of these classifications, thereby requiring purchasing entities to use multiple vendors to reach the mandated goals. Through Military Hardware, each dollar spent gives the purchaser credit for every category, which makes compliance, and the buyer’s job, much easier! There really is not another company like us. In ccr.gov you can search for NAICS 316999 (holsters) and check boxes for Veteran owned, SDB, and HUB-zone. You’ll get 1 response: Military Hardware llc.

http://www.militaryhardware.us/store/agora.cgi

INTERESTING IDEA: MASTERCARD KILLER APP


MasterCard Worldwide today announced the availability of the MasterCard® Priceless Picks iPhone application which gives consumers a location-based utility to find and share their favorite picks with friends and family. Leveraging the iPhone’s GPS technology, users can instantly find shopping deals, entertainment options, dining venues and special experiences just steps away from where they are or where they’re traveling to, for business or for pleasure. Priceless Picks is available for free download at the iPhone App Store or at:
http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D322850940%2526mt%253D8

Unique features of the MasterCard Priceless Picks app include:
  • User-generated content and partner generated offers
  • Priceless Picks separated into five categories including Priceless, Dining, Shopping, Entertainment and Other
  • Pinpoints Priceless Picks in your selected location
  • Add your own Priceless Pick by simply inputting the name, description and location along with your first name and a Priceless Pick category
  • “Send to a Friend” allows you to share your Priceless Picks with others via emai

GO WHERE THE GROWTH IS

In a recent New York Times article, jobs lost and gained during recession chart was very enlightening. Consider creating opportunities in the growth sectors:

Home Health Care Services
Oil and Gas Exploration
Ambulatory Health Care Services
Educational Services
Health Care
Outpatient Care Centers
Nursing Care

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/weekinreview/19uchitelle.html

Sunday, July 19, 2009

CREATE A BUSINESS USING A NEW DESIGN OF AN OLD PRODUCT


http://lovelypackage.com

Lovely Package is the leading source for the very best that package design has to offer. So many great, new venture ideas that are driven by packaging and "modernizing" the look and feel of traditional, staid products...

AFFORDABLE, QUALITY DAY CARE IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/07/19-the-new-push-for-quality-child-care.html



Lack of affordable day-care for young children is now a crisis. The costs have risen 11% in the last two years—varies widely, depending on such factors as location, type of care, and the age of the child. Nationwide, the cost ranges from $3380 to $10,787 for one preschooler, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. Full-time care for one infant at a center can be as much as $15,895 a year. A full-time babysitter may cost from $400 to $1000 a week, depending on where you live. Great article in Parade, supporting this thesis.

CREATE YOUR OWN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE / VIRTUAL TOWN FOR FREE


Elgg, started in 2004, is an open source social engine which powers all kinds of social environments - from education and business to football and politics. If you are looking for a professional social intranet or want to run a social network site for your small business, Elgg is a great choice. It was voted the best open source social networking platform 2008 by Infoworld magazine.

http://elgg.org

LEARN CHINESE THEN TEACH OTHERS FOR A FEE

Learn Chinese using your mobile phone and simple, yet advanced online group learning exercises....then start a business that teaches others the language.
http://chinesepod.com

WEB 2.0 BACKPACK: COOL APPS FOR STUDENTS


http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/web_20_backpack_web_apps_for_students.php

EXCELLENT RESOURCE BLOG FOR STUDENTS - A MUST READ


http://www.core77.com/hack2school

LAUNCH A DORM ROOM INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICE ON CAMPUS


A service that helps students develop a more comfortable, stylish and cost effective dorm room space would be very popular. Here is free floor plan and 3D pre-visualization software to appear more professional.
http://www.sweethome3d.eu

FREE ADVANCED SOFTWARE FROM MICROSOFT


Most people don't realize that big software companies have research labs around the world developing new ideas....and that they often share some of their new ideas as open source downloads. Here are a few really cool applications in Miicrosoft's research labs, free.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/about/feature/downloads.aspx

OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE TOOLS TO CREATE YOUR OWN GADGETS

Bug Labs is a new kind of technology company, enabling a new generation of engineers to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to solder, learn solid state electronics, or go to China. Bug Labs envisions a future where CE stands for Community Electronics, the term “mashups” applies equally to hardware as it does to Web services, and entrepreneurs can appeal to numerous markets by inventing a range of new devices.

BUG gives you all the tools you need to build your dream gadget -- a collection of electronic modules you can easily snap together and program to make any device you want. Best of all, it's open source.

http://buglabs.net

http://bugblogger.com

Saturday, July 18, 2009

SITE THAT TRACKS COUPON OFFERS


This site tracks coupons and cost savings offers. Nice idea.

http://www.enbargain.com

NEW WEB STARTUPS POSTED DAILY

KillerStartups.com is a user driven internet startups community. Entrepreneurs, investors, and bloggers are staying informed on up-and-coming internet startups using our blog platform, where internet entrepreneurs submit their startup to see what others think about it. Each day it reviews 15 new web startups and the community votes on which are most compelling.

http://www.killerstartups.com

FREE WORLD CLASS DESIGN SCHOOL


Founded by legendary designer Bruce Mau, The Institute without Boundaries at George Brown College in Toronto is a center of research and learning focused on design innovation and inter-professional collaboration.

The Institute comprises of a post-graduate program that teaches design collaboration to professionals from diverse backgrounds; a research division, which conducts applied research on global issues; and a think tank, which offers design consultation to clients. Each year it accepts 20 students to work on a range of projects and learn cutting edge design techniques.

http://www.institutewithoutboundaries.com

REPACKAGE FREE, FAMOUS BOOKS INTO "NEW" PRODUCTS

Sales of graphic novels, too, have grown by double digits in recent years. So it makes sense that a convergence is under way, as graphic novels take up stories from the Bible, often in startling ways. In the last year, several major religious and secular publishing houses have announced or released manga religious stories. Last year, the Bible, written as Japanese Mange Graphic Novel, With a Samurai Stranger Called Christ hit the market with critical acclaim.

Repackaging and selling famous, public domain books (like Alice in Wonderland) in new ways is an interesting business model.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INVESTS $1 BILLION EACH YEAR ON SMALL BUSINESSES


The US Department of Defense (DoD) SBIR and STTR programs fund a billion dollars each year in early-stage R&D projects at small technology companies -- projects that serve a DoD need and have commercial applications.

  • The SBIR Program provides up to $850,000 in early-stage R&D funding directly to small technology companies (or individual entrepreneurs who form a company).
  • The STTR Program provides up to $850,000 in early-stage R&D funding directly to small companies working cooperatively with researchers at universities and other research institutions.
  • Small companies retain the intellectual property rights to technologies they develop under these programs.
  • Funding is awarded competitively, but the process is streamlined and user-friendly.
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir

FANTASTIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESOURCE


The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the United States and is the world's largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship.

It has an endowment of nearly $2.1 billion. It spend about $90 million per year on grants, programs, and related expenses.

The Kauffman Foundation is working to further understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurship, to advance entrepreneurship education and training efforts, to promote entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and to better facilitate the commercialization of new technologies by entrepreneurs and others, which have great promise for improving the economic welfare of our nation.

http://www.kauffman.org



LEARN HOW TO BECOME AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST


Pioneers in Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) in the UK, since 2003, The Center for Investigative Journalism has run an annual CIJ summer school, providing cutting-edge training in technical and theoretical skills, married to expertise and insight from the highest levels of investigative journalism.

We also offer practice-based one-off workshops in CAR to industry, higher education, and NGOs. These cover; advanced internet research, Freedom of Information theory and practice, and the application of spreadsheet, database and mapping technologies toward supporting and inspiring ideas for investigative research.

http://www.tcij.org

WIN $100,000 FROM AMAZON TO START YOUR WEB VENTURE


Amazon.com is looking for the most promising start-ups that can grow into significant, meaningful, and lasting companies that leverage AWS to build its infrastructure and business.

Start-ups in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Israel are encouraged to apply for a chance to win $50,000 in cash, $50,000 in AWS credits, mentoring sessions from AWS technical experts, and AWS Premium Support Gold for one year.

Deadline is AUGUST 26, 2009

http://aws.amazon.com/startupchallenge/

Amazon Web Services provides all the -commerce services and back-office management needed to open your own webstore.
http://aws.amazon.com/what-is-aws/

ALL BRANDS TAKE NOTICE...CREATE TOOLS THAT HELP OTHERS CREATE PRODUCTS FOR YOU


The iPhone Developer University Program is a free program designed for higher education institutions looking to introduce curriculum for developing iPhone or iPod touch applications. The University Program provides a wealth of development resources, sophisticated tools for testing and debugging, and the ability to share applications within the same development team. Institutions can also submit applications for distribution in the App Store.
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/university.html

START A MODERN NURSERY SCHOOL


As a sideline to his fashion career, A.P.C. designer Jean Touitou opened a new Paris preschool.

Spend a few minutes at Ateliers de la Petite Enfance, a new nursery school two blocks from Paris’s Luxembourg Garden, and you might not initially notice anything out of the ordinary. In one corner, a two-year-old boy slathers orange fingerpaint on just about everything except the blank sheet of paper he’s been given, while at a nearby table, another boy kneads a block of clay into an amorphous blob that he triumphantly declares is a birthday cake. Gradually, however, a discerning eye will spot a few unmistakable signs of pre-K fabulousness. The blue cotton smocks, with their tiny front pockets, look very A.P.C., the label known for low-key Parisian cool; the kiddie-size chairs are by Alvar Aalto. The school’s logo is a multicolored tree created by fashion designer Jessica Ogden, who also serves as a part-time art teacher.

(courtesy W Magazine)

LEARN DESIGN IN ITALY


Architect Marc DiDomenico, the 2009 President of the American Institute of Architects Continental Europe, is overseeing The Florence Institute of Design International, a brand new "boutique" design school in Florence, Italy. Just opened in the historic center of Florence, a new international design school will welcome students from all over the world to commence the first full session in January. The Florence Institute of Design International offers a new type of boutique academics focused entirely on international students providing Interior Design, Graphic Design and Architecture programs with both master and semester abroad options available, as announced by Founder and Creative Director, Architect Marc DiDomenico.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS

http://www.fabrica.it

Fabrica is the Benetton Group's communication research centre, was set up in 1994. The fruit of the Group’s cultural legacy, is based in Treviso, Italy in a complex restored and enlarged by Tadao Ando.

Fabrica is not a school, advertising agency or university. It is an applied creativity laboratory, a talent incubator, a studio of sorts in which young, modern artists come from all over the world to develop innovative projects and explore new directions in myriad avenues of communication, from design, music and film to photography, publishing and the Internet.

The school offers free one year residencies for those accepted. Unfortunately, you must be 25 or under to be considered...

GO GLOBAL AS REAL ESTATE PRICES WORLDWIDE ARE DEPRESSED

France v. Los Angeles $500,000
Half a million dollars in France will get you five-bedrooms, or one quarter, of a nineteenth century chateau. This chateau is encircled with a rushing river, lush landscape, gardens, sauna, and swimming pool.

In the concrete jungle suburb of Los Angeles, Downey, your half a mil will buy this lovely four bedroom two-point-five bathroom home. It is encircled with growing weeds, a dead tree, and your own garden hose.



Check out these other interesting price comparisons:
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22297/49153-colossal-castle-humble-home--price

LEARN WEB DESIGN FROM HOME


Learn how to build e-commerce websites from home.
http://bestwebdesignschools.com/

CREATE AN EMAIL MAGAZINE

Design great looking emails using your own tools, or create templates and let your readers/subscribers log in and build their own.
http://www.campaignmonitor.com/

BECOME AN ONLINE CONTENT PRODUCER



Omnisio lets you select clips from videos you find on YouTube and other video sites, and easily post them on your profile page or blog.

With Omnisio you make and share your own shows by assembling clips from different videos. Are you a sports fan and think you can do better than SportsCenter? Create your own sports show by combining the best sports highlights you can find. Are you a fashion guru? Create a fashion show with clips showing the latest fasions worn by celebrities - you can even add your own commentary.

http://www.omnisio.com/

INTERESTING VENTURE IDEA : SCHOOL OF LIFE

Based in a small shop in Central London, The School of Life is a new social enterprise offering good ideas for everyday living. It offers a variety of programmes and services concerned with how to live wisely and well.

Have you had one of those mornings lately in which you got up and wondered why you were doing a job that exhausted you or that you didn’t really enjoy? Or found yourself spending the day running against the clock, too stressed to eat properly but not actually creatively challenged? Do you waste time brooding over unresolved arguments or feeling guilty for not being kinder to those in need? Do you notice your mind flitting unsatisfactorily from what the government should be doing about the world’s financial situation to what you are going to do with your weekend?

The School of Life is a place to step back and think intelligently about these and other common concerns. You will not be cornered by any dogma, but directed towards a variety of ideas - from philosophy to literature, psychology to the visual arts – that tickle, exercise and expand your mind. You’ll meet other curious, sociable and open-minded people in an atmosphere of exploration and enjoyment.

http://www.theschooloflife.com

ANNUAL STARTUP SCHOOL AT STANFORD

http://startupschool.org/

Startup school is an annual free conference for hackers interested in startups. This year notable speakers included Mike Arrington, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos and Paul Graham. Really impressive speakers and web entrepreneurs

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

FREE STOCK PHOTO LIBRARIES

Great resource: free stock photo libraries for your website or business
http://fffound.com/

FREE EDUCATION FILES FOR iPHONE

iTunes U, part of the iTunes Store, is possibly the world’s greatest collection of free educational media available to students, teachers, and lifelong learners. With over 175,000 educational audio and video files available, iTunes U* has quickly become the engine for the mobile learning movement. It puts the power of the iTunes Store in the hands of qualifying universities and cultural institutions, so they can distribute their educational media to their students or to the world.

Watch the video to learn how to access this content...

http://www.apple.com/education/mobile-learning/

LEARN HOW TO CREATE iPHONE APP FOR FREE FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Free videos of Stanford's wildly popular course on creating applications for the iPhone and iPod touch have now been downloaded a remarkable million times from Stanford's site on iTunes U in the iTunes Store since the course began on April 1.

The way the downloads have taken off like a rocket makes the iPhone Application Programming videos the fastest to reach the 1 million milestone in the history of iTunes U, which hosts offerings from hundreds of colleges and universities around the world.

http://itunes.stanford.edu/