41 New Business Innovations

From feeder businesses to solar/hybrid lawn mowers that use as little power as a lightbulb, here is a list of TrendWatching's 41 innovative business ideas. Some of these businesses are not in the U.S. but in this global world, a trend across the pond can quickly become the latest thing here in the blink of an eye.

Read more here: trendwatching.com: INNOVATION AVALANCHE

So You Think You Can Dance (Fun on a Friday)

My hubby and I love to watch "So You Think You Can Dance." We both really enjoyed this routine last week and I see that it's one of the most viewed You Tube clips today. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

More Dancing (Fun on a Friday Part II)

Here's a routine from earlier in the season that may still be my favorite dance so far. It's about a young man called off to war. Several "wow" moves and a beautiful story line. I love it when Joshua does this handstand thing, but Katee pulls him back by his foot and he "reverses" it. Impossible to explain. Even more impossible not to love. Watch and see for yourself!

Vista Sucks -- even Intel Thinks So

Terri has complained about her Vista machine since she bought it. It's the computer she wants to love because it's loaded with other great, fun tools, but Vista has given her so many fits she just can't open her heart completely.

She's not alone. People have been complaining even more loudly than usual about the latest operating software release from Microsoft. Even the tech folks at Intel don't want to play with Vista. They're opting to keep XP and skip the Vista upgrade.

Which reminds me. You can still buy an XP machine at Dell -- until the end of June. After that, you can pay extra to downgrade your license. As Adam Freedman, my tech guru from Dunwoody PC explains:

The XP “Loophole” – Microsoft has told its big resellers like Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and HP, that as of June 30th, they can not sell you a computer with XP on it. Not totally true. They can sell you a computer with Vista Business and then downgrade the license to XP Professional. So, you as a consumer have to pay $100 more for this version of downgraded licensing, and Microsoft gets to tout just how successful the launch of Windows Vista can be! Disgusting…

My laptop has about six months left on it, but I don't want to risk getting stuck with a Vista machine so I am going to log off this blog and go buy me an XP machine right now.

Read more here: Et Tu, Intel? Chip Giant Wont Embrace Microsofts Windows Vista - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog

Get help for your computer from Adam: Dunwoody PC

Forget Paying for Directory Assistance: GOOG-411 is free

We've blogged previously about Google's free text information system
(send a text message to GOOGLE and get info back on everything from business phone numbers to movie listings to local weather), but have been remiss in letting readers know about Google's foray into free telephone directory listings.

It works like dialing 411, only it's free, every single time. You have your choice of being connected directly to the business, or receiving a text message with the info. They'll even send a map to your phone if you like.

Next time you're looking for a phone number, save yourself time and money by dialing 1-800-GOOG-411 instead. (That's 1-800-466-4411.)

Watch a video demo or read more about it here: 1-800-GOOG-411: Find and connect with local businesses for free from your phone.

Fun on a Friday: Introducing Wordle

Check out Wordle, a new tool that generates beautiful word clouds (similar to "tag clouds") from any text that you submit. The image to the left is a Wordle created from a poem I uploaded that I wrote when I was 11 years old. The shapes and colors Wordle cranks out are techno-fabulous. I'm thinking of creating some artwork for my baby's nursery using one of these.

Seth Godin's Genius Ideas For the Kindle

If you're an Amazon shopper, then you've probably been hit by a home page promotion for their reading device, the Kindle. It's a bit pricey -- around $400 -- but full of promise. I love the idea of downloading any book I want on demand, but am not convinced yet that the Kindle is worth the money. Ironically, the deal breaker for me is not the aesthetics or the idea of reading electronically. I already read three major newspapers every morning in bed from my phone -- it's the idea that I have to pay so much to read those newspapers on the Kindle (vs getting them free on my phone) that irritates me.

But I digress. It's a cool idea and Seth Godin has some ideas to make it even better. He notes that this is one of the first technological innovations designed first for WOMEN. (Most tech products are designed for men first, who tend to be the early adopters of new technology, and then they "evolve" for women -- although that "evolution" is still suspect with some products.) The Kindle has a look-and-feel that screams female-friendly, and the most downloaded books for the device are arguably chick books (Oprah Book Club, anyone?).

Seth thinks the Kindle has great promise, but is too linear a device. It's another way of reading a book. That's not disruptive or innovative enough. Seth is suggesting that Amazon should pour some social networking ideas into the device. Imagine being able to comment on passages (or highlight them) for your friends or your book club. Or to be able to scroll through and find out which passages were the "best" as deemed that by your social circle. I, for one, know my best friend Terri and I would love to highlight and share (we already do that with printed books).

That's just one of his great ideas. To read more of his brilliant suggestions, check out this blog entry.

The Pop vs. Soda Page (it's a Coke Y'all!)

Here in Atlanta, no matter what soft drink you order, the generic term is "coke," as in, "Wanna coke?". When I lived up north, it was "soda," or "pop" (or "soda pop" in some places). This map plots the preferred term regionally. It's a fun little distraction on a Monday.

Personally, I've always said "soft drink," proving once again, that I'm something of an outlier.

See the interactive map here: The Pop vs. Soda Page