Business Playground
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Nokia has unveiled the first pedal-powered phone battery charger. According to the Financial Times cyclists will be able to plug their handsets into a charger mounted on their handlebars and connected to a dynamo that harnesses electricity from the wheels. It would take two-and-a- half hours for a cyclist riding at 15km an hour to [...]

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Punk band Anti-Flag and useless.org released a limited edition tee shirt for Earth Day. The shirts are unwanted shirts that were gathering dust in Anti-Flag’s warehouse, that have now been repurposed with a new message. All proceeds fund a water and sanitation project in Sierra Leone. See more details here.

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The idea that collaborative thinking, or ‘Groupthink’, as the right way to solve problems creatively is misguided. According to author Susan Cain in the New York Times, it is often solitary thinking that leads to the biggest creative breakthroughs. She mentions Steve Wozniak who invented the first Apple computer and said in his memoir: “Most [...]

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BloomFrame

Watch the film on the manufacturers website of it morphing. It’s a real product from the Netherlands. http://www.bloomframe.nl/

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From Yahoo. Here’s a fairy tale that could only happen in the movies. Man makes YouTube video. Goes to Hollywood. Gets pots of money and a movie deal. Except this story is true. An unknown producer from Uruguay, Fede Alvarez, shelled out about $300 to create a cool video of a robot invasion in Montevideo, [...]

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Business Playground is now out as a digital audiobook on Audible. It’s narrated by British actress Linda Gallagher and sounds great. Take a listen when you get a chance.

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Howard Gossage, an icon of 1960′s advertising, talking about “mammanoids” and “tediophobes.” mammonoids and tediophobes

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Nicely designed quotes about creativity from great thinkers (the usual suspects) by Shirley-Ann Dick. I like how she says on her website, bolded and highlighted: CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET, THESE ARE NOT FOR SALE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.  IT IS A PRIVATE PROJECT.

Pop star Cee Lo Green will make about $20 million this year. His hit single “Forget You” (actually it’s not “Forget”, but another shorter word beginning with the same letter) became the 12th most downloaded track of all time. But his music sales represent only a small proportion of his earnings. The New York Times [...]

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Creativity comes in myriad different forms. For Andy Goldsworthy it’s making ephemeral art and from the things he finds in nature. His work is inspiring and beautiful. This extract is from the film about his work “Rivers and Tides.”

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I liked this blog post from entrepreneur Chris Dixon and decided to reproduce it in its entirety. Thanks Chris. Developing new startup ideas March 14th, 2010 | careers, product design, startups // })(); // ]]>If you want to start a company and are working on new ideas, here’s how I’ve always done it and how [...]

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A young designer has invented a revolutionary folding bicycle that will stop thieves in their tracks. Kevin Scott, 21, designed the space-age bike that wraps around a lamp post so it can be locked-up safely – without the need for a lock or chain. The De Montfort University graduate used a ratchet system built into [...]

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nokero-n100-solar-light-bulb-lg

This bulb has built-in solar panels so it can be used in places off the grid. Made by Nokero the rain-proof light bulb is about the size of a standard incandescent bulb and contains a replaceable, rechargeable battery that can be charged during the day to provide light at night. Nokero says the N100 is [...]

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Even the simplest things like a business card can be an idea. These ones don’t just say what the business owner does, they demonstrate it.

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The homes will be made of recycled materials – pallet flooring and framing, waterproofed cardboard walls, aluminum can roofing – and some donated materials. Architect Arthur Dyson is working with construction management students at Fresno State to create an unprecedented “Eco-Village” of tiny homes for homeless folks. If successful, it seems like Dyson’s Eco-Village could [...]