Maker’s Series

Boomerang: iPad Mount & Stand Charms Kickstart Donors Boomerang: iPad Mount & Stand Charms Kickstart Donors

This is pretty darn cool. A company called XVIDIA has come up with a really fantastic product. If it works as conceptualized, these things will be selling like hotcakes. It’s called Boomerang and it is being touted as “the first ever all-in-one iPad mount and stand.” I learned about it at Kickstarter (with a nudge from Alisha of Astrsk... Read More →

Maker Series: We Say Granola, He Said Granula… Maker Series: We Say Granola, He Said Granula…

Stumbled into an interesting story in The New York Times Magazine section (Who made that — Granola. It talked about the origins of granola. We make our own with rolled oats, protein powder, brown sugar, lots of cinnamon and then sticky stuff to keep it together (canola oil with maple syrup). So, of course, I was curious. Apparently granola... Read More →

Icon Creates Passion-Driven Products… Icon Creates Passion-Driven Products…

The New York Times did a story (“What Price Perfection? The $80,000 Army Jeep”) about Jonathan Ward, the 40-year-old owner of ICON, a company that is rebuilding Army jeeps with aircraft-quality parts. Restoration 2.0: Icon CJ3B It referenced how Mr. Ward refers to ICON as a restoration business.  “Restoration” does not begin... Read More →

Introducing the “Robo-Raptor” Introducing the “Robo-Raptor”

The Wall Street Journal had a front page story about Robo-Raptors (It’s a Bird, It’s a Plan, It’s a Robotic Bald Eagle). It talked about Dutch ornithologist, falconer and mechanical engineer, Robert Musters who created a lifelike “RoBird” that can scare off other birds. Source: Dan Michaels/WSJ “This bird can do... Read More →

Blending Quality of Life and Fresh, Seasonal Food Blending Quality of Life and Fresh, Seasonal Food

I stumbled upon an old issue of Fortune Small Business the other day and found a very inspiring story about how Alice Waters started Chez Panisse. It talked about the challenges she had back in 1971 when she first opened in her place in Berkeley, California. “In no time I had 50 employees, and I didn’t know how to manage any of them. I... Read More →

Maker Series: Jeff Rulifson & AAA’s iPhone App Maker Series: Jeff Rulifson & AAA’s iPhone App

Innovation Meets Tenacity. There’s no stopping an idea who’s time is right, as long as you keep at it and not let “rules and limits” hold you back. Introduction: Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch has garnered a ton of attention and rightly so. In little more than a year, there have been 1.5 billion downloads... Read More →

Maker Series: Shane Geary & the Flip-n-Chip Maker Series: Shane Geary & the Flip-n-Chip

I recently had the opportunity to interview Shane Geary, the mastermind behind the Flip-n-Chip (www.ChippingMasters.com) which is a way to practice golf in your back yard or park or even a chipping green WITHOUT a net. I was intrigued by the concept and the product itself, which looks kind of like a Frisbee, but bigger (14.25-inch diameter) and flatter... Read More →

Intro to the Maker’s Series: From Mind to Market… Intro to the Maker’s Series: From Mind to Market…

“Creativity is basically the process of making, of bringing into being.” — Rollo May We are inundated with products with all kinds of purposes on a daily basis.  Just look at the ads in the Sunday paper, or visit the iTunes Store that boasts over 65,000 apps, or try to watch a television program without a DVR.  Products everywhere!... Read More →