cool business ideas
Springwise: Guidebooks and recommendations are all very well, but there’s very little point in discovering a new activity, restaurant or shop if you’re not in the right headspace to enjoy it. Enter 
TrendWatching.com: 
Inhabitat: The 
TrendOriginal: The E-Bag from Hungarian designer Apor Püspöki cools your drink while you walk. How does it work? Quite simply: The rotating handle is attached to a dynamo that uses arm motions to charge a battery. “The cooling system makes use of the Peltier technology, a kind of solid-state heat pump that transfers heat from one side of the device to the other side. The cooling status is indicated by three LED lights.” Did someone say eco joy? I think so. This device makes incredible use of all the energy that we expend physically. Instead of letting it go to waste, it transforms our power into something beneficial so that we can make use of every available resource in our bodies and cut down on external energy sources. Walking has never been cooler. Pun intended.
Springwise: When times are tough, there's nothing like a little sympathy from a brand to get through to consumers in a way no mass-media ad can. Case in point: To promote its new Stove Top Quick Cups, Kraft Foods is offering warmth and samples at select Chicago area bus stops.
Kraft has already posted ads in 50 bus shelters around Chicago featuring the tagline, "Cold, provided by winter. Warmth, provided by us. It's a good night for Stove Top." Earlier this week the company went a step further and began heating ten of those shelters to give consumers within a little sympvertising in the form of relief from the cold. Next, beginning today and continuing for three weeks, Kraft will also be giving out samples of its Quick Cups at those heated shelters, for a dose of tryvertising as well.
As economic conditions continue to drag throughout the world, consumers will increasingly appreciate small acts of kindness—even branded ones. Throw in the opportunity to try before they buy, and you may just have a recession-proof plan!
Tikatok.com, a leading online children’s book community, makes it possible to give your children’s own original stories captured in beautiful hard or soft cover books for between $15-$20 as very personal gifts for family and friends this holiday season.
The books created by children on Tikatok.com are truly one-of-a-kind presents that tell the stories and showcase the artwork of your children in professionally bound books, accompanied with their author page and photo. Unlike traditional photo books, these are the actual writings and illustrations from your children’s own creative imagination and something that can be cherished forever as personal keepsake from your favorite authors.
In addition to these books, Tikatok is also offering gift cards to its members as great stocking stuffers or presents for those hard-to-shop-for people on your list. Beginning November 1, gift cards can be purchased on Tikatok.com for $25, $35 or $50. Recipients can use gift cards to order hard and soft cover copies of books they create on Tikatok, or even copies of their favorite boo