Author Archive

WBAY TV:

Filar developed a specialized digital eye camera that attaches to a scope doctors use to look into a patient’s eyes. It plugs into a computer and takes pictures or video, “and I can actually see the inside of the eye here.”

Filar says he had the idea for a portable device like this in his head for years, thinking it would be great for use in remote areas by the military, mission workers, even himself during visits to nursing homes.

Filar finally got serious about it last January. By April he had a working model ready to market.

But he never dreamt of receiving a call like the one earlier this month.

It was NASA on the phone and in less than 21 months, an invention by Wisconsin optometrist has gone from an idea in his head to being used by NASA on the space station.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

NY Times:

Among the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters.

They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, an antiques dealer and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. About 12 years ago, Mr. Phillips began his latest career: building low-income housing out of trash.

In 1997 Mr. Phillips mortgaged his house to start his construction company, Phoenix Commotion. “Look at kids playing with blocks,” he said. “I think it’s in everyone’s DNA to want to be a builder.” Moreover, he said, he was disturbed by the irony of landfills choked with building materials and yet a lack of affordable housing.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

photo credit: AMagill

Billionaire Mark Cuban has written a very information post explaining how not to ask for money in email:

The first thing I do at this point is look at the senders email address. Is it an email with the company name in the URL ? If it isnt.. ding, ding, ding. They sender has come up with a name, but doesn’t have the focus or confidence to put up a website. This person was using a gmail account. Next my #FailDar was ringing louder than Larry Kudlow talking nonsense on CNBC about green shoots when I read the “designed for different industries and is dedicated to improve the quality of life of individuals throughout the world, one step at a time” Im sorry, but could anyone possibly invent and write anything that is more full of shit than this person ? That has to go down in business letter history as one of the all time worse lines. If you want to get someone interested in your company, DO NOT tell them you are going to save the world. You are not. No one will believe you will. Save that nonsense for your grandma when you are trying to make her proud of you.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.