| Gotham Greens: Urban Rooftop Greenhouse Posted: 18 Jul 2011 02:35 PM PDT 
Gotham Greens is the the country’s first commercial urban rooftop greenhouse. They have a 15,000 square-foot facility atop a two-story warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that aims to put more than 100 tons of farm fresh produce into the mouths of hungry New Yorkers within 24 hours of harvesting. Business Insider has a photo tour. 
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| Haircuts, Beer and Burgers Posted: 18 Jul 2011 01:57 PM PDT 
Three things men love will be woven together when a new business opens in Howell later this summer — burgers, beers and shears. Pinckney resident Lance Lumpiesz soon will open the doors of Moe’s BarBar Shop, 106 W. Grand River Ave., a place where a man “can cut his locks and have a scotch on the rocks.” “That’s kind of our motto,” he said. Spread out over two storefronts, the business will be one-half restaurant, one-half barber shop and lounge, he said. The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus has the complete story on this unique pairing. Photo by matsuyuki. 
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| Great Urban Footrace Posted: 18 Jul 2011 11:57 AM PDT 
Joe Reynolds is a former cross-country athlete and house painter who’s love for marathon running but dread of miles and miles of endless pavement drove him to create the Great Urban Race in 2007. Great Urban Race is a wild urban adventure. Teams of racers travel somewhere between four to eight miles, solve twelve clues and complete exciting mental and physical challenges. - Racers are allowed to travel only by foot or by public transit. Teams may not use any form of private transportation, or accept any rides.
- The distance of the race depends on the route you take. Think 4-8 miles on your feet or by transit, maybe less, maybe more. It’s up to you and depends on the route you choose!
- You will be presented with a variety of challenging and unique tasks! Below are basic descriptions of clues you may encounter. Check out the Clues (hyperlink) page for specific examples!
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| The Beer Sommelier Posted: 18 Jul 2011 11:40 AM PDT 
Entrepreneur: Every frat house and bar has its self-appointed beer expert. But if you really want to learn what’s worth drinking and which brews complement your favorite foods, the go-to guy is Matt Simpson, aka The Beer Sommelier. Based in Marietta, Ga., the fast-talking Simpson has built a formidable one-man business around his knowledge of beer. He studies different styles. He discerns flavor profiles. “Just like with wine, it’s all about balance,” Simpson says. “At the end of the day, this job comes down to knowing beers, knowing beer styles and understanding which combinations of beer and food are going to work best.” 
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| 3D Laser Scanning Accident Sites Posted: 18 Jul 2011 11:34 AM PDT 
According to the BBC, police in the UK will soon use laser scanners at crash sites to make 3D images of the scene, instead of having to painstakingly log everything at the scene. The 3D laser technology uses a special scanner mounted on a tripod to take a 360-degree image of the crash site recording 30m separate data points down to a resolution of less than a millimetre. This scanned image can be used to take measurements and survey evidence over a wide area
Each sweep takes about four minutes and typically police will take four scans of each site. This digital image of the site can then be viewed on a computer screen enabling investigators to take measurements of where vehicles are in relation to each other and other important evidence. Previously, much of this work would have been carried out by hand. The technology and business is already available in the United States. For example, James R. Loumiet & Associates, Inc. a transportation accident reconstruction company uses the FARO LS 880 laser scanner to scan vehicles and sites involved in collisions. A video of the FARO LS 880 in use is available here. 
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| Is Your Business Failing Facebook? Posted: 18 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT 
Sometimes a business will join Facebook with visions of instant success and many followers. Forbes offers a few reasons why your business may be failing on Facebook. You're trying too hard. Spamming your followers with non-stop brand-related chatter will make you lose followers, not gain fans. Social media works best when it involves an element of play. Develop a compelling voice. Be entertaining. Use humor. This the internet, not a board meeting. You don't get it. Here's the thing: You don't have to understand social media. In fact, those who refer to themselves as "social media rock stars" really don't get it. The truth is: Nobody gets it, not really, not yet. It's evolving. Today's expert is tomorrow's idiot. You don't own it. You hired a company to do your social media for you. Since you became their client, they've had a dozen different people working on your account. How can you expect your business to succeed when your social media plan amounts to passing the buck?
Photo by Dell Inc. 
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| Helping Businesses Find Employees Posted: 18 Jul 2011 08:30 AM PDT 
Job placement companies are not new, but they are still a booming business. This is something Sheri Welsh knows a lot about. In 2002, she launched Welsh & Associates. Whenever a company needs professional personnel, she helps them find the right person for the job, reports Mlive. When a client needs professional personnel, Welsh already has the inside track on the company's outlook and philosophy, she said. Keeping up with technology is key for a business as personalized as hers, said Welsh, who admits to loving her iPhone. She is on Facebook and tries to post a minimum of three tweets per week through her Twitter account. Dealing with problem employees is a fact of business life, which Welsh handles by listening to workers' concerns without being a doormat. "Many times you have to step back, listen and share," she said. Welsh herself has never had to fire anyone, probably because she is a "pretty quick read of people," she said. But she doesn't advocate business people surrounding themselves only with like-minded individuals. "There is value in working with people who see the world differently than you," she said. "Diversity is good." Calling herself conservative when it comes to finances, Welsh said she's not a spendthrift when it comes to investing in her business. Recently, the office bought new computers. Welsh & Associates will continue to grow in the next five years, Welsh said, declining to give figures. She expects the number of professional jobs to open up as those who have held good positions — particularly baby boomers — head into retirement.
Photo by bpsusf 
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| Magicians Are Inventors, Too Posted: 18 Jul 2011 07:30 AM PDT 
When most people think of magicians, they think of the many magic tricks they perform. However, who made those tricks? At the recent convention of the Society of American Magicians, you just need to look beyond the trick. That is when you realize some of the most innovative minds came together to create the most unique of tricks. Most like Losander are a one-man business, reports TribLive. Losander, “Master of the Art of Levitation,” looks like an illusionist should look — long, dramatically flowing hair, black leather vest, slight German accent. He nonchalantly asked for one patron’s soul — apparently, it was hanging out above his left ear — and put it in a small wooden box atop a small table covered with a purple cloth. Immediately, the table began to rise into the air, as Losander held onto a tiny corner of the tablecloth, slowly rotating it by switching hands to its other four corners. He then politely returned the soul intact. “This is one of my most famous inventions,” says Losander, whose Levitation Tables sells for $500 to $,2500. “I’ve sold illusions to Criss Angel, among others. Like all inventions, there’s hundreds of copies.” Losander began doing magic in Germany, and lives in Las Vegas. Yet, the magic of Sin City seems to have worn off for him, at least a little. “If you get lucky, you get a show,” he says. “Anybody who moves to Vegas to become famous there — that’s an illusion.”
Photo by Kyknoord 
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