Iconoculture: Good health may be its own reward, but a little pampering can't hurt. The Westin New York at Times Square's Walk This Way program encourages physical activity and a healthy lifestyle while on the road by offering pedestrian guests a 15% discount at their in-house spa and an upgrade to a WestinWORKOUT room on a future visit.

Armed with a pedometer, a map of measured walking routes and directions to New York hotspots, guests need to rack up 10,000 steps (that's about 7.5 miles) to claim their rewards. The Westin New York at Times Square was rated among the country's 11 healthiest hotels by Health magazine and AOL CityGuide.

You'll appreciate it more if you've earned it, right? Fit consumers appreciate programs and amenities that empower — and reward — their healthy approach to living and traveling.

Hotels offer consumers a lab for living — where they can try everything from luxury bedding to eco-consciousness to fitness. A little encouragement and instant gratification gives fitness newbies the push they're looking for to try out an active lifestyle.

Westin hotel rewards healthy visitors [Iconoculture]

StartupJournal: Alex Gurevich loves to log on to YouTube to watch music videos and comedy sketches on breaks from work. But the 24-year-old entrepreneur from San Francisco fretted that he couldn't take the fun with him on his cellphone. Mr. Gurevich assumed that signing up for a mobile video service would require a "superexpensive" phone and more than $20 extra a month in fees.

So he was surprised to find in January a free new mobile video service -- called MyWaves -- that works with his basic Motorola Razr. Now he is glued to it, regularly attempting to amuse his friends with stand-up comedy clips and other videos he has transferred to his phone. "Why would I sign up for another service if I can get this for free?" he says.

MyWaves Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., is one of a flurry of start-ups offering new ways to access Internet videos on cellphones, hoping to overcome barriers that have prevented mobile video from taking off in the past.

Calling All Videos: New Cellphone Services [StartupJournal]

Shinebox Print: Shinebox Print allows users to create customizable business card booklets so they can carry their cards with convenience and flair. The guiding principle behind Shinebox Print product is that business cards ought to be more than informational. They should be fun, eye-catching, even
entertaining.

Customers enjoy the convenience of carrying many cards at once in a compact, highly presentable manner. Cards are safely protected within the closable cover, so every card you hand out looks great. Many customers keep a booklet in their car, one in their office and another in their brief case or purse at the same time, so they always have their cards handy. Replacing an anonymous business card holder with something that is branded and personalized has also proved attractive to customers.

Because you can do so much with our booklets, our customers are routinely inspired to think beyond the average business card and tocreate something that speaks more compellingly about who they are, and what the nature of their organization is.

Shinebox Print booklets allow you to make every card in the booklet unique, which opens the door to other uses beyond business cards. For example, some of our customers use our booklets for mini brochures, portfolios and coupon books. One skincare company used our booklet idea as a mini catalog they could easily distribute to prospective customers.

Shinebox Print

Daily Mail: It sounds like the perfect invention for all those couch potatoes who find even using a remote control just a little too much like hard work.

Scientists have come up with a box that lets television viewers change channels, switch on the DVD player or switch off an irritating presenter with the wave of a hand. The controller's built-in camera can recognise seven simple hand gestures and work with up to eight different gadgets around the home.

Not only will it be a godsend for lazy viewers, it could also save hours of fruitless scrabbling among the sofa in search of the remote control.

The all-seeing wave controller is the brainchild of Australian engineers Dr Prashan Premaratne and Quang Nguyen. They believe it could be on sale within three years, ending the frustration involved in finding and using remote controls.

Wave the TV remote control goodbye and change channel with a thumbs-up [Daily Mail]

Babygadget: Back in November, I wrote about the Kindervan. The Bye Bye Buggy is another similar product for anyone who finds themselves having to take groups of babies or toddlers out - which means kindergartens, nurseries, and extended families, I guess. This model comes with either four or six seats, but just as with the Kindervan, I wouldn't like to be the one pushing it - at least, not any further than the local park. I bet the kids love it, though, especially with its thoughtful touch of tiered seats, which mean that everyone gets a view.

The Bye-bye Buggy - mass transport for kids [Babygadget]

TrendCentral: Created by the location-based service Yojo Mobile, this new web service MizPee sends a list of the closest and cleanest bathrooms straight to users’ mobile phones. Bathroom ratings are user generated and users can also search for amenities such as handicap accessibility and diaper-changing stations (perfect for moms!). The service is free but users have the option to access promotional deals for nearby businesses. Currently available in San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., Boston, and Chicago, Mizpee is expected to expand internationally to London, Paris and Beijing. We can think of quite a few moments when this service would have been priceless!

MizPee [TrendCentral]

BizReport: It should, therefore, come as no surprise to learn that Google is expanding into the world of video games. Bernie Stolar, Google’s Dean of Games, is adamant that Google won’t be publishing its own games or building its own console, but that they do have plans for a new system, called “AdSense for Games”.

For Google, in-game advertising was always on the cards. On its acquisition of AdScape the search engine giant said, “Over the past few years, the video game experience has become richer and more interactive. We think this rich environment is a perfect medium to deliver relevant, targeted advertising that ultimately benefits the user, the video game publisher and the advertiser.”

“AdSense for Games” will enable advertisers to purchase ad space within games and game publishers can integrate the system to monetize their products. Text and video ad formats will be on offer. Initially the system will only be available on web-based games but there are plans to include PC and console games in the future.

Google to launch 'AdSense for Games' [BizReport]

FutureWire: The ability to direct and transmit electrical power through the air, without wires, took a further step from the theoretical to the practical in June when a group of MIT researchers demonstrated their "WiTricity" concept.

The technology works by transmitting electricity as a magnetic field oscillating at a specific frequency. Through "magnetically coupled resonance," the "receiver" can capture the electricity, making for an efficient and safe method of over-the-air transfer.

Wireless transmission of electricity has been understood in theory since the work of Nikolai Tesla in the 19th Century. Safe, efficient and cost-effective wireless electricity could hold countless beenfits, from eliminating the need to install costly copper wiring to lowered reliance on batteries for small devices. However, despite the success of WiTricity, the technology has a long way to go before it is deployed commercially... not to mention the need to better understand side effects such as interference and possible effects on health and the environment.

MIT Demonstrates "Wireless Electricity" [FutureWire]

This Issue's Top Stories:

MARKETING
Reaching Her
We introduce you to SheSpeaks, a national network of smart and insightful women who have a special opportunity to test products and influence them. SheSpeaks gives you a forum to tell companies what you need, what you want, what you like and what you don’t. And, as the SheSpeaks network grows, so does the power of our collective voices.

NON-PROFIT & CHARITY
White Cane Label
Two Rochester Institute of Technology students, Jaimen Brill and Asmah Abushagur, are launching an online clothing site for the blind and visually impaired. The site, White Cane Label, is a non-profit effort to help blind people shop online and easily keep track of their wardrobe without the help of a sighted friend.

GADGETS
New MP3 Concept
Why is it that the best designs almost always seem to be just concepts? Oh right, they don't have to work. Still, that won't stop us from admiring this lighted, cylindrical MP3 player, which looks more like a Lightsaber than a music gadget. (There's no reason, of course, it can't be both.)

AUTOMOBILES
Easy Car Buying
Americans who are in the market for new automobiles, but don't want the headaches of searching or haggling for the best price, now have an alternative that can help them sidestep the usual dealership woes—No Haggles, a new car buying service that promises to save customers time and money by negotiating all of the details of the sale on their behalf.

CONSUMER GOODS
Chew For Babies
These pendants by Smart Mom Jewelry look good enough to eat, which is the whole idea. Colorful heart- or donut-shaped pendants of food-safe, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone adorn the mom and satisfy her teething baby at the same time.

FOOD & BEVERAGES
All-Natural Worcestershire Sauce
Enjoyed by the British since the reign of Queen Victoria, Worcestershire Sauce is surely one of our more versatile and well-loved “secret ingredients”. So when Geo Organics decided to produce a version that is not only organic but vegetarian and gluten-free, they knew they faced a challenge to meet the exacting standards of Worcestershire Sauce fans.

EDUCATION
Baby Jamz
Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment has partnered with Planet Toys to launch the first ever hip-hop/rhythm inspired preschool toy line promoting creativity, learning and movement through music. Mr. Knowles, who has made it a top priority to create and release "child-friendly" music content over the past year with his Kid's Rap Radio series, has brought to fruition this groundbreaking line of innovative, educational and musically stimulating toys.

GADGETS
Gamers' Chair
Lumisource presents BoomChair, a piece of multi- media furniture for the purpose of entertainment. They feature interior speakers and vibration motors that enhance video games, music and movies. You’ll actually feel a part of them. They are made out of different materials including, Microsaude, vinyl, and mesh.

TECHNOLOGY
Best Tech Help
Most small-business owners can't afford consultants or an IT staff. For tech support, they draw on other resources: neighbors, friends, relatives -- anyone they know who might have a handle on a tech issue they don't understand. But there are other sources that small businesses can turn to for reliable, inexpensive and even free tech support: online, government, and academics.

HOW-TO GUIDES
How To Get More Customers
The good news and bad news about marketing is that price and results are not necessarily connected. You can pay the same price for poor results as you would for great results. By planning your marketing well, you can put more quality into it and therefore, get better results out of it.

WORK LIFE
Time of Crisis
The everyday pressures of running our businesses may feel like life and death on a daily basis - collecting payment, running payroll and managing various personalities. These can lead to high pressure situations for even the most prepared entrepreneurs. When crises do happen, they put real life in perspective.

SALES & MARKETING
WOM Important For Business
With the increasing number of blogs and consumer review sites on the web many marketers are concentrating all of their efforts with these kinds of word-of-mouth efforts. And with 66 million adults sharing information online it is understandable why online may take precedence. However, marketers need to be just as aware of how their products and brands are faring offline.

PEOPLE & MANAGEMENT
Develop Profitable Relationships
No question about it; you provide one of the most valuable services imaginable. However, without an ongoing and ever-increasing number of new, quality prospects, you'll eventually run out of people with whom to share the benefits. Develop profitable, win/win relationships with practically every new person you meet - whether one on one or in a social setting.

ONLINE BUSINESS
Neighbour + Navigate
The search-engine leader in South Korea, with 77 percent of searches, is a home-grown site called Naver.com. Founded in 1999 by NHN, an online gaming company, Naver capitalizes on both the lack of Korean-language content online as well as the interest amongst Koreans to try to help each other out.

STARTING UP
Now Your Passionate Job
You've worked hard, you've invested well, and now you have the financial means to exit early. While others might be perplexed by the unscheduled blocks of time in retirement, you know exactly what you want to do. Now you'd like to turn that hobby or passion into your life's work.

View this issue of the BIZNESS! Newsletter by clicking here. Subscribe for free by clicking here

KESQ.com: Officer Don Dougherty with the Palm Springs Police Department considers himself a "cool cop" and he says he owes it all to a little device. The officer's device is called, rightfully so, the Cool Cop. It's a hose that police officer have connected to an air conditioning vent inside a patrol vehicle.

"It basically forces cool air between your vest and your t-shirt and it hopefully cools off a little bit," says Officer Dougherty. Patrol officers like Dougherty wear several layers of clothing and a bulletproof vest under their uniform. Dougherty says the Cool Cop helps in a big way.

"It traps all the heat and moisture against your skin. It just stays hot all the time and, of course, dark blue uniforms in 112 degree temperatures -- I'm not sure who's idea that was."
Dougherty is one of the first on the force to have a cool cop device.

He says it helps in surviving consecutive days of work. Each device runs about $50, according to Dougherty.

Cool Cops: New Device Helps Officers Beat the Heat [KESQ.com]

Iconoculture: Tired of sifting through the bargain bins for a great deal? Try Slifting instead. Slifter is a free mobile phone application that enables users to search for products at both online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Simply key in your zip code and Slifter does the searching part of shopping for you.
The program has a database of more than 85 million products, and the company recently added Best Buy and CompUSA to its system. The chief complaint? Relevance. Slifter inventory data isn't always updated and its long lists of products can overwhelm many users, especially on their small cellphone screens.

Most tech-savvy consumers love the idea of searching brick-and-mortar stores electronically. Almost-instant gratification was never so enticing.

Help! My mobile phone has gone shopping! [Iconoculture]

Springwise: Created by a Dutch IT specialist based in the Czech Republic, bringsome.com hopes to create a loose-knit social network of people who are willing to ‘bring some’ over for others. Some in this case means anything consumers want from another country that they can’t get in their current place of residence. Whether it’s canned coffee from Tokyo, a local brand of cachaça from São Paulo or an 80GB Sony PS3 from Seoul, bringsome.com encourages members to ask for them to be brought by others.

The website is a few months old and only shows a handful of requests and offers. Dave Ruzius, bringsome.com's founder, plans to add features if the concept catches on, and suggests delicatessen shops might be interested in supplying the network with locally sourced products. (Bringers are free to charge a fee for shipping or bringing goods over.) While built as a tool to help friends and colleagues get the products they want from abroad, bringsome.com could of course pull in advertising as traffic grows. Creating a network of personal couriers makes for an intriguing business model, not unlike online swapping communities.

C'mon, bring some [Springwise]

CNBC: Anthony & James Tiscione are the father/son inventors behind the ACM Wallet - a specially designed wallet that allows you to protect & select up to 12 of your favorite credit, ID and membership cards at the push of a button.

The idea for the ACM Wallet came to James while he was returning home from the supermarket. Up until then, James carried his credit cards wrapped in cash and held together with a rubber band. This often resulted in demagnetized credit cards and torn cash. James felt there had to be a better way - and with the help of his father, he created a prototype of his idea.

ACM Wallet - Anthony & James Tiscione [CNBC]

TechCrunch: Two Rochester Institute of Technology students, Jaimen Brill and Asmah Abushagur, are launching an online clothing site for the blind and visually impaired. The site, White Cane Label, is a non-profit effort to help blind people shop online and easily keep track of their wardrobe without the help of a sighted friend.

The site’s interface will be driven by sound and text instead of images. Customers will receive recommendations based on their answers to a clothing questionnaire that gauges their personal style. The recommendations will consist of detailed descriptions of each item, including styles and price ranges. After ordering an item, they’ll be mailed the outfit with braille tags indicating the designer, clothing type, size, and color for easy reference. A second label will include washing instructions.

They are relying entirely on designer donations to supply their inventory, but will be charging full price in an effort to stop sighted buyers from taking advantage of any deals.

White Cane Label: Trendy Clothing for Blind People [TechCrunch]

Crave: Why is it that the best designs almost always seem to be just concepts? Oh right, they don't have to work. Still, that won't stop us from admiring this lighted, cylindrical MP3 player, which looks more like a Lightsaber than a music gadget. (There's no reason, of course, it can't be both.)

Yoda references notwithstanding, the "Musipen" envisions other interesting features, such as navigation by twisting knobs on either end to display information on a wrap-around screen, according to Tech Digest. This last idea might actually be possible soon enough with new technology like Sony's flexible screens. But we think the name has to go--it sounds too much like mucous or Metamucil, neither of which seems conducive to a marketing moonshot.

MP3 concept: Proud would Yoda be [Crave]

Springwise: Americans who are in the market for new automobiles, but don't want the headaches of searching or haggling for the best price, now have an alternative that can help them sidestep the usual dealership woes—No Haggles, a new car buying service that promises to save customers time and money by negotiating all of the details of the sale on their behalf. Started by former car dealership managers, No Haggles negotiates with dealerships in a customer's area to negotiate price, financing, warranty and trade-in allowance, when necessary, for a small fee.

Customers contact No Haggles directly by phone or e-mail with information about the make and model of car they are looking for, including any desired add-ons or special features. No Haggles shops local dealerships for the customer to find the vehicle at the best available price and facilitates the entire transaction. At no point is the customer contacted by anyone but their No Haggles representative, who even participates as a signing party on the buyer's agreement and can provide the customer with a detailed report of the negotiations. The representative is right there through all steps of the sales process, including delivery and inspection of the vehicle.

Stress-free Car Shopping [Springwise]

You've always wanted to start your very own business. You dream of coming up with the next BIG thing that will change the way business works. You want to spread your evolutionary idea to the world. If the above describes you, then you may find this e-book report useful.

GetEntrepreneurial.com, our sister site, is offering for free download a 145-pages PDF report (worth $75) called "2006's Best Business Ideas".

This 145-pages report, "2006's Best Business Ideas", is a compilation of the business ideas and concepts which made it big in 2006. We've included 2005's and 2004's hits as well. As you brainstorm of how to start your own business or how to take your existing business a big step forward in the year 2007 and beyond, learn from how the entrepreneurial mavericks did it in 2006. In every industry from advertising to e-commerce, there'll surely be some interesting new idea or innovation in this report which will hopefully inspire you to your own breakthrough, radical and never-seen-before business vision.

Get your free ebook report now!

Iconoculture: These pendants by Smart Mom Jewelry look good enough to eat, which is the whole idea. Colorful heart- or donut-shaped pendants of food-safe, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone adorn the mom and satisfy her teething baby at the same time.
The company also sells matching bangles and keychains in its Teething Bling line.

It's all about convenience for busy moms. If a product can solve a tricky problem like comforting cranky teethers in a fun and creative way, then everyone's happy.

A two-for-one product makes it easy for shower shoppers because there's no deciding whether to buy a gift for mom or baby. One gift does double duty and makes the giver look pretty smart into the bargain.

Bite this! Gnaw-some jewelry for moms [Iconoculture]

Response Source: Enjoyed by the British since the reign of Queen Victoria, Worcestershire Sauce is surely one of our more versatile and well-loved “secret ingredients”. So when Geo Organics decided to produce a version that is not only organic but vegetarian and gluten-free, they knew they faced a challenge to meet the exacting standards of Worcestershire Sauce fans.

Geo Organics Worcestershire Sauce is vegan, gluten-free, certified organic and Soil Association approved. It contains no synthetic ingredients, colours or preservatives and is available at Asda, Fresh and Wild, good independent health food shops and www.naturalgrocery.co.uk.

Vegetarians in particular will love the fact this Worcestershire Sauce is not based on anchovies – like the traditional recipe. As it’s free from barley derivatives, it will also be welcomed by those on a gluten-free diet. And if you eat meat and fish and are not gluten intolerant you’re still in for a treat – because, as ever, Geo Organics has ensured this product tastes superb.

Geo Organics may have adjusted the ingredients, but they have stayed true to the traditional taste that blends Eastern spices with a fabulously fruity flavour.

Organic, vegetarian, gluten free Worcestershire Sauce launch [Response Source]

Update on Zoopa.com, featured on CoolBusinessIdeas.com on March 17, 2007:

Zooppa.com is revolutionizing advertising by involving the consumers themselves in the creative process. Companies partner with Zooppa.com to sponsor online commercial contests where users( who are the creatives and the potential consumers these companies are marketing to) are invited to create their own ads for the brand based on a brief the company provides. Participation is not limited to just shooting a video however. Users can write a script, upload photos or simply post an idea for an advertisement for others to use in their videos (this collaboration is rewarded as well). Users then compete for real cash prizes as the community of registered users votes for their favorite ads to decide the winners of the contest.

The new features developed on Zooppa 1.0, far surpass the beta version as well. Users will be able to comment on ALL posted contributions, where previously only on-air and active videos were available for comment. The creatives behind Zooppa are building a new video player to add more relevance to users’ contributions, as well as communicate with them in a more efficient way. The type of material possible to post on Zooppa has also been expanded. Now users can generate photos and other images to create advertisements for the Zooppa contests. In addition, users will now have the option of privately contacting one another.

Zooppa.com

Larkmade.com: Lark was launched in the UK in 2005 by Allison Jones, and it quickly gained a reputation for its whimsical range of hand-made toys, accessories and childrenswear.

Today the Lark range includes gifts for grown-ups as well as children, and new designs are released throughout the year. Lark's products are hand-made, high quality, ethical, stylish and fun.

Allison also works closely with an overseas fair trade organisation bringing skills and fair conditions to economically disadvantaged women. They produce wonderful knitted toys and embroidery for Lark.

About Lark [Larkmade.com]

TrendHunter: If you believe ‘the better the water the better the ice’, then how about sealed ice cubes made from spring water from the Vendee Region of France? You will have to freeze them, but the water is hermetically packaged in disposable recyclable containers.

Ice Rocks - Prepackaged Ice Cubes from French Mineral Water [TrendHunter]

CoolBuzz: It’s a wake up call for the lazy people around the world! Sofie Collin and Gustav Lanber thought about the welfare of the late-risers and developed this Carpet Alarm Clock.

It’s not a simple alarm clock, which will turn off by pressing one button with hand, you will have to get-up from your bed and step on it in order to turn it off. However, this smart carpet with in-built clock won’t let you prolong your sleep minute by minute. Don’t you think this is a must-have product for your obese partner and kids?

Anyways, I leave it on you to decide what is best for you; I think I’ll need two or three clocks to wake me up.

The Carpet Alarm Clock will surely raise you from bed [CoolBuzz]

CherryFlava: In the world of gadgets for your car - we just know that nothing is going to sell better than this painfully simple device.

It's no secret that domestic canines simply cannot resist sticking their heads out of the window of a moving vehicle. For whatever reason, they seem to really enjoy the idea of traveling at 700km/h [that's 100km/h in dog speed], ears flapping around like a drag queen at a beauty contest and their eyes appropriately closed in pure bliss - until the car hits a bump in the road....and they bite down on their tongues like a Beeno biscuit.

The Outward Hound Window Dog Chin Rest has therefore been invented to prevent these unfortunate incidents. It slides over the edge of an open window, creating a nice cushion for canine chins.

Cool product idea: How to car(e) for your dog [CherryFlava]

EARTHtimes.org: Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment has partnered with Planet Toys to launch the first ever hip-hop/rhythm inspired preschool toy line promoting creativity, learning and movement through music. Mr. Knowles, who has made it a top priority to create and release "child-friendly" music content over the past year with his Kid's Rap Radio series, has brought to fruition this groundbreaking line of innovative, educational and musically stimulating toys. The line, Baby Jamz, will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores beginning July 26, 2007.

"Baby Jamz allows children to have toys that they can identify with and enjoy. Many children love music and dancing to hip-hop, so we have creatively combined great toys with the hip-hop versions of popular nursery rhymes. My grandson Juelz was the inspiration for this idea and I am especially excited that most of the Nursery Rhymes are sung by my daughter, Solange Knowles," says Mathew Knowles, president and CEO of Music World Entertainment.

Mathew Knowles Partners With Planet Toys to Co-Create and Launch the First Ever Hip-Hop/Rhythm Inspired Toy Line for Babies and Preschoolers [EARTHtimes.org]

Iconoculture: Americans are apparently a determinedly unhealthy lot. Despite nudging, hinting and suggesting that we eat healthier and exercise more, up to 70% of illnesses are lifestyle-related. BeniComp Advantage health insurance company seeks to lower healthcare costs by reducing the number of claims, figuring that if their members take responsibility for their health, they won't go to the doctor as often.
.
BeniComp Advantage has high premiums that can be reduced by adhering to health guidelines in four areas: body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure and tobacco non-use. Members earn a $500 premium reduction for each area in which they meet the guidelines.

This plan is designed to save employers money, encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own healthy lifestyle choices, and put the burden of healthcare cost on those who do not meet health guidelines.

Some people can't take a hint, so health insurance companies are trying tough love. The pocketbook has always been a highly motivational pressure point for consumers.

Willingly or not, consumers are educating themselves about their health and taking responsibility for maintaining it. Prevention is ever more important, since doctor visits, even for those with insurance, can be spendy. To that end, consumers appreciate accurate information about how to maintain health and convenient ways to incorporate changes into their lifestyles.

BeniComp Advantage encourages members to be fit or pay [Iconoculture]

CoolBuzz: Lumisource presents BoomChair, a piece of multi- media furniture for the purpose of entertainment. They feature interior speakers and vibration motors that enhance video games, music and movies. You’ll actually feel a part of them.

They are made out of a couple of different materials including, Microsaude, vinyl, and mesh.

These tech chairs compete with other such products available in the market by going to trade shows and also by selling products at house hold name stores.

BoomChair for Gamers by Lumisource! [CoolBuzz]

This Issue's Top Stories:

LIFESTYLE & LUXURY
Dating Cards
In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian Admit an Attraction prints Attraction Tickets for members. Members hand out a ticket to someone they meet in public. A ticket receiver can then go online to check out the member's profile using a unique access code, and get in touch if the attraction is mutual.

Sleep Music
If your mind wanders before three, try Bedtime Beats, a CD designed to help you snooze. Unlike your Ambien/Prosecco experiment, the sleep aid was mixed by real scientists. The smarty-pants at Case Western Reserve University discovered that classical music played at 60-80 beats per minute can improve your sleep.

Jetpack Flight
All those promises of a future with jetpacks getting you from here to there have finally come true. Before you start planning your trip to Miami, the amazing JetPack will only give you a 3 min thrill ride.

EDUCATION
Ace Test With Warcraft Manga
Good news for manga-loving teens: Reading Warcraft can help you pass the SATs. Kaplan Publishing has partnered with TokyoPop on a manga series designed to give kids a leg up on the verbal part of the dreaded test.

SERVICES
Hearts Truck
Already a hit in L.A. among the kind of crowd that populates the The Cobra Snake's website, Heartschallenger is kind of a gourmet hipster Good Humor truck. Often making appearances (for hire) at parties and festivals, Heartschallenger is stocked with a global buffet of frozen treats ranging from Japanese mochi and Italian…

AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL
Planters’ Buddy
The 7-in-one planters' buddy is an ingenious, trowel-like garden tool that truly multi-tasks. Why it's cool: You'll probably find way more than seven ways to use this slick new stainless steel tool (and the fact that it could double as a weapon of self-defense isn't even one of

SPECIAL FEATURE
MIT’s Annual InvenTeams
Evans was suffering a stroke that day five years ago. It robbed him of his ability to walk and speak. But a device developed by a team of high school students now allows Evans, of Los Altos Hills, Calif., to use a laser pointer to do basic tasks with a turn of his head.

HOW-TO-GUIDES
How To Build Positive Relationship
Positive relationships are the key to success in business. What if we've already burned bridges with the people we've done business with in the past? Is it too late to make peace? Or, how do we prevent burning bridges with the people we're doing business with now?

How To Start Or Grow Your Business
Are you an entrepreneur seeking to start or grow your existing business? Then you definitely want to take advantage of these exclusive training segments from educators like Brian Tracy, Dr. Joe Vitale, Dan Poynter and Bob Doyle; over 4 hours of detailed online video training. This is your "Business Success Scholarship", compliments of Northstar Thinktank.

WORK LIFE
Beating Startup Stress
If you burn out in a new business venture, it's the result of intense and arguably greater pressure built up over a shorter interval, and it's infinitely harder to walk away.

SALES AND MARKETING
Consumers Evangelist
Recently, my colleague Max Kalehoff and I put together a list of "Top Ten Principles of Consumer Consumer Generated Ad Campaigns." Max added a few additional thoughts on top of this list in his most recent MediaPost column. Key message: by all means test the waters, but keep a good check list in front of you!

CUSTOMER SERVICE
What Customers Want
JetBlue remains the best low-cost carrier for the third straight year, according to J.D. Power and Associates' 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. Linda Hirneise, executive director believes JetBlue kept its ranking because the airline commands a fiercely loyal customer following with its modern amenities.

BUSINESS IDEAS
Budding Business Ideas
Young British entrepreneurs are launching a new website to house spare business ideas that can be developed by anyone that finds them interesting. James Murray Wells, the twenty four-year-old multi-millionaire founder of www.glassesdirect.co.uk, and Oli Barrett, founder of new ideas company Connected Capital, are behind the venture. It will be launched this week and is called IdeaVolcano.com

STARTING UP
Beat The Rivals
Competition is as inevitable in business as death and taxes are in human existence. Even if your startup business has stolen a march on the rest of the world with your product, service, execution, distribution or customer service, somebody else will inevitably try to chase you down and beat you at your own game.

View this issue of the BIZNESS! Newsletter by clicking here. Subscribe for free by clicking here

GetEntrepreneurial.com: Competition is as inevitable in business as death and taxes are in human existence. Even if your startup business has stolen a march on the rest of the world with your product, service, execution, distribution or customer service, somebody else will inevitably try to chase you down and beat you at your own game.

Most entrepreneurs become concerned about competition early on and never quite shake their fears. In fact, besides tax issues and the matter of health care coverage for their employees, a recent survey reveals competition is the biggest concern of small business owners. And most of them are far more worried about the guy down the street than they are about being stomped by some Fortune 500 corporation.

But there’s one fail-safe way to avoid a preoccupation with your rivals – and that is to focus always on making your startup business the best that it can be. Whether your edge on the competition lies mainly in unique product selection, supreme customer service or cutting-edge marketing, you’ve got to maintain or increase that lead – and then look around for some other way to best your competitors as well.

Beat The Rivals [GetEntrepreneurial.com]

Springwise: In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian Admit an Attraction prints Attraction Tickets for members (CDN 9.95 for a twelve-pack). Members hand out a ticket to someone they meet in public. A ticket receiver can then go online to check out the member's profile using a unique access code, and get in touch if the attraction is mutual. Since the tickets don't contain any personal information, both parties are guaranteed a level of privacy they wouldn't have if they exchanged phone numbers or email addresses.

Hitchoo, which recently launched in Singapore, works on the same principle, sending members cards with a friendly "You made my day" on the front, and access details on the back.The first 8 cards are free; 12 additional cards can be bought for SGD 18.

Dating Cards Fuse Physical & Virtual Connections [Springwise]

With the recent global proliferation of the coffee industry and it's ever increasing number of consumers who are getting younger by the day, the UofMeT coffee slogans prove to be a fun and timely product targeted at a captive and well-defined niche market.

Coffee shops are found in ever more diverse locations such as book stores, college campuses, internet cafes, and, funnily enough, coffee shops.

Spearheaded by the seemingly ubiquitous Starbucks, who are constantly being challenged by an increasing list of a variety of chains of c