Young Merchants Learn About Business

A program called Kids, Inc. 2015 offered a great opportunity to young merchants ages 6 - 15 in Port Arthur, Texas at their Central Mall. According to Chelsea Henderson reporting in "The News Port Arthur", the young people were learning about marketing, packaging, and other aspects of business management. What a great idea. Why aren't these ideas taught in school as regular courses with this type of "hands on" learning as a graduation from the course?

The group in Texas included young people who sold cupcakes, puzzles, magnets, cell phone holders made from lego and of course, lemonade. However, this is not your usual small business that every kid tries. Take Travis and Aubyn Moore, 9 and 7 respectively who are selling phone and business card holders. They design them and their dad is the investor. They say business is booming. They've never been this busy.

Their father, David Moore, said as a business owner himself, he thought it was a terrific idea to give younger children an opportunity to start and run their own businesses.

“The packets they gave the kids when we got here has really led to some interesting conversations today,” David said. “It’s a lot of very basic and general information about how to run a business, and one of the things it hits on is customer service. Travis asked, ‘Well, what is that?’ and now he’s been working on his customer service skills all day.

“But I love this whole program, because no one really teaches kids about how to start a business. We’re talking about profits and losses, and figuring out how to turn their ideas into something that can give them spending money."

See more by clicking here.

Kayleigh Sadler, 9, of Groves poses in front of her business, Cupcake Concoctions, during the fourth annual Kids, Inc. entrepreneur program at Central Mall Saturday.

It seems like a great concept and I hope it will spread to other communities. Kids need more practical skills from their many hours in school, and what could be better than an activity where they are making money for themselves?

Cell Phone Holder Inside a Human-shaped Cushion

Hiroshi Ishiguro (center), an ATR fellow and professor of robotics at Osaka University and 2 other colleagues.

The Japanese are know for their inventions and occasionally for their wacky ideas.  I think it would only be in Japan that you would find a cell phone holder shaped like a human torso. The reasoning behind this is to reduce the stress of having too many mobile phone calls, even late at night and to help people feel close to each other when talking on the phone.

According to the article written by the Japanese Kyodo Press, this is a joint project of  Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, known as ATR, a bedclothes manufacturer, Kyoto Nishikawa Co. and industrial materials maker Toyobo Co. The cushion is called, "Hugvie" and they hope to market it at nursing homes and child care facilities as well as to the general public.

According to research by Hiroshi Ishiguro, an ATR fellow and professor of robotics at Osaka University, human beings can feel the presence of others more strongly if two or more senses are engaged, such as hearing and touch.

"We found a material that makes us feel human presence more," Ishiguro told a press conference in Osaka, adding the developers are even considering creating a system to hold conversations with the cushions.   Read more here.

And what is the price for this new invention? It retails for 10,800 yen (about $87 US) and it is 80 centimeters long by 55 cm wide. Batteries and cell phones not included.

How To Mount And Use Your Awesome New Cell Phone Holder

The new cell phone holder for the car by StarShine products has been very popular in the past months. This video will describe how to mount the mobile phone holder onto your windshield or dashboard. It also shows how versatile, sturdy and flexible it is. Here are a few of the best points about this holder:. 1. Legal, safe way to drive, talk and navigate. 2. Have your phone where you need it to use speaker phone or GPS. 3. Durable and firmly holds your mobile phone even on rough roads with suction cup for windshield and stick-on plate for the dashboard. 4. Made from eco-friendly plastic used even for children's toys. 5. Comes with foam-lined grip to prevent your phone from being scratched. The video shows a young customer who really likes her brand-new car cell phone holder and drives off around the waterfront of Vancouver, Canada. to show you how well it works.

Clever Cell Phone Gadgets

Yes, the holiday season is over for 2014 but not in Asia. Besides, January is a great time to shop for bargains. Companies are looking to get rid of leftover goods and you are the one who benefits. Here are some great gadgets that you will find at reduced prices. But hurry - others will see these low prices too.

1. Multipurpose Travel Router - This router comes in handy in that hotel that is charging you an arm and a leg for poor WiFi service or a higher price for using several devices at once. Here's the Hoo Too Trip Mate to the rescue. It can also serve as a power source, a personal cloud (media sharing), and an independent WiFi source.

Here's the link to the router.

2. Selfie Accessory Kit - Today taking pictures of yourself and your friends is very popular. Remember those cameras that used to take remote photos after 5 seconds? No need to do this any more with your selfie kit. Just put your smart phone on the pole, frame or attach to a tripod (tripod not included - only the attachment). It even has a Bluetooth remote control for the shutter.

Here's the link to the selfie kit.

3. Cell Phone Waterproof Case - Like to snorkel, surf or just hang out at the beach? Great for the boat owner as well. It's padded and lined, watertight and it floats! Since most wet cell phones are toast, this is what you need for all water-related trips. Now on sale.

Here's the link to the case.

It's great to accessorize your favorite piece of equipment that everyone carries with them now. There are so many nice cases, holders and desk top stands. Please remember the cell phone holder from StarShine Products available through Amazon.com by clicking on http://net-on-the-go.com/awesomeholders and on this very website.

Best Cell Phones for Kids 2014

Last year we wrote about some ideas for affordable and useful cell phones for kids. Here's a good update from Farnoosh Torabi. She says most US parents buy their child's first phone when they turn 12. How times have changed, but of course even younger kids now have them as a security measure. An important point of this video is to consider what uses your children will have for their phone. It seems that it is NOT talking on them! It pays to shop around. Even "pay as you go" phones for sale on Amazon.com vary from $6.99 for the LG 620G Prepaid Phone to $81.99 for the Samsung Illusion Prepaid Android Phone. Here are two "pay as you go" phones that are in the middle price range: