Next Little Thing 2009
Each year Fortune Small Business celebrates entrepreneurs whose cutting-edge vision will keep us talking for the next 12 months. This year’s Next Little Thing features flying cars, blimp power and GPS-enhanced cows. What do you think of the picks?
Comment
Email
RSS
DiggThis is the future:
http://www.betterplace.com
Kevin Poulsen from LittleFoot Energy says– why not sell shares in the Chevy Volt to the general public. I think there is a huge market of “believers” that want to invest in a solution for global warming, energy independence and Detroit. The Chevy Volt could be that hope. Anyone else interested in buying a piece of history? Let’s start a rant!
The whole electric car discussion truly amazes me from one standpoint. Silicon Valley says that they can bring down the unit price of an all electric 5 passenger sedan if they only had the capital to ramp up high volume production capacity. The big three are asking Washington for $12 Billion or so EACH to get them through the next 18 months. What if one of the big three asked Washington for $12 Billion to a) Purchase Tesla Motors. b) Complete the engineering of the 5 passenger sedan that Tesla is already working on. c) Ramp up high volume /low unit cost plants to build the new car. d) Put their already sophisticated marketing machine to work hyping the new vehicle to the American consumer. Lastly, if needed, a few strategic tax credits for buyers of the new vehicle, to accelerate the purchase of them, would ultimately accelerate the beginning of the reduction of Global Warming.
Flying cars? Well, this is what happens when you ignore science in school and let a journalist (people who usually suck in math) tell you about the future :) The most concentrated and convinient source of energy was petroleum. We have pissed off most of it away driving hummers. All future energy sources will be more ‘dilute’. Which means you have to carry more of it around. Like huge batteries, windmills, solar cell arrays etc. No, you are not going to fly. In fact, with the end of petroleum, flying will become a luxery. But of course you have no idea what I am talking about because you don’t know entropy, the second law of thermodynamics or carnot cycle. But the american people, for whome you write, max out the math brains keeping track of beer bottles and football scores. So the financial industry can steal money and call it a credit crisis and you can predict flying cars and the american people are amazed. I just thought I would let you know that to a minority the credit crisis is a theft, not a crisis, and your predictions are hilarious : )
Features-
Insurance costs are killing small firms -- but many entrepreneurs oppose government-backed coverage. More -
Smart entrepreneurs are now doing deals in 140 characters or less on Twitter. More -
In a tough economy, more business owners are bartering for the stuff they need. More -
In Oregon, the Recovery Act is paying for a local small business to protect nearby communities from wildfires. More -
As more customers choose - or are forced - to fill prescriptions by mail, independent pharmacies are struggling to survive. More -
A Texas hospitality company considers where to invest and where to cut back to weather the recession. More
Electric vehicle developement? Check “Who killed the Electric Car” movie. Hint Chevy & the “EV1″ Here’s a start of why some people won’t buy a electric car.