ESTONIAN INVENTOR

New heights in wind energy!

The hunt for alternative energies goes on. Today we can transform energy from the Sun, wind, waves , compost , soil and the list is growing. It has come to my attention recently that windparks are planning to move “a bit higher”. No suprise as wind is faster and more constant up there. Just catch it, if you can ! Dutch and Americans have taken this challenge seriously and developing strategies to catch those high winds. US company Magenn has produced its first 100kw AWT ( Airborne Wind Turbine ) , which can go up to 1000 ft and is 20-60% more effective  than conventional designs on the ground. It is also less costly to set up than  tower based wind turbines. Magenn does not produce 2-20kw solutions and is likely to sell its licence to someone who would.  But Dutch have slightly different approach to transform their winds into electricity. It is so good that even James May from Top Gear decided to go and find out how it works :    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYRTuWyqIsc&feature=related

High rolling American wind-farmers are here :  http://www.magenn.com

Branding holds the key

I have noticed the rise of personal branding recently. I’ve also noticed few reasons why people go for it. First of all the shortage of employment which makes a man more inventive. Secondly the growth of social networks and the Internet. And third perhaps TV shows , what encourage people to do their own thing as so many of us have shown that it can be done !

Being laid off work is not just happening to common workers in these days , but also to many people in managment.  Therefore  desire to have “your own thing” is growing rapidly.

Internet is the inspiration for many. We can hear stories about teenagers or 20 somethings  , who have made it to 7 figure even without taking their brand to the  high street ! For me it shows the fact that domain names have actually become well important IP assets to make a global brand. My other concern is social networks, which allow you today to expand the information with the great speed. It was unknown just few years ago. So, literally you can launch you brand through social networks and get it around the globe in minutes !!

TV Shows like Dragons Den , American Inventor and Apprentice have been a great encouragement to many modern entrepreneurs today. Surely these shows have been watched by millions and they have produced quite few successful people with their own brands.

I believe branding actually holds the key for me and for you to get out from the labour market and to be your own boss. Yes, we still have to work hard , but once its been done and brand has been made profitable, then we can also enjoy the fruits of our hard labour : )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand

http://www.minubrand.ee/

The Gadget Show is off !

I happened to watch UKs No1 Gadget Show on Channel 5 last night. It was fully packed with all sorts of wicked and smart toys which can help us and make life a lot more fun ! Actually it was the final show of this season where presenters told us all about that what sort of toys are IN and what are their personal favourite gadgets of the year : )   Now the team is off for Summer holidays, but will be back  soon to entertain us again . Cheers guys for the great show !!

There will be a Big Competition for A LOT of gadgets, worth about £20 000.-  Closing date is 31st May 2010.  Find out more  >>  http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show

Modern City bike – Exo bike.

Winter is finally over and Summer is waiting ahead. Funny enough , but I still wear my ski-hat now and then as we got these cold winds spying around …

Many Estonian blogs and magazines introduced us a new kind of electric bike called Exo bike about month ago. As this info has been mainly in estonian , I would also like to say few words about it.

Exo bike is a kind of half-miniature motorbike which runs on batteries and can go up to 80km on one charge. It spends approximately 1kWh  per 100km which is less energy than walking the same distance ! : ) And buy the way – you can take it to the lift and park it next to your office table … How come ?

Find out more >>   http://www.exo-bikes.eu/start

This is a rocket science !

When I was a little boy I had a dream to become an astronaut. In fact I graduated Tallinn Medical College and worked for the army instead. I remember my dear granny used to call me a “tourist” as I was all over the place. Maybe, just maybe my boyhood dream could come true one day  as  I still have a chance to become a space tourist : }  All I got to do is to get loaded as one of the Dragons …

I have been invited to participate Space Downstream Services 2010 Conference in Tallinn , which is on 6-7 May. Thankyou guys !!  Probably it is the closest I ever come to the Space stuff, but unfortunately I am some 3000 miles away and unable to fly.  It is a great chance to meet walkes of Space industry and to get some groovy ideas perhaps, but like everything it takes an effort. Maybe it is not too late for you my friend …  Check it out, time is ticking! >>  9,8,7,6,5 …  http://www.satfuturis.com/

Expected landing on FB

Following the footsteps of  ”IPEstonia”  -  ”Estonian Inventor” has also established its page on FaceBook now : )  There are couple of reasons why it is useful :  First, it gives YOU the chance to add your own post, comments, pictures and videos. 2. it is just faster access from FB to the latest technology and innovation news from Estonia.  So, please have a look and be part of it , You can make news too !!

www.facebook.com

Smarta – help for entrepreneurs

The new type of  business support was founded by entrepreneur Sháá Wasmund in UK in January 2009. Luckily he had well known dragon Theo Paphitis on board to help him to launch it with some exclusive equaty.  Smarta is special because it has been supported by well established entrepreneurs in UK and is helping specially startups and small businesses. You can even apply to your business bank account and business loan at Smarta.com . It also has Q+A section and built in social networking platform where you can create your own profile.  Maybe its time for us estonians to create something similar as well, considering growing numbers of young entrepreneurs in our country .

There is no harm to join in  : )   www.smarta.com

.ee is loosing its grip !

As we all know Internet domain names are vital part of IP in modern economy. If wisely used , they can be well beneficial to its country and people. Unfortunately it is not the case in Estonia. The dispute of Top Level Domain .ee release for public sector has been on since 2001. Finally there was some hope in 1st Feb.2010, but once again postponed to 1st May 2010 !  Now there was  another excuse according to the news yesterday and its been postponed to uncertain future ! State officials and experts who are dealing with the case seem not to have what it takes.  As the result generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like  .com .net and even .eu are becoming more dominant and “eating out” our .ee . The damage has been done and the loss is countable in millions. Yet 2 questions remain : Who are responsible for that loss ? and Why government is reluctant to keep eye on what has been promised to its nation ? All our neighbours, including Russia have solved this problem long ago. But post-communist Estonia is still holding on its past and is paralysed to move on to European standards. Once again foreign influence has deeply damaged our property. It seems to be the 3rd biggest loss after ongoing recession and Swedish Banks scandal in Estonia few years ago. If there was enough responsibility and wisdom it all could have been avoided.

i-Pot can feed your plants !

Farmville ?  Eee … thanx ! I’d better Click and Grow !  So what is it ? Well, it is a modern way to get your plants growing in some style : )  All you need to do is to get yourself one of those i-pots , some seeds, add some water and press the button. The rest is programmed for you ! You can connect your ipot to your PC via USB-pod and download specific programme for the plant you like.  No soil needed, as there is a magic net inside which does the job instead ! I-Pot is able to take the most of the water from the air , but if there is a need for some extra it will tell you! “Click & Grow” has caused a lot of interest recently and will be available in Amazon by Autumn. CEO behind this magic pot is Mr.Mattias Lepp.

Made in Estonia.  >>  www.clickandgrow.com

Legend Tom Watson has still got it !

The game of Golf seems to be one of  these rare sports where 16 an 60 years old man can compete on professional level. The latest ongoing Golf tournament  Masters 2010 is the proof of this occasion. Matteo Manassero, shy 16 years old amateur from Italy has made the cut in Augusta, Georgia  yesterday with three-over par leaving many professionals behind him to watch his game over next two days ! Matteo will be turning  pro in May at  the Italian Open . At the same time Golf legend Tom Watson who was nr1. on the leaderboard after day 1 is still going on strong. Yes,  it is his experience and talent what allows him to play as many years ago but we know that  getting older is not a joke. Surely Tom is an exeptional player who inspires many golfers around the world. As myself I found the game of Golf well inspirational and not just by the magnificient views but also by the nature of the game. It requires you to learn so many different things before you can even make this little white ball to fly and drop more or less where you imagined. It also takes persistance and endurance to score and make a cut. To understand all that you must have go, coz just watching it is not enough !  : )  But as for  me , Golf  is not just any odd sports-game but also the source of inspiration and excellent pasttime with my mates.

Follow the latest tournament :  www.masters.com