Ok. I said to my husband, ‘let’s go see what ideas are running around for new IT business in the Detroit area.’ So we show up at the Compuware building for presentations, we were early and so we got to watch a few minutes of Greek dancing, my husband is Greek and I like dancing. And I stopped by an talked to a friend who works in the building.

We were surprised how many people were there working on a late Sunday afternoon.

Anyway the presentations were just finishing up their final polishing touches before presenting. Then they were ready and the first group got up and spoke. The entire event was presented in about an hour once it started.

We were really interested in aislewalker, which seemed to be the heartbeat of out of the box of ideas, a supermarket website to assist you in getting your shopping list printed and ready. I used Priceline when it was out and I personally have a database that I link to not only my menu but to my coupons and to the current state of my pantry inventory. So having this online would be so much greater if it also linked to the live pantry of my supermarket. And the team behind this idea seemed to have a good head on their shoulders. Their presentation was great, they had an ability to listen and their sample site seemed copasetic. I thought that, for this idea, there was a great chance of it succeeding if they could get some little details in place.

I also thought that the statsbragger web app is a done deal. No real tweaking even needed just code and launch. I know that there are already in place ways to link their content to local photo labs without the need to get complicated permissions. Place a link to send the file you create into the printing website. As a scrapbooker this idea is a dream. I could make stats cards for ANYTHING customized to my specs. Great. I could build dozens of scrapbook pages with a base of these little cards. I know that there are things out there that can do this but they are not a centralized specialized stats app. EVERYONE likes to use stats. Maybe have a few versions. Imaging a stats page that is large like a flow chart that businesses can print for their presentations. Not to leave out badges for websites.

Also a nonprofit is always a great idea, because behind those ideas are the wish to help other people and so sharp is a project that will help musicians. GOOD WORK.

So I will go down the list and give my impressions. But to say first that  a startup weekend should launch something in a weekend or at least have the firm footing. If you intend to start something in this time then, like President Obama said, we will not have the luxury of time, things should be done fast AND done right. There is no time to sit around in a room and banter about good ideas without live interaction with your audience base. That is one reason I wanted to be there. These ideas could be new tools for me to use in my everyday life next month. I wanted to see what they had to offer. And I don’t want to wait 6 months to use them.

So here it goes ( oh, and I tend to think big and not know any better when someone tells me it can’t be done, if you worked with mein any job I have ever had then you know it can be done ):

Vagabondoo: Story sharing tool using GPS enabled mobile devices.

• http://www.travelbygps.com/ but both ideas have different points. I think this is a great new idea that could be really interesting if expanded. What if I could download images of places on a route of my choice. Like going to Cali via Route 66 that pops up pics while I drive and says this is coming up 2 miles to the north. etc. good idea. needs to be bigger sort of like the Zagat service but instead of reviews images by GPS and link into all kinds of navigation systems and images uploaded by regular people. Expand this ideas and it is a multi-billion dollar potential endeavor.

Rate My Pitch [AKA: pitchlab]: Video rating and voting platform

• good tool for getting new business started, and I think that there are new industries that need to be launched into the work-o-sphere. Like why not hire people to ghost Twitter. It is putting people to work. How do I do a pitch to get supporters and funding? Well this is like a PowerPoint software for your brainstorms. this could be like Excel. You need an app like this if you are in the business of being an entrepreneur. When I first saw Hajj working on his computer I thought that he was actually using pitchlab before he got up to do his presentation. I thought that was a tool he was already using, so it seemed to be something that should have already been done and in use. This is one of those common sense ideas.

D Sharp: The answer to creative flight out of metro Detroit in the form of an L3C effort.

• Like I said you can never have enough community support for other enterprises. This will mean a small part of the world for local musicians. Keep heart with this one.

GeeSpots: The definitive online resource for romantic and adult events, destinations and retailers.

• ummm Craigslist. Lawyers. Angry Parents. Pimps. I could go on but. Yelp! is out there and it is family friendly. I see the audience exists but I think that it could be a can of worms. Maybe as a private web space not public? If you could get your members for the site from inside the clubs, shops and such that you would like reviewed then that would be encapsulated and therefore avoid the public being exposed to something that is a niche item.

Statsbragger.com: Create a trading card you can brag about.

• As a parent, aunt hopefully one day grandmother. As someone who has sports players and fans in the family as someone who knows statisticians or as a person who may want to have a card that shows my weight loss charted. I mean the uses for this are unlimited both for the private sector (lawyers, doctors, teachers) and the public (parents, salespersons, friends). I can’t say enough how on point and timely this ideas is.

BKMEDIC: EPAMRS: Interactive multi-linked system allowing the general public to access the 911 system and become an extension of your EMS providers hands until responders arrive on scene.

• This ideas is Tesla like and just a really honest, good intentioned idea to save lives. It seems very plausible to me and I would use it because I have health issues that could pop up without notice. I would wear a bracelet and link it to my cell phone to save my life yes.
• This idea could be too good (the DeLorean effect)if sections of society can’t see the way to how to integrate themselves into this new way to do things then they could try to sabotage it. I think that this idea is not going to replace emergency service suppliers, but honestly I think that it WILL increase jobs and provide well overdue tools to the EMS workers.

Aislewalker.com: An optimized shopping list that sorts your list to aisle number and provides you coupons

• You have to drag grocery stores kicking and screaming into updating there stock data LIVE and hiring people to actually fill the grocery bags so that people can pick up there orders. It CAN be done and it WILL be a good thing. I would personally pay a few cents more for each item if I could just show up sign to pay and have the bags ready for me to take. Maybe start with one store as a test. Like the Kroger on Southfield and Dix Rd. ::wink:: because I would use it and I know it would catch on and be really incredibly big, like world changing big. But just another shopping list app nope. Take that extra step. It could be easily done. someone just has to see the dream thought the clouds. And like I said the grocery stores will have to be dragged into a new way of providing there services, but we have seen grocery stores close down. Farmer Jack. If they just offered to have my groceries ready for me they would still be in business. That is the next step in grocery store evolution. The last valid step was the Uscan option. I grocery shop in two modes.

• I want to hand pick my stuff and get in and out
• or I want everything ready for me because i have a set list and no time.

Detroit Dynamite: Developing a web based point of sale.

• I don’t remember this one. Sorry. Maybe that says it all. Did they present?

Tech Infusions Magazine: Helping teachers dust off their computer lab and teach with tech.

• I have taught technology/apps to teachers. The main thing that I ran into was that they have guidelines and rules that they must stay within inside the public school system. I don’t really see a website for techinfusions nor have I  had any email or IMs form anyone on this project. So to me it seems like just getting teachers on the computers/internet. They already have that option. I need to see something from this project. I have no idea what it is? There are already SUPER sites out there with tools that are easy to use for teachers. I homeschooled and I used a lot of the things available out there. They are idiot proof and accessible and no training is need to use most of them.

So why do I give out my ideas. Number one I guess I am opinionated. Number two I am a shopaholic/retail fanatic. and number three, well I want the world I live in to be efficient for me. And I am a big, big fan of Faith Popcorn and Paco Underhill and the likes, I think that people need to be told that there are real ways that retail works. I have seen trends coming and going and it is frustrating to say to someone ‘Hey this is going to happen’ and they just don’t listen.