So, I definitely poured a little bit of haterade on Google last week in my article about how they’re killing innovation in Silicon Valley. While I stand by that 100%, I figured I could show the other side of that same coin today by informing you guys about some innovation-fostering that Google is doing…
I don’t hold anything against all the people on their way to work listening to music through their headphones, content in their private worlds. I’ve been there many times myself, happy to tune out and enjoy a last few minutes undisturbed. Still, I’ve often thought that it’s a little sad that everyone is…
ASPIRA prepared the website at aspirail.org for minority students of either Puerto Rican or other minority backgrounds. As a non-profit company the Aspira Early College High School believes in empowering the student in a quest toward the skills involved in leadership. ACE also hopes to incorporate a strong feeling of pride in each student’s cultural background.
Read more on Aspirail.org – ASPIRA Early College for Minorities in the Chicago Area…
Assassins.com is a site that details an up-and-coming band from Chicago, Illinois. The creators of the website post information about new news and shows on different pages, although it seems like it hasn’t been updated in over four years. Still, dates, times, and locations are all made available for people who are curious about seeing the group perform in the future.
I read an article a couple of years ago about how current 20/30-somethings were raised to work in teams, abolishing the old model of claw your way to the top and don’t care who you step on. We were raised by flower children who may have abandoned the batik print caftans but definitely didn’t abandon the principals of sharing and caring.
Read more on Catapult Chicago Creating Communal Space For Startups…
For boutique hotels in New York City, Chicago or Washington, DC, Affinia.com offers online booking and special offers. Each Affinia lifestyle hotel has a special focus, based on the needs of their guests. They offer Club, Tranquility, and Wellness -focused boutique hotel experiences. Each of the Affinia hotels offers their uniquely designed beds along with 6 different pillow options including magnetic, sound, hypo-allergenic, buckwheat, Swedish, or down pillows. All of their hotels also offer WIFI and high-speed internet access.
Visitors to the Affinia.com website are invited to sign up to receive special offers from Affinia Hotels. Users are required to enter their name, email, a password, and their zip code in order to sign up. Other optional details they may wish to include are their travel preferences, birth date, full mailing address, gender, and which special and packages they are most interested in. Special and packages are listed and users simply check the appropriate boxes. Options include spa, shopping, indulge, spend savvy, family, city gateways, romance, business, extended stay, and meetings. Visitors may also opt-in for general special offers from Affinia by checking another box on the sign-up page.
In order to book a stay at one of the Affinia Hotels, visitors to the Affinia.com website may select the specific hotel they would like to stay at and then enter their travel dates, the number of adults and children in their party, and any promo codes, group codes, or IATA numbers they may have. From there, they will be taken to their results page listing available rooms and rates. If all rooms at the specific hotel they have chosen are booked, the results page will notify users of this. Bookings may be completed directly on the Affinia.com website.
Established in 1952, the Adler School of Professional Psychology in located in Vancouver, British Columbia; Chicago, Illinois; and online at Adler.edu. Adler offers several masters degree programs and a doctorate in clinical psychology. The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology offers two tracks: Military Clinical Psychology or Child and Adolescent Psychology. According to Adler.edu, the Chicago campus also plans to launch a Master of Arts in Criminology program in the fall of 2012. This program will be Adler’s first entirely online program. New at the Vancouver campus is a Master of Arts in Community Psychology (MACP) to help prepare government and community leaders.
The Adler School is a full member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). Currently Adler has 100 Academic staff and between 700 and 800 students. All students of the Adler School of Professional Psychology receive training the Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology.
Alfred Adler founded the school of individual psychology. He was born in Austria-Hungary, near Vienna in1870. He was a psychotherapist and medical doctor and he was a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Adler.edu states that the school is interested in “Furthering the pioneering work of Alfred Adler” because his “vision remains relevant today.”
For people interested in working at Adler, Adler.edu offers an employment page. The page lists current staff and faculty openings, the location, the date the position was posted, and the job title. Visitors to the site may then view the details of each opening. Each opening lists the qualifications, responsibilities, and application process for job seekers. Adler.edu also provides information about the benefits of working for the Adler School of Professional Psychology.
Read more on Adler.edu – Adler School of Professional Psychology…
A Chicago-based startup, SpotHero lets you find and reserve places to park in the Windy City. It’s all done using a simple interface that also lets you list your own parking spots, and make some money when you’re not using it. This can be done for free, and when listing it you can make a direct link to events that are going to be held near. So, people who’re attending these events and who’re having trouble finding a place to park will be instantly drawn to you.
Parking spots can actually be searched in many different ways, as you can have them filtered by neighborhood, by landmark and by event. And you can also apply a “Park All Weekend” tag, and find the relevant parking spots.
SpotHero is certainly a useful website, but it’s hardly a new concept. A site named Parking Panda has been letting people do the same for longer. That site lets you find parking space, and also list your very own. The only difference is that Parking Panda covers Baltimore, whereas SpotHero is focused on Chicago. Oh, and Parking Panda has already got a fully-functional mobile app of its own.
Offering specialized in-home tutoring, AcademicAdvantage.com has tutors located in California, New York, Illinois, and Florida. In New York, they have tutors available in all five boroughs of New York City. In Los Angeles, AcademicAdvantage tutorial are available in the counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angele. Tutors from AcademicAdvantage.com can help students with any classroom subject as well as preparation for tests such as the SAT and ISEE. Academic Advantage also offers homeschooling options in conjunction with Laurel Springs School.
The Academic Advantage will be perfect for students who need one-on-one instruction. They provide one-on-one, in-home courses for credits. This program was designed by AcademicAdvantage for students in grades 6-12 who need to complete a few extra courses in order to graduate. It is also a great alternative to these students who are struggling with some aspects of traditional schooling. All homeschooling courses for credit are provided through Laurel Springs School accreditation.
When it comes to academic tutoring, AcademicAdvantage.com tutors are available for all classroom subjects, including foreign languages, chemistry, biology and more. Test preparation tutoring is available to help give students a competitive edge through proper preparation for ISEE, SAT, HSPT, PSAT, SATII, GED, GRE, The Regents and other standardized tests. Test preparation is conducted one-on-one and is suited to the specific needs of each student, as well as his learning style.
Academic Advantage guarantees that the child’s grade will improve by at least 1 full letter grade for the subject(s) they are tutored for by AcademicAdvantage tutors. Tutors are available from AcademicAdvantage.com 7 days a week, year round for morning, afternoon and evening tutoring sessions. 
Offering a carpooling service for taxis in the city of Chicago, this is a free application that users of Android devices can proceed to download straightaway. In true carpooling fashion, it will let them share their taxi rides with people who are going in their same direction, and split the fare.
The app is really easy to use – not that something like this could be overly-complicated, really. All the person has to do is to tell the app where he is going and when he is leaving for it to create a route that will be shown to other users of Taxi Share Chicago. Destinations are highlighted using a color code that makes it easy for people to know who are going their way. With that information in full sight, it is all a mere matter of tapping on the name of the relevant person, and sending him/her a message to arrange everything.
And a very nice feature is that the app can turn your mobile into a flashing color-coded signal that will let you recognize one another in the street.
WinkVid is an online speed dating system that takes advantage of the video broadcasting capabilities of the Internet, and also of the popularity of services for meeting random strangers such as ChatRoulette.
Before you get all revved up by the idea, you must know that (for the time being) this service is only available to those who are located in Chicago.
If you are not, that is not reason to stop reading – chances are it will come to where you live before too long.
The obvious question we have to ask ourselves is in which ways this is better than a face-to-face in a bar. The answers will differ greatly, obviously. People who might not be that confident in an entirely live setting might find something like WinkVid appealing – it is “live”, but it offers them the necessary distance to loosen up as much as they might require.
On the other hand, I am sure that many find the concept unpractical, claiming that the immediacy of speed dating is one of its big pluses. Personally, I am with the first group – but that must be because I have always been too shy. And if you are unsure where this service stands for you, just try it in person. You never know, the results might be surprising.
Foodie Registry is a restaurant gift registry service that is aimed at people who live in and about Chicago. The idea is to enable users to register for special occasions (mostly romantic nights) at restaurants in said location, and create a sort of list that can be accessed both by your friends and family.
This service has principally been devised for couples, but you will also be capable of using it if you are single.
In any case, the dynamics of the site are the same: you create a list detailing these restaurants that you like best, and then friends and loved ones will be able to buy gift certificates for you.
The actual registry can include as many restaurants as you want, and in each and every case you can specify the maximum amount that you actually want from each.
On the other hand, if you are a restaurateur and you want to use this solution simply give the relevant category a look. As it stands, the system can be used to bolster not only registry but also non-registry sales.
Read more on FoodieRegistry.com – Dine At The Best Restaurants…
Excelerate is a new incubator that has its seat in the city of Chicago. In this particular case, at lest six of the startups that become involved will eventually be chosen and receive resources in order to build their products.
These include not only an influx of money to set things into motion but also ready access to mentors and the building up of connections such as legal services and corporate partners.
Applications are accepted until the 2nd of April, and the program is running from June to September. The program itself has four different phases, ranging from a process of getting acquainted with mentors and learning the ropes to a crash course on financing in order to come up with a good pitch for Investor Day (the crowning moment of the whole program). And just like the vast majority of incubators, once the program has ended you will have continued access to resources and contacts.
When all is said and done, there can never be enough resources like this one for the mere fact that the amount of talent out there is infinite in itself. I encourage you to pay the site a visit and learn more for yourself. Make a point of checking the “Mentors” tab as well as the one named “Details” – that will let you know all about the “who” in addition to the “how” of the whole program.
Read more on ExcelerateLabs.com – A New Incubator Based On Chicago…
In case you want to find an appealing source of information about anything related to the president of the United States of America Barak Obama. This is an interesting opportunity to get information about politics and society.
The blog is written by Lynn Sweet who is a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. Lynn is an experienced journalist that will give you the chance to learn about many topics related to President Obama as well as the First Lady Michelle. In addition to this, you will have the chance to have quality information about the congress and other official sources. 
Read more on Information On Barak Obama – Blogs.SunTimes.com/Sweet…
Named after a song by Wilco, Muzzle Of Bees is an online resource that aims to give everybody a comprehensive insight on new music that is released. It also lists tour dates for every person to know when his or her best-loved artist is coming to town.
This music blog is structured in a manner not that dissimilar to others that I have seen as of late. That is, the most recent postings are showcased chronologically on the main page whereas the mandatory list of categories is displayed for you to click about. These include upco ming shows both in the Chicago and in the Wisconsin areas, as well as sections that cover the best concerts of the year from 2005 (the date of inception of the blog) to the present date. 
Chicago is a beautiful city. This is a place that is perfect to take pictures.
This is one of the only exclusive Chicago photography sites on the internet. This site gives you the possibility to select a frame and preview it around the photo. The photography forums are also fast growing and very informative for photographers.
In case you want to get very high quality printed pictures this site gives you the possibility to do that in a very easy and fast way. One of the most interesting things about this service is the fact that you will get the chance to get your picture shipped via the Unites States Postal Service Priority Mail in about 5 days.
All the pictures are taken via Nikon digital SLRs with two different lens, etc. The site is very clear when it comes to give you all the information about the products it provides. In addition to this, you will have the chance to get pictures from Chicago as well as from many other cities in the United States, in case you want to take a look at them, this is the right site for you to take a look at. 
What happens if we add two nationally respected rock critics to the latest music news, personal commentary, exclusive interviews and performances, and a huge pile of records? We get Sound Opinions, the world’s only rock and roll talk show. Chicago Public Radio brings you this unique radio program and Soundopinions.
org, its online version. Based in Chicago, Sound Opinions is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, two of the finest and best-recognized pop music writers in the nation. Every week, this show fires up smart and spirited discussions about a wide range of popular music, from cutting-edge underground rock and hip-hop, to classic rock, R&B, electronica, worldbeat, or just about any other genre you can name. Through this site you’ll be able to access many of these discussions, as well as a large amount of articles, pictures, and comments from the audience. If you don’t know the show, this is your opportunity; by entering the Listen section you’ll also access some of the shows available for listening online. 
Gapers Block is a Chicago-centric web publication providing information on news and events around town. It contains many categories that you can browse in order to explore the site and see what it has to offer visitors.
You will find; Merge, a collaborative weblog on a wide range of topics updated weekly; Slowdown, a calendar highlighting events you may not have heard about; daily columns from their resident; and Detour, a weekly feature, as well as a daily photo in Rearview, and a question to ponder and discuss in Fuel. In the Transmission section you can learn all about Chicago’s music scene, and at the Drive Thru section you can learn more about the food in the city. Last but not least, the Book Club is both an actual book club and a blog about Chicago’s Literary Scene. Gapers Block accepts all sorts of submission, including tips, news releases, materials for review, event announcements, and articles and features form local writers. 
Berg Properties is a Chicago realtor that offers the most residential units and the highest volume sold as a new comer. They have eight years of combining experience in listing property for a flat fee and have sold more than 135 million dollars in property in 2006.
So if you are planning to buy or selling your home, at this website you will probably find the service that you are looking for. You can save thousands of dollars selling your home at Berg Properties. At the top of the homepage you will find a section for sellers, one for buyers, and one that provides information about the company. At the bottom you will find homes for sale by owner guide, a report of the real estate market conditions, some buyer tips, and a condo building directory. In order to find a home quickly fill in the boxes and drop downs available at the homepage; just provide the zip code, city, price range, number of beds and baths, and press search, and a list with the houses that match your description will appear immediately. 
Read more on BergProperties.com – Buying And Selling Homes Online…
Individuals who reside in Chicago and need financial assistance will probably find a visit to the MB Financial Bank website worthwhile. The site describes the services the financial institution provides both to individuals and businesses in a clear and understandable way.
The former include personal loans, checking services and a mortgage resource center as well as a series of online services that make for the online payment of bills. For its part, the latter category encompasses real estate financing, institutional banking and indirect lending. Information on treasury management is provided as well along with an overview of the existing equipment lease banking options. What’s more, there is a section entitled “Wealth Management” that deals with aspects such as asset management and brokerage services. In addition to that, the site includes an ATM locator that will let you find the closest automated teller machine by submitting a valid street address, city and State. 
Read more on MBFinancial.com – Online Financial Institution…
