A new eco-hotel in Mexico made of concrete pipes makes it a good negosyo idea here in the Philippines. Combining the concept of pod-like hotel rooms, with the growing trend of eco-responsible tourism and the use of waste materials for construction, architects T3arc have created the 20 room Tubohotel made from recycled concrete pipes. As you can see in the picture above it also looks good and enticing to sleep in there.

Inspired by dasparkhotel which opened in Germany in 2006, T3arc have extended the concept by stacking pipes to form two mini pyramids with ladders to access the upper level. Located 45 minutes south of Mexico City, T3arc completed the project in three months, furnishing the 2.44m by 3.5m pipes with a queen-size bed, desk light and fan, with space for under bed storage. Unlike dasparkhotel which operates a pay-as-you-wish system, rooms at Tubohotel are priced at USD 42 a night, which they hope will attract backpackers and those looking for alternative and unique accommodation that won’t break the bank. Unfortunately the cement pipe doesn’t allow for bathroom facilities, but there are two communal bathhouses onsite with private showers.

Both Tubohotel and dasparkhotel have explored the possibilities of using unwanted construction materials in natural surroundings to create hotels that are cheap and quick to build, better for the environment and boast the benefits of affordability and a quirky experience for visitors. This is a nice inspiration for us here in the Philippines. Great to put up along highways for travelers.

This is a great negosyo idea for beach resorts here in the Philippines. It’s an underwater family submarine from Korea that will fulfill many fantasies of the resort clients.

Billing itself as the world’s ‘first compact semi submarine’, the ‘ego’ craft by korean company raonhaje is built around a submergible core, permitting the private enclosed underwater excursions of individuals, couples, and families.

Because ‘ego’ is designed for personal use, its steering system is modeled after a car’s to increase the ease of operation, and is composed of an accelerator pedal instead of a throttle lever and an intuitive direction switch. no special license is required for the craft’s operation.

Did Apple see this coming? iPads are beginning to replace menus in the U.S., just as e-readers have begun to replace hard copy books. Restaurant goers will have an opportunity to custom order their meals with just a touch of a finger. A news at USAToday talked with the founders of Stacked: Food Well Built, a new restaurant chain that will put an iPad/menu on every table in its three new locations opening soon in Southern California:

The two co-founders — who founded the BJ’s Restaurant chain — plan to place 100 iPads in each restaurant. Diners will use them to look at meal options; design their own burgers, pizzas and salads; and, if they want, use the iPads to pay for the meals. But, says co-founder Paul Motenko, “We’re not going to market it as an iPad restaurant.” When Stacked founders first considered a concept with guests creating their own meals and ordering them on tabletop devices, the iPad didn’t yet exist. IPads were the breakthrough, Motenko says.

Others have tried iPads. Restaurants by Delta Air Lines gates at New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airport installed iPads at tables that let guests custom-order meals. Bone’s Restaurant in Atlanta uses iPads for its wine list. Co-owner Richard Lewis says wine sales jumped 20% since the iPads were added six months ago. Someday, they’ll be at all restaurants, Lewis says. “It’s the future”. Be the first to start an innovative restaurant here in the Philippines with an Ipad menu.

During the swine flu scare many people are afraid to touch anything in public places that will make them infected with the dreaded swine. Here is an innovative report from PR.com about a Touch-Stick, a key-size implement used for hygienically pushing, tapping, and signing store keypads, ATM machines, elevator buttons, gas pump buttons, and other publicly touched electronic devices.

The patent-pending Touch-Stick features a flat round tip for pushing mechanical buttons, a cleverly integrated stylus tip for tapping and signing electronic screens, and key ring compatibility for convenience and high availability.

The product, which is made of a durable polycarbonate ABS plastic blend and is initially available in black, grey, blue, red, and white colors, was invented by Dan Rothman, president of Atek.

“In the most extreme cases, store clerks told us that some customers refuse to even touch the terminals and ask the clerks to do it for them. Supermarkets have wipes for shopping cart handles but germ protection is not available for point-of-sale machines and other publicly used devices.”

Photo by Atek, Inc..

Here is a report from Jacksonville Business Journal of a teen entrepreneur who created a business out of  horror house. Jordan Renda has always loved Halloween, not so much for the trick-or-treating, but for the opportunity to scare family, friends and now, complete strangers.

The 16-year-old Creekside High School junior and now Haunted Productions LLC president is experiencing his first year in the professional haunted house industry as the creator and owner of the Night Terrors Haunted House on San Jose Boulevard. While he admits it’s been a steep learning curve, he’s already making plans for the future.

“Deep down, I probably never actually thought it would happen,” Renda said, but “the ultimate goal is to make it a career.”

Although always interested in the macabre and things that go bump in the night, Renda presented his parents with reams of research and a business plan for his haunted house idea when he was 14. Impressed with their son’s entrepreneurial spirit, Shari and Phil Renda started to take the idea very seriously, attending haunted house trade shows with Jordan, investing the family’s savings and eventually hiring two industry veterans, Dan Faupel and Nate Mitchell, to help them through the learning process.

Next halloween we can rent an old house for a month, dress it with scary things and effects and let people come in for a fee. I remember this is usually common during foundation days in school in the past, this is the right time for revival outside of the school. With the technology now and effects are getting cheaper, it can be setup with less cost and more true to life scary.

Photo by Jacksonville Business Journal

Arriving from international flight in Manila and connecting a flight going to the province is a very tiresome situation where you really want to stretch and relax all by yourself. Well a new business idea can be applied here in the Philippines like Nemorelax, its rolling out in international airports which is like a cocoon rest modules that give airport travellers a way to decompress.

Nemorelax pods can be reserved for as little as 30 minutes. Dubbed an “oasis of calm,” each pod features a Stressless recliner chair from Norwegian furniture maker Ekornes encircled by a cocoon of sound-isolating materials. In addition to sleeping or making private phone calls, travellers can watch a movie on the pod’s touchscreen monitor, listen to music on the sound-on-demand system or get some work done on the fold-away work table. Each Nemorelaxer offers free wifi connectivity, and loan laptops are available at no extra charge. Nemorelaxers will be set up in suites of 6 or more in central airport locations with an on-site, staffed desk. Wake-up services will also be available.