The Apple Watch is coming, perhaps you’ve heard?
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Chicago product designer Scott Wilson is ready, or mostly: He’s created a waterproof case based on images and will refine it once he has the watch in hand.
Wilson, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Minimal, expects the Epik case to retail for $99 and will likely set a Kickstarter funding goal of $100,000 to $150,000. It’s a local example of the supporting action around a major Apple announcement.
“The crumbs in that industry get a little bit bigger for everyone,” Wilson said.
Also in maker world, design supplier Inventables launched the X-Carve, a computer-controlled milling machine that carves plastic, wood and metal.
“It’s sort of for that gap between ‘I don’t want to have to deal with the infrastructure costs of outsourcing,’ and ‘I don’t want to have to sit there and do it one at a time,'” said Inventables CEO Zach Kaplan ?.
How to seek profit by filling empty seats at concerts with music fans willing to experiment? Jukely Unlimited, a New York-based concert-subscription service, connects users with select shows for a flat rate of $25 per month or $45 for two. It went live in Chicago this week.
At 73, Chatham postal-service retiree Vernita Jefferson got a smartphone-controlled ankle. “I’ve seen different things come along that I’ve never dreamed they could do,” she said.
The Distance visited Ideal Box Co. in Chicago, run by Scott and Yale Eisen, whose great-grandfather started the business in 1924. You see its work in supermarkets and big-box stores, as palm trees around Mike’s Hard Margarita or Super Bowl displays for Nabisco.
“A me-too corrugated company we just never want to be,” Scott said.
We’ve all been there.
Seth Godin appears in the Blue Sky Vault ? with “It’s your turn: Make something that matters.” If you’re not reading him you’re living in the wrong century.
You do know enough to read your boss’s work, too, right? Howard Tullman ? laid it down in our Hub with “The case against open offices” for Inc.: “What we’re finding is that a workplace where you can’t get any serious work done isn’t a workplace — it’s a bad joke.”
He calls out the 1871 environment as an “entrepreneurial petting zoo” that he intends to rein in, and if you feel a pang of recognition at this next part, you might pay attention. “Call me a curmudgeon, but I don’t really want to hear every morning — immediately upon their staggered arrivals — a report for the “group” from each of my co-workers about their nightly clubbing, consumption, and conquests — even if I cared. But, as often as not, I don’t have a choice.”
Ouchies!
We have two events coming soon, starting with “Launch Your Blog in Less Than a Day.”
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ChicagoNOW community manager Jimmy Greenfield and Blue Sky Innovation presentation editor Nick Tann host this hands-on WordPress blogging class for beginners on Tuesday.Nick built the Blue Sky Vault ? on WordPress btw. And if you’ve noticed these new arrows, they designate links to the Vault, especially for biographical information on the innovators and entrepreneurs who appear in The Blue Network.
March 24 brings an event for early-stage entrepreneurs. Peter Wilkins ? of Hyde Park Angels, Mark Achler of MATH Venture Partners and Shradha Agarwal ? of ContextMedia will discuss strategies for connecting with angel investors.
We hope to see you soon. Meanwhile, spring forward, warm up and enjoy your short weekend.