When we wrote about Bamboo Bike Studio late last year, we noted the company's involvement in the Bamboo Bike Project, which seeds bamboo bike factories in developing countries. Working towards a similar goal is Calfee Design, which is helping entrepreneurs in the developing world make locally sourced bamboo bicycles for domestic and international sale.

Calfee Design has been manufacturing and selling its own bamboo bikes from its California studios since 2005, but a trip to Africa inspired founder Craig Calfee to promote the concept in Africa. In 2008, through an initiative called Bamboosero, Calfee set up two bike-building groups in Ghana—one in the capital, Accra, and one in Abompe. Both groups now build frames for several bike designs using locally sourced bamboo; they then ship those frames back to Calfee's shop, where the US team adds wheels and hardware before sending them on to distributors.

The Ghanaian entrepreneurs earn about USD 150 for every frame they build, while the finished bikes are sold for about USD 950 each, according to a report on SantaCruz.com. By December 2009, Calfee had sold 28 Bamboosero bikes and sent six back to Ghana for use by tourists and locals, the site reported.

Calfee hopes to expand the ranks of its bicycle entrepreneurs both in Ghana and in other developing countries, as well as to bolster the supply chain of bicycle parts for those local teams. One to sponsor, partner with or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Low-cost bicycles for (not only) the rural poor — Used Danish bikes help African poor.)

Websites: www.bamboosero.com and www.calfeedesign.com
Contact: craig@calfeedesign.com

Spotted by: Brian Yang

We've seen the crowdsourcing contest model applied to everything from business documents to doughnut design. The latest spotting? One Billion Minds, a prize-led innovation platform that connects problem-solving scholars with solution-seeking companies and non-profits.

One Billion Minds challenges student and alumni crowds from universities worldwide to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Challenges range from designing a USD 1 teaching aid for the education of children to developing an innovative solution for the garbage disposal problem in Kolkata. Prizes from the participating corporations include cash, professional recognition, and opportunities to interview for full-time or internship positions. Members can compete as individuals or teams.

In public beta as of September 2009, One Billion Minds is on a mission to change the world by unleashing the power of a billion minds on challenges in the areas of design, engineering, science, business, technology and social innovation. Something to get involved in to make that happen? (Related: Crowdsourcing economic solutions for Ireland.)

Website: www.onebillionminds.com
Contact: general.inquiry@onebillionminds.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 

Extreme sports such as bungee-jumping from the Macau Tower may well be enough to satisfy the adrenaline needs of the majority of premium thrill-seekers. Those still wishing for more, however, have a new alternative: they can pay to be kidnapped, without warning, by French Ultime Réalité.

"Kidnapping", "Manhunt" and "Go-Fast Adventure" are all among the standard services Ultime Réalité offers, but it's open to special requests. Through the company's simulated kidnapping packages, for instance, the participant is abducted without warning—after leaving a restaurant, say, or in the supermarket parking lot. Paying "victims" are then bound, gagged and imprisoned for four or 10 hours (depending on the scenario they choose), allowing them to experience the terror of the real thing. Additional elements such as ransom, escapes and helicopter chases can also be involved. Manhunt packages, meanwhile, can last either one or two days, with the option to play the role of either hunter or prey. Then there's the Go-Fast Adventure, where participants take the role of a drug dealer smuggling cargo on the high seas. Finally, a recently added "extreme" package allows clients to wake up on an autopsy table in a morgue, surrounded by corpses and body bags. Pricing on a basic kidnap package is EUR 900.

Just a few weeks into its launch, Ultime Réalité was already getting as many as two requests per day, according to Reuters primarily from top-level executives seeking an extreme-sports alternative. Don't look now, but the premium bar just got raised again... (Related: Paparazzi for the rest of us.)

Website: www.ultimerealite.fr
Contact: contact@ultimerealite.fr

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

As the electronic age puts physical bookstores and libraries under increasing threat, Local Books is a great example of how, by encouraging a resurgence of consumer interest at a local level, new technologies can be used to provide a shot in the arm for traditional outlets. Launched in January, it's a free iPhone app that allows users to search an area for bookstores, libraries and literary events such as readings, book discussions and signings.

Local Books is powered by LibraryThing Local—a crowdsourced database of 51,000 bookstores and libraries around the world. Users can search for these "venues" by name or by location. The details provided for venues include maps plus (when available) descriptions, photographs, links, and information about upcoming events at those establishments. Venues and events can be sorted by distance, name, type and date.

At present Local Books does not show inventories from bookstores and libraries. We wouldn't be surprised to see this feature available from them or from someone else in the near future. Could that be you? (Related: Online platform connecting booklovers.)

Website: www.librarything.com/blog/2010/01/local-books-iphone-application.php
Contact: tim@librarything.com

Spotted by: Los Angeles Times via Jim Stewart

We've seen several efforts recently to bring Facebook photos into the offline world, such as HotPrints' free, advert-supported albums. Now bringing such capabilities to brick-and-mortar stores comes a new initiative from Kodak that lets consumers print online photos from Facebook and Picasa using its in-store kiosks.

Starting this summer, users of Kodak Picture Kiosks will be able to access their web albums on Facebook and Picasa as well as Kodak's own Kodak Gallery service. The kiosks will make 4x6in (102x152mm) prints of the photos, provided the resolution is high enough to make a quality print. Kodak says it also intends to connect with other social networking sites around the globe.

Given that more than 3 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook alone each month, there are plenty of opportunities for forging OFF=ON connections for consumers whose memories increasingly reside in the virtual world. How can your brand help make those memories more tangible? (Related: Mini web-to-print photo albums.)

Website: www.kodak.com
Contact: tinyurl.com/emailkodak

Spotted by: Judy McRae