Business Idea of the Day

Inc.: Other Lab founder Saul Griffiths has made a fortune applying way-out mathematics to inventions large and small, including robotic kites, insulation inspired by origami, and the carbon-emissions calculator WattzOn. Other Lab is not an easy business to define. You might call it an incubator, though Griffith avoids the term because of the stink it obtained during the dot-com boom and bust (that is, as a place where investment capital is wasted on foosball tables and projects that go nowhere). You might call it the lair of a mad scientist. Essentially, it is a workshop in which inventions are launched and tested in the hopes that they become products that either will be sold off or will grow into companies

In his Extraordinary Conversations newsletter , consultant Patrick O’Neill says that assisting others to be great involves: Situation awareness: You need to be alert to what is happening around you so that you can make real-time decisions about the best opportunities to achieve collective goals. Recognize strengths and weaknesses: You need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of others and assist them to grow and improve, instead of envying their strengths or complaining about their weaknesses. Loyalty: Make a commitment that every day you will do your best for your team and teammates

Herb Peterson changed breakfast forever and revolutionized the quick-service industry in America with the invention of the ubiquitous Egg McMuffin breakfast sandwich. His son, David Peterson, with the help of Los Angeles Times columnist Ann Marsh, has written a book chronicling his father’s life and legacy, QSRWeb reports. The Good Egg: Herb Peterson, the Egg McMuffin and the Secret Ingredients of Innovation ,” outlines Herb Peterson’s career, from the beginning of his relationship with McDonald’s working for D’Arcy Advertising to running his own McDonald’s franchise stores in California. Peterson came up with the idea for the Egg McMuffin as he looked for an opportunity to expand the chain’s offerings to breakfast. Armed with an unyielding spirit of entrepreneurship, love for eggs benedict and a round iron ring, Herb created what would later be known as the Egg McMuffin, marking the start of breakfast at McDonald’s

Business Pundit says that business is all about people. That being the case, perhaps we should stop reading management books for advice and start looking at social psychology. Smart marketers and executives have been using the findings of this growing field for decades to close sales, hold effective meetings and get their way in negotiations. The Concept : If you’re wondering how to convince superiors, employees or customers to do what you ask, try using the foot in the door phenomenon

CoolHunting: Eliminating waste in more ways than one, Method’s powerful new laundry detergent makes washing “smarter, easier and greener” with its “smartclean” technology and precise pump. With its extremely concentrated patent-pending formula, Method packs enough suds into one small package to clean 50 loads of laundry. Requiring just four squirts, the ingenious pump delivers an easy way to always add a consistently accurate amount while eliminating the messy drip that usually happens with traditional spout design. Method Laundry Detergent [CoolHunting]

The following is by Brenden Sherratt of In The Shark Tank . Tonight’s episode of Shark Tank featured for different entrepreneurs, each competing for the Sharks’ money.

USA TODAY reports that the usual January diet drill has an unusual proponent in 2010: the fast-food industry. Many of the nation’s largest fast-food chains — better-known for their often fatty, high-calorie foods — are loudly touting diet and low-calorie offerings. Familiar brands from Taco Bell to Starbucks to Dunkin’ Donuts are rolling out new products and ad campaigns in an attempt to lure calorie-conscious consumers during the month when the $170 billion fast-food industry typically sees sales slide. The January diet rush isn’t limited to fast food

There are Tupperware parties and Mary Kay parties. Men may be legally allowed to attend such parties but they never do, because Tupperware is plastic bowls and Mary Kay is lipstick. But now, thanks to a new Minnesota company, there are sales parties for guys, with barbecue gear as the merchandise, reports The San Francisco Chronicle

Short term memory? Trying getting this temp tattoo. The To-Do Tattoo kit includes 12 graphic “To Do” forms that you can apply to your body wherever it’s most convenient (or creative) and a skin-safe, washable-ink gel pen. You’ll never again have to make lame excuses for missing bowling night or your mom’s birthday.

Elizabeth Bernstein over at The New York Times has an interesting look at another use for the Internet. Along with helping people reconnect with old flames, childhood friends and even long-lost relatives, the Internet is giving rise to a newer phenomenon: the decades-late apology. The Web allows us to converse by email, a form of communication that often makes us braver and more impulsive—and occasionally even more thoughtful—about what we say.