Historian Mark Gardner does more than lecture
about stories of the Old West from his new book  To Hell on a Fast Horse:
Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice
in the Old West. Audiences fascinated by the subject hear
Gardner play and sing classic songs from a bygone western era.

Gardner, a former park ranger during his college
years developed fascination for the melodies and
old stringed musical instruments. Later, Gardner
decided to combine his interest in western figures with music.

Reference
BookTV.org 56 Minutes
https://www.c-span.org/video/?292117-1/hell-fast-horse

Niches in the Food Industry
Two examples of how history, cultural practices, and customs
inspire different ventures in the food industry.

Blueberry barbecue sauce and bison ribs for starters.
Or Indian tacos and fry bread…
http://www.tocabe.com/our-story.php
http://www.woodenknife.com/history.asp

Frank Gehry
Insightful, sobering, and sometimes amusing recount of how the iconic architect and professor found his niche, despite aptitude challenges, by using using nontraditional methods.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/architect-frank-gehry-part-1/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/architect-frank-gehry-part-2/

Testing the Dream 
Many aspiring entrepreneurs dream about opening their own restaurant, but there is a tendency to believe that following the dream and hard work will solve business challenges in this field.

Watch a few episodes of Restaurant Impossible and it’s clear why the failure rate is so high in this industry. The mistakes are jaw-dropping and sometimes stomach churning. For instance, serving frozen and store bought food to diners to save money, having no clue as to how to handle money issues in order to make a profit, and operating in an establishment that is not spotlessly clean.

 A real estate developer has come up with a brilliant idea to give budding restauranteurs a taste (sorry) of what it’s like to work in a restaurant.

Click here to learn more
http://www.theguestchef.net/about

Reality TV &  Real World Lessons

The 10th season of Project Runway will air tonight on Lifetime TV. This morning, host Heidi Klum, informed viewers that, for the first time in the history of the program, there was a first: in the middle of the night, without telling anyone, two of the design contestants packed up their bags and fled the show…

Next month, I will post a list of reality programs and the useful lessons budding entrepreneurs can learn from some of the cable programming.

Famous Chef’s Memoir & Receipe for Success
Taking an entrepreneurial career path in some industries may mean having to face elements of serious social and cultural issues as the two articles below illustrate.

NHPublicTV: Tavis Smiley | Chef Marcus Samuelsson

The award-winning chef serves up a tell-all of his life: struggling with cultural identity, paving the way for diversity in the cooking world and making Harlem a hot spot for foodies-all …

On Marcus Samuelsson and Red Rooster: What it Means to Be a …

Historical Books with Aptitude Advice for Modern Times
Johnson O’Connor, a pioneering aptitudes researcher, wrote a number of books (or brochures as they were called) in the 1940s, but the content is still  relevant in today’s world.

For instance, In the Too Many Aptitude Women, O’Connor writes that someone with high creative imagination, inductive reasoning, which is a teaching skill, and average or occasionally high structural visualization might consider volunteering to help an innovative manufacturer re-educate skilled, and semiskilled men and women thrown out of work by  technological advance.

O’Connor further explains that teaching need not imply classroom lecturing, formal assignments and periodic examinations.

In The Unique Individual, the author wrote that someone with the aptitudes and desire to enter packaging design could, instead of competing in a crowded field, take the skills to an industry that has yet to use the concept to their advantage.

References
O’Connor, J. (1941) The too many aptitude woman. Human engineering laboratory Inc. Boston, Massachusetts.

O’Connor, J. (1948) The unique individual. Human engineering laboratory Inc. Boston, Massachusetts. 

Beyond Vanilla, Chocolate & Strawberry
Americans eat more ice cream than people in other countries, but not enough to fill the Grand Canyon, as some news sources have creatively reported.

However, entrepreneurs have tapped into consumers love affair with the cool, creamy treat in a number of unique ways.

Livening up dull class room lectures
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/garden/where-traffic-school-is-a-laugh-a-minute.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 A former architect combines her design skills to create an unusual presentation
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915762,00.html

References
Penn State University has been offering a short course on how to make ice cream since 1892
http://foodscience.psu.edu/workshops/ice-cream-short-course
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/224755/An-Ice-Cream-Show/overview

Who buys the most ice cream? – Crain’s Chicago Business

Mobile Restaurant
If you believe food trucks are a hot new trend, you should know archaeologists recently uncovered an ancient ruin dating back to the dinosaur age. They dug up a mobile truck with stone wheels and menu offering brontosaurus burgers, tacos and shakes.

Okay, I’m still checking on all the facts behind that tall tale. However, food trucks aren’t new. Consider: The Source, a publication for the National Small Business Development Center Research Network, featured an article “Have business will travel: The Mobile Business Explosion” by Vivian Milczarski  (March 1995).

The article outlined advantages and disadvantages such as the need to work longer hours, and the substantial costs involved even though they are lower than having a retail storefront.

Here are two articles that give an inside look at some of the joys, trials and tribulations encountered by entrepreneurs entering this field.
Note: See previous post on this blog Starting a Restaurant on a Shoestring.

Should You Join The Food Truck Revolution? http://www.specialtyfood.com/news-trends/featured-articles/retail-operations/foodtruckrevolution/

Food Truck Rules & Issues in a Major Urban City 
http://oaklandnorth.net/2011/12/06/new-mobile-vending-proposal-could-create-food-pods-throughout-oakland/

Artistic Talent

When psychologist Lucy Petrie decided that she wanted to
learn how to draw, she taught herself by using the exercises in a
book entitled Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, then she
enrolled in a pastel class.
Petrie won acclaim in the art world, within a short time, and her
work appeared in the Pastel Journal’s “Top 100 Paintings” issue,
according to the Vermont Burlington Free Press.

Petrie says about her ability to paint “I don’t believe in talent….”
“I felt I learned to see…” “From a psychologist’s point of view,
everything is driven by some unconscious motive.”

Petrie comes from a family of artists: her mother was a middle school
art teacher, her dad cartooned all the time, and both her sisters, and
her husband are artists. Petrie creates her artwork by viewing
photographs of images through a magnifying glass.

Lesson: A person’s belief system can hinder the discovery
of hidden abilities. Many experts would disagree with Petrie’s opinion,
but most would agree that she possesses a high degree of color
discrimination and the ability to think in 3-D, which aptitude
professionals refer to as structural visualization.

Reference
Buscher, S. (2007). Catching up with Lucy
Petrie, pastel artist. BurlingtonFree Press.