Out of 26 million Texans, you may have an idea to change the world. You may have had several ideas to change the world. But only a tiny minority of you pushed through the U.S. Patent office from application to successful patent. We've seen Texans change the world many times over. Jack Kilby did it with Texas Instruments in 1958 with the integrated circuit, causing the start of the digital revolution, which, in part, is why you can read these words over your electronic device.
Over the last few years, Texas Business has brought its feature: Texas Business Patent of the Day. This list is of the ones that were either extremely clever, odd or strange. One thing becomes apparent from these patents and the patent that runs daily in Texas Business—Texans have a unique mind set.
Though the history of the Corn Dog is disputed, the State Fair of Texas claims to have introduced the Corny Dog sometime between 1938 and 1942. As a paean to that invention that now sits in the freezer section of every grocery store in the southwest, here are the fried foods the State Fair of Texas has introduced, or tried to introduce, in the last seven years.
Dead Texas musicians live on every time you hear their songs. Their songs play everywhere, so the dead Texas musicians appear to be immortal. Here's the short list.
Don't get caught up with John Wayne religion. For one thing, he's not Texan. He's in some fine movies involving Texas, most notably The Searchers, but none of his movies can make the best cut of Texas movies. Here's the short list.
Unsung Texas Business Journalists Mention that one is a reporter, and there's a spark of interest. Mention that one is a business news reporter, and watch the eyes glaze over. Except to the players, business and economic journalists are unappreciated. While many wish to become sports reporters when they grow up, most do not realize that business journalists cover the Real Game. Mention that reporter covers business, and watch the eyes glaze over. A toast to these below on the short list and the numerous unnamed ones slogging away. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Mexican Food: The Short List No, we're not going to debate the difference between Tex-Mex, Mex-Tex, Mexican and Texican food. Just know these establishments are the pinnacle of Texas Mexican fare. No brag, just fact. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Burgers Texas Burgers. . While a hamburger is merely sustenance and gratification for a meal, the memory a good Texas burger can give rise to Homeric odes. The short list. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Last month, Latino daily deal site Descuento Libre acquired Mi Cupon Del Dia, a Miami based competitor, just a couple months after acquiring Los Angeles based deal site Groupacho.
Since Descuento Libre's test market launch in Austin, Chicago, and Mexico City in March 2011, the lean high-growth startup has been optimizing strategies and developing partnerships to best serve Hispanic consumers in both the U.S. and Mexico with relevant deals, content, mediums and marketing messages -- in English and Spanish.
As of January 2012, Descuento Libre officially launched in over 70 additional markets in the U.S. and Mexico. The acquisition of Mi Cupon Del Dia enabled Descuento Libre to quickly expand its offerings to Miami's large Latino market.
"Acquiring Mi Cupon Del Dia allowed Descuento Libre to tap into the Hispanic community in Miami without reinventing the wheel,” said Descuento Libre chief executive Boris Portman in a prepared statement. “The Hispanic deal site is a new concept in the e-commerce market, so collaborations are key to standing out amongst the hundreds of mass-market deal sites that have sprouted since Groupon launched nearly three years ago.”
U.S. Hispanics are a fast-growing, complex, and still underserved demographic, with a broad range of cultural roots, ages, interests, and acculturation, so Descuento Libre combines an interesting mix of traditional media and online marketing to reach this audience. In addition to strategic partnerships that allow expansion into new markets, the deal site has also established media partnerships -- including alliances with bloggers in the LasBlogueras.com network -- to create brand awareness among Hispanics.
In Chicago, Descuento Libre works with ViveloHoy.com of the Chicago Tribune Newspaper to advertise deals locally through print and web.
In Austin, Descuento Libre partnered with national radio celebrity, El Chulo de la Manana, on Fiesta Mexicana 97.1 FM to publicize its brand and educate Hispanic consumers about using deal sites to save money. Nationally, Descuento Libre will continue to work with Latino-focused websites, and in the next several months will be announcing additional key partnerships, including affiliations with nonprofit organizations. Descuento Libre recently partnered with inova.com.mx, the leader in informational sales in Mexico. In addition to providing Descuento Libre with a rich variety of deals, the partnership also enhances its marketing reach.
As Descuento Libre continues to develop its national presence in the U.S. and Mexico, it will offer a mix of local Hispanic-flavor deals and deals with mass-market appeal. In addition, it has launched the multiple deal feature, as well as online coupons for daily consumer goods such as groceries, so customers have more deal variety on any given day. Descuento Libre is also developing and testing SMS and rich mobile features that will be rolled out during Q1 2012.
The Texas News Scrawl is a handy reference to stories Texas Business recommends from other news sources. Some of the stories that Texas Business currently suggests include: The West News proves the value of a great weekly newspaper in a community torn up with grief and chaos; Chinese investors checking out Texas, Austin; Texas makes bounce house operators carry liability coverage, but not plants like West Fertilizer; bSpaceX’s Grasshopper leaping to NM spaceport;American Airlines, US Airways to name post-merger leadership within weeks; Texas power cushion seen at lowest level in a decade; Media outlets reflect Houston's diversity; and more.