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: A Plano online game company now has more than 15 million U.S. players.
KingsIsle Entertainment's online gameWizard101 achieved record performance in 2010 across multiple key indicators, including:
Unique visitors to Wizard101.com (a key indicator of an online game's operational health) increased steadily throughout 2010. Of particular note, in December unique visitors to the site increased more than 300 percent year-over-year.
Company officials say this increase is verified by external monitoring sites such as compete.com http://siteanalytics.compete.com/wizard101.com/.
Online analytics firm comScore ranked Wizard101.com fifth on the list of top gaining large websites (by unique visitors) for the month of August: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-media-metrix-ranks-top-50-us-web-properties-for-august-2010-103652054.html.
Wizard101's total number of registered players increased to more than 15 million from U.S. operations alone. This total does not include European edition registrations.
Wizard101 experienced recognition by the Industry in 2010, receiving multiple awards including Best MMO of 2010 from Beckett Media's Massive Online Gamer Magazine and Best Family MMO of the Decade from Massively.com. The comprehensive list of all awards received in 2010 can be found at www.wizard101.com/game/accolades.
“2010 was a great year for KingsIsle and December was our best operational month ever,” said KingsIsle Entertainment chief executive Elie Akilian in a prepared statement. “We've set ambitious goals for 2011. It should be a very exciting time for us at KingsIsle and for those who play our games."
In the first months of 2011, KingsIsle Entertainment plans to ramp up hiring across the company, eventually increasing staffing levels by approximately 25 percent. Information about KingsIsle careers can be found at www.kingsisle.com/jobs.
KingsIsle will continue to add new content and systems to Wizard101 with multiple enhancements anticipated throughout the year.
KingsIsle Entertainment is a developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online games which provide entertainment for the entire family.
Wizard101, KingsIsle's flagship property, has received the Parent Tested Parent Approved Media Seal of Approval in 2009 and has been recognized by the National Parenting Publications Awards. Wizard101 was named Best MMO of 2010 by Beckett Massive Online Gamer Magazine, Best Family MMO of the Decade by Massively.com and the #1 Best Family Game of 2009 by MMORPG.com.
KingsIsle is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and has a development studio in Austin, Texas.
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.
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