David Lidsky's Blog, page 2989
May 8, 2015
How A Minecraft Habit Turned Into A Multinational Business
After a series of missteps in video game development, this duo now hosts multi-player servers for the popular game Minecraft.
A two-person company from the small southern French town of Narbonne has unlocked a lucrative revenue stream from a global trend: Minecraft. After a series of missteps in video game development, Starlancer Studios, run by Jacques Vaquier and his business partner, Gregory Jung, now hosts multi-player servers for the immensely popular game.
The World's Most Murderous Places, And Other Lessons From A Killer Map
Some cities in Colombia and Brazil are deadlier than war-torn countries, according to a new interactive map of the world's murders.
First, some numbers: In 2012, 437,000 people were killed worldwide, yielding a global average murder rate of 6.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. A third of those homicides occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, home to just 8% of the world's population. In Brazil, murder is the leading cause of death for young men, while in parts of Europe violent death is a rare and shocking anomaly.
How Crafting Helped This Entrepreneur Overcome Her Depression And Launch An Award-Winning Business
Ten years ago, she was fired from her job. Last year, she made half a million dollars in sales.
When Nicole Snow left the Air Force in 2005, the 32-year-old New Jersey native struggled with depression. She worked for a few months at a paper supply company, but was soon fired. Her manager even advised her to never to work in a small business again.
How To Go From Idea To Prototype In One Day
We spoke with a maker, a developer, and a designer to learn how to go from idea to prototype in one day.
While waiting for her family to return with ice cream after an early-morning bicycle ride down Huntington Beach in Orange County, Sally Dunne noticed a gentleman ride by with a double cup holder attached to the handlebars of his bike. A coffee was in one holder and a juice was in the other. A cycling fan with a textile design degree, Dunne immediately thought how wonderful it would be if people could easily beautify the handlebars on their bicycles. She envisioned a cheerful bloom of flowers clipped onto the man's bicycle handlebars. At that moment, her product Pedal Petals was born.
Literally A Labor Of Love: This Ghanaian Mom And Daughter Built A Shea Butter Company Together
Here's how one family cracked the nut on sourcing and exporting shea butter.
Two months ago, Naa-Sakle Akuete, a Harvard Business School graduate and Wall Street analyst, launched a body cream product line Eu'Genia Shea, named after her mother. For Akuete, who is 28, starting this business had very little to do with money and everything to do with love, family, and passion.
How Entrepreneurs Can Leverage The Power Of Live-Streaming Apps
Live-video apps like Periscope can help your business, but you should consider these guidelines before jumping in.
Unless you have been living in a disconnected, iPhone-free cave, you are certainly aware of the recent rise of live-streaming mobile apps. The most popular app in this category is Twitter's Periscope, which allows users to stream live video from their iPhones to friends and strangers around the world.
Take The Fast Company News Quiz
What happened this week? Here's our quiz for May 8, 2015.
What happened this week? Research says that one of the best ways to solidify new information is to be tested on it. Here's a chance to bolster your knowledge of current events—and earn a special emoji badge. 
One Photographer's Journey: From Shoveling Poop To Running A Multimedia Empire
How a photographer built a media empire around puppies. Yes, puppies.
When pet photographer Carli Davidson found out that she had successfully sold her first book, a collection of shaking-dog pictures called Shake, she was standing outside a grocery store in Portland, Oregon. With her agent on the line, she started jumping in the air. The path to publication had been a long and difficult journey for Davidson. Just a few years before, she had been shoveling shit—literally—in a zoo.
How A Computer Can Anticipate Users' Needs (Without Driving Them Crazy)
Yahoo Aviate's Paul Montoy-Wilson on the future of search and how it will transform everyday decisions.
When you walk into a restaurant, why doesn't your phone silence immediately, sensing that you'll be enjoying the company of the people you're eating with rather than receiving calls? Or when you get up from the table after two hours, why doesn't it hail an Uber, knowing that you need a ride home?
How One Woman Survived A Bad Career Break, Then Launched A Life-Changing Business
The inspiring, never-say-die story of Homa Dashtaki and White Moustache yogurt.
On a quiet commercial street in Red Hook—a fast-gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, that sits on the East River waterfront—there's a bright green door with blocky windows. It stands out from the sheet-metal garage doors that dominate the street, more welcoming than "watch your fingers."
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