Tim Ferriss, author of the bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek, has written a new book, The 4-Hour Body, for which he spent three years experimenting with fad diets, workouts, and medical treatments. "I made myself a guinea pig," says Ferriss. "It was terrifying, exciting, and illuminating."...PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has established a one-time fellowship that will award $100,000 grants to 20 aspiring tech entrepreneurs under 20. Thiel sees his grants as alternatives to college. "Some say I shouldn't encourage students to drop out," he says. "But many students graduate with huge tuition debt, which can stop them from being entrepreneurial."...Speaking of fledgling entrepreneurs, Stephen Ou, a high school freshman in San Leandro, California, recently launched iTunes Instant, a website that speeds up searches of Apple's iTunes store. "I usually finish my homework at school so I can focus on my side projects at night," says Ou, whose site had roughly 100,000 hits in its first three weeks....Kelly Ripa has teamed with TLC to create Homemade Millionaire, a reality show that features Ripa helping aspiring female entrepreneurs market their wares on the Home Shopping Network....Caleb Elston recently left a job at Justin.tv to focus on his own start-up, Yobongo, maker of a mobile app that lets users text others nearby. "Working for other people's start-ups can be great, but ultimately the vision isn't yours," says Elston.
The Goods is focused exclusively on products and services for business owners. We won't ignore the latest netbook or the hottest smartphone, but we'll also examine the services, software, and Web-based tools that can help make your business succeed. Nadine Heintz, a senior editor at Inc., edits The Goods, as well as Quick Hits. Send suggestions, comments, and deals to nheintz@inc.com.
