Blogs

In Ann Arbor it's all about entrepreneurship and innovation. But do you have what it takes to flourish in the new economy? Consultant Brian Tolle has made a successful career out of coaching local start-ups and companies. He'll be blogging about the methods and mindset necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur.

A few brave souls are going carless as part of getDowntown's Commuter Challenge. And so Concentrate has invited them to share their commuting experiences and offer up their thoughts on why Ann Arborites should consider alternative forms of transportation. Check the blog all week for their posts.

Catherine Juon likes exclamation points. It's an enthusiasm thing. Which makes sense when you consider the success she's seen as Pure Visibilty's Co-Founder & Catalyst. Catherine will be blogging this week about Internet marketing, what it's like to helm a woman-owned tech company, and talking to other women business leaders about their experiences.

Does Ann Arbor have its own Mad Men culture? Chad Wiebesick says yes. As the Interactive Strategy Director at Perich Advertising + Design and president of the Ann Arbor Ad Club he probably knows what he's talking about. Guess what he'll be writing about in this week's guest blog?

It has been said that you should write to be understood. Dan Wickett, executive director and publisher of Dzanc Books, an independent press and literary advocate, offers up resources for those tangled in the oft-solitary pursuit of creative writing, and speaks to how writers impact our economic, social, and cultural issues.

Tonight at the Michigan Theater, 826Michigan is presenting the critically-praised documentary "American Teacher." It chronicles the lives of four different teachers who live and work in disparate urban and rural areas of the United States. This week, Concentrate's blog is proud to feature Dan Moulthrop, the author and journalist whose book inspired the film (he'll also be appearing at tonight's event).

Instead of buying produce trucked all the way from Cali or Mexico, top-consuming school districts are cultivating relations with local farmers - and even growing their own veggies. David Lahey, dining services director for the Ann Arbor Public Schools, discusses the seeding of the district's nationally recognized Farm to School program.

Over 2,500 artists each year submit work to the Ann Arbor Film Festival, a venue where the dime turns on provocative indie and experimental fare. Our pow wow pick of the week is the fest's executive director Donald Harrison, who'll be addressing the film industry vs. film as an art, and regional notions of a creativity crisis.

How do you turn a twinkle in your mind's eye into a viable business? Here to cross that chasm is Doug Neal, managing director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. This week he introduces some new terms of art: Velocity and entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial distractions.

Election season 2012 will leave its footprint on the region's parks, preserves, and natural resources. Drew Younge Dyke, policy specialist at the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, helps us to look at the environmental impacts of legislation and decode the greenalese.

Start ups, skate parks, hacker culture... these represent the future of Ann Arbor if Dug Song has anything to say about it. The VP of engineering at virtual cable provider Zattoo, Dug will be writing about where we need to go and what we need to do to keep the best and brightest here in Tree Town.

"I speak the language of Main Street, Ann Arbor USA." Some refer to Ed Vielmetti as the Kevin Bacon of Ann Arbor. But chances are there's less than six degrees of separation between you and he. Ed has spent over 20 years building, teaching, and adapting Internet services to community and local needs. In 2006 he was recognized by BBC News as one of the pioneering users of the World Wide Web. Ed will be writing about the power of wiki's and blogs.

Used to be that all roads led to private autos but now with the Ann Arbor City Council's commitment to a Complete Streets program, roadblocks to alternative transport are buckling. Eli Cooper, Ann Arbor's transportation program manager, writes on how Washtenaw's county's working of more lanes for moto, bike, bus, rail, and foot travel means a road map redesign by 2041.

Elizabeth Ziph is the co-founder of The Linux Box Corporation in downtown Ann Arbor, has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry and sits on the Detroit Chamber of Commerce Technology Advisory Panel. She will be writing about open source software, the freedom it gives its users and its potential impact on the future of computing.