Business smarts 34: Henry's

To celebrate their 100th anniversary, Henry's camera and photo are giving away a 2009 smart car.

(Their website erroneously refers to it as a fourtwo instead of a fortwo)

Business smarts 33: Air Combat Zone

Air Combat Zone : WHERE HIGH PERFORMANCE ADVENTURE, IS NO GAME!

Air Combat Zone puts YOU behind the controls of a high performance
F/A-18 flight simulator . If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to be a real F/A-18 pilot, now’s your chance to find out. The Air Combat Zone experience redefines entertainment to bring you the thrill of a lifetime. It’s JUST like the real thing.

Don't be mistaken: this ain’t no video game.
When you climb aboard an Air Combat Zone simulator, and settle into the ejection seat, you’ll be amazed . The live instrumentation, working Heads Up Display and replica HOTAS throttle and stick combine to convince you you’re flying a Hornet for real!

How Smart is This? Pittsburghers On Their Smart Cars

Glance up through the second-floor windows of the Mercedes-Benz dealership on Baum Boulevard and you may think you’re gazing into a playroom of oversized toys. But those cars are real. You’re looking into the showroom of Smart Center Pittsburgh, local home of Daimler’s Smart Fortwo, the littlest hot new thing on wheels.

According to general manager Gregg Szabatura, Pittsburgh’s allotment of just 200 fuel-efficient Smarts sold fast last year, in sync with rising gas prices. Despite the sagging economy, demand remains high for the 300 distinctive two-seaters earmarked for Pittsburgh this year, even though a growing number are finding their way onto the dealership’s orphan list. That’s a roster of folks eager to buy Smarts preordered by someone else who’s already made a $99 online deposit then had a change of heart.

“We don’t really do anything to drive demand for the vehicles,” says Gregg. “A lot of people who are buying these are commuting inner-city and in areas where you have condensed parking, like Oakland and Shadyside. We have a lot of baby boomers who are parking their big vehicles and using this out in the suburbs to run back and forth to the grocery store.”

Read full article here.

Credit crunch mum lives in Smart car

A desperate mum and her daughter have set up home in a Smart car after their house was repossessed in the credit crunch. Loredana Minopoli, 47, and daughter Valentina share the tiny two-seater motor in Milan, Italy, and get by for food on the 20-year-old's wages as a beautician."The seats break our backs, and the cold nights stop us sleeping. We're afraid to spend the night alone in this box so we always park near a police station," said Loredana.
Source: Croatian Times