Google is planning to offer high-speed Internet service in 34 more cities scattered across eight states in an ambitious expansion aimed at providing formidable competition to cable and telecommunication providers.

The cities on Google's list include: Atlanta; San Jose, Calif.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore. and Salt Lake City.

The blueprint unveiled Wednesday is tentative because Google needs to work out logistics with government leaders in the communities where it hopes to build the networks needed to deliver its service.

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How ski jumpers manage fear, why bronze medalists are happier than silver winners, and of course—the physics of curling!

Image: http://www.scientificamerican.com 

As promised we are now doing more frequent and hopefully shorter newsletters for you. We have significant issues to report on ranging from a potential loss of 22% of STTR funds for small businesses, to the changing of the guard in the Senate for small businesses.

We will also look at universities and their struggle with diminishing R&D grant money. This is affecting many university relationships with small businesses and the SBIR/STTR community.

We'll start with an update of opportunities and tools.

The star attractions of many major international auto shows are the way-out futuristic concept vehicles that stand little to no chance of going into production. These crazy high-tech cars are an invitation to imagine an alternative transportation reality in which vehicles can fly, swim, think, and move us— physically and psychically—in unpredictable ways.

But the latest concept vehicle from Rinspeed, a Swiss tuner shop known for exotic cars, reveals that today’s automotive technology is quickly catching up with the future.

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A new study of how men approach their golden years found that how happy individuals are remains relatively stable for some 80 percent of the population, but perceptions of unhappiness – or dealing with “hassles” – tends to get worse once you are about 65-70 years old.

The reasons vary, researchers say, but may be because of health issues, cognitive decline or the loss of a spouse or friends.

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Mind-numbing meetings, overflowing inboxes and urgent projects that require you to drop everything--do ever feel like parts of your workday are a personalized form of hell? If you’re frustrated by ineffective work processes--and complaining to coworkers over drinks--you’re not alone.

Fifty-four percent of employees have felt frustrated about work and 40% say they don’t understand the company’s vision or have never seen it, according to “America’s Workforce: A Revealing Account of What U.S. Employees Really Think About Today’s Workplace,” a 2013 survey by Kelton, a Los Angeles-based research firm.

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com 

Somewhere along the way, people became convinced that stasis is safer than movement. Consistency feels comfortable; volatility is frightening. Consciously or not, we attempt to protect ourselves against life’s volatility by cultivating routine in our lives.

But, in this ever-changing world, we are constantly forced to reinvent ourselves.

And this reinvention process by very nature requires an entrepreneurial mindset.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44667304@N02/5682061077 

When you’re staring at an inbox piled high with unread emails, it’s easy for email to feel like yet another problem for you to solve. But by using your email’s rules and filters, you can not only prevent those messages from piling it up, but address challenges you face that go beyond your inbox.

A mail rule scans your incoming email for specific messages (for example, from a certain person, or containing a specific set of keywords) and handles those messages in a way you’ve predefined: by filing them in a particular folder so you can look at them when they are relevant.

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In the early days of founding my current company, The Grommet, I met with a prominent venture capitalist. His firm had a summer incubator program for student entrepreneurs.  As we chatted, two of those young in-resident founders walked by. The investor shook his head admiringly and said to me, “Those kids are here all hours of the day.”  Then he paused thoughtfully and questioned, “Can you do that?”

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Private equity and venture capital groups have slashed fundraising for Brazil by more than 70 per cent over the past two years as the country’s gloomier economic outlook drives away larger companies such as London-based 3i. About $2.3bn was raised last year to invest in Brazil, down from $3.6bn in 2012 and $8.1bn in 2011, according to data released on Thursday by the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (Lavca).

Image: http://www.ft.com 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 19, 2014 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Fenwick & West LLP, one of the nation's premier law firms providing comprehensive legal services to high technology and life science clients, today announced the results of its Fourth Quarter 2013 Silicon Valley Venture Capital Survey.

The survey analyzed the valuations and terms of venture financings for 124 technology and life science companies headquartered in the Silicon Valley that raised capital in the fourth quarter of 2013.

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If you are looking to raise money for your company -- or keep up at cocktail parties -- you should have a few facts about crowdfunding up your sleeve.

Crowdfunding is a way of raising money for a new venture by soliciting small donations from many people online.  The biggest platforms in the industry are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. In the last five years, crowdfunding has grown from a tool for off-beat bands to raise money from fans for an album they can’t afford to produce to a way for some really high tech inventors to get access to capital for their new, innovative startups.

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Any time both Democrats and Republicans fall over each other to pass a bill, it’s likely that political posturing rather than sensible substance is involved, and you should hold on to your wallet. A case in point: the Jumpstart Our Small Businesses Act, known as the JOBS Act.

In March 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the measure 390-23, the Senate followed with a 73-26 vote, and President Obama signed off on it soon after. A comment period on proposed U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules to implement the crowdfunding part of the law ended Feb. 3. The idea is that a company can post a business opportunity on the internet to give the public – the crowd – a chance to invest after sharing information and evaluating the idea. An SEC spokeswoman says it’s not clear when a vote on final rules will make it on to the commission’s calendar. (See “How to Use Crowdfunding to Start Your Business.”)

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"People don't buy things for logical reasons," Zig Ziglar once famously said. "They buy for emotional reasons."

Which means: In order to gain customers — and keep them for life — you've got to do more than introduce them to your brand, business, or product. You've got to make them fall in love with it.

Image: FLICKR, TRISTAN SCHMURR  

Accelerators and incubators usually focus on startups they believe will strike it big, fast. But Israel-based global organization PresenTense has decided to apply its expertise in the field to launch an accelerator that will groom startups that address the needs of people with disabilities.

PresenTense, a largely volunteer-run community of innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world, “who are investing their ideas and energy to revitalize the Jewish community,” has partnered with Beit Issie Shapiro and The Rudeman Family Foundation to launch the new Accelerating Inclusion in Israel (A3i), the world’s first accelerator focused on solutions to the needs of the disabled.

Image: http://nocamels.com - Daniel Freidlin 

Fast Company:

Getting a kid off to college later this summer? You could schlep around to Bed Bath & Beyond and Target, or try a new startup called Dorm-In-A-Box that’s taken aim at that ad nauseam shopping for what is, let’s face it, a pretty predictable set of goods.

This offshoot of a private-label product design company–that is, they’re the type of company that designs the cheap, in-house brands that you’d find at places such as Target and K-Mart–leverages its deep expertise when it comes to bringing goods to market for cheap. And proverbially passes on the savings to you.

SAMBA:

Ideas are a dime a dozen. The money is in the execution. Need proof?

For Seth Godin’s Alternative MBA program, nine innovators came up with 111 business ideas each. But ideas are only valuable when someone (like you) makes something happen.

What follows are our business ideas, free for the taking. Some good, some not so good.

Image: http://www.business-opportunities.biz 

These top venture capitalists don’t wait for biotech startups to come to them. They create companies themselves.

The path to greatness in biotechnology runs through a vale of tears. Mark Levin wants to remember that.

Image: http://medcitynews.com 

For Marie Johnson, coming up with a better way to detect coronary artery disease is both a business and a personal mission.

Johnson is CEO of AUM Cardiovascular, a Minnesota medical device company that’s developing a potentially cheaper, simpler, eight-minute test to detect signs of coronary artery disease — the primary cause of heart attack.

Image: http://medcitynews.com 

The best time to start saving is while you’re still young. You still have plenty of time to make mistakes and the luxury of time to fix them, along with some bad spending habits you might’ve developed over the years. You also have more opportunity to consider a ton of options involving money early on in life.

However, just as there are opportunities, so are there plenty of distractions that could make it difficult for you to save up. Before you make any more brash decisions or mistakes, it’s best to assess your spending habits.

Image: http://under30ceo.com