Scott Dunscombe noted on Twitter that this article I wrote about how cities ought to look beyond high-tech for this economic destiny has a fair amount in common with what Portland mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith calls "economic gardening."

And in fact, though I didn't use the phrase in the piece that's exactly what I had in mind while I was writing about it. I even heard the phrase when I was in Portland over the summer, from someone who I believe was working on Smith's campaign. After Googling, the phrase turns out to not be unique to him but instead dates from Littleton, Colorado in 1987. Fittingly, the Kaufmann Foundation seems enthusastic about the idea which is neat because a report Kaufmann released a few weeks ago that doesn't use the phrase at all was one of the inspirations for what I wrote.

Tuning in to the real-time conversations of the top 500 experts in any subject matter on social media can require painstaking efforts. Researchers or their interns often need to find and verify the sources, make lists, then aggregate the blog URLs, Twitter handles, and content published by those experts.

A start-up called Plexus Engine, doing business as Little Bird, automates the process. The company’s co-founder and chief executive, Marshall Kirkpatrick, jumped into tech operations from the editorial side of the start-up scene. He previously worked as an editor and writer at ReadWriteWeb and TechCrunch, respectively.

Among those for whom Paris is not their favorite European city, Barcelona often fills the void. Barcelona is the capital of Spain's Catalonia region. Catalonia has been in the news in recent weeks because of the rising a settlement for independence from Spain, or at a minimum, considerably expanded autonomy. In part, the discontent is driven by a concern about the extent to which more affluent Catalonia subsidizes the rest of Spain. Another driving factor is the interest in separating Catalonian language and culture from that of Spain.

Barcelona is nestled on the Mediterranean coast with mountains and valleys immediately behind. It would be easy to visit Barcelona without being aware of the huge expanse of suburbanization that has developed especially over the last 50 years.

Below are the top 25 biotechnology companies based on market capitalization at the end of the second quarter 2012, and Q2 2011, calculated by multiplying the number of outstanding shares by the share price. U.S. companies generally report their numbers of outstanding shares in their 10-Q quarterly earnings filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Companies based outside the U.S. either disclose market cap directly, or their numbers of shares “in issue” or “in free issue” in half-year and full-year results disclosures.

These are the positions the biotech industry will most need to fill over the next 10 years. Is yours on the list?

I'm noticing a growing trend: many people are rushing into crowdfunding to finance their projects without fully understanding the numerous challenges that await them. It's as if they're going out for their first skydive, but they don't bother to take a skydiving lesson or get a few practice jumps in. They just close their eyes and hope it all works out.

And then they realize they forgot the parachute.

Seasoned health care executives today launch Health Tech Hatch (HTH), a seed-funding and development resource for entrepreneurs creating innovative health and wellness products and companies. Focused on health care and wellness, HTH creates a synergy among a crowdfunding model, concept and prototype testing and expert mentorship.

Last month, Government Technology (our sister publication) released its 16th annual “Best of the Web” survey of state and local government websites. A panel of analysts and current and former CIOs judged nearly 100 entrants on innovation, functionality and their impact on government efficiency.

For the record, the top sites came from the state of Alabama; Orange County, Fla.; and the Louisville, Ky., Metro Government. But beyond the annual beauty contest, the survey offers a snapshot of the state of the art for public websites. So what can you learn from some of the best public-sector websites in the nation? Based on what’s offered by the winners and other highly ranked sites, here are some must-have features:

A message from Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO

Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his future legacy into the future.

Now that information is ubiquitous, the obligation changes. It's no longer okay to not know.

If you don't know what a word means, look it up.

If you're meeting with someone, check them out in advance.

If it sounds too good to be true, Google it before you forward it.

If you don't know what questions to ask your doctor, find them before your appointment.

As a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs, I find it’s easy to recognize “street smarts” when I see them, but it’s hard to explain the specifics to someone on the other end of the spectrum, even if they are willing to learn. Some people argue that street smarts are only a natural born skill, but I disagree. I believe they are disciplines that can be taught and learned.

In the urban world, being street smart means instinctively knowing how to keep yourself safe from scams and bad guys. It means you know your way around, how to handle yourself in tough situations, and how to “read” people’s intent. In reality, the startup world contains those same very risky streets, but in the business context.

With the recent release of the iPhone 5, users found themselves trawling the internet for any leaked tit-bits that would give a sneak peek at Apple’s latest creation. The majority were Photo Shopped images either too blurred and distorted to recognise, or too weird and crazy to be believed.

Some of the weirder rip-offs came from China. The country thrives on the ability to mass produce replicas of popular products. It specialises in re-branding with an often unique and disturbing twist. It’s where international travelers go when looking to get their retail fix. “Techno-junkies” come out looking to sneak as many cheap and fake gadgets through customs as possible. One can only wonder what kind of findings a cavity search would produce.

Small businesses need to focus on their advantages.  Let me clarify, so as to not make the most generic statement of the century.  As an entrepreneur, it is absolutely natural to want your business to grow quickly. Whether you want to form a million dollar empire or get big quick so you can sell your business in five years and retire on the beach (like I wanted to do), the inclination is to take on as many big business tactics as you can.

This is understandable. In many walks of life it can be very useful to fake it ‘til you make it. As a small business this is sometimes the case. You want to engender trust, both from investors and customers, and behaving like a big dog can often do that.

Computers are leaner, meaner and cheaper than ever before. With computing power no longer at a premium, we're swimming in numbers that describe everything from how a small town in Minnesota behaves during rush hour to the probability of a successful drone strike in Yemen.

The advent of so-called "big data" means that companies, governments and organizations can collect, interpret and wield huge stores of data to an amazing breadth of ends. From shoe shopping to privacy concerns, here's a look at five ways big data is changing the world:

When Apple announced last year that all iPhones would come with a voice-activated assistant named Siri, capable of answering spoken questions, Michael Phillips’s heart sank. THE iECONOMY A series examining challenges posed by increasingly globalized high-tech industries.

For three decades, Mr. Phillips had focused on writing software to allow computers to understand human speech. In 2006, he had co-founded a voice recognition company, and eventually executives at Apple, Google and elsewhere proposed partnerships. Mr. Phillips’s technology was even integrated into Siri itself before the digital assistant was absorbed into the iPhone.

The traits of good and successful entrepreneurs

Once you have a great idea, there is a unique set of personality traits that are required. These personality traits will separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls or even the women from the men.

Behavioural and personality traits that are required for successful entrepreneurship are:

Interpersonal and verbal communications skills

All business is about People to People (P2P). Good communications and interpersonal relationships among all stakeholders including customers, employees, partners and shareholders and suppliers are essential to the success of any business.

Amid the recent release of new ultrafast smartphone models, two interactive maps provide a reminder of the United States' wireless divide and the incremental progress in closing it. 

This one shows areas that still lack coverage for 3G or 4G wireless coverage. It includes 1,738,828 residents and 653,392 miles of highways and secondary roads (including a few stretches of the fabled Route 66 through northern New Mexico and Arizona). If you live in one of these areas or are driving through, you’ll find no 4G or even 3G service for your new iPhone5, Droid Razr M, Nokia Lumia 900, or other smartphone.

CHINA has six cities listed in Unesco’s Creative Cities Network. No other country boasts as many internationally-acclaimed creative cities.

The cities are Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Harbin. Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing are “Cities of Design” while Chengdu is “City of Gastronomy” and Hangzhou, “City of Crafts and Folk Art.” The northern city of Harbin is recognised for its musical creations and promotion of the music industry.

PRETEND play does not contribute to creativity, intelligence or problem solving, American research claims.

A University of Virginia review of more than 150 studies, published online in the journal Psychological Bulletin, looked for clear contributions of pretend play to children's mental development, but found little or no correlation.

Pretend play is any play that involves using the imagination to create a fantasy world or situation, such as making toy cars go "vrrooooom" or making dolls talk.

James Dyson, the British inventor behind the iconic Dyson line of vacuum cleaners is giving $8 million to London’s Royal College of Art for an incubator, Fast Company magazine reports. The RCA design and engineering graduates will incubate 40 new products. Dyson, believes that with all the obsession on code and digital, there is need for physical inventions. Some of the products being worked on at the incubator include LooWatt (a waterless toilet system that generates biogas in developing communities) and a retractable room divider for hospital wards, KwickScreen.