The French poet Paul Valéry once said, “The purpose of psychology is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best.”  In that spirit, consider a situation many of us will find we know too well:  You're sitting at your desk in your office at home. Digging for something under a stack of papers, you find a dirty coffee mug that’s been there so long it’s eligible for carbon dating.  Better wash it. You pick up the mug, walk out the door of your office, and head toward the kitchen.  By the time you get to the kitchen, though, you've forgotten why you stood up in the first place, and you wander back to your office, feeling a little confused—until you look down and see the cup.

So there's the thing we know best:  The common and annoying experience of arriving somewhere only to realize you've forgotten what you went there to do.  We all know why such forgetting happens: we didn’t pay enough attention, or too much time passed, or it just wasn’t important enough.  But a “completely different” idea comes from a team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame.  The first part of their paper’s title sums it up:  “Walking through doorways causes forgetting.”

For many, entrepreneurialism is a way of life. It’s a means to putting food on the table and clothes on the backs of their families. Others have the luxury to decide whether being an entrepreneur or business owner is the right path for them, and then there are those that see a problem and long to make a difference by providing a solution. Either way the key characteristics of an entrepreneur are inherent within them.

Whatever the reasons or goals are, these are key characteristics of an entrepreneur:

Visualizing the Invisible

Success is a tangible quantity. Some say it can be measured by the number of wealth, yachts, cars or houses a person accumulates. Others say that success gives you peace of mind by knowing that you have achieved what you set out to achieve; whether that be building a multimillion dollar business, leaving steady employment behind, or helping thousands of people overcome illness through curing what was before an incurable disease.

By mid-2012, coffee shops and burger joints across the country will be required to prominently display nutritional information about their food products. Many of the larger franchises are already doing this. But does knowing the number of calories in a caramel latte make you more likely to choose a fat-free coffee?

Unfortunately, no—most studies have found that caloric signage has little or no impact on the food choices that customers make. But that may be because people don’t have a clear idea about what those calories mean, suggests Sara Bleich, a health policy expert at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

AIB expects a record year of seed funding investment in 2012, with the creation of at least 20 new, innovative businesses and the support of around 130 jobs.

The largest provider of seed capital funding in Ireland, AIB funds are likely to support 260 jobs in 2011 and 2012 combined and it is expected to have invested around €6m in 2011 alone in 20 new investments in early stage companies.

AIB facilitates the provision of such finance through two dedicated seed capital funds which have a combined total €75m available for investment. The funds were established under the Enterprise Ireland Seed and Venture Capital Programme 2007-2012.

The first step toward seeing your idea become a business – apart from the obvious preparation of a business plan and determining how much seed capital you’ll need – is preparing to answer the most common questions venture capitalists and angel investors will ask.

1. Who is your competition and what’s the barrier-to-entry?

Be prepared to understand not just your competition but the overall marketplace for potential competitors. Is your idea sustainable against a wave of new entrants? What’s your plan for pushing the business forward?

Behind Door #1 are people of extraordinary ability: scientists, artists, educators, business people and athletes. Behind Door #2 stand a random assortment of people. Which door should the United States open?

In 2010, the United States more often chose Door #2, setting aside about 40,000 visas for people of extraordinary ability and 55,000 for people randomly chosen by lottery.

It's just one small example of our bizarre U.S. policy toward high-skill immigrants. Every year, we allow approximately 140,000 employment visas, which cover people of extraordinary ability, professionals with advanced degrees, and other skilled workers. The number is absurdly low for a country with a workforce of 150 million. As a result, it can be years, even decades, before a high-skilled individual is granted a U.S. visa. Moreover, these 140,000 visas must also cover the spouse and unmarried children of the high-skilled worker, so the actual number of high-skilled workers admitted under these programs is less than half of the total. Perhaps most bizarrely there is a cap on the number of visas allowed per country regardless of population size. How many visas are allocated to people of extraordinary ability from China, a country of over 1 billion people? Exactly 2,803. The same number as are allocated to Greenland.

Two years ago I posted links to ten (relatively) mindless online “games” as a bit of fun, and as something not too taxing to indulge in over the holiday break.  Having reached that point again where anything more intellectually challenging than tic tac toe makes my head hurt, I thought I would revisit and update the 2020 Science Compendium of Mindless Games. The only criteria for inclusion: an ability to retain my attention for more than 10 seconds, minimal thinking required, a high smile-factor, and absolutely nothing of overtly educational value!

Just in case you are looking for something a tad more intellectually stimulating, you can always try the Royal Statistical Society Christmas Quiz instead!

A new accelerator seeking to carve out a niche by fostering women-led startups in mobile technology is seeking applications.

Among Women Innovate Mobile‘s criteria are companies that are focused on technology with a woman co-founder and a mobile application.

Those accepted into the New York City program will get $18,000, mobile marketing and design support, as well as office space. There is also a mentoring network of investors and entrepreneurs as well as a network that includes startup support groups such as Golden Seeds, Women 2.0 and Angel Capital Association, among others.

We hacked through dozens of year-end lists--and, yes, checked them twice--to bring you our curated best and worst of 2011. Here's the mother of all roundups that you will find online, offline, and everywhere else. Each line is taken from those other year-end lists.

‘Tis the season of year-end lists, the time of the season when you see the ubiquitous "Best of 2011" rankings for nearly everything--books, movies, things to do, songs, cars, iPad  apps, YouTube videos, fashion moments, Tweets and more. If you have access to the Internet and a bag full of opinions you can make your Top 5, 10, 100 and beyond, of anything you like and be guaranteed someone will read it. They can range from the entirely opinionated--“ten albums that I liked and no one else did this year”--to the somewhat informative--“ten hip restaurants that opened up in this area of town that you might not venture to that often”--to the outrageously unnecessary--“top ten things I wore on my left foot this year.”

Fabrice Grinda is the CEO of OLX, one of the largest classified websites in the world, and he’s very excited about the emerging digital markets Russia and Brazil. His company, which he describes as Craiglist 2.0 for the rest of the world, is rapidly expanding there, and as a tech investor he’s putting money into startups from those countries, as well.

“These are two of the hottest Internet markets in the world right now,” said Grinda, who notes that GDP growth is fueling similar growth in the digital sector in these emerging markets.

Mom-trepreneurs like Scarlett Paolicchi are a good example of the ingenuity and variety of today’s small business owner. Starting a business from where you are and suiting your lifestyle is the key. Don’t let the restrictions stop you. Read on!

Latest Trends

Social media “mom-trepreneur” makes good. Self-proclaimed “accidental entrepreneur” Scarlett Paolicchi discovered an aptitude for social networking and founded her small business, all while adjusting to her new status as a stay-at-home mom. Incorporating what you know and do in your day-to-day life into a new business may not be as hard as you think. Start Your Own Small Biz

In many ways, 2011 was the year when previously overhyped technologies suddenly became mainstream (you may not have noticed because you were too busy checking BBM). Gadgets that had been at the top of everyone’s “Trends” lists for the past two or three years finally started making it onto people’s Christmas lists, too. The social changes promised by the rise of “SoLoMo” (social-local-mobile) became felt when they supported enormous social upheaval during the Arab Spring. Here are 5 of the many ways in which technology changed the world in 2011.

1. The smartphone became mainstream

Remember it seemed like the world was ending when the BlackBerry network went down a few months ago? That’s because BlackBerrys are the new Nokias — everyone has them. Around 30% of the world now owns a smartphone. Smartphones are no longer just for geeks and businessmen — they’ve become indispensable digital companions for anyone who can afford them (and that barrier is being lowered all the time).

With Christmas only a few days away Memeburn has a Christmas gift for you. We have compiled a Christmas video collection for 2011. Featuring everything from cruel pranks and parodies to classic tv adverts — the collection is truly magical. From all of us at Memeburn, Merry Christmas

This 2011 advert from John Lewis embodies the true spirit of Christmas. Most certain to bring a smile to your face. It will make you wish you had been more like this young boy as a child.

You can't shake the feeling that your company is headed for a cliff. But most of your colleagues don't quite realize it. After all, on the surface business is good. But you see how technology is going to shake the ground your company is standing on, perhaps even toppling the business itself.

So what can you do?

For some discontented technologists, the answer is to let fly with a "disruption memo"—a lengthy (and ultimately public) declaration that dissects the threats to a company's competitive position.

Although I do not have data to back it up, and any such study would take decades to prove, I believe that universities will be more successful and profitable if they provide open source support to entrepreneurs.

University Research Grants

Most universities are willing to support student, faculty, and local entrepreneurs but it comes at a major cost for the entrepreneur.  For example, in Indiana, both Purdue University and Indiana University will partner with entrepreneurs to secure research grants for the startup’s technology.  If they are successful in securing a grant the university will immediately take 54% of the grant funding just for putting their name on the grant application.

Are you looking to take the leap into starting your own business in 2012? If you’re just starting to think about it, or if you have been planning it for a while, you still may have lots of unanswered questions. The following 101 resources will help you learn more about entrepreneurship, startups, small business, and much more.

Entrepreneurs & Startups

• Entrepreneur.com – Business ideas and trends from Entrepreneur Magazine. The latest news, expert advice, and growth strategies for small business owners.
• Forbes for Entrepreneurs – Read the breaking Entrepreneurs coverage and top headlines on Forbes.
• Inc. Start-up – Advice for founders of start-ups and start-up entrepreneurs on writing a business plan, running a home-based business, naming a start-up business, how to incorporate, financing a start-up, buying a small business, and starting a franchise.

Santa Clara University’s Global Social Benefit Incubator, which partners socially conscious organizations with Silicon Valley mentors, is an intensive bootcamp for entrepreneurs who want to change the world. It launched Kiva, and now it’s preparing its 10th anniversary class.

The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), an intensive bootcamp for social entrepreneurs, is turning 10. Based at California’s Santa Clara University, the incubator has given birth to a who’s who of do-gooder organizations such as Kiva and SolarEar, and boasts an impressive 50% scale rate for graduates. Now that GSBI is celebrating their first decade, they are inviting applicants to join their 2012 class. Twenty lucky winners will receive a full scholarship and intensive coaching for their social entrepreneur efforts; six slots are reserved for projects dealing with clean, reliable low-cost energy projects.

The iPad 2 won’t be the only tablet turning up as a holiday gift this year: it’s finally got some real competition in the form of the more affordable Kindle Fire. But let’s face it: you don’t buy (or give someone) a Kindle Fire because of the apps. The device is designed primarily as a portal to Amazon’s digital content, including books, music, and movies.

The iPad 2, on the other hand, continues to be the ideal tablet for app lovers, and the iTunes App Store still boasts the largest collection, by far, of apps optimized for the tablet form factor.

I’m often asked by people what investment areas interest me.

It’s true that I have a functional focus on three areas: Performance-based marketing, digital television and mobile computing. I try to invest in things that I know and that I believe I might have better knowledge and relationships than the masses of VCs.

I have other areas of interest & competence such as cloud computing and document management given my background.

It’s also true that I’m mostly founder driven, where the founding team & my personal relationship with them leads to a strong mutual working relationship. If that bond isn’t there or if it feels like I’m in a bidding process for the highest price, I might as well be Wells Fargo.

Along with the oft-pronounced, desperately wished for death of the suburbs, no demographic narrative thrills the mainstream news media more than the decline of the Sun Belt, the country’s southern rim extending from the Carolinas to California. Since the housing bubble collapse in 2007, commentators have heralded “the end of the Sun Belt boom.”

Yet this assertion is largely exaggerated, particularly since the big brass buckle in the middle of the Sun Belt, Texas, has thrived throughout the recession. California, of course, has done far worse, but its slow population growth and harsh regulatory environment align it more with the Northeast than with its sunny neighbors.