Why is it that only writer’s seem to get “blocked” in a socially acceptable (at times even romantic) way. You never hear about mechanic’s block or line cook’s block, damn writer’s and their dramatic ways! Well I decided today that entrepreneur’s can get “block” also but unlike the pie in the sky literary elite, we actually have to get over ours… and fast.

My entrepreneur’s block set in days ago and with increasing rigor seemed to take up more and more of my time. Fear started to creep in and every time I made a move I either second guessed it or just plain lost my train of thought. The other night I drank 4 vodka/sodas one to unhinge my block, instead I just got a headache the next morning. I worked 12 hours one day to try to break through my block and that did nothing but give me a panic attack. So finally out of sheer exhaustion I decided to turn off the computer, put on my oh so professional sequined bikini (I’m from Vegas people) and go for a swim in a river of all places, note: I wasn’t in Vegas at the time.

Even ahead of the new proposed tax credits for research and development activities, smart businesses interested in sustainability have been funding activities that could be commercially viable for their own company’s future. One of the biggest examples of that to date is the GE ecoimagination challenge, which is offering up $200 million for ideas and technologies related to the smart grid. But there are many other companies doing their part.

Just heard about a new partnership, for example, that is being coordinated by business incubator Nidus Investment Partners out of St. Louis. Nidus has just announced that both agricultural products and technology giant Monsanto and agribusiness and food company Bunge Limited have put up $1.5 million (each) toward a new partnership to find and commercialize agricultural and energy innovation more quickly than the market might otherwise bear.

A is for AOL. B is for Bank of America. C is for Craigslist. Say what? Presenting the default search results of New Google -- in rhyming couplets.

 

The days of getting caught talking in class are over--and so aren't the days of even getting caught.

According to a new survey by app developer textPlus, which surveyed more than 600 of its users aged 13 to 17, texting is more rampant than ever in the classroom. A whopping 42.5% of teens admit to texting during class, and more than half of those say they text sometimes or constantly. What's more, nearly 80% of students say they've never gotten in trouble for texting during class, suggesting the eyes-down, cell-under-the-desk method is slipping past even your most yard-stick taunting school teachers.

Digital interfaces are going big -- so big pretty soon we might not be able to distinguish between what's real and what's fake, whether we're talking about ads on the street or the reflection in the mirror.

That's 'cause designers are starting to experiment with screens that penetrate all aspects of the physical world, from the pavement to the bathroom to the air we breathe. Below, we've got a roundup of the coolest -- and, yeah, occasionally disturbing -- design concepts.

In January, I contributed a guest post to Silicon Prairie News that discussed the reasons for measuring venture capital as a bellwether for investment and investible deals (Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem: what does success look like?). Another bellwether that we at the Omaha Chamber utilize is Small Business Innovation Research grants or “SBIRs”. SBIRs are excellent indicators of (1) research, development and commercialization in a state and (2) pipeline strength of future investible deals. Obviously, not every deal comes from an SBIR, but we believe that SBIRs represent an easily measured instrument that is instructive regarding current market conditions.

SBIR Explained

SBIRs are grants written by 11 federal agencies intended to help small businesses create and commercialize new innovations and technologies. The program consists of three phases of funding:

• Phase I (Feasibility): Awards range from $75k to $150k
• Phase II (Prototype): Awards range from about $250k to $1MM
• Phase III (Commercialization): This is considered an outside funding from a customer or private enterprise – so some groups do not even match this type of funding.

During his time on the International Space Station, astronaut Don Pettit trained his camera on planet Earth, and had it take a photo once every 15 seconds. The time lapse video above shows you Earth from day to night, complete with a sunset, a moonrise and the northern lights. Overall, Pettit took 85 time-lapsed videos of Earth, and at least eight of them appear on this YouTube playlist.

“It is welcome news that President Obama will ask Congress to expand and make the research and development (R&D) tax credit permanent. This will better enable the U.S. compete globally and make it clear that the United States has finally gotten off the sidelines in the fight for global economic competitiveness.

While expanding the credit from 14 to 17, as has been reported, makes sense. ITIF thinks an even more generous credit makes even better sense. ITIF estimates that expanding the credit from 14 percent to 20 per¬cent would create 162,000 jobs in the short to moderate run and an additional, but unspecified, number of jobs in the longer run - many of them high-skill, high wage jobs.

I’ve had a post in my head for months – maybe longer – about the role of a CEO.   It originally appeared on TechCrunch as a guest post but just in case you missed it there.  My primary role was “chief psychologist” and as I’ve learned over the past few years the same has been true as a VC.  Both are basically people businesses.

I finally got around to writing it having read Fred Wilson’s post about what a CEO does.  He says it basically comes down to three key functions:

• Sets the overall vision and strategy of the company and communicates it to all stakeholders
• Recruits, hires, and retains the very best talent for the company.
• Makes sure there is always enough cash in the bank.

Many people link the idea of creativity with being an “artist,” meaning someone who has a natural talent for expressing what they see through writing, art, dance, music or song. Art is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as human creativity. This need to create is an expression of our soul that reaches back to the very beginning of time. The ancient yogis called it pakritti, the universal energy that makes up all forms of matter. Creative energy is the cycle of birth, growth, and dissolution, a never-ending cycle to which we are all intimately connected. In other words, art is a metaphor for life, and life is a metaphor for living. Expressing yourself creatively is a recognition, integration, and understanding of what it is to be human.

One of the big debates in the venture capital industry lately has been the growing argument between so-called "super angels" and traditional VCs - the former being prone to mention how they feel the latter "sucks." As one would expect, many voices in the industry have made themselves heard in the form of VC blog posts and passionate, profanity-laced shouting matches. But when the fog of war clears, what should startups take away from the debate? Should they seek investment from VCs or super angels? Or both? Thankfully, some level-headed perspectives have emerged that are aimed at helping young startups interpret the lessons to be learned.

VP serves franks to the troops, yucks it up with Stephen Colbert Wednesday night on Comedy Central.

Energy efficiency has only recently become a popular concern among vehicle owners, but some people have been thinking about it for a long, long time. Craig Henderson and Bill Green designed the Avion, a fuel-efficient sports car, in 1984. Two years later, the vehicle set the Guinness World Record for fuel economy, getting an average of 103.7 mpg all the way from the Mexico border to the British Columbia, Canada, border. Now Henderson has revived the Avion for another jaunt from Canada to Mexico.

The latest iteration of the vehicle is just 1500 pounds and features an aluminum monocoque frame, a carbon fiber, kevlar and fiberglass body, and Goodyear "Fuel Max" tires. After receiving a sponsorship deal from Goodyear, Henderson decided to go from border to border once again--this time, on a single tank of gas.

I recently published an e-Book, “Building the Marketing Plan: A Blueprint for Startups” Summarized in it are some considerations – with respect to messaging, infrastructure, demand generation, process, budgets and timelines – that I’ve found useful across a bunch of markets and companies. [I was amused that in a couple days, it generated more leads for HubSpot – thousands – than I generated in the first year of each of my two startups. A lesson for me in market timing and reach. :) Build Plan OnStartups ]

In the spirit of Dharmesh’s “Startup Triplets: Startup Advice In Exactly 3 Words”, here are some of the take-aways from the e-Book.

The response to the original post of three interesting innovation contests was so positive, I’ve decided to start collecting contests and then posting them on the blog and on the twitter stream.  I’m not sure why there is such a strong interest in contests.  Maybe it has something to do with wanting to have some validation of our creative ability.  At the same time, rejection of our ideas can be a challenge to our psyche.

Here are three more innovation contest that you may be interested in.

Most organizations are so incompetent that they’re best described as flat-out stupid. Does this label apply to the place where you work? Take the Logan Organizational Stupidity Exam (LOSE) and find out. Every time you say “Yep, that’s where I work,” give your company a point.

As 56 million children return to the nation's 133,000 elementary and secondary schools, the promise of "reform" is again in the air. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced $4 billion in "Race to the Top" grants to states whose proposals demonstrate, according to Duncan, "a bold commitment to education reform" and "creativity and innovation [that are] breathtaking." What they really show is that few subjects inspire more intellectual dishonesty and political puffery than "school reform."

I have been studying recession for years. The current Great Recession, while highly unfortunate, is not an unprecedented event. We have had many recessions in the past. Based on my study of them, I can make several observations. First, expansion always follows recession and lasts longer than recession. For instance, a 16-month recession after the dot-com debacle was followed by seven years of expansion. Second, after the recession is over, the competitive landscape fundamentally changes—there are new winners and new losers. That leads to the third observation: The winners invest in innovation during recession, while the losers fail to do this. The best time to prepare for expansion is during recession.

True, these are tough economic conditions. Resources are scarce. I recommend a three-pronged strategy for pursuing innovation, even during extraordinarily difficult times. First, set aside a percentage of resources (both people and dollars) for innovation, and ring a fence around these resources. Second, take a hard look at all the projects under way in your company and stop the ones that show little future prospect. You can release resources by shutting down "low-probability-to-succeed" projects. Third, be very disciplined about implementing innovation initiatives. It is the third step—making innovation happen—that seems to be the most difficult.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso yesterday (7 September) unveiled plans to create a "vacancy monitor" intended to fill four million vacant jobs across the 27-member bloc. The move signals the EU executive's intent to play an active role in boosting job creation.

In his first 'State of the Union' address to MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday, Barroso said that while responsibility for employment policy and job creation is primarily the preserve of member states, his EU executive will not "stand on the sidelines" in the battle to restore European economic growth, create jobs and reform pension systems.

Instead, the president foresees an activist Commission that will "help its people to seize new opportunities". To that end, he proposed a number of new initiatives, chief among which was a so-called "European Vacancy Monitor" that will show people where jobs are available in Europe and which skills are needed in any given country.