4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Help Save the Economy | Allbusiness.com

July 25, 2014July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Forget about the politicians in Washington and don’t count on Corporate America to get our struggling economy going — it’s America’s entrepreneurs that will prove to be the saviors. American entrepreneurs, through their creativity, innovation, and willingness to embrace risk, are the real engines that power our economy.

So often we look to the huge, multinational corporations as the drivers and guardians of our economy when the truth is the millions of small businesses across America deserve the credit. A strong, vibrant economy is the result of America’s entrepreneurs embracing the risk of self-reliance and venturing out to create their own opportunities. New small business startups create over three million new jobs each year. The solution to getting this country back on its feet and moving in a positive direction won’t happen because of the government. It requires the fruitful minds and determined drive of everyday citizens who enthusiastically embrace risk and begin the entrepreneurial journey.

Want to be part of the solution? Here are four ways that entrepreneurs can help revitalize our sagging economy:

Malaysia Jet Probe Taps Black-Box Data in Hunt for Rocket Traces | Bloomberg

July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Data from the downed Malaysian jet’s black boxes has been successfully downloaded a week after the tragedy in east Ukraine, with the examination of bodies also under way as crash experts seek evidence of a missile strike.

The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch gained access to the Boeing Co. 777’s flight-data readings today after yesterday retrieving cockpit-voice recordings, according to Dutch authorities who are leading the probe in recognition of the fact that almost 200 victims were from the Netherlands.

Specialists from the Dutch National Forensic Investigation Team are working in Kharkiv in government-controlled Ukraine after some of the 298 dead were moved there by train, with bodies being flown on to the Netherlands. While the flight recorders may reveal evidence of a missile attack, the fragmentation warhead thought to have been used will have peppered the 777’s fuselage and potentially its occupants, leaving the probe less dependent on an examination of a crash site that’s been heavily disturbed since the July 17 incident.

3D Printed Earbud | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The fit on earbuds varies wildly, largely because each person’s earlobe is a unique and beautiful snowflake. Okay, maybe not beautiful. But if a pair of earbuds matched the exact shape of your ear, the days of painful buds that fall out too easily could be numbered. That’s the concept behind OwnPhones, a San Francisco-based start-up that has created 3D printed wireless earbuds that are custom fitted to the shape of your ears.

The startup isn’t alone in the 3D printed earbud space. A few weeks ago, Normals came out of the shadows with a similar concept. And in much the same way, OwnPhone users upload video of their ears, which will be converted into a 3D mold. The company offers a number of customization options, including the ability to choose the color, style and even earbud material, but OwnPhones doesn’t elaborate on what those materials are.

See More Cool Business Ideas.

The World’s Largest Indoor Farm Produces 10,000 Heads of Lettuce a Day in Japan | Inhabitat

July 23, 2014July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A former Sony Corporation semiconductor factory in Japan has been converted into the world’s largest indoor farm. Japanese plant physiologist Shigeharu Shimamura, CEO of Mirai Co., partnered with GE Japan to make his dream of a water, space and energy efficient indoor farming system a reality. Despite having only started production a year ago, the farm is already shipping out 10,000 heads of lettuce per day.

The farm is located in Miyagi Prefecture in eastern Japan, the area that was badly hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011. At 25,000 square feet, it is nearly half the size of a football field, and 17,500 LED lights spread over 18 cultivation racks reaching 15 levels high are a key to the farm’s success. The LEDs were developed for the project by GE and emit light at wavelengths optimal for plant growth, allowing Shimamura to control the night-and-day cycle and accelerate production.

Split decisions on Obamacare subsidies: The impact on 4.7 million Americans | CnnMoney

July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Two opposing court rulings issued Tuesday sowed confusion about whether 4.7 million Americans can keep their Obamacare subsidies.

A federal appeals court panel in Washington, D.C., ruled Tuesday morning that individuals cannot use tax credits or subsidies to buy health insurance on the federal exchange, healthcare.gov.

A few hours later, another set of appeal judges in Richmond, Va., unanimously upheld the ability for people applying for coverage on the federal exchange to receive subsidies.

The Obama administration said it plans to appeal the D.C. court ruling.

For Americans receiving subsidies, nothing will change until the legal court battle ends. People in the 14 states and Washington D.C. that run their own exchanges would not be affected by these rulings.

Subsidies are key to the Affordable Care Act’s success: About 87% of those who signed up for Obamacare plans on healthcare.gov received them.

Malaysia Airlines Disaster Could Be Setback for AIDS Research | Live Science

July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The HIV/AIDS research community expressed sadness today over the loss of prominent AIDS researchers and activists who were aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, saying that the tragedy could also be a setback for research in the field.

The flight, which was carrying nearly 300 passengers from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was brought down yesterday July 17 by a surface-to-air missile while flying over an area of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, according to U.S. government officials. At least several of the passengers on the flight were believed to be headed to the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

California’s Manufacturing Industries: Employment and Competitiveness in the 21st Century | LAEDC

July 20, 2014July 20, 2014 ~ CBPS ~ Leave a comment

mfg report Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation’s Institute for Applied Economics has produced a detailed report of where the California manufacturing sector is and where they think it’s headed. A great read for those looking to understand the future of this crucial part of our economy.

California_Manufacturing_2014

The Next Frontier For Forbes | Forbes

July 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Today, we announced that we have reached an agreement to sell a majority interest in Forbes Media to a group of international investors. This is obviously a momentous occasion for the Forbes family and the team here at Forbes. But, it represents an opportunity for extraordinary advances for us that would have been inconceivable just a few short years ago.

The web has blasted away the operating model for the communications industry that began back in the 1830s with the invention of the steam press, an innovation that made possible the cheap printing of newspapers and magazines on an industrial scale. Mass media was born. This new industry was largely supported by advertising; for most publications Forbes has been a happy exception circulation was a loss leader, that is, the cost of obtaining the subscription exceeded what the subscriber paid. Reporters and editors created content and advertising paid the bills.

Microsoft Declares War on Middle Managers and Khaki Pants | Businessweek

July 18, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to Microsoft, Nokia employees—you’re out of a job.

So came the message on Thursday as Microsoft MSFT announced plans to fire as many as 18,000 people over the next year. The bulk of the layoffs, about 12,500 people, will come from the Nokia NOK devices and services business that Microsoft officially acquired in April. Most of the rest of the firings will affect people with overlapping jobs, furthering new Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s pledge to create a leaner, meaner, faster-moving organization. Grrr.

It’s not easy firing this many people—especially when you’re Microsoft, which hardly ever fires anyone, and when you’re dealing with Finland, which also has a thing against firing people. The company did it with two memos and a press release. The first memo came from Nadella, who explained how the layoffs fit into the strategy outlined in his memo from last week. The second came from Stephen Elop, the former Nokia CEO and now Microsoft executive, who never really managed to revive Nokia’s business, delivered the pride of Finland into the clutches of Microsoft, and must be feeling some measure of guilt about all this. Right? A staggering 40,000 Nokia employees had already lost their jobs over the past few years, as the phonemaker transitioned from global market power to Harvard Business School case study.