Author Archives: silvalnews

Aging of America: The Increasing Dominance of Older Firms

09 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in Markets, Social

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– nearly four-in-five American workers are currently employed by organizations born prior to 1995

companies_impoyment_by_age

-the rate of new firm formations fell significantly during this period—occurring because the number of new firms being formed each year (numerator) didn’t keep pace with the growth in the stock of total firms in the economy (denominator). The same was not true of firm exits, which did keep pace with the growth in total firms—allowing the firm failure rate to hold mostly steady before rising in the second half of the last decade.

companies_entry_exit_rate_1978_2011

~ The Other Aging of America: The Increasing Dominance of Older Firms by Ian Hathaway, Ennsyte Economics*, Robert Litan, The Brookings Institutio

Leftist Billionaire Syndrome

27 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by in Politics, Social

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Why are names like Soros, Gates and Rockefeller associated with ultraliberal causes? … What makes so many smart billionaires gravitate to primitive liberal positions one would normally associate with…?
Read More: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/0415/123.html

    Memo: From Nick Hanauer. To: My Fellow Zillionaires
    … like you I am one of those .01%ers, a proud and unapologetic capitalist. I have founded, co-founded and funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries … Then I founded … And what do I see in our future now? … Revolutions, like bankruptcies, come gradually, and then suddenly. One day, somebody sets himself on fire, then thousands of people are in the streets, and before you know it, the country is burning. And then there’s no time for us to get to the airport and jump on our Gulfstream Vs and fly to New Zealand…
    Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchforks-are-coming-for-us-plutocrats-108014.html

See also: Taking a look inside the secret leftist billionaires club By Tori Richards

Fostering Creativity: Hard and Soft Thinking

11 Friday Jul 2014

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‘Hard’ and ‘soft’ thinking are terms often associated with creativity and they reflect the neurological processes associated with different hemispheres of the brain. Research suggests that the right side of the brain is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way, looking first at the whole picture then the details (soft thinking). The other hemisphere – the left brain – is verbal and processes information in an analytical and sequential way, looking first at the pieces then putting them together to get the whole (hard thinking) …The distinction between hard and soft thinking can be illustrated in the following way. 

Hard thinking Soft thinking

certain

close down

one right answer

exact

fast

looking

black and white

analysis

logic

differences and categories

rational

precise

serious

familiar

doubtful

open up

many right answers

approximate

slow

waiting

many shades of grey

hunches

intuition

similarities and connections

dreamlike

diffuse

playful

new

Roger Von Oech (1990) believes that creative thinking must be recognised as a process that involves both hard and soft thinking and that it is important to know when each is appropriate. He argues that every person has a ‘judge’ and an ‘artist’ within, and both are required in order to be creative. Even those who are very inventive, and thrive on spontaneity and uncertainty, also need to seek order and be analytical if they are to be successful.  It is now believed that the most powerful creative thinking occurs when the left and right hemispheres of the brain combine to apply both generative and evaluative processes.  Read more: http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/resourcesandcpd/research/summaries/rsfosteringcreativity.asp

3D Printer For Makeup

10 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Markets, Tech

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3D printing is all the rage these days, but for now, it’s mostly centered around little plastic doo-dads. The Mink ,,, is a bit different. The little printer lets users choose any color on the web, or in the real world, and using simple already-existing software, print that color into a blush, eye shadow, lip gloss or any other type of makeup… Moreover, drug stores offer an incredibly limited selection of colors and options. Because makeup isn’t the main driver of sales in a Walgreens, they get more universally loved colors like pinks and reds, and exclude consumers who want to be bold. More niche retailers like Sephora have a wide selection of colors, but at a much higher price. With Mink, users can satisfy the desire for instant gratification while still having access to any color in the world at an affordable price… The Mink costs less than $200, with plans to launch later in the year… Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/05/mink-is-a-3d-printer-for-makeup/

See also: Mink CEO Grace Choi, Who’s Taking On The $55 Billion Beauty Industry With A 3D Makeup Printer

Google Gets Defensive About Google Glass ‘Myths’

10 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Markets, Tech

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Google’s got its PR panties in a bunch again about its fancy $1,500 face computer. …  Here’s a look at the myths Google officially doesn’t want circulating about its often mocked and hated on baby, plus what we think about them.  

    Myth 1 – Glass is the ultimate distraction from the real world  …
    Myth 2 — Glass is always on and recording everything  …
    ………………………………………………..
    Myth 10 – Glass marks the end of privacy …

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232463#