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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Jan 16, 2018 |
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King - Video: "A New Story of the People" - http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Harvard Study Shows Why Big Telecom Is Terrified of Community-Run Broadband http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Democrats say 50 senators endorse resolution to restore FCC net neutrality regulations http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Montana's Outdoor Recreation Economy
Northwestern Energy
- What the two-wheeled tourist can offer tiny towns
Cycling tourism contributes nearly $377 million annually to Montana's economy.
Great Falls Development Authority
- Powering Montana: NorthWestern finds high-tech solutions to help customers
In the future, Rowe hopes large-scale technology upgrades and integration will help the company and customers use energy more efficiently, as well as increase communication and quality.
Visit Montana
- GFDA Business Education Calendar: Up Next - LaunchPoint: Pre-business - 1/16
Every month, Great Falls Development Authority works to provide tools and resources to guide area businesses to success.
- Great Falls Development Authority Top 10 for the Week
WE ARE Hungry to Grow the Great Falls regional economy, create higher wage jobs, build our tax base, improve our market competitiveness, and enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for residents of Great Falls, Cascade County and the entire 13-county Great Falls trade area.
VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things
- Winter in Kalispell, Montana, is magical
With so many winter adventures offered within close reach, you'll want to stay in Kalispell for more than just a few days. You won't believe how stunning and memorable Kalispell and Northwest Montana truly are until you visit.
Energy and Climate Change
- Web Services Giant Baidu Confirms Launch of Its Blockchain-as-a-Service Platform
With recent details surfacing about a blockchain platform launch, Baidu joins a small, yet influential group of companies in China.
- Podcast: John Sculley: Why AI Is the Tech Trend to Watch in 2018
"In the previous industrial age, it was all about electricity and oil; in the future [AI is] going to be a commodity that will be deployed in many, many different ways, and will be something you can just plug into."
- For Success, Marketers Need To Embrace Artificial Intelligence
While AI and machine learning promise to enable whole new classes of consumer products, those smart capabilities are also becoming increasingly vital for business users.
Come Home Montana
- Power plants burning Montana coal could drop from 50 to 14 in less than 2 decades
As many as 19 power plants that once burned Montana coal have closed since 2012, the Montana Legislative Services Division reports. Another 18 power plants have published plans to close, or partially close, by 2030.
- Industry Leaders Make Last-Ditch Effort to Steer Trump White House Away From Solar Tariffs
"Obviously, there's only one person who knows the answer to this, and trying to get inside his head is bananas."
- Idaho-based energy development company Franklin Energy at odds over $200 million lithium-ion battery storage plan with Idaho regulators
The case could have far-reaching ramifications for emerging battery-storage technologies.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- Montana Career Opportunities - Solutions Consultant, Engagement Manager, Director Solutions Consulting - commonFont
commonFont - Reinventing Technology Solutions, Service, and the Potential of Work
- Why some young professionals settle in small-town Montana
Where Montana towns are fading, it's not because kids are moving away after high school. It's because not enough of them are returning.
- Choteau, Montana searching for formula to stop loss of population, jobs, students
In a state where enrollment drives funding, the smaller the school, the smaller the budget and the fewer the resources for students.
- Montana brain drain is real, but here is why some young people return
"It's actually kind of a magical place to be an entrepreneur," Shaun Lewis, COO of Clearwater Montana Properties in Seeley Lake, Montana
- Montana Career Opportunity - Mobile Software Developer - onXmaps
We're looking for a great iOS developer with a passion for the outdoors. We've just finished a complete rewrite at OnX and we're looking to expand our team to take full advantage of the new platform.
Montana Business
- Organizers Launch Expanded Montana Teenpreneur Challenge
The goal of Montana Teenpreneur Challenge is to shine a spotlight on Montana's promising high school entrepreneurs, to reward their innovative spirit and to accelerate their business know - how.
Next Generation Broadband in Montana
- Montana Tourism - 2017 Trends & 2018 Outlook
A survey of Montana tourism business indicated that 2017 was good for some and not so good for others
Rural Communities
- Harvard Study Shows Why Big Telecom Is Terrified of Community-Run Broadband
Community-owned internet service providers are cheaper and better.
City Club Missoula
- Under pressure of growth, Manhattan, Montana tries to keep small-town identity
"Growth is coming," Clark said. "The question is, what does it look like and how to best manage that so it's not anything goes and it's not, 'Go away.' I don't think we know what that fine line is."
Developing an Angel Network in Montana
- City Club Missoula Presents Imagining A University Of Montana For The Future: President Seth Bodnar - 2/12
In his presentation to City Club, Bodnar will provide insights on his brief time thus far in the presidency, the thematic priorities shaping his vision for the University of Montana, and how a UM education prepares students for success in a complex and changing world.
Government
- Frontier Angels - Local Investors Back 3 Emerging Technology Companies With $400k in Capital
"Our real goal is to be able to invest in more Montana-based technology companies over time" said LaPointe, "and we're constantly looking for the local entrepreneurs with great business concepts that are beyond the initial idea stage.
- American Angel study: who are the angel investors pumping $25B into startups every year?
They asked the angels 40 quantitative questions and four qualitative ones then conducted empirical tests to ensure the quality of the results.
Idaho
- Senator Tester Solicits Feedback from Montanans on Infrastructure Needs
"I want to hear from every Montana community about what they need, whether it's a new roof on their school or faster internet access. The infrastructure needs of Montana City are different than those of New York City and I will be fighting to make sure any plan works for rural America."
- Montana Senator Jon Tester Hosts Town Hall Meeting in Great Falls - Only one doing it in Montana
"I have been hosting in-person town hall meetings across the state to hear directly from Montanans about the biggest issues facing our country," Tester said. "Everyone deserves a say in our government and it is my job to make sure their voice is heard."
- Democrats say 50 senators endorse resolution to restore FCC net neutrality regulations
The tally leaves supporters just one vote shy of the 51 required to pass a Senate resolution of disapproval, in a legislative gambit aimed at restoring the agency's net neutrality rules.
- With Gas Taxes in Peril, More States Study Alternatives
Oregon, California and other states have proved that it can be done, at least on a small scale. But there are still a lot of questions that must be addressed.
- How robo-call moguls outwitted the government and completely wrecked the Do Not Call list
When you add your number to the list, nothing actually happens. No legal muscle or technological wizardry suddenly prevents a solicitor from calling you.
Incubators and R&D
- Idaho governor offers limited support for physician residency plan
Proponents of the $16.3 million plan to fund additional medical residencies say it will help pull Idaho out of its 49th-in-the-nation ranking for the number of physicians per 100,000 residents.
- This new Boise coffee shop will feel like a beer brewery: 'We're marrying two worlds'
"Before you walk into a coffee shop, you kind of know what you're getting yourself into," Price says. "We want this to be completely different. We want this to be, 'Woah, there's a lot of stuff going on here.'"
- Boise startup Black Box VR wins tech award in Las Vegas
Eventually, the product could feature real-time synchronous play, where two people in different locations could be matched
Regional Business
- Collaborate and connect: Metro-style co-working C3 WorkLounge set to open in Missoula's Old Sawmill District
"Today, a lot of people would probably be in cafes, the library or some other place. So basically, this pulls them out of those areas into one beautifully designed, curated space that has a lot of business and support services."
Regional Economic Development
- The top U.S. tech companies founded by immigrants are now worth nearly $4 trillion
As the president of the United States disparages immigrants, it's important to note that they are more valuable to the U.S. than ever.
Utah Economic Development
- Venture Philanthropy: A People-Centered Approach to Economic Development
Venture philanthropy applies the principles of venture capital to address societal issues and transform communities. Here's how Arch Grants puts these principles into practice to fuel future economic growth in St. Louis.
- The fastest growing (and shrinking) states: A closer look
Population growth was far from even across the country.
- Formula for Rural Prosperity Is Deregulation, USDA Report Says
Long on rhetoric and short on specifics, the rural prosperity task-force document does not mention the fate of existing programs that support rural broadband, community development, and infrastructure.
Washington State Business
- Utah Tech summit works to fill Outdoor Retailer void with titans of innovation, 10,000+ attendees
"The Silicon Slopes Tech Summit will become Utah's replacement for Outdoor Retailer," said Clint Betts, Silicon Slopes executive director. "We expect 40,000-50,000 in the next three to five years."
Community
- The Urban-Rural Divide in Washington State
Many of us city dwellers and suburbanites are disconnected from the land and people that feed us.
Funding and Building your Business
- Video: "A New Story of the People" - "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King
A new story is emerging too - one that recognizes some long forgotten truths about who we are and our relationship to the world.
- Elected officials, businesspeople, advocates meet to discuss homeless problem in Helena
The day's goal was to put people with the ability to make change and those who work on the front lines together in the same place.
- Montana 22nd in country for racial integration, 45th for racial progress
Montana ranked second best in the country for the lowest unemployment rate gap between black and white people and fifth in the nation for the lowest gap in percent of black and white adults with at least a bachelor's degree.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Kill Performance Reviews And Other Ways To Improve Work Culture
The company is known for generous salaries, yearlong 100% paid parental leave policy, and unlimited vacation days (within reason), and McCord thinks American managers need to catch up, or risk obsolescence.
- 6 Questions You Need to Ask Before Hiring a Remote Employee
Thoughtful interview strategies can help you find the best work-from-home talent.
- Here's What VCs Look For The First Time They Meet A Founder
A first pitch meeting is like a blind date: a little awkward, high stress, and all about landing a second one.
- How This Former Amazon Exec Gets Top Talent To Accept Job Offers
In short: Be closing all the time.
- As Labor Pool Shrinks, Prison Time Is Less of a Hiring Hurdle
This is providing opportunities to people who have long faced barriers to employment, such as criminal records, disabilities or prolonged bouts of joblessness.
- How AngelList and Accomplice Plan to Turn Founders into Angel Investors
In a partnership with AngelList, Cambridge-based venture capital firm Accomplice is taking a new approach to building the next generation of angel investors: by giving young, cash-strapped startup founders enough money to start making their own investments.
- Bunker Labs to Launch in Multiple Montana Communities
Bunker Labs supports military veterans throughout the journey of starting a business: from the idea stage--where active-duty service members are thinking about what to do post-service--to the growth stage of successful companies looking to hire, raise capital, and expand into new markets.
- Are traditional interviews a thing of the past?
Are you still relying on the traditional interview to select a new employee? If you're like me, you've probably never been 100 percent convinced that it's truly effective.
- Unpaid internships are back, with the Labor Department's blessing
The U.S. Labor Department rolled out new guidelines this month that make it easier for companies that want to hire interns but don't want to pay them.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Elon Musk - 60 Minutes
"Elon Musk is either a visionary trying to make humans a multiplanetary species or a trapped alien just trying get back home." SilkSatin Paradise
Transportation
- The robots of the future are here.... amazing
Wait for the backflip.
- Kickstarter Campaign - This New 360-Degree Camcorder Neckband Captures the World From your Point of View
According to their Kickstarter page, "FITT360 is the world's first and only neckband 360 camera.
- Netflix's new show about AI is blowing people's minds - literally
Immortality is finally attainable--for the very wealthy, at least--thanks to AI tech that can download a person's consciousness and memories to a new body.
- New satellite paves the way for full-color, full-motion video from space
The company said such images and videos could help governments or businesses monitor assets, track activities or changes, and even "predict future events with more certainty." Earth-i has already ordered the next five satellites for Vivid-i from SSTL.
Events
- These communities eliminated traffic congestion by building roundabouts. Why not on Missoula's Reserve Street?
They built high-capacity modern roundabouts at nine intersections which had caused long delays.
- Ford Developing a 'Transportation Mobility Cloud'
A cloud designed to "enable 'transportation modes' in cities -- including personal vehicles, ride-share services, bike-sharing networks, delivery services, buses and trains -- to share information and streamline services more efficiently."
- Self-driving cars must benefit rural communities, not just cities
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao also hailed the "tremendous potential" of self-driving vehicles to improve automotive safety and drive economic growth.
- Ford goes 'all in' on electric cars with $11 billion investment
"This $11 billion you're seeing, that means we're all in now," Executive Chairman Bill Ford told reporters in Detroit. "The only question is will the customers be there with us and we think they will."
- Companies Will Likely Have First Dibs on Fully Autonomous Vehicles
Ford plans to own its initial fleet of self-driving cars and sell the use of those vehicles as a service to businesses. That's a contrast from automakers' traditional business model.
- 1 Million Cups Missoula - 1/17
- 1 Million Cups - Missoula - 2/7
- 1 Million Cups - Missoula - 2/21
- Making Missoula Home - Improving Housing Affordability - 1/30 - Missoula, Montana
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