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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Mar 15, 2013 |
"Chicago will build the first open-source predictive analytics platform that will help leaders make smarter, faster decisions in real-time to help address and prevent problems before they develop." -- Winners Annouced for 2013 Mayor's Challenge - Solve It. Share It. -- http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Please Vote for Missoula to win new social media campaign http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- Important Economic Development Meeting (GigaPOP in Missoula) With Ronan Telephone Co. 3/20, 4 P.m. http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html --- First-Class Medicine in the Last Best Place - Welcome to the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html ---
GigaPOP in Missoula
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- The Monopoly Magnate Helps Big Cable to Ban Community Networks in Georgia
"Sit back and ask yourself why you're paying so much money every month for the rotten service you get from Comcast and AT&T. Ask your friends, ask around work; is anyone really happy with their broadband service? Do you think you're getting a good deal for the price?"
- Important Economic Development Meeting (GigaPOP in Missoula) With Ronan Telephone Co. 3/20, 4 P.m.
Ronan Telephone Company is building a network that would meet many of the needs hoping to fill with a GigaPOP.
Ignite Missoula
- VMware VSphere® 5.1 Ultimate Bootcamp®, 04/29, Helena
This course combines several popular VMware vSphere classes into one 5 day accelerated-learning bootcamp with content and concepts from multiple VMware® classes: Install, Configure, Manage; What's New!; Manage for Performance; and Troubleshooting! Certification voucher and 2nd shot offer for CVE test included in price.
2013 Montana Legislature
- Ignite Missoula - You've Got 5 Minutes - What Would You Like To Talk About?, 4/12, Missoula, Montana
Friday April 12 will be an evening of fun Ignite Missoula talks (5 minutes for 20 slides that auto-forward every 15 seconds, whether you're ready or not.)
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- What Montana doesn't know can hurt us
Those increases hit Montana with no questions asked. People all across Montana -- maybe even you -- are paying more for no good reason.
- Montana lawmakers look at consumer-data proposal
The bill wouldn't prohibit the collection or sale of such information, but would allow consumers the right to access that information from the companies who collected it.
- Cookie-cutter legislation - How a corporate bill mill plays into Montana politics-and why you should care
"If folks are just going to basically scissor and paste ideas that come from a national organization funded by the right-wing Koch brothers to do harm to established institutions in Montana like, in particular, public schools, we have a big concern," says Eric Feaver, executive director of MEA-MFT. "That's what's going on here. The most evidence of this is the charter school stuff. These bills didn't get written on a desk here in Montana by anybody."
Great Falls Development Authority
- Consumer Trends Expert at MT Tourism Conference
The Avant Guide Institute's Daniel Levine will open this year's Montana Tourism Conference in Helena, March 25, with a keynote presentation positively titled "A Bright Future for Big Sky Country: How Montana Will Thrive in 2013 and Beyond."
- Montana Department of CommerceTourism Industry News
Don't Miss the Sunday Sessions of the Tourism Conference
- Montana is for the Birds -- Bird Watching Base Camp
Bring those binoculars to Central Montana
Inteneo Systems
- Verizon soon switching on 4G in Great Falls
Brett Doney, President and CEO of Great Falls Development Authority, who is a big smart phone user, will be able to get a faster connection by using Verizon's 4G network in Great Falls in a matter of days.
Come Home Montana
- Predictive Analytics is a Goldmine for Startups (and more mature companies)
Here are ten examples to get your creative juices flowing:
- Visa Says Big Data Identifies Billions of Dollars in Fraud
No company--and certainly not Visa, the credit and debit card processing giant--can afford to "stand still."
- Governor Cuomo Launches Open.NY.Gov Providing Public Unprecedented User-Friendly Access to Federal, State and Local Data
"This new website will dramatically increase public access to one of our most valuable assets - data."
- When Citizens Deliver Services to Themselves
How can state and local governments engage their citizens in ways that are more meaningful--and fun--to both the citizens and their communities?
- How Nonprofits Prove Their Worth
Everyone agrees that social enterprises need to use data to assess their effectiveness. But precisely what data should organizations capture? How should they incorporate it into meaningful evaluations that prove their approaches work? And, how should potential funders analyze these evaluations to determine which enterprises are most effective?
- SXSW Reporter's Notebook: Who Rules the Data?
"In the modern world, everyone should learn data science."
- Big Data Broadens Its Range
Conventional databases are often written in a language called SQL, for structured query language, using columns and rows to show the relationship among records. But these so-called relational databases can't easily handle the large volume of data being created by the rise of social media, mobile devices and other technologies.
- Revealed: The 1962 CIA Paper That Predicts the Big Deal With Big Data
"Some Far-Out Thoughts on Computers"
Montana Business
- Montana Technical Talent Available
My ideal job would be with a team of techies (at least 2, maybe 3 or more) and like minded staff working together to create great software.
- Montana Career Opportunity - President - Dawson Community College
Dawson Community College Board of Trustees is seeking a strong, visionary, and inspirational leader who is passionate about the mission, vision and values of this community college, and who will guide the institution into a new era of growth and development while maintaining fiscal stability in a changing economy.
- Montana Management Expert Looking for New Challenges
I am extremely successful in building new relationships and fostering customer loyalty with new and current business partners.
Montana Economic Development
- GCS Expands Professional Staff with Four New Hires in Missoula, Montana
"GCS is growing, and our new personnel have the right combination of expertise, skills and ideas to engage our client base while also propelling GCS in new directions," said GCS Founder and President Alex Philp, PhD. "The GCS team is committed to developing innovative solutions that solve real-world business challenges."
- Survey puts dollar figure to Beartooth Highway
It didn't surprise Bob Thomas that the Beartooth All-American Road generates an estimated $13.6 million and 176 jobs from nonresident summer visitors to this mountain town and surrounding Carbon County.
- Kalispell Regional Medical Center unveils new $36.6 million surgical center
"Many people are understandably curious as to what's been going on here and we want them to come in and see because I suspect if they come here, not as a visitor, but as our guest, they'll be sleeping and laying flat and won't seeing it," KRMC Vice President Jim Oliverson said.
- Squeeze Looms for Doctors - More Medical Students Are In the Pipeline, but Too Few Residencies Await Them
"We thought we were being responsible by having our medical schools expand to address the doctor shortage, but the federal government has to do its share, too."
Careers
- First-Class Medicine in the Last Best Place - Welcome to the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana
The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana is a three-year family medicine program sponsored by The University of Montana and affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Network.
Business Plan Forums
- Mentorship is Vital to Driving Innovation
Whatever you do, don't neglect the importance of mentorship for innovation leaders if you want better innovation. While you can always stumble your way to success, it's much easier to find it with a light illuminating the way forward.
- Maximize your "Aha!" Moment
Creative ideas are like a fragile bud - they've got to be nurtured so they can blossom.
Government
- Business Plan Contest 'boot camp' puts 70 young companies through startup paces
"The boot camp is a valuable experience for contestants. They meet other entrepreneurs like themselves, compare notes on common challenges, hear what investors look for in a young company and generally learn why a business plan makes sense for most businesses - even if that plan evolves next month or next year," said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council.
Idaho Business
- Winners Annouced for 2013 Mayor's Challenge - Solve It. Share It.
This challenge is all about identifying a need, solving a problem, and sharing local knowledge so that other cities and citizens can benefit from the insight and actions of their peers.
- Government in the 21 st Century: The New Face of Meetings and Decision-Making
One easy area to target to boost efficiencies and employee productivity is government meetings.
Incubators and R&D
- Idaho National Laboratory lays off 101 workers
In addition to the recent layoffs, 114 people have taken voluntary separations and 60 employees have left through attrition.
Oregon Economic Development
- Stanford engineers develop high-resolution endoscope as thin as a human hair
Engineers at Stanford have demonstrated a high-resolution endoscope that is as thin as a human hair with a resolution four times better than previous devices of similar design.
Regional Economic Development
- Business Oregon must release Strategic Investment Program job reports, DOJ rules
Meiffren said the ruling should serve as a guide for all state agencies that are stewards of public money. The information is essential to track the effectiveness of subsidies and guide policy decisions, she said. "It's hard for (lawmakers) to make informed decisions about how our tax dollars are being spent if they don't have all the facts."
Workforce Development
- America's best small town comebacks
Even big, star-studded cities face struggles and off decades, but what's kept Main Street, USA alive amid interstates, mega-malls, national chains and closed stagecoach routes? The heart and hard work of historic rebound towns like these.
- 'Rural sourcing' is bringing high-tech jobs to Midwest
Large corporations looking to outsource their information technology or software development services increasingly pass over India and the Philippines to find help in places like Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- The Challenge of Finding, Training and Placing Workers in Skilled Trades Positions
For a number of years, employers have expressed concerns about the Skills Gap - the perceived lack of qualified employees to fill the positions that employers have available.
- Retiring boomers already hurting Iowa economy
"We don't want companies have to turn down orders because they can't get workers."
Education
- Jon Stewart talks about Universal Pre-School
"Money? Children's education? If these children want an education, they should get jobs and pay for it themselves." Jon Stewart
- Students in Hillsboro Century High School Software Entrepreneurs' Club goes beyond coding and learn business
While technology companies often lament the lack of computer science education in the classroom, the Software Entrepreneurs' Club aims to give its members the full business experience of a technology startup, from coding, to marketing to financing.
Montana Education Excellence
- Why It's Hard to Modify or Refinance Student Loans
On March 1, six senators called on private lenders and bank regulators to work together to create more options for borrowers.
- School Answering Machine
This is the actual answering-machine message for the Maroochydore High School in Queensland, Australia
- The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Landing a Job
If they're not aggressively pursuing internships and other career-advancing opportunities while in school, many of these graduates are in for a tough time no matter what.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- High Stakes for Blackfeet Higher Ed
"(This school) has a purpose, because for some of our people, this is the only education they will ever receive," she said. "It has to survive and thrive."
- Mansfield Conference To Address Future Of U.S. Health Care
Eight sessions over three days will feature lectures and panel discussions on topics such as implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage and obesity.
Community
- Flathead County Employers asked to comment on the possibility of offering more bachelor's degree programs in the Flathead Valley
We hope you will take a few minutes and fill out the survey.
Funding and Building your Business
- Please Vote for Missoula to win new social media campaign
A new social media campaign has Missoula in the running for a major economic boost and you can be a part of it.
Energy and Climate Change
- How to Minimize the Red Tape and Taxes of a Startup
One of the first questions that I get from many entrepreneurs is "How should I set up my company to minimize my setup costs, tax liabilities, and risk of lawsuits?"
- Why your email pitch did not even make the VC's 'maybe pile'
VCs mostly rely on warm referrals from within their trusted networks to generate dealflow, as this acts as an automatic filter and increases the quality of proposals.
- How to Build an Advisory Board
Think you're too small or too new to need a board? Not if it's an advisory board populated by pros with specific expertise regarding the ins and outs of your company.
- Podcasting: A Quick and Easy Way to Engage Customers
Are you looking for a simple way to create more customer engagement, but you don't have the skill set or time to blog?
- 8 Steps to a Startup That Can Transform the World
Inspirational for those of us chasing an entrepreneurial dream:
- Game-based recruitment tests unique skillsets and boosts candidate engagement
ConnectCubed offers custom platforms that use games to determine skillsets that can't be gleaned from candidates' CVs.
- 10 Ways To Kickstart Your Business Today
Here are 10 ways, including Kickstarter, to expand your business when traditional sources fail.
Legislative Newsletters
- Crews install state's largest array of solar panels on Missoula's new parking structure
"This particular system is going to provide about 75 to 80 percent of the parking structure's energy needs, so it's going to cover that and years to come," said Sunelco Solar's Janelle Stauff. "These solar panels last upwards of 40 to 50 years."
Connectivity & Communications
- Senator Baucus Seeks Montana-Made Ideas in Debate Over How To Simplify Tax Code, Close Corporate Loopholes
"When average working folks can't even do their taxes without forking over $250 bucks just to get the job done, and small businesses are paying two thirds more than big corporations to file, we know we've got a problem.
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Rented smartphones for tourists offer free international calls and unlimited internet access
Could this work in your part of the world?
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Beautiful and valuable creativity from disabled artists at Creative Growth
An organization called Creative Growth is giving developmentally disabled artists the chance to express themselves in a world where that isn't always easy.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- Le papier ne sera jamais mort / Paper is not dead !
À l'epoque ou le debat fait rage entre les prescripteurs du tout numerique
- Report makes chilling forecast on Northwest quake
More than 10,000 people could die when -- not if -- a monster earthquake and tsunami occur just off the Pacific Northwest coast, researchers told Oregon legislators Thursday.
- Disguised Jeff Gordon takes car salesman out for the test drive of his life
NASCAR's Jeff Gordon puts on a disguise and takes a Chevy Camaro out for a test drive with an unsuspecting car salesman. Somebody get this guy a clean pair of underwear...
- Rep. Foster to introduce the National Fab Lab Network Act of 2013
The Act would enable a federally-chartered non-profit organization, known as the National Fab Lab Network (NFLN), to serve as a central seed funding source for fab labs across the country.
- Chattanooga, Tenn., Expanding 'Streetlight of the Future' Installation
The ability to wirelessly control a device on top of a pole now opens up the possibility for capabilities beyond providing light. Air-quality sensors, video cameras or Wi-Fi hotspots could potentially be integrated into the poles.
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