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| MATR Newsletter - Fri Apr 4, 2014 |
“Coming together is a beginning; staying together is progress; working together is success.” - Henry Ford --- http://www.MainStreetM ... t.com
Everyone calm down: Bison running in Yellowstone does not signal impending eruption - Video: Massive herd of elk near Bozeman - http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Big Data Week - May 5-11-14 - 30+ Cities Worldwide Including Montana
Montana Data Focused Business Cluster
- by digging for Data, you could stumble on a goldmine
Data in the 21st century is like oil in the 18th century: an untapped, immensely valuable asset.
TEDx Events in Montana
- Igniting the Future of Cognitive Computing
Putting the where into Watson represents a key evolutionary milestone into understanding cause-effect relationships and extracting meaningful insights about natural and synthetic global phenomena.
Next Generation Broadband in Missoula
- Today's TED Talk Jennifer Golbeck: The curly fry conundrum: Why social media "likes" say more than you might think
Much can be done with online data. But did you know that computer wonks once determined that liking a Facebook page about curly fries means you're also intelligent?
Northwestern Energy
- For the Tech-Savvy With a Need for Speed, a Limited Choice of Towns With Fiber
These digital carpetbaggers aren't just leaving behind jittery Netflix streams and aggravating waits for Twitter feeds to refresh. They are positioning themselves to be more globally competitive and connected.
Visit Montana - Montana Dept. of Tourism
- NorthWestern Energy Issues New Alert About Collection Scams
NorthWestern Energy is again warning residential and business customers about a scam involving collection on allegedly overdue utility bills.
- Bob Rowe, President And CEO Of The NorthWestern Energy, 4/4, Butte, Montana
The series is intended to attract Tech students, faculty, staff, alumni and business leaders.
Vision Net
- Travel and Marketing Trends for Montana - April 2014 Trains, Technology and Travel Adventures
This month's Travel and Marketing Trends report focuses on the interaction between travel and technology.
- Yellowstone National Park opened for spring bicycle season
Bicyclists should be prepared for snow and ice and tall snowbanks. They should also watch for bears, bison, elk, wolves and other wildlife.
- Everyone calm down: Bison running in Yellowstone does not signal impending eruption - Video: Massive herd of elk near Bozeman
"There are no animals fleeing the park because of an earthquake."
Inteneo Systems
- North American Leader ADF Group Selects Vision Net for Voice and Internet Solution
...the relationship with Vision Net was about more than simply connectivity. "Vision Net has been with us from day one and is still with us, lending support and advice whenever and wherever," he said. "It's really been a great partnership."
Montana Business
- Smart data key to patient engagement
"Getting the physicians involved - to tell the patients, 'We want you to do this," is a critical early step. "We're trying to reduce the barriers to getting patients enrolled, getting them signed on. We're changing some workflows: Having the physicians say, 'This is good, you've got to get on,' is going to be key."
Montana Economic Development
- Gov.Bullock, First Lady address audience at first ever Equal Pay Summit in Bozeman
"If we as a country can achieve so much, both when we're together and at times when we're we're divided, how in God's name have we failed to fulfil the promise made 51 years ago for equal pay, for equal work without regard to gender," Bullock appealed.
- Thanks To A Grant From Montana, Submittable Has Now Raised $1M+ For Submission Management
The source of its most recent funding is unusual, too -- FitzGerald said it comes from a state trust fund of money from the coal industry, which is supposed to create tech jobs and keep them in Montana.
- Medical care in Missoula, Montana - Community in transition
White agrees that the merger will likely help preserve competitive prices and provide Community cash to grow. He notes, however, that for-profit medicine operates very differently than nonprofit providers.
- WebFilings Opens Office in Missoula, Montana to Complement Bozeman, Montana Office
WebFilings is a privately held company based in Los Altos, California and Ames, Iowa with offices in Bozeman and Missoula, Montana that develops and markets fully integrated, cloud-based solutions for business reporting teams.
Careers
- Governor Bullock, Larry Simkins and Bill Johnstone Release Business Plan for Montana
"When we started this Project we made it clear that it would be private-sector driven, non-partisan and ground-up," Simkins said. "This plan reflects those principles and provides a strong path forward for Montana's economy."
- Draft Hamilton, Montana downtown master plan ready for review
"It's a chance to tell us what you want to see happen."
- Governor Bullock releases business plan for Montana
Gov. Steve Bullock released a business plan for Montana that emphasizes the need for a trained workforce to meet the needs of a changing economy. The plan also calls for the responsible development of natural resources, the nurturing of innovative businesses, creating a climate that attracts and retains businesses and marketing Montana.
City Club Missoula
- 2014 Flathead Valley Job Fair to feature more than 70 employers on April 16
The event will open for veterans and their families at noon and then open for the general public from 12:30 to 4 p.m. It is free and ideal for individuals seeking full-time, part-time or seasonal employment.
- Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute to offer transformative experience
The new institute will give participants the opportunity to reflect on their life journeys, explore new pathways and redirect their lives for the common good.
Government
- City Club Missoula - "The Future Is Now: Today's Initiatives Serving Generations To Come", 4/14, Missoula
"The Future is Now: Today's Initiatives Serving Generations to Come" will feature Mayor John Engen, UM President Royce Engstrom and County Commissioner Michele Landquist each discussing work from the past year and the year ahead.
Idaho Business
- Missoula files for eminent domain takeover of water system
"It is in the best interest of the public for the city of Missoula to own and operate its water supply and system as a public utility, at cost and not for profit," said Mayor John Engen. "Public ownership ensures that the people have access to and control over our clean and abundant water. This water system will be for sale, and the city should be the buyer."
- How Alaska and Wyoming Make People From Elsewhere Pay Their Taxes
Other states have different ways to export their tax burden.
- 10 Key Questions for Launching an Effective Government Program
Keeping these lessons in mind can improve the chances of success for any public-sector initiative.
Regional Economic Development
- Ketchum, Idaho opens incubator for startups and a small-business mentor program
"What can we do to foster a year-round economy?" Sun Valley Economic Development board member Rick LeFaivre asked during an economic forum hosted by the nonprofit organization on March 20. "What can we do to attract people with families?"
- Idaho Governor Otter signs tax incentive bill to lure businesses
Under the new law, which Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed April 3, Idaho would refund up to 30 percent of state corporate income taxes, payroll taxes and sales taxes to businesses that create 50 new jobs in urban areas and 20 in rural areas.
Utah Economic Development
- Leadership and the Challenge of Making a City Visible
What cities need is a sense of uniqueness; something that separates them from other cities.
Washington State Business
- Fundamentals are the secret to Utah success, Governor Herbert says
"These measures of success are causing us to invest in innovations that eliminate jobs and not invest in the things that create jobs," he said. "The things we've measured historically are not the way we need to measure success in the future."
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Spokane-based ReliOn bought by Plug Power
A New York company has paid $4 million to purchase the assets of ReliOn Inc., the Spokane-based company that produces fuel cell systems.
Education
- Montana school principals discuss the challenges they face
Whether it's moving to Common Core, conducting teacher evaluations or using data to drive learning, principals are on the front line of implementing educational change.
Montana Education Excellence
- Universities experience challenges in fully utilizing data to improve performance
Institutional research offices at public colleges and universities that are part of state systems focused more heavily on data collection and report writing than on analysis and communication, and spend far more of their time examining student retention and graduation than issues related to campuses' use of money, people and facilities
- Higher Education Dropping the Ball on Disabilities
"I literally had a professor say, 'Well, I've never had a student of that kind before, so I don't know what to do,' " one college employee said here Tuesday at the American College Personnel Association's annual conference. "But the student was standing right there ready to take their test. It felt so violating."
Funding and Building your Business
- Host families sought for 23 students coming for international workshop at MSU
Families in the Bozeman community are being sought to host international students attending an upcoming workshop to prepare and motivate them to become stronger leaders in their communities and nations.
- Kalispell Schools Hope to Address Overcrowding, Outdated Technology
"It truly takes a community to build a rich school system, both at the K-12 level and the community college level, because we depend upon your support," Schottle told business and community members last week. "When that happens, we float everybody's boat."
- National Geographic Editor-in-chief Chris Johns - Dean Stone Lecture, 4/24, University Of Montana, Missoula
Johns' lecture is titled "Looking Beyond 125 Years." The event is free and open to the public.
- MSU launches new compliance hotline
The university adopted the MSU Compliance Hotline as a way to address compliance concerns about accounting and financial, athletics, discrimination or harassment, health and safety, human resources, information security and technology and research matters at the university, according to Daniel Adams, director of MSU Institutional Audit and Advisory Services.
Energy and Climate Change
- Ken Quinn Presentation - "Creating Cubes From Clouds: Life As A Brand Strategist", 4/7, University Of Montana - Missoula
What can you do now to prepare for new marketing strategies in a digital world?
- Google data-mines its approach to promoting women
"If we tried to have a small nudge by simply presenting information, it could fix part of the problem. We prefer this to a bureaucratic top-down approach."
- Expectations for Outside Board Members
There is a unique role for an outside director in a startup company and it's one that can be profoundly helpful to the CEO. But that person needs to be operating from a headspace of an independent thinker, not a proxy for one of the other participants on the board.
Making the Most of the American Prairie
- 'Severe' to 'exceptional' drought predicted across much of West
The Outlook, produced by the Western Governors' Association and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is a synopsis of recent drought and extreme weather, as well as forecasts for the coming months.
- Glass recycling at Target in Missoula, Montana goes to landfill due to contamination
We're told the glass doesn't make it to a recycler because it's contaminated, which means it has to go to the dump.
Connectivity & Communications
- American Prairie Reserve eNews: The Power of People & Nature
Since 2002, we have added $24.2 million to the region, including land purchases, Reserve management, employee wages, taxes and fees, and visitation.
GIS Technology
- Sprint Announces Rural Initiative
Partnership will deliver 4G to rural areas, corporation says
Government Technology
- Montana State Library Launches Revised GIS Data List
To prevent the Data List's database and the Portal's database from getting out of sync, the Montana GIS Portal was retired today and is no longer available.
Non-Profit News
- Missoula city, county computer upgrade shuts down jail, police websites
"Justice Court might have been overlooked in the grand scheme of things," Ingraham said. "It is my understanding that this is a pretty massive rollout."
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Police Confront Rising Number of Mentally Ill Suspects - Disability Rights Montana Sues Officials at Department of Corrections and Department of Public Health and Human Services
Lack of treatment, solitary confinement and abusive "behavior modification plans" exacerbate mental illness, threaten health and safety of prisoners, prison staff and Montana Communities.
HACKING AND VIRUS ALERTS
- New Mozilla CEO resigns after OKCupid-fanned furor over gay rights
The nonprofit that makes the Firefox browser infuriated many employees and users last week by naming Mr. Eich head of the Mountain View, California-based organization.
Transportation
- Montana Secretary of State Scam Notice: Updated March 31, 2014
This is the second notice regarding an email scam circulating the Internet, in which the email sender falsely affiliates himself with the Montana Secretary of State's Office.
- With Windows XP retiring, meet 4 affordable upgrades
Without official support, you no longer can download software updates from Microsoft, including security patches, which could put you, your data and your computer at risk.
- Ride an ELF bike-car to work and skip the shower
Cotter, who spent much of his career working in the car industry, conceived the idea for the ELF while consulting on a bike sharing program for New York City. He wanted to produce a vehicle that was environmentally friendly and realized motorists would be more likely to use a bike if it included some of the features of an automobile, such as the ability to carry groceries.
- In South Africa, free-to-use electric cycle taxis are paid for by ads
The vehicles have been designed to achieve three goals: free and effective public transport, provide much sought-after advertising hoardings for marketers, and also cut carbon emissions.
- The Missoula Urban Transportation District (MUTD), City of Missoula, UM, and ASUM Launch $103,000 Bus Study
These shared goals warrant an evaluation of all bus service in and adjacent to the University of Montana.
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