Is Russia Silicon Valley for Real or just the New way for the Russian Mobs get Richer?

May 31, 2010 by 10 Comments



Here in Awesome DC, we try to keep our focus on everything related to DC. However, as a serial entrepreneur, I found the recent buzz on Russia’s Silicon Valley too good not to blog about.  I think it will affect most of us here in DC in an intangible way.

Reuters reported that Siguler Guff & Company, the NY based private equity firm sitting on a $8.5 billion will be investing $250 million of their fund on Russian Silicon Valley, Skolkovo. The investment will be mostly on digital infrastructure and IT services for Skolkovo which is the first foreign investment on Skolkovo,  according to Russian business newspaper Vedomosti, and more to come.

Siguler Guff got to be either on crack or they are somehow deeply connected to the corrupted Russian business system known as “Russian Mafia”. Read more of this post

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$100 Tablet from One Laptop Per Child

May 31, 2010 by 1 Comment


One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) announced their initiative to build the $100 tablet through their partnership with silicon solutions maker Marvell by 2011.

The hardware will be produced by Marvell using its Moby Platform, featuring a built-in camera for video conferencing, and support for 3D graphics and Flash. The first version of the tablet would be equipped with Google’s Android operating system. Read more of this post

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Integrating Social Media Into the DC Schools

May 31, 2010 by 2 Comments


Here are a couple of great social media tips I found on mashable that I think our DC chancellor, Ms. Rhee should look into them for DC schools. Given one of her recent accomplishment I  covered yesterday and given our kids will be  hooked on  social media regardless  how much we try to discourage them not to be, these tips should not be overlooked.

The fact is, social media and social networking sites are  here to stay, and with or without rules, kids are going to use them. These are four tips for educators on how to develop a technology policy that seizes on social networking as a learning tool and teaches children how to use it responsibly. Read more of this post

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Thanks to Facebook, brace yourself for United Magazines of America

May 30, 2010 by 5 Comments


Good news for the magazine industry: Many publishers have joined forces to build a platform that helps them to sell subscriptions in the direct stream of Facebook’s news feed.

Synapse, a subscription marketing agency that works with major magazine publishers like Hearst, is working with few companies that specialize in Facebook shopping applications, to enable publishers to sell subscriptions directly on Facebook Pages and even in users’ newsfeeds beginning mid or end of summer.

The apps will allow us to share articles with our friends that can then be expanded into dynamic pop-ups on their newsfeeds, complete with ads and directions to subscribe to the magazine elsewhere on Facebook. We spent half our time on Facebook, why not integrate all the news we want there as well? Makes perfect sense :-) Read more of this post

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D.C. schools Tops in Reading among Urban Systems

May 30, 2010 by 4 Comments


Here is another list DC made it to the top.  A federal study of trends in 11 major urban school systems shows that only D.C. Public Schools  has made significant gains in reading achievement since 2007 in fourth and eighth grades,  according to National Assessment of Educational Progress this week. The results also echo gains city schools made in the same span on federal math tests. Read more of this post

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Next Apple TV will be iPhone sized

May 29, 2010 by 7 Comments



The next Apple TV revealed: cloud storage and iPhone OS on tap… and a $99 price tag

From various Newsletter I received today, it looks like the next iteration of Apple’s streaming media server, Apple TV, will abandon the set-top box shape in favor of a smaller device based on the iPhone that will sell for $99, down from the $230 price tag of the current model.

The new Apple TV will reportedly feature just two ports, for power and video output, and may focus on cloud-based storage, streaming 1080p HD content to televisions.

Many of the reports state that Apple is unlikely to announce the new device at its upcoming WWDC event, at which it is expected to focus on a new iPhone. Read more of this post

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Jon Stewart On Race

May 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment


Jon Stewart was off last week. My vote to the best of The Daily show went to one of his older shows when he took on the race in America.

I was laughing my ass off listening to the white woman near to end of the clip, but it’s also tragic. The number of people with limited or no brain activity out there is both staggering and embarrassing.

During this past year (or face it, since Obama was elected), I find that those who continually profess themselves to be great Americans are usually anything but. It’s right up there with people who claim to be religious or moral. If you display these qualities genuinely, you don’t have to try to convince anyone else or remind them on a regular basis. Read more of this post

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Soda Tax in DC? Awesome!

May 28, 2010 by 25 Comments


Soda lovers of Awesome Washington D.C. may soon have to pay more for Soda :-) This week, D.C. council members approved a 6 percent sales tax on artificially and sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

Anything that makes us drink less soda, is good.  Why? My list is long, but I think this NYC Ad Campaign does a good job to sums it all up:
Read more of this post

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Local Companies Selected for June Grubstake Breakfast

May 28, 2010 by 2 Comments


The Business Alliance, a McLean-based networking and education organization aimed at entrepreneurs and early-stage companies in the region, has selected seven companies to present at next month’s Grubstake Breakfast.

The investor forum is set for June 10 in McLean. Presenters, each seeking $250,000-$2 million in investment capital, include: Read more of this post

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Omidyar Network Commits $10M to White House Social Innovation Fund

May 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment


Omidyar Network, the Silicon Valley philanthropic investment firm established by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and wife Pam committed $10 million over two years to the White House Social Innovation Fund.

The DC-based fund, launched last year by the Corporation for National and Community Service, provides capital to expand innovative local programs that help solve critical national problems such as poverty, failing schools and childhood obesity. Read more of this post

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