Stimulus plan to spur computerized medical records, smart grids and Internet access
Tech startups may benefit from the federal stimulus plan. The $825 billion plan presented by House Democrats calls for $20 billion to go to computerize medical records, $11 billion to create smart grids and $6 billion to expand high-speed Internet access in rural and other underserved communities.
The investment could translate into 900,000-plus jobs in the first year, according to a report prepared for the Obama transition team by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Let's hope some are filled by the thousands laid off in recent weeks by technology companies including EMC Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.
Mimic Twitter stars, advises Kevin Rose
Serial entrepreneur Kevin Rose, who is the founder of social news service Digg Inc. as well as online video service Revision3 and the recently failed microblogging service Pownce, recommends 10 ways to increase your followers on Twitter.
Here's my favorite: "Start a contest. @jasoncalacanis offered a free macbook air if he reached the #1 most followed spot. That never happened, but Jason added thousands of followers ... brilliant."
Perhaps more widely applicable is: "Follow the top twitter users and watch what they tweet. Pay attention to the type of content they sent out and how they address their audiences." To see how Rose (pictured) uses Twitter, follow him @kevinrose.
Gates foundation assets faring better than most
Borrowing a page from the playbook of his friend and foundation donor Warren Buffet, Bill Gates has written a long but fascinating annual letter on the work being done by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, how it has evolved over the last decade and why he believes that technology is fundamental to solving many of the world's worst problems. If you're hoping the letter will reveal his thoughts on Microsoft's layoffs or the company's attempts to make a deal with Yahoo! Inc., you'll be disappointed, although he does address his retirement from Microsoft last year and the transition to full-time foundation work.
On the economy, Gates reports that the assets of the foundation decreased by about 20%: "I never thought I would say losing 20 percent is a reasonable result, but it is better than most endowments because so many asset classes went down by more than 20 percent in 2008." Indeed, a recent study from the Chronicle of Philanthropy shows that many foundations lost nearly one-third of their assets last year.
"I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity," writes Gates. "This is especially true when the constraints on others are so great. Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives. There is no reason to accept that, when we know how to make huge gains over the long term."
Over the long haul, Gates is optimistic about the economy: "A key reason for this is that innovation in every field -- from software and materials science to genetics and energy generation -- is moving forward at a pace that can bring real progress in solving big problems. These innovations will help improve the world and reinvigorate the world economy." - Mary Kathleen Flynn
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