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SUPER TOUGH FIBERS HAVE BEEN A HOLY GRAIL FOR YEARS, and decades have been spent trying to clone the spider silk gene. Spider silk is the toughest material in the world, such that a thread the thickness of a pencil can hold back a jumbo jet. But this group has adopted the kind of silk spinning method of spiders to make nano-fibers. Not surprisingly, the applications include bullet-proof vests, footprints of the spider gene legend, http://lnkd.in/SyVMY9 View in LinkedIn

A CONTRARIAN'S VIEW OF TIME MANAGEMENT. Refreshingly different and worth a provoke. It is always valuable to step back and realize that the US work-ethic is not the only way of working. Different cultures have different solutions. I have been particularly impressed by the Catalan approach which allows greater balance and a quality of life element that is missing in the way we work in the US. http://lnkd.in/QsP6Cr View in LinkedIn

AN ENTREPRENEUR'S MUST-READ ABOUT ANGEL TRENDS IN THE US. What they invest in, how much, and who the leading groups are. We could use similar large surveys of Angel groups globally, because they are active in almost all countries. http://www.midatlanticinvestmentnetwork.com/article/what-us-angel-investors-want-now View in LinkedIn

HARVARD'S GEORGE CHURCH DOES IT AGAIN, with an involvement in an innovative startup. The generation of DNA fragments for use in very diverse industries ranging from biofuels to enzyme manufacture has now become a bench-top enterprise, allowing genes for molecules of interest to be inserted into living factories. Church has been a prolific inventor and has been associated with some hot sectors. http://m.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2013/04/kraft-group-backed-gen9-gets-21m-from.html?r=full View in LinkedIn

HAVING A PSYCHOLOGIST ON YOUR INVESTMENT TEAM is a valuable consideration. Entrepreneurs tend to self-select for a degree of narcissism, and like most trends it has a bell curve. A little is a good defense against failure, but too much is simply toxic. Add other personality types at the far extreme including sociopaths, and you want to be quite sure you are not backing a whacky. In reality, most of us are clueless about picking out these (and more) personality types to avoid, and to our peril. Get smart and have a psych consult as part of your investment process. http://lnkd.in/SJzRqi View in LinkedIn

HOW DID OUR LIFESTYLES GET SO OUT OF CONTROL IN THE WEST? Step back for one minute. We multi-task, work 7-24, commute long distances, juggle kids, put our parents in old people's homes and are bombarded by violent TV. The previous generation of Americans did not live under such pressure. Their economy permitted one salary to suffice for a family. Their TV was more innocent. The political dialogue was kinder. Perhaps even the family was less far-flung. Whatever the factors are, they are toxic, and we have obesity and malnutrition as devil twins creating all manner of pathological consequences. View in LinkedIn

LIVESTOCK FEED CAKE is a byproduct from oily harvests like olive, canola, groundnut, sunflower, where following mechanical squeezing of the oils, the remaining oil is extracted by toxic solvents, leaving Press Cake. The UK government issued warnings about these solvents and the Spanish government banned the oils. Regardless, these cakes are used as livestock feed additives. Cows and grass? How far have we strayed to save a buck? http://lnkd.in/VqCZTf View in LinkedIn

CATALAN'S ECONOMIC MINISTER IS OPTIMISTIC. I met with Minister Dr. Andreu Mas-Colell at his Barcelona office. He was charming and thoughtful. This world famous economist and Harvard Professor has committed a chunk of his life to Catalan economics: over the last 13 years, he had created the Knowledge Revolution in Catalunya. He spoke of the continuing Catalan transition away from old mistrust by public entities of the private sector. He was animated about efforts to attract and retain international talent to the region. But above all, he was optimistic. View in LinkedIn

ENHANCED EBOOKS FROM HARPER COLLINS: 13 titles in this genre have been released, where the eBook has video, multimedia or interactive features. This is 3D reading. I saw a business plan along these lines several years ago and was skeptical , but here it is. This enhances not only the density of information, but also changes the reading experience from relatively passive to interactive. http://lnkd.in/U_pQhn View in LinkedIn

PIEZOELECTRIC SMART SKINS FOR ROBOTS have been developed at Georgia Institute of Technology by Professor Lin Wang (BBC News April 26, Science magazine) using zinc oxide nanowire transistor arrays that turn mechanical pressures into small electric currents, in the same range of sensitivity of human fingertips. The goal is to enable robots or human-computer interfaces to have a sense of touch. 4-27 View in LinkedIn