Was there a summer slowdown this year in the tech-business world? I’m not so sure (and neither are some other observers). In any case, let’s get ready for the craziness that is fall news and events in our industries. Here are three blog posts from around the Web—and around the country—that you might have missed over the holiday weekend:
—How to read a patent in 60 seconds, from Dan Shapiro in Seattle. Shapiro is a former Microsoft and RealNetworks guy who co-founded Ontela (now Photobucket) and is deeply plugged into the mobile and Internet startup sectors. I won’t steal his thunder, but let’s just say this is the kind of insight that tech entrepreneurs and investors can really use to save time, especially in this litigious day and age.
—How to ensure your e-mails are mobile friendly, from Shannon Suetos, a San Diego-based telemarketing expert, by way of BostInnovation.com. A good reminder that more and more techie types are reading their e-mail on mobile phones. Suetos gives five tips that are useful for dealing with images, newsletters, and regular old text. My favorite: “Not everyone has an iPhone.” Hear, hear.
—How stuff-sharing websites can save the planet, from Katie Fehrenbacher at GigaOm and Earth2Tech. This piece takes a considered look at how the trend of Internet sharing of “stuff” could help the world’s growing population manage its limited supply of energy, water, food, and goods. Fehrenbacher references the expansion of companies like Zipcar and Zimride in car-sharing (I’d add another “Z” company, Zebigo), and Airbnb in peer-to-peer apartment rentals. “When it comes to energy efficiency and sustainably managing resources, bits will be the answer to effectively allocating atoms,” she writes.
