The more we drive with GPS—or walk down the sidewalk staring at directions on a smartphone—the less we're able to navigate on our own. Relying on navigational tech might even make the hippocampus, the part of our brain that handles memory, shrink a little.

A set of maps from designer Archie Archambault might help us rebuild the mental maps of cities that we're starting to lose. Instead of a literal grid of streets, he maps out neighborhoods and the basic parts of a city the way someone who lives there might think of it, or at least the way they probably did before Google Maps existed.

Image: http://www.fastcoexist.com

 The cyberworld is a dangerous place. But just how dangerous is hard to gauge. Today, Tavish Vaidya at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., discusses the most egregious attacks of the 21st century and concludes that the trend is increasing sharply. In a two-part post, here are 20 of the most infamous attacks his paper discusses.

20. April 2001: A US Navy EP-3E spy plane collides with a Chinese J-811 fighter jet while operating over the South China Sea near Hainan Island. The pilot of the Chinese plane ejected, was never found and is assumed dead. The American plane was severely damaged and forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan where the Chinese military imprisoned the 24 crew.

Image: http://www.technologyreview.com

One conversation 25 years ago changed business travel for me forever. My business partner, Kerry Patterson, and I were talking about a book we hoped to write. We had been yakking about it for a couple of years but had made no progress. Let me be more honest: I had made no progress. Kerry seemed to show up with reams of fascinating ideas written out in polished prose while I had a stained airplane napkin with crayon drawings on it. I would mutter an apology for my paltry contribution but point to the 20 days I had been on the road the previous month. After many of these exchanges, Kerry looked at me and said, “Joseph, writers write.”

Angel investors are wealthy private investors focused on financing small companies in exchange for taking an equity stake in the firm. Unlike venture capitalists, angels may be more patient with entrepreneurs and open to providing smaller dollar amounts for longer time periods. But they do want to see an exit strategy at some point down the line where they can pocket their profits, either through a public offering or by having your business acquired by another company.

While appropriately focused on addressing long-term drought and storm related issues, upgrading facilities and infrastructure, and responding to the continuous demand for water due to population and industrial growth, the State of Texas’ economy has an undiscovered $9 billion water and water technology cluster of jobs, businesses, and assets.

“Skills, Talents, and Occupations in Texas’ Water and Water Technology Cluster Report,” has been released by AccelerateH2O in partnership with San Antonio-based Alamo Colleges and funding from the Texas Workforce Commission. Upon collecting and analyzing historical, current and projected data of employment, occupations, and businesses in all 254 counties and the 16 regional water planning districts, the Report has identified over 76 impacted industry sectors, 50 occupations, and an emerging challenge to fill some 30,000 retirements among water systems.

Gov. Chris Christie took action Monday by signing a bill into law that would allow private businesses to begin crowdfunding through web portals.

The bill, which was sent to Christie back in July, will permit businesses to begin using the portals to secure private investments of up to $1 million from state-based, unaccredited funding sources. Contributions will be capped at a maximum of $5,000 each.

With the recent Securities and Exchange Commission ruling that companies may now use equity crowdfunding to sell pieces of their company to the general public, crowdfunding -- in all its forms -- is becoming a truly mainstream option for funding new businesses.

Funding a new product or a business startup via the likes of Kickstarter or IndieGoGo can provide an excellent means of market research. When people are willing to put up money to help develop a production prototype or bring to market a finished product, the clear implication is that the need and market exist.

There is an article on my desk that I tore out of the Economist several months ago. The title is “The shadow of the caliphate”. I’ve been thinking about it since I first read it. As you can guess, it’s about the Islamic State’s pull on so many potential followers and the difficulty countering it.

In the article, the author, Banyan, uses quotes from two prime ministers, Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore and Tony Abbott of Australia, to suggest that “the appeal that IS holds for ‘troubled souls’ is incomprehensible to the leaders of prosperous modern states. And it is hard to marshal good arguments against a point of view you do not begin to understand.”

A new report shows that participation of corporate venture capitalists in life sciences investing has been increasing.

The MoneyTree report from the National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers with data from Thomson Reuters show that in the nine months of the year, corporate VCs pumped a total of $1.18 billion into life sciences startups. Whereas in all of 2014, corporate VCs have shelled out $1.2 billion. Back in 1995, as far back as the MoneyTree report goes back, corporate VCs invested only $70.7 million dollars. 

At this week's Fast Company Innovation Festival, we asked some of the most creative minds in business what single attribute prospective employees must possess if they want to work for their companies:

1. OWN IT "Our company is based on seven tenets, one of which is, 'Own it'," says 360 Live Media's Liz Carlton. "That really embodies coming up with ideas—coming up with them, and executing them."

Is this a familiar scene? It's after lunch, you still have a few hours left in the workday, but you’re blankly staring at your computer screen, feeling like you need a nap.

The 3 p.m. slump is a common occurrence in every office. The feeling can be blamed on circadian rhythms that regulate our sleep patterns. Our bodies’ sleep signals peak during the afternoon, making us crave a nap. What we eat and how much we drink during the day also impact our energy levels around this time of day. While you may be tempted to grab a soda, coffee, candy bar, or another pick-me-up to push through the day, these quick fixes can leave you feeling even more tired. Try these 3 p.m. slump ideas instead:

Over the last few weeks, a lot of powerful women have talked about the significance of knowing when to walk away from ventures that no longer feel rewarding. At the end of September, for example, we watched as Blake Lively gracefully and humbly announced the shutting down of her lifestyle site Preserve, which she ultimately didn’t feel lived up to its original mission of "making a difference in people’s lives." Not long afterward, we learned that our favorite funny lady, Amy Schumer, walked away from a $1 million book deal because she knew she deserved more—and ultimately landed an $8 million book deal. (You go, girl.)

Tis the season for annual conferences – that chance each year for trade groups to tout their accomplishments and relevancy. The Fourth Economy team attended our fair share. What we find scary is that while the workshops and keynotes are conveying the seismic changes occurring in our economy, change on the street, in our communities and programs, appear to keep on keeping on as if it were, oh say, 1999. Many of the metrics for growth we heard remain focused on absolute land development, job creation (regardless of type and cost) and more office space.  

There’s a saying that “behind every great man, there’s a great woman,” and without a doubt, behind every great entrepreneur there’s a great mentor. One of the most effective ways to develop and grow a business is by seeking the advice of a mentor who has lived through the good, the bad, and the ugly of the entrpereneurial life, and who is willing to share his/her knowledge with less experienced entreprenueurs to make their business experience easier.

Anyone who has ever started a business — particularly in the technology sector — knows the importance of a clear vision. Whether you’re launching a new product, forming a strategic partnership, or raising capital, a clear vision will help you make the best long-term decision for your business.

Image: Shahrzad Rafati, founder and CEO of BroadbandTV

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine today announced the results of The Princeton Review's 10th annual survey that names the 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate schools best for entrepreneurship studies.

Babson College captured the #1 spot on the undergraduate entrepreneurship programs ranking list for the 4th consecutive year. Harvard University finished #1 on the graduate entrepreneurship programs list for the 2nd consecutive year.

Swimmers that slather themselves in sunscreen are doing their skin a favour, but it might not be so helpful to any nearby coral reefs. That claim, released in a recent scientific study, sparked global headlines faulting sunscreen for the global decline of these hotbeds of biodiversity.

It's a disturbing idea that something so necessary for protecting humans from skin cancer could be doing so much environmental damage, but what weight should we give this scientific finding?

Scientific studies have indicated that procrastination seems to be a conflict between two parts of the brain: the fun loving limbic system and the sensible prefrontal cortex. In a choice of after work activities, kicking back with a beer and TV usually wins out over going to the gym. Or you get on the computer to work on the budget, but think, “Hmm, I’ll just check my twitter account.”

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Google+ Email Print Comment Quote For months, the news for the hedge fund industry has been grim. Funds racked up abysmal results last summer, with August showing the biggest monthly loss since October 2008.

Then the prominent Bain Capital Absolute Return Capital hedge fund announced in early October that it would close, having lost money for three years. Soon after, the well-known Fortress Investment Group said it would shut its flagship fund after losing 17% for the year through September. The two funds used a “macro” investing strategy that bet on things like economic trends, currency moves or central banks’ interest rate policies – and trends had been unkind.

In the Mediterranean region, ecological and sustainable initiatives are being started by innovative individuals. It is hoped their business practices and efforts will trickle-down to society itself. EurActiv's partner El País - Planeta Futuro reports.

Ines Temimi is a Tunisian pioneer in recycling electronic waste, who started her own company, CollecTun D3E Recycling, in 2009. "In 2004, I attended a conference in the US about e-waste recycling and I told myself 'I want to do this in my country'," she explained.

Image: http://www.euractiv.com