How should society think about technological innovation? Enthusiastically embrace it? Vigorously reject it, Neo-Luddite style? Worry, but remain tentatively optimistic?

There is an increasingly vocal debate on these questions in the public and political spheres. Technology is being singled out for killing more jobs than it creates, depressing wages, exacerbating inequality, destroying personal privacy—and even for posing a potentially mortal threat to mankind. But is the pace of technological change really accelerating? And if it is, should we be worried, or should we rejoice?

One of the simplest questions I get from aspiring entrepreneurs, and ironically one of the hardest, is “How do I start?” I want to tell them to just start anywhere, but I realize that most have no idea where anywhere is. They just aren’t prepared for the life they want, and are really asking me how to learn to be an entrepreneur. It takes more than passion and a course on business basics.

In May, a committee on entrepreneurship and innovation was constituted under the auspices of the Niti Aayog to help inform the Centre’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Think of the AIM as a pyramid. As one moves from the base to its pinnacle, initiatives are designed to deliver more immediate payoffs. Conversely, the base symbolises actions with long gestation periods, but with profound effects.

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If you're a recent grad yearning to work at a startup, internships are a great way to get your foot in the door and gain firsthand experience. That said, internships are sometimes confused with free labor — so if you're looking to kick-start your career, find a company that values your skills and compensates you accordingly (either financially, or with training and experience).

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2015  -- Today, Relevant Health, a newly launched innovative health technology startup accelerator focused on bringing products to market, announced that it is now accepting applications from health tech startups for its Fall 2015 class. Additionally, the accelerator launched its website and the portal to its streamlined application process. U.S. and international startups are encouraged to apply.

Relevant Health's five-month program involves an intensive product-focused curriculum that gives founders of health tech startups the skills to define, develop, position and launch a viable health tech product. The new accelerator will be based out of a brand-new cowork space in the Rockville Innovation Center, centrally located in the heart of the Montgomery County (Maryland) life sciences corridor. Companies admitted to the accelerator will have access to the cowork facility along with other support that includes up to $50,000 in funding, mentorship, development support from a pool of software engineers, and access to the local health tech ecosystem.

The amount of funding received by UK life science companies reached a 10-year high last year, indicating Britain is finally starting to catch up with the US in biotech.  

According to a report by the UK Bioindustry Association, $2.4bn (£1.7bn) was pumped into sector through venture capital over the 10 year period, while £923.7m was raised through flotations.   

In 2014 alone, biotech IPOs brought the UK £408m – an eightfold increase from the year before. Investment, meanwhile, rose 71 per cent. 

The SME with the highest innovation capacity in Europe is Sparsity, a 5-year old spin-off from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, according to European Commission’s first Innovation Radar Report, published by the Joint Research Centre.

The report is based on a statistical evaluation of 10.6 per cent of ICT projects funded under Framework Programme 7 and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, with the aim of identifying innovations with high potential and the key innovators behind them.

Image: http://www.sciencebusiness.net

You've probably noticed that podcasting is having its moment.

Smartphones mean that anyone can host one or download one, and they’re an easy way to pass a boring car commute or some treadmill time. Apple reported that podcast subscriptions through iTunes reached 1 billion in 2014.

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com

Technological change produces tremendous opportunities. Sometimes, it also gives us pause.

Take the television as an example. To say the television has become a common household feature is an understatement. The entertainment value of a television has brought forth a remarkable amount of joy for many households since its widespread introduction. But some are concerned about the potential negative effects of watching television, especially for young children. Perhaps it is content that matters, as a recent study found that that Sesame Street improved school readiness. Early pioneers of the technology probably never predicted hundreds of channels and reality programming to become ubiquitous.

When dolphins dive deep below the water's surface, they avoid succumbing to decompression sickness, or "the bends," likely because the massive sea creatures have collapsible lungs, a new study finds. These lungs allow dolphins to inhale and exhale two to three times quicker than humans.

A global shark census called Global FinPrint is getting underway with the daunting task of counting as many sharks as possible over the next three years. Using underwater cameras, a team of international scientists, with the help of volunteers, will scan more than 400 reef locations around the world. Here's a look at some of the images from the effort, courtesy of Global FinPrint.

Image: http://www.livescience.com

With a shoreline roughly four times as long as the equator, America has more than its fair share of beautiful beaches. There are so many excellent seaside strands that standing out from the sandy crowd requires a degree of specialization. That's why our list of the best beaches in the U.S. is not all about towel lounging. These beauty queens offer adventure, wildlife, and great food – because it's not enough to be beautiful if you don't nail the talent portion.

My favorite Peter Drucker misquotation is, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Drucker wrote a great deal about how managers should measure performance, but this particular phrase didn’t come from his pen. Instead, his measurement advice was linked to his belief in “managing by objectives,” and above all urged managers to “focus on results.”

Amongst the many macro forces shaping the context for decision-making and business innovation are a few old beliefs. "Survival of the fittest" is one of them. It's a term you'll likely hear at the conclusion of a hostile takeover or mergers and acquisitions when the thrill of the hunt is complete. Oddly, "survival of the fittest" used in the business context doesn't have much to do with what Herbert Spencer in 1864 meant when he coined the term to explain Charles Darwin's principle of natural selection -- '"fitness" referred to reproductive success. Business latched onto the deal-making drama associated with predator-prey that goes with perpetually fighting to survive. 

For those who are highly dedicated to their work and achieving their goals, the idea of planning a holiday can almost feel counter-intuitive to a happy and successful future. And while it might be true that taking more than a week off from work can be difficult for anyone, from a high-powered CEO to an intern, it is probably most difficult on those entrepreneurs and employees running their own small business or start-up.

This morning as the House considers H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, more than 100 patient groups and organizations are voicing their support for the bill’s Innovation Fund to help boost research and support scientists. Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) has led this effort for a year and a half, keeping patients at the forefront from the beginning. Speaking in support of the bill last night, Upton said, “There is not a single person in this chamber or watching at home today who has not been touched by disease in some way. And it’s time we did something about it.” H.R. 6 is that something. The patient groups listed below voiced their opposition to any attempts to undermine these investments.

If you are building a company that depends on making people feel sexy and sophisticated, it’s probably going to confuse your consumers if you your logo is bright green.

That’s because different colors are associated with different feelings. Green conveys organic growth, the earth, nature, or feelings of caring. Meanwhile, black communicates feelings of sophistication, authority or seduction. Not convinced? Consider the green logo for Starbucks or Greenpeace and the black logos of Chanel or Sony.

On July 3, the equity crowdfunding bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey in the spring, went live. Arizona’s new crowdfunding law lets small-business owners obtain capital from Arizona residents through equity crowdfunding.

Putting aside their existential struggle over policy and power, Illinois' legislators have found common ground in supporting the state's entrepreneurial community. Come January, with Gov. Bruce Rauner's widely assumed approval, Illinois will boast an intrastate crowdfunding law that is more friendly to small business than any in the nation.

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In my last column I showed that Mississippi has vast untapped potential for innovation, mainly because of our human asset.  Based on research first published in 1962 in the book Diffusion of Innovations we have we have the potential to build an army of roughly 74,000 innovators.  While statistically, this number represents just 2.5 percent of our population, these individuals are our current and future “game-changers” in whichever field they choose to engage in.