Today, Under Armour (NYSE:UA), the global leader in sports performance and innovation, announced plans for the 2014 Under Armour Future Show: The Connected Fitness Innovation Challenge, which asks innovators to submit concepts for the next generation of game-changing digital experiences, through apps and wearable technology, while utilizing the MapMyFitness software. Finalists will present their concepts to the Brand's executive team in October, 2014 at Under Armour's global headquarters in Baltimore, MD for a chance to win the Grand Prize of $50,000. Winners may then be eligible for an additional investment of up to $150,000. Innovators can now submit their ideas and innovations at idea.underarmour.com for consideration.

Image: http://www.broadwayworld.com/ 

In December 2013 a group of academics gathered during a Texas snowstorm and began the second phase of a discussion about massive open online courses. They were not terribly impressed by the hype the courses had received in the popular media, and they had set out to create a better body of literature about MOOCs—albeit a less sensational one.

Image: sxc.hu 

Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have developed wearable computing technology to help people learn how to read and write Braille.

Surprisingly, people wearing the glove don’t have to pay attention while learning.

“The process is based on passive haptic learning (PHL),” said Thad Starner, a Georgia Tech professor and wearable computer pioneer. “We’ve learned that people can acquire motor skills through vibrations without devoting active attention to their hands.”

Image: A wearable computing technology helps people learn how to read and write Braille as they concentrate on other tasks (credit: Georgia Tech) 

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today awarded FAST grants totaling $2 million to 22 state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities.  These grants will support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA's Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program. 

Icy temperatures come to mind more often than innovation when thinking about the University of Minnesota. But the Twin Cities-based school has spent the last decade ramping up efforts to commercialize research discoveries while producing dozens of patents and companies.

Image: http://nationswell.com 

If crowdfunded investments become the norm for startups trying to raise capital, accelerator/investor group 500 Startups will definitely be at the forefront.

Today, 500 announced a new $100 million investment fund that will come in part from public fundraising.

News of 500 Startups’ new fund, its third to date, first emerged back in October after the group filed paperwork with the SEC — and about a week after 500 closed $44.1 million for its second fund.

Image: Rebecca Grant, VentureBeat 

In our latest Ask a Dev video, web developer Robert Williams shares his tips on keeping up with programming languages when it seems like a new one comes out almost every day.

Even with all the new languages, a solid basis for web programming is still JavaScript. It's been around for two decades, and this primary language of the Internet isn't going anywhere. New developments come out all the time, with technologies like Node and Phantom that allow developers to use the language on a server, as well as new APIs that continue to extend its reach.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

We’ve all had that forehead-smack moment after a job interview where you remember how poorly you answered some question — or worse, that you forgot to mention work experience that would have made a stellar first impression.

The next time this happens, don’t give up. It sounds counter-intuitive, but going out of your way to fix a bad first impression can make you look better and more memorable than your competition. Normally, you would send the interviewer an email to thank them within 24 hours, max. Use that email to smooth over mistakes you made in the interview.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Running a business in a closet isn’t easy. Good luck finding privacy to make that important phone call.

My 25-strong team dealt with a closet-like office that made productivity a struggle. The mazelike layout meant we were always slamming doors on each other, tripping over stuff, and overhearing everything.

Then, everything changed.

A little side note to what inspired this post: I was on the Wharton fashion startup trek a few weekends ago (basically a day field trip for MBAs sponsored by the Wharton Entrepreneurship Club) and in between nodding off (it was a long 5 AM bus ride to NYC) and furiously jotting down notes, I started having this strange feeling of déjà vu; I felt like I had already seen my last few sentences somewhere. Sure enough, these were questions and that I had heard, and asked, a few times: when you’re just beginning, how do you find a manufacturer/designer/supplier?

Image: http://beacon.wharton.upenn.edu 

They work where you don’t really see them. Most other startups or users don’t know their names. They’re not the highlights at conferences and you won’t find their pictures on the frontpage of a magazine. Yet, without them things would often not work as founders hope. They are smart and hungry. They are interns.

This time, VentureVillage talked to Shanice Heuzeveldt (21 years old) who is an intern at Outfittery. She is originally from Switzerland, and her parents are Dutch. She supports the Dutch team in the Berlin office which is the first foreign language team at Outfittery.

Image: http://venturebeat.com 

With an eye toward long-term payoffs associated with investments in research, lawmakers dedicated funds and strengthened ties with industry partners. Some states made significant investments in facilities and R&D to grow cancer research capabilities, while others looked to universities to establish new avenues for discovery or attract star researchers. In Washington, the life sciences community banded together to save a nine year-old grant fund that invests in R&D and helps the state remain competitive.

Now that summer is here, a trip to the shore should bring familiar smells: seawater, sunscreen and, depending on your beach of choice, sewage.

One in 10 recreational beaches in the United States isn't fit for swimming, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Stuck in a rut while looking for a job with social impact? Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to stop looking and start taking action, no matter how small that action might be. A site called 50 Ways to Get a Job That Makes Good offers actionable steps that jobseekers can take at every point in the process, from when they're first starting out and finding a purpose all the way up to the interview process and beyond.

Image: http://www.fastcoexist.com/ 

Overfishing and pollution have pushed life in the high seas to the brink of collapse, according to a new report from the Global Ocean Commission. “The oceans are a failed state,” David Miliband, co-chair of the commission, told Reuters. The commission has implored governments to set a five-year deadline to deal with threats to the health of the high seas, which are marine waters outside national coastal zones; these seas cover almost half the globe.

Image: Wikimedia Commons 

First Round Capital today announced its fifth fund — a $175M round from existing limited partners.

With little surprise, the firm intends to do what it always does with new capital: make seed stage investments in the Valley (and New York).

India’s new Prime Minister  Narendra Modi has asked Ministers to set ambitious targets for the first 100 days of government,. While the BJP Party Manifesto calls for implementation of incentives for R&D Intensive Enterprises, BioPharma wallahs eagerly await clear signals on IP policy directions, where latest reports indicate that the Modi Government’s first act may be to expand pharma price controls by raising the number of drugs on the essential medicines list.

Image: http://www.biotechblog.com/ 

Bucharest residents and tourists can try out the new boat rides on the the Dambovita river in Bucharest, as well as the surf boards on the river. These have been made available on the the segment between Unirii bridge and the National Library, through a program organized by the Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association and ARCUB.

Image: http://share.cannonball.io/ 

When it comes to climate change, there are many misconceptions, distortions, outright lies and memes circulating online. In fact, entire websites argue the mainstream scientific conclusion that manmade emissions of greenhouse gases are causing harmful global warming. Don't forget the sites designed to counter those sites, and on and on.

In an effort to clear up some of the climate confusion, here are the top six climate myths, debunked.

Image: http://mashable.com/ 

Google had no shortage of announcements during its almost-three-hour developers conference on Wednesday. Some announcements, like Android Wear and Android L, were expected; others took us by surprise and played out differently than anticipated.

Just in case you didn't watch the full conference, we've rounded up some of the biggest highlights, below.

Image: MASHABLE, KURT WAGNER