This is where the tape goes from light comedy to what-the-fuck paranoia fuel. Remember, so far no one has denied the authenticity of the tapes, they've only accused the enemies of the pro-Western leaders, namely The Kremlin, of trying to discredit them. In the great kompromat days, this was how victims of leaked conversations used to essentially confirm the tapes' authenticity: by blaming the leak on their enemies, rather than denying that the conversations ever took place.

The eXile has gotten incredibly dark and depressing as Russia descends into Putin's totalitarian fascism.

eXile - Issue #265 - Feature Story - Nato Stooges Unplugged

CED’s Tech 2007 will explore the future of emerging and converging technologies that are reshaping today’s hottest industries. Now in its 17th year, Tech 2007 will focus on the latest cutting-edge markets and global opportunities in clean technologies, medical devices, new materials, nanotechnology and more, as well as telecom, internet, software and hardware.

Using a range of session formats – from nationally respected keynotes to smaller, interactive workshops - Tech 2007 will incite conversations about technologies and products that will change the way we live, communicate, and think. Tech 2007 will showcase more than 40 innovative technologies from entrepreneurial companies, university groups, corporations and research institutions from across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic; and unite the creators of exciting, novel technologies with the industry's top technology and business influencers. Join us in October and . . .

Tech 2007 - Council For Entrepreneurial Development

At CED's Tech 2007 Conference, CED is pleased to showcase the most innovative technologies, pre-company to later stage, from across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region.

APPLY NOW to take advantage of the early-bird demo application discount valid through June 30, 2007.
About Applying to Demo

* Please review the Demo Application Criteria and benefits before applying.
* CED is recruiting the best technologies in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic to demo at Tech 2007.
* Please complete the following application in its entirety. An asterisk ( * ) indicates required information.
* The Council for Entrepreneurial Development takes every precaution to protect our users' information. All information submitted is kept confidential amongst CED and the Tech Conference Selection Committee. Your information is protected both on- and off-line.
* If you have questions about the selection process, contact Dhruv Patel at dpatel@cednc.org or 919.549.7500 x118.
* Applications must be completed by July 27, 2007. You can start your application and save your work; however, only applications that are completed in their entirety will be eligible for selection.

Apply to get some of that research triangle money for your startup.

Tech 2007: Application to Demo: Council for Entrepreneurial Development

AKA The Wonderful Thing about Triggers…

The wizard hasn’t received many questions lately, which is very disturbing and embarrassing and I will chalk it up to summer vacations, but in the absence of actual questions, I’ve decided to invent some fans of the wizard. Question number 1 comes from an invisible Irish gentleman named Bernie in Wichita. Bernie writes, “Can you explain options acceleration? And when would I want to use it? And when wouldn’t I? And what’s single trigger vs. double trigger acceleration and how do you feel about those kinds of things?”

Ask the Wizard: Stock Options Acceleration

SJF Ventures is a venture capital partnership with offices in Durham, NC, and New York, NY. Through its investment funds, the firm provides equity financings from $500K to $5MM, solo or in syndicates, to companies seeking expansion capital.

SJF Ventures focuses on the cleantech, technology-enhanced services and premium consumer products sectors. Representative investment areas include renewable energy and efficiency, organic and healthy consumer products, digital media and marketing services, electronics recycling, and outsourced business services.

When assessing investment opportunities, SJF Ventures is highly selective in identifying teams, markets and business models that can achieve rapid sales, strong profitability, and premium exits. In addition, SJF looks to partner with entrepreneurs who are committed to impacting the world positively through the businesses that they are creating.

SJF Ventures’ partners assist portfolio companies in building the board and executive management team, refining strategic planning, exploring capitalization structures, pursuing growth mergers and acquisitions, and enhancing market presence.

SJF Advisory Services, an allied non-profit organization, provides entrepreneurial, workforce and sustainability assistance services to SJF prospect and portfolio companies. SJF Advisory Services seeks out firms whose competitive strategy is built on workforce and environmental innovation. SJF seeks to rapidly diffuse those entrepreneurial strategies to help build a more sustainable economy.

SJF Ventures: About SJF : North Carolina VC with Entrepreneurial Outreach Thang

Atlanta Tech Community Reaches for Critical Mass

Some recent rumblings in the Atlanta tech community are raising my hopes that the city can build a vibrant technology community. We have great clusters of technology, some great angel and VC groups, some excellent entrepreneurs, great user groups, incubators, technologists, and even good schools cranking out good engineering talent. Yet for some the Atlanta tech community hasn’t really developed into any sort of cohesive community, and there’s a definite feeling that the opportunities aren’t here for startups that exist in other major metropolitan areas.

Atlanta Tech Community Reaches for Critical Mass « Rob’s Blog - Technology, Atlanta, Startups and Stuff

Executive Training Program
”Finalize Prototype for Launch”
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 @ 6:30PM
Centergy - 2nd Floor (75 Fifth St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30308)
Free Parking in Front of Centergy Building

Georgia Entrepreneurs Society : Events

As you can see from the photos it's a very small jet. No including the pilots, it seats only three. That's the core of the air taxi concept.
DayJet - Air Taxi Service - Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet

Rather than chartering an entire plane, which I could never afford, you charter a single seat. The planes will operate between DayPorts. The first five DayPorts are in Florida. They include: Lakeland, Gainesville, Pensacola, Boca Raton and Tallahassee. The DayPorts are cities that aren't normally served by commercial airlines, or if they are the costs and travel times are somewhat out of whack. DayJet's flight costs are based on the window of flexibility you provide DayJet. The maximum window is 5.5 hours.

For example if I say, "I need to fly from Lakeland to Tallahassee tomorrow at 10am" then that's not flexible. As such I would pay the highest rate for the seat. However, if I say, "I need to be in Tallahassee tomorrow morning." and build in a maximum of 5.5 hours into my schedule then I pay the lowest fare.

How much are we talking? DayJet staff has told me the rate variation for the Lakeland to Tallahassee flight is projected to be between $290 and $800 per leg depending on the flexibility. For a round-trip to Tallahassee that would be just under $600.00 if I am flexible with my departure/arrival times. It might be a bit pricey, but everything is relative and the X factor is time.

Currently a trip to Tallahassee takes me about 5 hours via car, so round trip that's 10 hours in a car. With DayJet the flight is a little over an hour. Compare a little over two hours with ten. If I can 'work/bill' for any of that saved time then the jet has almost paid for itself. That's big the allure of 'corporate jet' travel, by saving time (and billing for it) that is normally lost at the airport, you make up for the price difference.

DayJet - Air Taxi Service - Eclipse 500 Very Light JetLet's look at travel costs. I bill clients for mileage. Roundtrip to Tally is 590 miles or at $.48 cents per mile that's $283.20. Throw in an overnight stay and a meal or two and you might get close to the cost of the fare.

To compare with commercial airlines, a round-trip ticket on Delta from Orlando to Tallahassee is anywhere from $390.00 to $450.00 depending on when you book. Of course with that you get all the fun of commercial air travel. A drive to the airport, security, delays, etc. For me the drive to Orlando airport is at least 45 minutes. Throw in security and the fact that you have to arrive at least 30-45 minutes prior and, well you know. With DayJet I drive less than twenty minutes to Lakeland Linder airport and then walk on a plane, with at most two other people.

When DayJet talks about their fares the usually make the comparison to business class fares, which for most flights are considerably higher than coach. For a run like Orlando to Tallahassee there are no business fares since you're flying on an RJ.

Will they make it? The market will obviously decide. I see them making the majority of their trips to-from Tallahassee in support of the legislature, lobbyists and other related government activity. Most of those folks have the budgets to cover the costs for flight costs.

DayJet plans to operate in the Florida market to prove their concept and iron out any bugs. From there they plan to expand across the Southeast, then on to the rest of the country.

Will I use it? I plan on it. I'll make a few trips and then re-evaluate the cost/benefit. The key is doing something constructive with the time you're saving by not messing around with commercial air travel and all the hassles.

Southern Fried Tech - Test Flight - DayJet Eclipse 500 Air Taxi Service

# Don’t believe what you read. Don’t EVER believe what you read about yourself.

# "The Press" is no longer the most important source of coverage; the bloggers are today’s opinion makers, especially when it comes to coverage of technology innovations and, more importantly, the gossip that fuels the buzz of which products are hot, which are duds.

# Traditional PR firms only marginally "get" the blogosphere. Unless you have true Wall Street Journal worthy news, or are stupid, don’t bother paying $20,000 a month for an ineffective PR agency. You are far better off to hire a 21 year old who understands your stuff, give him/her a laptop and a six-pack of Crunk!!, and having them start chatting online about your firm/product.

# If an article claims your company is a loser, your product is a failure or that you eat goats for lunch, don’t kick the story forward by responding; better pour your energies into creating the best business model, the most elegant business solution, and go out and sell your company for a fortune. Unless you actually do eat goats for lunch.

# Describing a product as "revolutionary, but with an evolutionary bridge" only makes sense to a journalist who will never actually use your stuff; your customers will think you have been smoking crack. Go "leverage your synergies" and "shift your paradigms" somewhere else, marketingdroid.

# Never, ever, even if you have a term sheet from Google on the table, tell a journalist that your goal is "a billion dollars or bust" unless you want the next headline to read "Bust" when your sale/merger/IPO falls apart.

# Journalists are like teenagers, they have their collective crushes, then move on. Really. I'd give an example, but I've already forgotten about them all.

# The best quote in an article is from your customer telling the world why they love your product. The worst is you telling the world why they should love your company. That is unless the quote is from your mother telling the world how hard you work, that you are such a nice boy/girl and that her greatest wish is for a grandchild.

# If you are being interviewed by a journalist, read their recent articles. There is no better way to deflate an interviewer than to suggest they cover a topic they just wrote a story about the week before.

# You do keep track of what people are saying about your company, right? Subscribe to blog searches through Google or Bloglines and pay attention. Leave comments to blog posts where appropriate. It ain't rocket surgery.

10 Startup Marketing Commandments - Startupping Forums - Mark Fletcher

Kinetic Ventures is a leading venture capital investor in high growth, technology driven businesses. For over two decades we have partnered with outstanding entrepreneurs to build world class enterprises. Since 1985 we have organized and managed 7 venture funds and invested in over 100 companies. Our professionals have over 55 years of collective experience in technology, strategy, sales, finance, banking and operations.

Throughout our history, we have focused on early and growth-stage investments. We invest in three major areas:

*Communications. Technologies that bring greater speed, functionality, usability or accessibility to communications and data networks.
*Information Technology. Information technology-enabled solutions that bring greater efficiency, collaboration, security and functionality to users.
*Power/Clean Technology. Companies that offer compelling solutions to the power industry by taking advantage of the ongoing and rapid technological evolution in communications, energy, and information technologies.

VC with an Atlanta office.

Kinetic Ventures