10 Stories From the Web to Know About This Week, Oct. 25, 2013 A life-saving app, indie art and music gets crowdfunded, a step-by-step guide to building a better brain, how to manage your managers, why the emerging-markets craze may be over. This week's notable news and tantalizing tidbits for entrepreneurs.
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A life-saving app, indie art and music gets crowdfunded, a step-by-step guide to building a better brain, FedEx preps for the holidays, connecting moguls with eager interns, how to manage your managers, why the emerging-markets craze may be over… This week's notable news and tantalizing tidbits for entrepreneurs:
1. This app could save your life: PulsePoint is a new app that bridges the gap between the onset of a heart attack, and the time it takes for first responders to arrive on the scene. Volunteers receive an alert via their smartphone and rush to provide CPR to a nearby person in need. Goodbye Bat Signal. (Vice)
2. Indie art patronage: The concept behind Patreon.com was born in a moment of desperation by Jack Conte, part of the indie-rock duo called Pomplamoose. The website is a " kind of Kickstarter-meets-music-biz" where patrons can pledge money to their favorite artists. (Wired)
3. Build a happier brain: Overcome your negativity bias with a neuropsychological approach to building a happier brain. Put these tips into practice to focus on the positive aspects of life, and rewire your neurons to learn from happiness. (The Atlantic)
4. How to gain influence as an intern: Intern Sushi, a video résumé site that connects interns with business moguls, debuted its new influencer program. The contest-based program " helps kids land the big connections to the big leaders" with a contest, profile accreditation and provides informal, one-on-one interviews with industry influencers. (Fast Company)
5. Who says niche social sites don't work? Mubi, a social networking service for the serious "cinephile,' just landed $5.1 million bucks. The company plans to use the money to meld the best features of social media and video streaming. Two thumbs up? (Venture Beat)
6. FedEx beefs up for the holidays: FedEx is preparing for the busiest Cyber Monday ever, by hiring "tens of thousands of seasonal workers" to ship your online orders. If you don't know, the first Monday following Thanksgiving is the Black Friday for online shops -- when consumers, back on the job, go shopping to land deep discounts. (CNNmoney)
7. Managing your managers: Mastering the art of "feeding your board" of directors is a balancing act between honesty and strategy. Here are seven tips to "managing up" and ensuring that those backing your business maintain confidence in you. (Inc.)
8. Brazil is so last year: Emerging markets have seen incredible growth in the past ten years. But has this rapid development hit a tipping point? Talk amongst yourselves. (Knowledge @ Wharton)
9. Be the standard bearer: Keith Krach, CEO of DocuSign, recently spoke at the Vator Splash event in San Francisco. In a candid conversation, he spoke about reach vs. revenue, and how important it is to become the "standard" in your industry. (Vator News)
10. The myth of overnight success: The dotcom boom and the high-profile sale of billion-dollar apps has led to the dream of overnight success among entrepreneurs. The reality is much less exciting. (Forbes)