Entrepreneurship

Wild and Free: The Libertarian Philosophy of Henry David Thoreau

"Many people seem to have an idea of an isolated, possibly misanthropic hermit who would disapprove of anyone who came near his secluded home. And if they find out that he did not live in the middle of nowhere, which he never claimed to, then he gets branded a big phony. Sometimes a big deal is made of him having meals with his family in Concord, but considering Thoreau’s contributions to the family pencil-making business over his lifetime, his obvious skill at craftsmanship, and the meals that he served visitors at Walden, his alleged mooching appears to actually be a sign of social involvement and reciprocity." Continue reading →

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Shakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

"Hoarder, moneylender, tax dodger - it's not how we usually think of William Shakespeare. But we should, according to a group of academics who say the Bard was a ruthless businessman who grew wealthy dealing in grain during a time of famine. Researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales argue we can't fully understand Shakespeare unless we study his often-overlooked business savvy. One said that oversight is the product of 'a willful ignorance on behalf of critics and scholars who I think - perhaps through snobbery - cannot countenance the idea of a creative genius also being motivated by self-interest'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

Shakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

"Hoarder, moneylender, tax dodger - it's not how we usually think of William Shakespeare. But we should, according to a group of academics who say the Bard was a ruthless businessman who grew wealthy dealing in grain during a time of famine. Researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales argue we can't fully understand Shakespeare unless we study his often-overlooked business savvy. One said that oversight is the product of 'a willful ignorance on behalf of critics and scholars who I think - perhaps through snobbery - cannot countenance the idea of a creative genius also being motivated by self-interest'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShakespeare shown as ruthless businessman

A millionaire, a market crash and a murder

"He may have been dubbed the founding father of economics, but, when he was alive 300 years ago, banker Richard Cantillon drew the fury of angry investors who lost money in schemes he had recommended. He was jailed briefly, but emerged with the millions he made from share dealing and currency speculation intact. Sound horribly familiar? Cantillon was the first to use the term 'entrepreneur', describing the vital role of risk-takers and speculators in generating economic growth. He practised what he preached, and the financial risks he took made him one of the wealthiest men in the Europe of his day." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA millionaire, a market crash and a murder

A millionaire, a market crash and a murder

"He may have been dubbed the founding father of economics, but, when he was alive 300 years ago, banker Richard Cantillon drew the fury of angry investors who lost money in schemes he had recommended. He was jailed briefly, but emerged with the millions he made from share dealing and currency speculation intact. Sound horribly familiar? Cantillon was the first to use the term 'entrepreneur', describing the vital role of risk-takers and speculators in generating economic growth. He practised what he preached, and the financial risks he took made him one of the wealthiest men in the Europe of his day." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA millionaire, a market crash and a murder

Swiss Space Systems aims for low-cost satellite service

"A new Swiss-based company said Thursday it would offer low-cost satellite launches which it claims could be a quarter of current market rates. Swiss Space Systems-S3 said its goal was to offer launches for 10 million Swiss francs (8.1 million euros, $10.5 million) using unmanned suborbital spaceplanes that could carry satellites weighing up to 250 kilos (550 pounds). The company said it planned to open such a spaceport by 2015 at the Payerne airfield in western Switzerland, which has already been used by the Solar Pulse sun-powered aircraft of Swiss astronaut Bertrand Piccard." Continue reading →

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Swiss solar-power plane set for trans-US flight

"The experimental Solar Impulse plane, which has made several trips since its maiden flight in 2009, will take off on May 1st on a transcontinental tour split in five stages. 'We are ready to do this flight across America,' said Solar Impulse co-founder Andre Borschberg during a press conference at a hangar in Mountain View, near San Francisco. A non-stop flight would take approximately three days travelling at the aircraft's cruising speed of around 43 miles (70 kilometres) per hour. 'We have limited ourselves to fly a duration maximum of 24 hours,' said Borschberg, who will share the piloting duties with Solar Impulse president Bertrand Piccard." Continue reading →

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Is Virgin Galactic ready for powered flight?

"SpaceShipTwo (SS2) performed a 10.8-minute glide flight April 12 in the skies above the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, the second such flight in as many weeks. This flight was distinguished by a 'cold flow' test of the SS2′s propulsion system, where nitrous oxide flowed through the rocket engine and out the nozzle, creating a distinctive contrail. 'As well as providing further qualifying evidence that the rocket system is flight ready, the test also provided a stunning spectacle due to the oxidizer contrail and for the first time gave a taste of what SpaceShipTwo will look like as it powers to space,' Virgin Galactic noted in a statement." Continue reading →

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Venezuela inmates open jailhouse nightclub

"Venezuelan inmates have opened their own nightclub and hosted friends and family at an inaugural bash complete with strippers and a light and sound show, a newspaper reported Saturday. The so-called 'Yacht Club' at a prison on Margarita Island in the Caribbean boasts 'professional sound, spectacular lights, air conditioning, strippers, bad girls and all the toys,' the inmates wrote in an invitation to their opening night gig, according to the El Universel newspaper. The party was attended by friends and relatives of the detainees, who publicized it through messages on social media, the newspaper reported." Continue reading →

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Samaritans in Taiwan turn plastic junk into items for the needy

"At the station operated by Taiwan’s largest charity group Tzu Chi Foundation, hundreds of volunteers help sort and recycle plastic waste along with used glass bottles and electronic appliances. Tzu Chi runs 5,400 recycling stations across Taiwan with the help of more than 76,000 volunteers and has distributed more than 460,000 blankets made from plastic bottles since 2007 for relief use at home and abroad. For the volunteers in charge of crushing the plastic bottles, who are from two nearby nursing homes for the mentally ill, the recycling work has also become part of their therapy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSamaritans in Taiwan turn plastic junk into items for the needy