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Australia's ranking as a 'networked' nation is on the slide, according to World Economic...

According to the World Economic Forum, Australia is slipping as a 'networked' nation. The organisation's annual survey of 133 nations for its Global Information Technology Report (2009–2010) ranked Australia as the world's 16th most 'networked', falling from its 14th place held over the past two years.

TAC video celebrates 20 years of carnage-packed commercials (Lewis Hamilton should watch this)

While the views of critics and advocates are are still divided there is one factor that can't be denied. Since December 10th 1989, when the first TAC commercial went to air, the Victorian road toll has fallen from 776 to 303

David Bussau: The economics of enough

David Bussau is all too familiar with the concepts of under-privilege, survival and dignity. He spent much of his childhood in a New Zealand boys' home, an experience that taught him the value of lateral thinking and risk-taking as a means of survival. But unlike many people born into a position of disadvantage, Bussau has been able to turn the tables, achieving the lofty status of self-made multi-millionaire by the age of 35 and changing the lives of countless individuals, families and communities in the process.

Young entrepreneurs from NSW… WE WANT YOU!

Are you... Under 35 years of age, based in New South Wales, with a passion for business, and a desire to learn from and network with other like-minded business builders?

Why You’ve Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920

If you have 49 minutes to spare and would like to brush up on your economic theory, this presentation by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., hosted by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, not only summarises the events leading up the the Great Depression of the 1920s but offers salient points that are equally applicable to our current economic climes.

Why You've Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920

If you have 49 minutes to spare and would like to brush up on your economic theory, this presentation by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., hosted by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, not only summarises the events leading up the the Great Depression of the 1920s but offers salient points that are equally applicable to our current economic climes.

The making of the best TV commercial in recent memory

Remember Sony's original Bravia LCD TV commercial from a few years ago that everyone loved? The one with thousands of multi-coloured balls bouncing down hills in San Francisco like something straight out of a child's daydream? Well here's how they made it.

A holographic presentation technology that gets in your face (literally)

When it comes to physical products, there's nothing like seeing the real thing. This poses a problem for product developers, who begin with just a concept that usually requires the support of backers and believers to turn it into reality. Enter portable holographic imaging, which is designed primarily for architects but could prove equally useful for industrial designers, product manufacturers -- even event co-ordinators.

Research: Smart phones and dumb employees are a toxic mix

Smart phones have brought both the world and the office to the palm and pocket, enabling increased productivity for the workforce on the move. However, this new-found freedom has exposed a mountain of previously secure company information to the threat of theft and destruction at the hands of cyber criminals.

What an MBA program SHOULD teach

MBAs are wonderful things. They educate you in Mergers and Acquisitions, Finance, Remedial Accounting and a whole lot of other stuff. Sadly, they don’t teach you the two most critical theories in business, maybe because it would put all those revenue-generating MBA programmes out of business.

More productivity. Less stress. Rework. [VIDEO]

It was with a great Hurrah! that we in the Anthill office greeted the news that Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson had just published a business book. Rework distils 37signals' philosophy and wisdom into 288 pages of advice for the business reader.

A serene pod office for your back yard

It might look like something out of Lord of the Rings, but the UK-designed Archipod contains all the modern comforts of a compact office, transplanted into the sanctuary of your back yard.

Create your own Jackson Pollock-like artwork by simply tracking your mouse movement over time

You don't have to be a fragile artist to produce a masterpiece like this. Simply install IOGraph and get on with your normal computer business. After a while, open the software and save your visual tracking abstraction for others to admire.

How to sell your business for maximum price

Have you thought about what your business is worth? When you come to sell it, it may not be worth as much as you think.

Don’t wait for politicians. Create the magic yourself.

Businesses like to hang their hat with one political party or another for a variety of misguided reasons. It may well explain why so many businesses go bust in the first three years. They are spending too much time hoping politicians will deliver them a miracle than, you know, working. Is it just coincidence that this time-frame is the same as the term of a government?

Gordon Gekko is back!

Gordon Gekko, the fictional character Michael Douglas portrayed as the epitome of 1980s corporate materialism, is back. Oliver Stone's sequel to his 1987 classic Wall Street begins with Gekko just emerging from prison with a lingering taste for 'the game'.

Keep your friends close and your competitors even closer

It is commonplace in business to look at what your competitors are doing and do your own carefully crafted version of that. Excuse me. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. There is nothing unique about reflecting the messages within your industry.

The iPad? Meh. The future of tech is touching yourself.

What comes after the iPad touch screen interface? Will we all soon be starring in our own private Minority Report? Enter "skinput": -- bio-acoustic sensing technology that allows the human body itself to be used as an input device. According to Carnegie Mellon University researcher Chris Harrison, different body locations give off "acoustically distinct" sound waves when touched, opening up a world of possibility for touching feely techies.

Not all advice is equal

If you wanted to send a rocket to the international space station, would you listen to your cousin John when he said there’s no way that you should use that kind of fuel, because he used it in his car once and the car blew up? So why do people do this every day in their businesses?

Warning: Legislation to mandate more women on boards is not the answer

It seems to me that the biggest thing holding Australian businesses back right now is the “me too” syndrome. I do not consider the fact that there are not enough women on boards and in senior management positions to be merely a sexist thing. What I mean is that there is an ingrained corporate culture that says the leaders and directors want to hire others that are “like them”.
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How To Grow Your Business and Profits with Jason Cunningham [CHEAT...

Recorded guerrilla-style in the basement of York Butter Factory, the linked video course is a rollicking, authoritative lesson (with some colourful language, mind you) from someone who has been through it all. In this Cheat Sheet, we cover three hot tips from the lesson, with a focus on helping business owners grow and increase profitability: Why entrepreneurs need to think about “the end," why cash flow is king – no matter what you’ve heard, and why you need to have a vision for success.

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Xero recently held its annual meeting in Wellington, during which the company revealed some interesting details about its future. As has been widely suspected, the...

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