Are tools making us dumber?

Whatever you need done, there is probably something that will do it for you while beeping in a satisfying manner. But what happens when our tools stop working? Can we still solve our own problems?

Google releases Premiere version of Google Apps

Google Apps is out of beta. Gmail and other Google services, hosted at your own domain. There are free versions for individuals and groups, and paid versions with additional features and support for business.

25 startups to watch

Want to know what’s going to be hot in 2007? Well you’re checking out Cambrian House so you’re off to a good start. These 25 startups should give you the bigger picture.

Trust factor and Web 2.0

As the value of data increases, so too does the trust required to share it with companies and communities. Ensuring our community is protected, and that Cambrian House is a trustworthy company, is very important to us. Have your say in the comments below, how can we ensure you feel safe?

Microsoft is looking for partners

The software giant is looking to partner with more developers and communities to put its technologies into wider use.

• Employers may be responsible for encouraging Blackberry or technology addictions among their employees.

  Although no lawsuits have been filed, a study at Rutgers University finds that employers may be responsible for technology addictions among their staff. Eventually this idea will find its way into the courts, it will be interesting to see how the ruling goes.

• Music execs join Steve Jobs in criticizing DRM, saying it gets in the way of what consumers want to do with the music.

  This is just one more sign that we’re in a world where you have to provide what the community wants or they will find it from another source.

• Tara Hunt’s lengthy chastisement of people who seek to use “community” as nothing more than marketing tool.

  This post illustrates the varying approaches companies are taking to the idea of community, some as enthusiastic facilitators and some merely seeking to take advantage of the “next big thing.”

• Don’t get too attached to Web 2.0, because Web 3.0 is on the way.

  Can’t wait to find out what it will be? Natural language search, machine learning and the semantic web are key elements.

Hiya all,

Gods_Light submitted the first video pitch to the Cambrian House community!

Is it just me or is it more fun to see someone actually pitch their idea to a camera than read the description. I read the text, but when I saw God actually talk about his idea and describe what it did, the problem it solved, and how it could be used it became WAY clearer to me.

Not only that but Gods_Light also created a logo and elevator pitch. We are working on making the elevator pitches show up when you mouse over ideas in IdeaExplorer.

Awesome pitch Gods_Light and all the best with your idea Who Are You?

May the best idea win!

Hi all,

Today is a good day Canada’s leading Mentor Capitalist, Sean Wise, has agreed to join our board of advisors.

Sean is the Managing Director of Toronto-based venture capital consultancy Wise Mentor Capital and is a national columnist on entrepreneurship for the Globe and Mail.

When it comes to startups and entrepreneurialism - Sean is in the know. Over the last seven years, he has lectured at more than 90 Bootcamps for CEOs and CFOs looking to raise financing for their businesses. He has spoken at numerous financing forums and industry conferences on both sides of the border. Wise also began working with the CBC as their industry advisor and online host for the networks #1 new show, Dragons’ Den.

In short we are extremely lucky and proud to have Sean join us as an advisor. Welcome aboard Sean!

[Update:] Check out Sean’s announcement of his role with Cambrian House in his blog, Wise Words.

Hiya All,

It’s been a long time coming, but the first release of IdeaForge is up and running. Gone are the days when you had a single text box to describe your idea. Now you can communicate and articulate the vision of your idea like never before. Here are some of the new features found in the forge:

• An elevator pitch – got 30 secs to describe the concept of your idea? No problem that’s where the elevator pitch comes in.
• Your Pitch / Your commercial – use the power of video to communicate what words alone sometimes can’t.
• Your Logo – Start branding your idea today be sharing designs and logo’s .
• Your Slogans – start capturing the meaning of your idea with a few short, powerful, punchy words.

To use IdeaForge, simply login, and edit one of your ideas. Would love your feedback so be sure to email me personally at : jr @ cambrianhouse.com or join us in the forum for discussion.

Special thanks to Peter, David, and Jessye for all their hard work and efforts. We’ve only just begun …

May the best idea win!

Every weekend we’ll be bringing you a list of cool stories, projects, ideas and startups that you may not have seen. It’s just a little extra service, because we love our community.

Is your boss an asshole?

If you’ve ever wondered whether your boss is an asshole, you’ll love Guy Kawasaki’s handy list. No more guesswork, now you can have a definitive answer. If it turns out that your boss is an asshole, you can start your own crowdsourced business here at Cambrian House.

Yahoo Pipes

Pipes attracted so much attention when it launched earlier this week that the traffic from eager information addicts like me actually took it offline for several hours. Data mashups aren’t new to the tech community, but Pipes offers a fantastic visual interface that allows anybody to combine information without technical know-how.

IMified

Control web apps from your Blackberry (or any other device with instant messaging capabilities) using IMified. Now you can use Salesforce, Google Calendar, Basecamp and several other great apps via instant messengers. IMified is totally self-funded, and looking to tie into APIs from many other popular services.

Update: On Valentine’s Day, IMified “broke up” with MSN because Microsoft wasn’t working with them to support the service. Other instant messaging services are still supported.

As we move into RND 2 we have to say goodbye to eight of the top ideas in the land. They fought hard, but only eight can go through, and here they are: Second Life Venture Capital Fund vs. vector source   HEROES OF THE DAY vs. Speed Dating by Webcam   The moment you were born… vs. Feng Shui-izer   Where in the WWW is Waldo? vs. DiveBarRadar

Vote now and decide which ideas will be checking into the Heartbreak Hotel, and which ideas will be one step closer to $10,000.