I just read an article about Generation Y, who were born between 1982 and 2000. They grew up in a world of personal, never having known what it would be like to live without them.

My kids, Generation X. were born between 1965 and 1979, and grew up in a world of recording - 8 tracks to cassettes to VCR’s. They didn’t know a world without videos, walkman, CD’s.

My generation, early Boomers, grew up with Television, which was a new phenomenon in the early 1950’s. We didn’t know a world without Television.

My parents’ generation grew up with the radio.

Wonder what technology the next generation will grow up with? Any thoughts on this? What technology are your grandchildren focusing on? Wii? Virtual reality?

Steve Munday/ALLSPORT

Tags: baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Wii

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It’s easy to get addicted to social networks, and this is why many employers frown on them and ban them from company servers. However, with a bit of practice, even the biggest time waster can be converted into a productivity tool. Yes, even Twitter (add me here). Here are some ways to do it:

Record tasks as you’re working on them. So you know how long some tasks take. This only works if you’re posting honest tweets.

Send reminders to contacts. If you don’t want the long conversations that instant messaging tends to generate, send a quick note to your contacts via Twitter.

Pitch to someone. This is the Twitter version of an elevator pitch, and the cutesy name for it is “twitpitch”. Click here to read more about it.

Use it for communication. It can be much faster than email, and if you’re just going to state a one-sentence message to a massive group of people with active Twitter accounts, why not just send it via Twitter?

Get quick feedback. It’s very easy to reply to tweets, especially if you’re asking for feedback for a particular idea.

What do you use Twitter for? Do you find it’s a useful communication tool or just a waste of your time?

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BofA to expand efforts to help Countrywide borrowers - San Diego Union-Tribune
LOS ANGELES – A top executive for Bank of America Corp. says the company will expand efforts to help Countrywide Financial Corp. borrowers avoid foreclosure on trouble mortgages. The announcement came Monday as members of the Federal Reserve Board

AMD launches first computer brand - Reuters
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) on Sunday unveiled its first computer brand, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, with design and sales help from its major chip customers such as Dell

Attracting Publicity for Your Business - BusinessWeek
I’m just starting to get the word out about my company and need some advice on how to pitch stories or get a writer’s attention.—K.V., Victoria, B.C. Reporters are bombarded with pitches from companies seeking exposure, but very few of those

Business owners say margin tax needs reform - Dallas Business Journal
Bills aim to help small businesses cover paperwork errors [Columbus] Economy has small businesses looking to D.C. for some assistance [Columbus] Small businesses not in the mood to celebrate economy [Baltimore] Texas business owners and workers are

Patent Reform Act would hurt small business owners - Daily Citizen-News
Small business entrepreneurs beware. The U.S. Senate is preparing to debate patent reform legislation that’s designed to aid tech titans but which could trample independent inventors in the process. The Patent Reform Act, which passed the House last

BUSINESS: Small business owners learn marketing strategy - Tonawanda News
Small businesses can have a massive budget impact on customers with some effective marketing. That’s what about 30 small business owners were told during a Greater Niagara Newspapers seminar Thursday at the Lockport Holiday Inn on Transit Road. Lisa

Expanding across say lines - CNN Money
Get small-business intelligence from the experts. Here’s a chance for YOU to ask your pressing small-business questions, and FSB editors will help you get answers from the appropriate experts. (FORTUNE Small Business) — Dear FSB: I formed an LLC

Truckers upset by fuel prices - Chicago Tribune
PIERRE, S.D. - Between 200 and 400 truck drivers and some 50 to 100 huge rigs were expected Monday in Pierre for a rally against high fuel prices. Organizer Brian Frahm of Fort Pierre expected truckers from South Dakota , Iowa and Nebraska . He stated

On the internet supplier’s web venture is glowing - Detroit Free Press
LOCATION: We are physically located in Rochester Hills and found worldwide on the World wide web at www.greenelectricalsupply.com . It is our goal to expand our business to also include a brick-and-mortar storefront in the fourth quarter of 2008, creating

Bank of America aims to help 265,000 avoid foreclosure - Boston Globe
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Bank of America Corp. stated Monday after it completes its acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corp. it will modify or workout at least $40 billion in mortgage loans over the next two years to help customers avoid foreclosure. In

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Filed under: Estates

NeighborhoodScout.com has used their matching function to find neighborhoods that are “discount equivalents” of some of the hot and high-priced communities we recently covered in our Most High-priced Zip Codes estates.

The Neighborhood Scout chooses Southwest Harbor, Maine as a seaside equivalent to the pricier island of Nantucket. On Nantucket the median home value is $1.56 million but Southwest Harbor has a median home value of just $266,936. The two locations have much in common including a quaint New England charm and island beauty, you just trade in Nantucket for Mt. Desert Island. It’s a little colder and doesn’t have as much of a reputation as a summer getaway but it has some beautiful properties.

Today’s home is actually on Greening’s Island and has views of Mt. Desert Island. This shingle-style cottage was constructed in 1932 and sits on 9.75 acres of meadows and woods reaching all the way to the granite ledges. The property has western views of Southwest Harbor and Manset villages, and North to the views of Somes Sound and there’s 1,544+/- feet of shore frontage. The property includes a shared dock and the “Captain’s Cabin” a special retreat near the dock. It is listed at $2.65 million. A bargain compared to the shingled home we recently featured on Nantucket which is listed at $11.75 million.

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Continue reading The Bargain Neighborhoods, Southwest Harbor, ME, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Decor, Estates, Journeys, Services, Art, Garden

William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest’s top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make “the experience of luxury — excellence, comfort and high quality — accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs’ travels and of course, a blog, so you can “create your own interaction with luxury.” Don’t we all want that?

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Filed under: Estates

He’s already rumored to be building the most high-priced yacht in the world, now The Telegraph reports that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is working on a home that will be the most expensive private residence in Britain. The home in Knightsbridge, London will join two existing townhouses that are currently divided into apartments in Lowndes Square. The two-houses will be combined into one eight-bedroom home with a home theater, indoor swimming pool and steam room on eight stories total. The home is expected to be worth around

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Filed under: Small business

No doubt, small businesses are a powerful force in the U.S. economy in terms of job creation and innovation. And, according to a current study from the Kauffman Foundation, it looks like things are still going strong, despite the slowing economy. For example, each month, about 500,000 new businesses are started (of course, there are certainly a good number that fail as well).

So, what are some of the key trends? Well, interestingly enough, there’s quite a bit of growth from immigrants. In fact, they are more apt to start businesses than native-born Americans.

Something else: men are twice as apt to start a business then women. Actually, I think this is unfortunate because diversity certainly grants for stronger growth.

However, looking at the next decade or so, I suspect we’ll see much more entrepreneurial activity. Why? It’s when the Baby Boomers will reach their prime years for new business formation. They will have the wisdom and resources to take a flier. What’s more, a new business might actually became an interesting way for Baby Boomers to essentially change the definition of “retirement” — that is, leaving the rat race and doing what they really want.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and mid-size businesses.

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