Filed under: Google (GOOG), Amazon.com (AMZN), Small business

Over the past couple years, major players like Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) have invested in the so-called “cloud.” Basically, they’re leveraging their big infrastructures to provision services - like web hosting, storage and so on - to other companies. Actually, I know many startups that have such deals (helping to cut costs and get to market faster).

But what if you don’t want to outsource this? Well, there’s an alternative: Parascale. The company sells cloud software that you can install on your own servers.

As an indication of its power, Parascale has raised $11.37 million in a Series A round. The investors include Charles River Ventures and Menlo Ventures (both firms have extensive backgrounds in the storage area).

Parascale got its start four years ago. Interestingly enough, it hasn’t been an easy journey. The original team had to get second mortgages and lines of credit to support operations.

But now, it looks like the timing is right. “With the explosion of digital content,” said Sajai Krishnan, who is the CEO of Parascale CEO, “there is a need for more efficient storage systems.”

The Parascale Cloud Storage (PCS) is built on widely followed standards as well as Linux servers. This makes it easier for customers to adapt the technology to their needs (which is not an simple thing to do with Google and Amazon.com).

No doubt, the storage marketplace has gone through several major shifts over the past twenty years. So, with cloud storage, it looks like we may be seeing another shift - and Parascale will now have the resources to become a leader in the space.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar On the web Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

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Iowa’s smoking ban went into effect yesterday (July 1). The only two exceptions, as I understand it, are casinos (can’t stop those gamblers from smoking, can we?) and veterans hospitals (maybe on the assumption that they served their country and they have earned the right to kill themselves with smoking if they want).

You can tell how I feel about smoking. My father smoked from the time he was very young until just before his death at age 83, from emphysema (not surprising). He sat at the dinner table every night and lit up a cigarette when he was done eating. For 18 years I lived with smoke, thinking nothing of it. When the first warnings by the Surgeon General came out, he tried several times to quit but couldn’t.

I hate everything about smoking, so I’m pleased to see the ban in Iowa, as in many other states. I do feel sorry for those who will be forced to quit or stand on street corners to smoke; I know how difficult it is to quit after watching my father.

In terms of the effect of the ban on businesses, I think you’ll see that it won’t have much effect. Restaurants will be able to seat anyone anywhere, not having to designate a smoking section. This should help with customer flow.

Bars will be affected initially. But I stopped feeling sorry for the bar owners when I found out that Ireland has a ban on smoking in pubs, and it has not affected them.

I’d like to see smoking banned in every public building in every state. I’m sure that won’t happen, but you never know.

If you own a small business, what would be or is the effect of a smoking ban on your business?

Tags: baby boomers, iowa smoking ban, small business

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Iowa’s smoking ban went into effect yesterday (July 1). The only two exceptions, as I comprehend it, are casinos (can’t stop those gamblers from smoking, can we?) and veterans hospitals (maybe on the assumption that they served their country and they have earned the right to kill themselves with smoking if they want).

You can tell how I feel about smoking. My dad smoked from the time he was very young until just before his death at age 83, from emphysema (not surprising). He sat at the dinner table every night and lit up a cigarette when he was done eating. For 18 years I lived with smoke, thinking nothing of it. When the first warnings by the Surgeon General came out, he tried several times to quit but couldn’t.

I hate everything about smoking, so I’m pleased to see the ban in Iowa, as in many other says. I do feel sorry for those who will be forced to quit or stand on street corners to smoke; I know how difficult it is to quit after watching my dad.

In terms of the effect of the ban on businesses, I think you’ll see that it won’t have much effect. Restaurants will be able to seat anyone anywhere, not having to designate a smoking section. This should help with customer flow.

Bars will be affected initially. But I stopped feeling sorry for the bar owners when I found out that Ireland has a ban on smoking in pubs, and it has not affected them.

I’d like to see smoking banned in each public building in each state. I’m sure that won’t happen, but you never know.

If you own a small business, what would be or is the effect of a smoking ban on your business?

Tags: baby boomers, iowa smoking ban, small business

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Are you thinking about retirement in the next few years? In my interview with Bill Losey in recognition of National Retirement Planning Month, I asked him:

Q: What is the single biggest mistake people make in planning their retirements?

A: In Retire in a Weekend I stated the biggest mistake is taking advice from unqualified people. You know the scenario: Your brother-in-law knows someone who is a “financial planner” or “broker,” so you go to that person because he or she is cheap and available. And you get bad advice.

That’s still a massive mistake, but a more massive mistake is not having a plan or written strategy. Many people have ideas about what they want in retirement, or how they want to handle their money, and they hear and read things and they let guesswork and emotion rule their decisions instead of having a specific spending plan and a budget and a realistic goal for their portfolio.

So my question for you is: Do you’ve a specific retirement plan? Do you know how much you need to live on during retirement? (In RIAW, Bill says most people assume they’ll need less; that’s a fallacy, because they actually need just as much or more.) Do you know what return you need to be able to maintain your lifestyle and not outlive your portfolio?

Next, not letting emotion rule your financial decisions (I’m guilty of that!)

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Filed under: Estates

There are few apartments in New York more romantic than this one. This penthouse in the St. Urban building at 285 Central Park West is a writer’s dream with a library that makes me weak in the knees. The circular, two-level library is inside the domed northern turret of the building. The lower floor has bird’s eye maple bookcases, and the top floor or thinking level is designed as a reading retreat inside the dome, opening to a private rooftop reading terrace and observation deck. The library looks out over the park and the city.

The penthouse also includes a living room with wood burning fireplace and access to a terrace, two-story greenhouse, dining room, chef’s kitchen and a master suite with two dressing rooms and two marble bathrooms. The second bedroom has a wood burning fireplace, and both the second and third bedrooms have marble baths. There are also two laundry rooms.

The apartment was cobbled together by architect Lee Harris Pomeroy from several different spaces to create one unit with two wings which are anchored by the central turret. It was no simple task, new windows were cut through the mansard roof for better park views. The apartment is 4,000 square feet total and the St. Urban includes amenities such as a 24 hour doorman, a basketball court, full gym, and bicycle storage. This apartment is listed at $14.5 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

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Continue reading St. Urban Penthouse, Estate of the Day

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