Startups Meet the Smart Meter
SMUD wants to turbocharge technologies that can raise the IQ of its smart grid
Giving customers price incentives to use less energy during peak periods is a key feature of SMUD’s smart grid. That new metering system is designed to let both the utility and customers better monitor energy use in homes. Now SMUD is hoping to take its grid to the next level. It’s partnering with entrepreneurs who can give customers technology that lets them use SMUD’s price incentives to save money
The Battle Upstream
Environmentalists work to preserve Chinook habitat
On the Yolo Bypass, just northwest of Sacramento, scientists and state and federal agencies are collaborating on a plan they hope could save California’s wild salmon.
Streamlining the Network
MySwirl aims to create the best features of social networking on one platform
While creating MySwirl, Tracy Saville envisioned a network and personal app that could help women unlock their potential, become more mindful, and better collaborate and connect professionally.“ I wanted people to have the freedom to unleash their potential, to collaborate without boundaries, to pursue their ideas and passion to make an impact in the world with as few boundaries as possible — and without having to use twenty different tools to do it,” Saville says.
Friends with Tents
Tent Pals lets buyers donate temporary housing to those in need
While studying abroad at the London School of Economics, UC Davis grad Alex Aguiar befriended a young homeless girl. He found her sleeping beneath an overpass, using folded cardboard to keep the cold concrete from chilling her body. Aguiar could not get the girl’s plight out of his mind. To understand his market, Aguiar spent the night with the homeless community, learning their stories and about what might help them. That’s when the idea for Tent Pals was born
UC Davis Suspends KaloBios Drug Trial After CEO Shkreli’s Arrest
The University of California at Davis and Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida have suspended a planned drug trial sponsored by KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc. following the arrest of Chief Executive Officer Martin Shkreli on securities fraud charges.
Private Efforts for Public Good
Auburn citizens turn defunct prison into needed shelter
A wearisome, vicious cycle was emerging with Auburn’s homeless population: Greater numbers were congregating on the streets by day and filling the DeWitt minimum security prison by night. Neither the city nor the county had adequate housing or facilities to deal with the situation, so the problem persisted. Residents were frustrated, but nothing was done. A group of community members vowed to act and started a grassroots effort that has culminated in turning the partially vacated barracks at DeWitt into a fully-staffed, round-the-clock facility open to Auburn’s homeless.
Feast Your Eyes on This
True gourmet dining starts with the plate, a canvas for culinary art
“There is an old adage that we eat with our eyes,” says John Weatherson, co-owner and co-chef, along with wife Nyna, of Restaurant Trokay. In his experience, the brain is conditioned to pre-determine the quality of a dish’s taste by the way it looks, and how a dish is plated ultimately helps to maximize the diner’s gastronomic experience. Located in the historic district of downtown Truckee, the couple’s culinary creations at Restaurant Trokay take center stage, but the presentation is no afterthought.
Are You Listening?
Internal communication that starts at the bottom can launch your business to the top
Every well-meaning small business owner is capable of inflicting wounds that stifle drive, trust, employee engagement and motivation. Maybe not as blatantly as calling out incompetence, but neglect and disrespect through lack of communication de-motivates too. Worst of all, we don’t even know we are doing it.
Here’s What Your Bonus Might Look Like This Year
While most workers don’t expect to get a little extra something from their bosses this year, many companies are, in fact, doling out holiday bonuses. Of 368 human resource professionals and executives surveyed in Bloomberg BNA’s annual Year End-Holiday Practices survey, 42 percent said that they planned to give end-of-year bonuses, with most employers opting for cash over gifts.
A Cup of Cheer
Starbucks transcends hokey marketing tactics with its controversial 2015 holiday cup
It’s no secret Starbucks’ holiday cuptroversy has created a lot of extra buzz for them this season. By removing the ‘“symbols of the season,” the coffee giant is being accused of going overboard to be politically correct. This new, bold design ignited an overblown conspiracy theory that got the internet chattering. But instead of mourning the loss of kitschy graphics, we are applauding Starbucks on their brand’s success.