But in a year where companies as big as Sony and Talk Talk are getting data stolen – and not just theirs, but yours too – maintaining your privacy is becoming more and more of a concern. So how can you get rid of your old electronics safely without unwittingly sharing your details? Is it even possible to improve your technological life without losing control of your personal one?...

Since that time, the technology fighting counterfeit passports has grown exponentially. Anyone caught making forged passport books or supplying them to others will face significant times behind bars. With all the measures put in place to stop con artists from creating a passable copy, it’s highly unlikely that someone could pass through an immigration checkpoint anywhere in the world without having their travel documents come under strict scrutiny. However, the government has to stay ahead of the game....

It’s also highlighted the fact that geolocation technology has some amazing potential. This is something that should really be piquing the interest of entrepreneurs. Let’s take a look at 4 potentially disruptive geolocation ideas for startups. An Item Location Service If you’ve ever shopped for anything on Craigslist or just tried to use Google’s shopping search functionality, you’ve probably wasted lots of time sorting and filtering using your zip code or city and state in order to find items close to you....

Thought leadership is the new big thing on the Internet. As everyone gains a microphone and the ability to broadcast their thoughts and ideas, it becomes increasingly difficult to sort through the useless information and find true, actionable direction from someone who knows their industry. Because of this, people are beginning to flock to thought leaders. Like never before in our history, the Internet allows us to follow these luminaries and pick up tidbits of knowledge and inspiration along the way....

Connected Vehicles Many car brands have already made some inroads into this area, but Toyota leads the way and probably will be the first to fully develop the concept. Connection between vehicles doesn’t mean the possibility of phoning up the car next to you; it means cars communicating among themselves mostly without the interference from their owners. Ideally, it will help prevent collisions, inform car owners about road congestions. Electronic Sun Visor Sun visors never work as intended, especially in mornings and evenings when sun shines directly in your face....

Today, having a blog is almost commonplace and has become an important tool in marketing. For businesses, a blog is not just a place to publish PR releases, but a place to submit content with a business-related purpose. When leveraged properly, blogging can improve lead generation, customer acquisition, revenue growth, online exposure, and brand management. However, not everyone starts a blog with business goals in mind. Here are 5 benefits of blogging for the everyday person....

By providing lists of charities accepting donations and creating awareness on every social media platform out there, Giving Tuesday makes giving back easier than ever. In that spirit, TechCo has decided to showcase a few charitable startups that will make your holiday season that much brighter. Take a look at them below and make sure to make your Giving Tuesday as charitable as possible! CariClub Whether you’re a rookie or an experienced philanthropist, CariClub can help you find your passion and make a difference....

Based on an analysis of thirty email marketing campaigns, I have accumulated some of the most important tips to follow when sending out your emails. Many companies showed that these tips were able to substantially improve the success of their email marketing. Follow these tips and you’re more than likely to make greater profits. Keep It Short When it comes to effective emails, the shorter the better. It is challenging to get consumers to read your emails at all....

Galvanize hosted a panel discussion where women shared stories about overcoming their challenges and own insecurities such as the imposter syndrome, not feeling “ready enough,” and the challenges of being a female entrepreneur. They also discussed the importance of mentors, raising capital, and failure. The panel consisted of Ritika Puri, cofounder of StoryHackers, Charu Sharma, founder of Go Against the Flow and Ellen.a, and Aubrey Blanche, global head of diversity and inclusion at Atlassian to share their stories....

According to the European Commission, the EU contains more than 500 million consumers and boasts an average GDP of 25,000 euros per head. Its 28 member countries account for 16 percent of global exports. It’s the world’s largest unified export market — larger than China, which most laypeople assume is the planet’s export king — and is the biggest trading partner for some 80 countries around the world. For startups and small businesses seeking new markets for their products, the EU is a tantalizing opportunity....

That being said, there are practical things you can do to boost your SEO without becoming a developer: Deliver a Great User Interface (UI) For a long time user interfaces have been given a back seat when it comes to SEO. Since Google’s now famous “Mobile-geddon,” UI is happily riding shotgun in any progressive SEO strategy. Testing your UI is as easy as looking at your mobile site. For example, nobody likes popups that block your site on a mobile device, or any site that is difficult to use....

Kairos Society also announced its monetary prizes to three different companies, which were funded by Obvious Ventures, Tim Draper Associates and Tony Chen. From a tech-driven baby food company to a 3D printing platform affordable enough to leave your wallet intact, the Kairos 50 represent a whole range of innovations in a ton of different fields. Check out the 50 companies changing the world and the innovations they are creating below:...

Instant App Switching We’re all fans of multitasking. Let’s say you want to play a quick game of Fallout 4, but don’t feel like shutting down the WrestleMania feed fromthe WWE Network account. Easy– simply double click the PS home button, and the system will instantly switch between the new app and the previous app you are using. No need shuffling around the home menu. USB Compatibility with Game Saves If you think paying for PlayStation Plus’s cloud-saving services isn’t worth the extra dough, you can simply transfer game saves to a USB stick....

Beauty is not enough. A delightful office should be more than an aesthetic display of good taste. The design should stimulate a quiet sense of ease, elegance, comfort, and happiness. Focusing on leasing the least expensive space and furniture is short-term thinking. Instead, focus in on the psychological impact of a well-designed office, as it makes people happy to come to work and perform well. With all this in mind, here are six questions to ask before initiating an office makeover....

Today’s consumers wants to do their own research by asking their social media communities for recommendations, reading product reviews, and hearing from companies on a more personal level. 95 percent of small businesses use content marketing to pull in rather than to push. In fact, marketers are spending about $26 billion on content marketing, and that figure is projected to double over the next four years Businesses believe that content marketing works, and they have seen evidence that it does....

Now, thanks to an in-depth article from Tubefilter, a few researchers have reached into “a very big and very dark black box with very limited data” and pulled out a key insights. Here’s what Jeremy Rosen and Matt Gielen found out about the YouTube algorithm after six months studying the YouTube channels at Federator. Everything’s Optimized for “Watch Time.” Watch time does not mean time watched (confusing already, right?). Instead, it’s a combo of these six factors: Views, View Duration, Session Starts, Upload Frequency, Session Duration, and Session Ends....

According to a recently published infographic created by craigconnects (the organization created by Craigslist founder Craig Newmark to use tech to empower under-recognized groups) and Women Who Tech (whose goal is to promote women-led startups), women-led startups still only get a very tiny proportion of money from investors. While the likelihood of startups with women executives are three times more likely to receive funding today than 15 years ago, all-male startup teams are still six times more likely to receive investor money than women-led startups....

Photo taken by @pgleger Hopefully you were one of the many flannel-wearing creative minds in 1776’s packed room. If not, grab your Wacom tablets and Moleskine notebooks. Here are 7 key takeaways you should know about the DC Design Community. While people may associate DC with stodginess and red tape, the DC Design community proves the opposite. Agencies, design shops and freelancers have and will continue to push the limits of what the public and private sector can do....

Part of being healthy is paying attention to what goes into your body. You’re a smart person. For the most part you probably know what constitutes as healthy or unhealthy food. Do you always make the best decisions? Likely not, but no one’s perfect. You probably also have some knowledge of what foods contain different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You might not know exactly what each nutrient does, but you know it’s not a bad idea to have some in your system....

The difference was they went out and did something about it. Mehul Merchant spent 15 years of his life working on the service side of the cellphone world at Cricket Wireless before starting SIMPLEMobile. The problem, though, was that the red tape and restrictions were choking the life out of a grand vision he had. So, he assembled a crack team and founded UVA Mobile to give consumers a choice when it comes to cellphone plans, something that has long been denied to them....