Urgent Speed

Just one Word: Arboform

In Mike Nichols’ 1967 classic “The Graduate”, Dustin Hoffman’s character gets “just one word” of advice: “plastics.”  It was a sign of the times; the groundbreaking technology was changing everything from consumer goods to space equipment.  

Today, a new generation of materials is looking to graduate to the status of plastic.  The problem with plastic is its lifecycle.  Plastic production is dependent on oil; therefore, the supply chain is susceptible to the vulgarities of economics and geopolitics.  Plastic disposal often involves landfills, which come at an astounding expense.  The race is on for a greener, cheaper, and more profitable alternative.  Scientific drama will unfold, fortunes will be made and lost, and in the end, plastic will take its place among lead, iron and slate as just another material.   Algae-based, fungal-based, mineral-based and cellulosic alternative are all in the race.  

Paper byproduct Arboform looks like plastic and even employs injection-molding - just like plastic.    

"The cellulose industry separates wood into its three main components -- lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose," ICT team leader Emilia Regina Inone-Kauffmann told DPA.
 
"The lignin is not needed in papermaking, however. Our colleagues mix that lignin with fine natural fibers made of wood, hemp or flax and natural additives such as wax. From this, they produce plastic granulate that can be melted and injection-moulded."

The final product can resemble highly polished wood or have a more matted finish and look like the plastic used in most household items.
 
The transition from Plastic is a saga worth watching, I look forward to the next “New New”.

Note: Greensulate also looks promising.

 

Top 50 Job Boards for Start-ups

There is nothing more important for a tech start-up than attracting great employees.  As the economy slows, it becomes slightly easier to attract exceptional talent which is great news for start-ups. 

The first dozen hires are usually the most critical because this core group will set the culture for the next 100 hires.  A hiring mistake early on can set your start-up back months (or worst).   When possible this core group should be recruited from existing relationships. Ideally people you have worked with, or have worked directly with people you respect and trust.   The problem with this approach is it limits your choices to a much smaller pool of talent, and does not scale as your company grows.  That’s where job boards can be handy, especially in a shrinking economy.

As a general rule of thumb I find that the best employees are usually already happily employed.  In a growing economy, that means a founder must be super persuasive to get them to join his/her start-up.  But in a shrinking economy, like the one we are experiencing now, even capable talent is hitting the job boards.

2005
First Choice – Candidates I have worked with, or have worked with close associates
Second Choice – Candidates currently happily employed elsewhere
Third Choice – Candidates from Job Boards

2009
First Choice – Candidates I have worked with, or have worked with close associates
Second Choice – Candidates from Job Boards
Third Choice – Candidates currently happily employed elsewhere

I have compiled a list of the top 50 Job Boards, ranked by traffic.  A mix of well written job postings can yield hundreds of resumes and a handful of viable candidates.

1        Craigslist        http://www.craigslist.com    40,500,000
2        Monster        http://www.monster.com    27,000,000
3        CareerBuilder    http://www.careerbuilder.com    12,600,000
4        LinkedIN    http://www.linkedin.com    7,800,000
5        Indeed    http://www.indeed.com    7,000,000
6        Simply Hired    http://www.simplyhired.com    5,100,000
7        Snag a Job    http://www.snagajob.com    3,600,000
8        USAJOBS    http://www.usajobs.gov    2,800,000
9        EmploymentGuide.com    http://www.employmentguide.com   1,200,000
10        The Ladders    http://www.theladders.com    1,000,000
11        Beyond    http://www.beyond.com    982,000
12        Top USA Jobs    http://www.topusajobs.com    867,000
13        Jobs.com    http://jobs.com    864,000
14        Dice.com    http://www.dice.com    848,000
15        JobFox    http://www.jobfox.com/    670,000
16        jobster.com    http://www.jobster.com    630,000
17        thingamajob.com    http://www.thingamajob.com    565,000
18        Vault    http://www.vault.com    556,000
19        JobIrn    http://www.jobirn.com    517,000
20        JobCentral    http://www.jobcentral.com    476,000
21        Yahoo! HotJobs    http://www.hotjobs.com    418,000
22        Job Bank USA    http://www.jobbankusa.com    416,000
23        FlipDog    http://www.flipdog.com    370,000
24        HigherEdJob    http://www.higheredjobs.com    297,000
25        Net-Temps    http://www.net-temps.com    264,000
26        GoJobs.com    http://gojobs.com    263,000
27        NationJob Network    http://www.nationjob.com    231,000
28        JuJu.com    http://www.juju.com    220,000
29        America's Job Bank    http://www.jobbankinfo.org    207,000
30        sologig    http://www.sologig.com   186,000
31        brightfuse.com    http://www.brightfuse.com    163,000
32        Job Target    http://www.jobtarget.com    155,000
33        xing.com - Europe    http://www.xing.com    136,000
34        jobscore.com    http://jobscore.com/corp    130,000
35        Prohire.com    http://jobs.prohire.com    112,000
36        College Recruiter    http://www.collegerecruiter.com    98,000
37        climber.com    http://www.climber.com    93,000
38        Work Tree    http://worktree.com    74,000
39        yotify.com - linkedin alerts    http://yotify.com    73,000
40        6figurejobs.com    http://6figurejobs.com    72,000
41        Employment911.com    http://www.employment911.com    71,000
42        Jobthread    http://www.jobthread.com    71,000
43        CareerSite.com    http://www.careersite.com    65,000
44        Jobs2web.com    http://www.jobs2web.com    62,000
45        Trovix    http://www.trovix.com    62,000
46        smuz.com    http://smuz.com    59,000
47        VisualCV    http://www.visualcv.com    56,000
48        CareerShop.com    http://www.careershop.com    51,000
49        The Interview Exchange    http://www.interviewexchange.com    51,000
50        Real Match    http://www.realmatch.com    50,000

Dogbert, Math and Diversification

Looks like Dogbert also expounds the benefit of portfolio diversification.