NEW YORK (AP) – It was supposed to be our IPO, the people's public offering.

Facebook, the brainchild of a young CEO who sauntered into Wall Street meetings in a hoodie, was going to be bigger than Amazon, bigger than McDonald's, bigger than Coca-Cola. And it was all made possible by our friendships, photos and family ties.

2. Icahn, Southeastern Challenge Dell Takeover Plan - Monday, May 13, 2013

One of the biggest critics of Michael Dell's plan to take the company he founded private has launched a fresh challenge to that $24.4 billion bid and says the slumping PC maker needs new leadership.

3. Companies Need to Think Like Venture Capitalists - Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Last week we discussed the concept of the intrapreneur and our conviction that companies must add the pressures of failure and constrained resources to get ingenuity. Real entrepreneurs have vision, resilience and fortitude. Their natural drive, focus on survival and ability to pivot with the market is what generates market winners. It is the natural selection process at work. This is why VCs think the team is most critical, and companies looking to innovate should too.

4. Icahn Signs Confidentiality Agreement With Dell - Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who is fighting Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell's plan to take the struggling company private, has entered a confidentiality agreement that would give him access to the computer maker's financial records.

5. Apple CEO Promises Investors ‘Great Stuff' to Come - Thursday, February 28, 2013

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) – Apple CEO Tim Cook sought to assure shareholders Wednesday that the company is working on some "great stuff" that may help reverse a sharp decline in its stock price.

6. Barnes & Noble Chair Wants to Buy Retail Business - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) – The last remaining national bookstore chain is being taken off the shelf and dusted off for sale.

Founder Barnes & Noble's founder Leonard Riggio disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday that he wants to acquire the company's stores and website, but not the business that makes the Nook e-reader or the company's college bookstores. No price was disclosed.

7. Memphis Investment Firm at Odds With Dell - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Following Memphis-based Southeastern Asset Management’s public opposition to Dell Inc.’s proposed $24.4 billion buyout, the Texas-based tech company is trying to reassure shareholders that the deal will be beneficial.

8. Epic Marketing Failures of 2012 - Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Despite their considerable marketing budgets and extensive teams, some of the world’s most well-known brands made significant marketing missteps in 2012. Learn from these epic fails to protect your brand.

9. Reports: Microsoft May Invest in Dell Buyout - Wednesday, January 23, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft has joined the negotiations to buy struggling computer maker Dell, according to media reports.

Both CNBC and The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft Corp. may invest some of the money needed to take Dell Inc. private after 25 years as a publicly traded company. Tuesday's stories cited unidentified people familiar with the negotiations.

10. Status Quo: The Big Lie - Thursday, January 17, 2013

In a recent Let’s Grow column, we tackled the hard subject of cognitive biases. Yet, we did not touch upon the most prevalent and insidious bias in business. This big lie is that the status quo exists. Nothing stays the same. Companies who strive to keep things the way the presently are – one definition of status quo – live a lie that is not sustainable. They get fixed and rigid, locked into a certain way of counting on the world, and then they crumble and fall.

11. Cash’s Turbulent Tenure Full of Surprises - Monday, January 14, 2013

Kriner Cash came to the city as Memphis City Schools superintendent in July 2008. He began with an informal census that organized the school district’s student population by how many students were overage for their grade level, how many had no primary care physician and how many had access to no pre-kindergarten services.

12. Google Emerges From Federal Probe Relatively Unscathed - Monday, January 07, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google has settled a U.S. government probe into its business practices without making any major concessions on how the company runs its Internet search engine, the world's most influential gateway to digital information and commerce.

13. Fulton Accounting Firm Gets Rebrand and New Owner - Monday, December 17, 2012

Fulton CPAs is a full-service accounting firm that has a new name and is under new ownership.

Previously known as Polsgrove & Fulton, the firm initiated a rebrand in the fall that included the new name after owner and CEO Lynn Fulton assumed full ownership of the business.

14. Indie Memphis Festival Breaks Attendance Record - Wednesday, November 28, 2012

This year’s 15th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, held Nov. 1 through Nov. 4, shattered its previous attendance record.

This year’s festival, presented by Duncan-Williams Inc., saw a nearly 38 percent rise in attendance, from 8,000 last year to 11,028 this year. Also, the festival’s ticket and pass sales grew by more than 60 percent.

15. Indie Memphis Festival Gets a Tech Feel - Friday, October 05, 2012

Based on a lineup the nonprofit organization released, this year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival will feel a lot like the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

It’s a reflection of the digital convergence of film, music and interactive media. Adding a kind of innovation and technology focus to the festival is something organizers have wanted to add for a while, according to Indie Memphis board president Iddo Patt.

16. Indie Memphis Festival Gets New Tech Elements - Thursday, October 04, 2012

There’s a decided South by Southwest feel to this year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival, based on a lineup the nonprofit organization announced this week.

For the 15th annual festival, which happens Nov. 1-4, the festival has added new innovation and technology events on topics that range from design trends to digital storytelling, data management and the innovation economy. That’s in addition to screening the independent films and showcasing musical acts that are a staple of the event.

17. Indie Memphis Festival Gets New Tech Elements - Wednesday, October 03, 2012

There’s a decided South by Southwest feel to this year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival, based on a lineup the nonprofit sent out Tuesday afternoon.

For the 15th annual festival, which happens Nov. 1 through Nov. 4, the festival has added new innovation and technology events on topics that range from design trends to digital storytelling, data management and the innovation economy. That’s in addition to screening the independent films and showcasing musical acts that are a staple of the event.

18. Speculation Mounts for FedEx Changes - Friday, September 21, 2012

The annual FedEx Corp. meeting with investors next month will be watched closely for what happens to FedEx Express, the oldest division of the Memphis-based company.

19. Gates, Buffett Again Top Forbes' Billionaires List - Thursday, September 20, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates remains the nation's richest man by far, as the tech and philanthropy giant took the top spot on the Forbes 400 list for the 19th year running, with a net worth of $66 billion.

20. Study: Chinese Imports Cost 96,300 Jobs in Mid-South Since 2001 - Monday, August 27, 2012

A new report from a liberal think tank says Chinese imports caused the loss of 2.7 million jobs in the United States, including 96,300 in the Mid-South, since the industrializing nation joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

21. Business Honors - Friday, August 24, 2012

Thirteen Memphis-based companies can officially claim to be among the fastest-growing in the U.S.

That’s according to Inc. Magazine, which put them on its annual Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking the magazine published a few days ago that honors the fastest-growing companies by measuring their percentage growth in revenue over a three-year period.

22. How Apple's Phantom Taxes Hide Billions in Profit - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – On Tuesday, Apple is set to report financial results for the second quarter. Analysts are expecting net income of $9.8 billion. But whatever figure Apple reports won't reflect its true profit, because the company hides some of it with an unusual tax maneuver.

23. Source: Yahoo, Facebook Have Settled Patent Fight - Monday, July 09, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook and Yahoo have agreed to settle a dispute over patents, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The deal would end lawsuits the companies filed against each other without any money exchanged, according to the person, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

24. Google Sells Small Tablet, Challenges Kindle Fire - Thursday, June 28, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google is unveiling a small tablet computer bearing its brand in a challenge to Amazon's Kindle Fire.

The Nexus 7 is designed specifically for Google Play, the online store that sells movies, music, books, apps and other content – the things Amazon.com Inc. also sells for its tablet computer.

25. Apple Integrates Facebook Into iPhone Software - Tuesday, June 12, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Fresh off a disappointing initial public offering, Facebook is getting a big boost from Apple, which is building the social network deep into its iPhone and iPad software.

26. Americans Grew Gloomier About the Economy in May - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Americans grew much gloomier about the economy in May, causing a critical measure of consumer confidence to suffer its biggest decline in eight months and ending a period of steady optimism.

27. Miss. High Court Rules Legal Fees are Public Funds - Monday, May 28, 2012

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday in two cases that legal fees paid to private lawyers to represent the state are public funds.

Justices said because the money belongs to the public, it should've been paid out to the lawyers from the attorney general's contingent fund or from other money appropriated to the attorney general.

28. Google Completes Motorola Deal, Heralding New Era - Wednesday, May 23, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google has completed its $12.5 billion purchase of device maker Motorola Mobility in a deal that poses new challenges for the Internet's most powerful company as it tries to shape the future of mobile computing.

29. Yahoo to Sell Half of its Alibaba Stake for $7.1B - Tuesday, May 22, 2012

HONG KONG (AP) – Struggling Internet company Yahoo Inc. has secured a lifeline after agreeing to sell half of its prized stake in Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba for about $7.1 billion, with most of the cash going to shareholders.

30. Revolving Door: Yahoo Ushers Out Another CEO - Tuesday, May 15, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Yahoo still has credibility issues, even after casting aside CEO Scott Thompson because his official biography included a college degree that he never received.

31. B&N, Microsoft Team Up on Nook, College Businesses - Tuesday, May 01, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Books and bits united Monday as Microsoft provided an infusion of money to help Barnes & Noble compete with top electronic bookseller Amazon. In exchange, Microsoft gets a long-desired foothold in the business of e-books and college textbooks.

32. Facebook Leaning Toward Nasdaq, Reports Say - Monday, April 09, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook will list its shares with Nasdaq, according to media reports.

That would be a big win for the Nasdaq, which competes fiercely with NYSE Euronext Inc., especially for an initial public offering as large as Facebook's, pegged at $5 billion.

33. Apple's Next Hot Release: The Dividend Check - Wednesday, March 21, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple made computers sexy. Can it do the same for the musty old dividend?

Issuing a regular payment to your stockholders after years of just amassing cash used to be an admission that your company has run out of creative ideas to grow profits.

34. Apple to Pay Dividend, Start Stock Buybacks - Tuesday, March 20, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple is finally acknowledging that it has more money than it needs. But don't expect it to cut prices on iPhones and iPads. Instead, the company said on Monday that it will reward its shareholders with a dividend and a share buyback program.

35. Apple's Market Clout Likely to Draw More Scrutiny - Tuesday, March 13, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – In everything it does, from product design to business deals, Apple strives for as much control as possible.

But as the world's most valuable company sets out to define and dominate the rapidly evolving markets it created with the iPhone and the iPad, Apple is likely to face antitrust regulators who want to curb its power.

36. Apple Market Value Hits $500B, Where Few Have Gone - Thursday, March 01, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple's market capitalization topped $500 billion Wednesday, climbing to a mountain peak where few companies have ventured – and none have stayed for long.

Apple was already the world's most valuable company. The gap between it and No. 2 Exxon Mobil Corp. has widened rapidly in the past month, as investors have digested Apple's report of blow-out holiday-season sales of iPhones and iPads. And, more recently, Apple has raised investors' hopes that it might institute a dividend.

37. Pressure Builds for Civilian Drone Flights at Home - Tuesday, February 28, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Heads up: Drones are going mainstream.

Civilian cousins of the unmanned military aircraft that have tracked and killed terrorists in the Middle East and Asia are in demand by police departments, border patrols, power companies, news organizations and others wanting a bird's-eye view that's too impractical or dangerous for conventional planes or helicopters to get.

38. Tech Companies Team Up to Combat Email Scams - Tuesday, January 31, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Google, Facebook and other big tech companies are jointly designing a system for combating email scams known as phishing.

Such scams try to trick people into giving away passwords and other personal information by sending emails that look as if they come from a legitimate bank, retailer or other business. When Bank of America customers see emails that appear to come from the bank, they might click on a link that takes them to a fake site mimicking the real Bank of America's. There, they might enter personal details, which scam artists can capture and use for fraud.

39. Apple Briefly Passes Exxon as Most Valuable Co. - Thursday, January 26, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple briefly surpassed Exxon as the most valuable U.S. company after an excellent quarter, though the oil company has regained the lead at the market's close.

Apple's stock rose as much as 8 percent, while Exxon's fell as much as 2 percent during trading Wednesday.

40. Public Notices Have Important Role - Monday, January 23, 2012

When I first became publisher of The Daily News in Memphis, I’ll admit I knew very little about public notices. I quickly learned that they are a longstanding requirement on governments, individuals and some businesses to give notice to the public when a range of critically important actions are about to be taken – the foreclosure of a home, passage of a local ordinance, the adoption of a child, and so on.

41. Google Gets More Personal With Search Results - Wednesday, January 11, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information.

The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something.

42. The 'CES Curse?' Gadget Show has Poor Record - Monday, January 09, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – The largest trade show in the Americas must be a great place to show off new products, right? Wrong. The International Consumer Electronics Show is quickly becoming a launch pad for products that fall flat.

43. Microsoft Pledges Windows Developers Generosity - Thursday, December 08, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft Corp. is stepping up its competition with Apple and plans to give developers who write software for Windows computers and devices a greater share of revenue sold through the company's upcoming Windows Store.

44. Microsoft Rolls Out Xbox TV Platform - Tuesday, December 06, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console, one that allows you to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice.

45. Gates Testifies in $1B Lawsuit Against Microsoft - Tuesday, November 22, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Microsoft's Windows 95 rollout presented the most challenges in the company's history, leading to several last-minute changes to technical features that would no longer support a rival software maker's word processor, Bill Gates testified Monday in a $1 billion antitrust lawsuit filed by the creator of WordPerfect.

46. Cable Cos. to Offer $9.95 Broadband for Poor Homes - Thursday, November 10, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Cable companies said Wednesday that they will offer Internet service for $9.95 per month to homes with children that are eligible for free school lunches.

The offer will start next summer and is part of an initiative the Federal Communications Commission cobbled together to get more U.S. homes connected to broadband.

47. Events - Friday, October 28, 2011

The Small Business Chamber Breakfast Club will meet Friday, Oct. 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Office Suites Plus, 6000 Poplar Ave., suite 250.For more information, call 212-7424.

48. Microsoft Completes $8.5B Acquisition of Skype - Monday, October 17, 2011

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) – Internet video chat service Skype is now officially a part of Microsoft.

The two companies joined forces late Thursday when Microsoft Corp. completed its $8.5 billion purchase of Skype. The closing came five months after Microsoft announced the deal.

49. EU Approves Microsoft Acquisition of Skype - Monday, October 10, 2011

BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Commission approved Friday the proposed $8.5 billion acquisition of the Internet phone and video communication provider Skype by Microsoft Corp., saying the deal would not significantly impede competition in Europe.

50. Steve Jobs and Shades of Yellow - Friday, October 07, 2011

Editor’s Note: “From the Blog” is a new weekly feature that highlights some of the enterprising work our staff posts on The Daily News blog, blog.memphisdailynews.com.

51. Leadership Group Expands to Memphis - Friday, October 07, 2011

A business leadership program started by former Tractor Supply Co. CEO Joe Scarlett and run for the last several years in Nashville is going so well the program is expanding to Memphis.

52. Obama, GOP Trumpet Jobs Plans in Silicon Valley - Tuesday, September 27, 2011

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) – The debate over how to create jobs has moved to Silicon Valley, where the president and Republican leaders were each taking to the Internet to trumpet their agendas and win over young voters.

53. Bill Gates Tops Forbes List of Richest Americans - Thursday, September 22, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) – America's economic woes don't appear to be hurting philanthropist Bill Gates, who tops Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans for the 18th year in a row.

54. Google Head Disputes That Company Thwarts Rivals - Thursday, September 22, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told a Senate panel Wednesday that the company faces tough competition and isn't using its dominance in Internet search to stifle competitors.

55. Yahoo Co-Founder Urged to Help Oust Chairman - Thursday, September 15, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A major Yahoo Inc. shareholder is recruiting company co-founder Jerry Yang to join a crusade to oust Chairman Roy Bostock amid the upheaval triggered by the recent firing of CEO Carol Bartz.

56. Google Reveals Energy Use to Show Search is Green - Friday, September 09, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Stung by concerns that using Google is bad for the planet, the Internet search giant has revealed exactly how much electricity the company uses and how much greenhouse gases it produces in an effort to show its business model is environmentally friendly.

57. Activist Buys Up Stake in Yahoo, Slams Board - Friday, September 09, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) – An activist investment fund disclosed Thursday that it has bought a 5.2 percent stake in troubled Web portal Yahoo Inc. and called for sweeping changes to the board.

58. Stocks Recover After Bernanke Predicts US Growth - Monday, August 29, 2011

Stocks rose in afternoon trading Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. is on track for long-term economic growth.

Trading volume was light, a sign that many traders were leaving the New York area ahead of Hurricane Irene. The storm is expected to reach the region late Saturday night. A spokesman for the New York Stock Exchange said trading is expected to open as usual on Monday.

59. Without Jobs, Apple Must Show it Can Still Deliver - Friday, August 26, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – With Steve Jobs bowing out as CEO, Apple Inc. must persuade investors and consumers that it doesn't need the force behind the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad in charge to keep the technology hits coming.

60. Google's Patent Play: $12.5B for Motorola Mobility - Tuesday, August 16, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google Inc.'s $12.5 billion deal to buy cellphone maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. is aimed at giving the Internet search leader more legal firepower as it battles Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to gain the upper hand in the increasingly important mobile computing market.

61. The iPad Trumps Oil: Apple is Most Valuable US Co. - Thursday, August 11, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Investors seem to think you want an iPad more than oil, as Apple Inc. became the most valuable company in the United States, surpassing Exxon Mobil Corp. on Wednesday.

62. Apple Passes Exxon as Most Valuable US Company - Wednesday, August 10, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Apple has surpassed Exxon Mobil as the most valuable company in the U.S. The milestone occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. Apple Inc.'s stock gained 3.4 percent to $365.10 Tuesday afternoon, bringing the iPhone and iPad maker's market capitalization to about $338 billion.

63. Obama Promotes Jobs Initiative for Veterans - Monday, August 08, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama on Friday proposed tax credits and training programs to help thousands of U.S. service members returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan find jobs in the shaky economy at home.

64. Focus on Windows Growth in Microsoft's Fiscal Q4 - Wednesday, July 20, 2011

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft Corp, the world's largest computer software maker, will try to shake the perception that it's turning into a technological dinosaur when it releases its latest quarterly results after the stock market closes Thursday.

65. Threatened by iPad, PCs Start to Look Like Tablets - Wednesday, July 20, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – The response by computer makers to the iPad stealing sales from them: Make their PCs more like iPads.

The "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy" is prompting a wave of experimentation with the design of the laptop, which has been largely unchanged for two decades. Touch-sensitive screens and the use of Google's Android system for mobile devices are two ways the PC industry is adapting.

66. Clinic Gives Travelers ‘Passport’ for Safe Trips - Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Nurse practitioner Tonya Parson’s mother returned home last year from a Mexican getaway carrying an unwanted souvenir – a parasite that had taken up residence in her liver.

67. Try to Minimize Distractions - Monday, May 30, 2011

Based on a study by Microsoft and the University of Illinois it takes, on average, about 16 minutes for a worker interrupted by an email to get back to what he or she was doing. I find this statistic absolutely astounding!

68. AOL Offers Video Chat with No Log-In, Download - Monday, May 16, 2011

In a move to become more competitive in the fast-growing field of video chat, the team behind AOL Inc.’s AIM instant messenger rolled out the first version of a free video chat service on Thursday that doesn’t require users to log in or download any software.

69. Microsoft Agrees to Buy Skype for $8.5B - Wednesday, May 11, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype SA for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history.

70. Legal Website Launches to Help Storm Victims - Monday, May 02, 2011

A new website offering free legal help to low-income Tennesseans will be open in time to help victims of the storm and flooding damages across the state.

The Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services have pushed up the opening of the website onlinetnjustice.org, which launches Friday, ahead of schedule.

71. Legal Services Website Launches Early to Help Storm Victims - Friday, April 29, 2011

A new website offering free legal help to low-income Tennesseans will be open in time to help victims of the storm and flooding damages across the state this week.

The Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services have pushed up the opening of the website onlinetnjustice.org which launches Friday, ahead of schedule.

72. Amazon Failure Takes Down Sites Across Internet - Friday, April 22, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Scores of websites and Internet services like Foursquare and Reddit crashed or had limited availability Thursday because of problems at a data center run by Amazon.com.

73. US Video Game Sales Fell 4 Percent in March - Monday, April 18, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – U.S. retail sales of video game systems, games and accessories fell 4 percent in March as game software sales declined, according to new data from an industry group.

74. Events - Monday, April 11, 2011

Methodist South Hospital will open its Farmers Market Monday at with a consecration service at 1 p.m. in front of the Medical Office Complex, 1251 Wesley Drive. The Farmers Market will open every Monday through Oct. 10 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, call 516-3580.

75. Intellectual Property Grows At Wyatt Tarrant - Thursday, March 24, 2011

This month alone, the intellectual property lawsuits have been flying.

Apple is suing Amazon.com over Amazon’s use of the term “App Store” with customers.

76. Game-Changer - Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The first in a series about how the iPad is revolutionizing local business.

It only weighs about a pound, it’s sleek and thin and, from a distance, could almost be mistaken for some kind of clipboard.

77. Nonprofits, Biz Use QR Codes to Raise Money, Awareness - Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Local businesses and nonprofit organizations are using quick response codes to make information retrieval easier than ever.

Made popular in Japan by Toyota in the 1990s, QR codes are making a splash in the Bluff City by bringing consumers with smart phones one step closer to businesses seeking to offer their services. Users can download a free QR code-scanning application, such as QuickMark or NeoReader, for their iPhone, Android or other brand of smart phone. Then, the phone’s camera scans the code, taking the user straight to a link – no typing or searching required.

78. Gates: Spending Cuts Don't Have to Harm Learning - Tuesday, March 01, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Even in the midst of large spending cuts, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Monday that schools can improve the performance of students if they put more emphasis on rewarding excellent teaching and less emphasis on paying teachers based on seniority and whether they have a master's degree.

79. Google's Travel Deal Faces Regulatory Turbulence - Thursday, February 17, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Google wants to become the hub of online travel, promising better bargains and more convenience by melding the Internet search leader's wizardry with the Web's top airline-fare tracker, ITA Software.

80. Google, Microsoft Spar Over Search Results Quality - Wednesday, February 02, 2011

SEATTLE (AP) – Google is accusing Microsoft Corp. of cheating to make its Bing search engine better. Microsoft says the way it is improving results isn't copying.

81. Microsoft 2Q Earnings Edge Down on Slow PC Sales - Monday, January 31, 2011

SEATTLE (AP) – Microsoft Corp.'s net income for the latest quarter fell slightly from a year ago but the software giant still beat Wall Street's expectations despite the weak personal computer market.

82. Marketing Goes 'Minority Report' - Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series.

Neuromarketing is a relatively new field that studies how a consumer’s brain reacts to marketing stimuli. A couple of years ago, a Web search on the topic would return a handful of results. Today, you’ll get close to 300,000.

83. Gates Foundation Teacher Study Reaches Halfway Point - Tuesday, December 14, 2010

In the large bowl of alphabet soup that is education reform, it is known as MET.

The letters stand for Measures of Effective Teaching.

MET is a two-year research study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in seven school districts, including Memphis City Schools.

84. Skyline Grows Local Footprint on Vantech Dr. - Friday, December 10, 2010

Skyline Exhibits MidSouth is expanding its presence at East Pointe Business Center.

The St. Paul, Minn.-based tradeshow exhibits company renewed its 9,958-square-foot lease at 3895 Vantech Drive, Suite 9, and expanded into an additional 3,524 square feet. The additional space will enable Skyline to assemble and store exhibits for clients.

85. Lewis Returns to City Schools Board - Thursday, December 09, 2010

The newest face on the nine-member Memphis City Schools board is familiar nevertheless.

It’s been four years since Sara Lewis decided not to seek re-election to the board.

86. Court to Review Patent Judgment Against Microsoft - Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court agreed Monday to referee a $290 million dispute between Microsoft Corp. and a Canadian technology company over complaints that a tool used in the popular Microsoft Word program violated patent protections.

87. Bill and Melinda Gates Visit Hamilton, Ridgeway High Schools - Thursday, November 04, 2010

For the one-year anniversary of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s announcement it would invest more than $90 million in Memphis City Schools, the famous heads of the charitable foundation made a surprise appearance in Memphis.

88. Bill and Melinda Gates in Memphis Today - Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Bill and Melinda Gates are in Memphis today to get a first-hand look at the school system in which the Microsoft founder's charitable foundation has invested $90 million.

89. Report: AOL, Buyout Firms Mulling Bid for Yahoo - Friday, October 15, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Yahoo Inc.'s inability to snap out of a financial funk may be about to turn the embattled Internet company into a takeover target for the second time in less than three years.

90. Shoppers May Have the Upper Hand This Christmas - Friday, October 08, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – The Christmas shopping season doesn't kick off for another six weeks, but retailers already are signaling they're prepared to discount aggressively if needed to entice shoppers still skittish about spending.

91. Buffett, Ballmer Predict Bright Economic Future - Tuesday, September 14, 2010

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) – Two of the biggest names in business say they see a bright future for the economy.

Famed investor Warren Buffett says there will be no double-dip recession as some fear. He says banks are lending money again, businesses are hiring employees and he expects the country to come back stronger than ever.

92. Festival Highlights Memphis-India Connections - Thursday, August 26, 2010

When Memphians talk about India, two subjects almost always come up – overseas call centers and the film “Slumdog Millionaire.”

But organizers of this year’s annual IndiaFest said the nation’s cultural and business influence in Memphis is growing rapidly.

93. A Year After Bankruptcy, GM Plans Stock Sale - Friday, August 20, 2010

DETROIT (AP) – Thirteen months ago, General Motors was fighting for its life in bankruptcy court. Now, the automaker is laying the groundwork to sell stock to the public once again with the eventual goal of ridding itself of government ownership.

94. GM CEO Whitacre Says Will Step Down Sept. 1 - Friday, August 13, 2010

DETROIT (AP) – General Motors Co. chief Ed Whitacre said Thursday he's stepping down as CEO on Sept. 1, his mission accomplished as the company reported its second straight quarterly profit.

95. Initial Jobless Claims Drop to 457,000 - Friday, July 30, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – New jobless claims fell last week for the third time in four weeks but remain elevated. The decline is a sign that the economy likely added jobs in July, although not enough to lower the nation's high unemployment rate.

96. ‘Facebook Free’ Day Protests Lack of Privacy - Friday, May 28, 2010

It’s Facebook Free Friday, a day of social networking protest over the sharing of personal data and the changing terms of privacy.

On the eve of the protest, which includes a Facebook site, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, was rolling out new features on the social networking site designed to answer the privacy concerns that have spawned the protest.

97. Investing In the Office Not Advised - Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Ray’s Take:
Many people view employee stock option (ESO) plans as the road to a cushy retirement.

For some it may be, such as the early employees of Microsoft who amassed so much wealth that they are now considered a “volunteer work force.”

98. Twitter to Have Paid Tweets Show Up in Searches - Wednesday, April 14, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Twitter announced Tuesday that it is introducing advertising by allowing companies to pay to have their messages show up first in searches on its site.

The debut of "Promoted Tweets" comes as Twitter increasingly faces questions about how it can turn its wide usage into profits.

99. FBI Warns Extremist Letters May Encourage Violence - Monday, April 05, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The FBI is warning police across the country that an anti-government group's call to remove governors from office could provoke violence by others.

A group that calls itself the Guardians of the free Republics wants to "restore America" by peacefully dismantling parts of the government, according to its Web site.

100. Glankler Brown Names Bradley Chief Manager - Wednesday, March 03, 2010

William R. Bradley Jr. has been named chief manager of Glankler Brown PLLC.

Bradley’s primary practice areas include intellectual property, maintenance and litigation, antitrust counseling and litigation, business litigation, and construction litigation.