Thus the risks are with the creatives?
I think creativity is the most competitive kind of economic activity. There are business risks and psychological risks. Having ideas is a lonely business. It is a personal choice – and it’s a difficult choice. Some people relish this, but some people want security and safety. In my view creative people, the first group, are unavoidably creating an economy of failure. People fail much more often trying to be creative than in other kinds of work.

This includs is a lot of learning, doesn’t it?
It does, and for everybody in all kind of industries. Learning is different from education and is more important. It is is self-driven, self-motivated, voluntary and continues until you die. It’s interesting to look at people and organisations to see if they have a capacity to learn.

Still, Iceland’s young people are in the midst of a social revolution, French magazine Owni wrote in a 2011 dispatch.

After the failure of Iceland’s banking system and its economy, Iceland’s young people went through something of a sea change:

"Young people refuse to embark on a classical career, preferring to just get by making art," writes a journalist from the magazine.

"Treating the past like a blank canvas has become a popular idea among Icelandic young people…the crisis has changed people’s minds and brought about a refusal of politics as it is practiced everywhere."

And, with Iceland still to emerge from its five-year downturn, the country could again be foreshadowing where mainstream Europe is heading — just as it did at the start of the crisis.

Designed for people looking to start their own tech company, the free mobile app Tech Startup Genius helps users through the early stages with a series of flash cards containing information about important people, organizations and buzz-words they need to know. This new method of business coaching, available for the iPhone and iPad, was developed by entrepreneurs in the New York and Silicon Valley start-up communities.

The iOS app, from Brainscape, can be used to test your knowledge on the go. There are four categories: People you should know, Orgs you should know, Company formation basics, and Fundraising basics. You can either choose a category to answer questions on, select ‘Random mix’ to answer questions from all of the categories, or search through the flash cards to get a refresher.

After you’re shown a question, you tap the screen to flip the card over and see the answer. Then the app asks how well you knew this and you can rate it from 1 (not at all) to 5 (perfectly). If you say you didn’t know the answer, the card is thrown back into the mix and will come round later for you to try again.

Tech Startup Genius

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Stoner (tee hee), recently announced the state government’s support for local technology companies eager to make their mark in famed Silicon Valley.

The NSW Government will assist up to 12 early-stage tech ventures, helping with renting office space and accommodation from the newly-opened technology incubator StartUp House.

During a trade mission to the US in January, Mr Stoner said: “The NSW Government is committed to growing our digital sector and this announcement will help Australian entrepreneurs get a foothold in the US market by providing a subsidy to access the co-working space and accommodation at StartUp House from May 2012.”

StartUp House is a joint venture between Australian entrepreneurs Elias Bizannes and Bardia Houseman and New Zealander Stephen Weir. It’s a 36,000 sq ft facility that includes office space – both shared and premium – a café, and a hostel for entrepreneurs.

“StartUp House aims to provide start-up companies and entrepreneurs with a rich collaborative working environment connecting them to fellow entrepreneurs and mentors.”

“Silicon Valley continues to be a leading hub for high-tech innovation in the United States and an important target point for NSW technology companies with global ambitions.”

StartUp House also just so happens to be the site of the NSW Government’s new trade and investment office – though whether Mr Stoner will himself be bunking down in the hostel remains to be seen.

“Our San Francisco office will be driving business and investment opportunities between NSW and the US and highlighting NSW expertise in sectors including ICT, digital services, research and development, and clean technology,” he said.

When you consider the cost of earning an MBA–that can easily exceed $100,000–most people begin to seek alternative ways to network and gain professional insights. Kane Sarhan and Shaila Ittycheria are co-founders of Enstitute, a program for young aspiring students to be mentored by some of New York’s top entrepreneurs.

Enstitute currently enlists 31 well-regarded NYC entrepreneurs from 15 different companies who are participating in the mentorship program. Some of these mentors include founders of Thrillist, HowAboutWe, Nestio, Bit.ly, Pixable, Flavorpill and SinglePlatform.

Sarhan and Ittycheria feel that the “right path” to becoming an entrepreneur is to think outside the traditional education model. The not-for-profit Enstitute program is open to 18-24 year olds who have obtained a minimum of a high school diploma. 15 students will be be accepted to participate in the two-year apprenticeship in New York.

Enstitute

EON Creator is an interactive virtual 3D learning environment that invites users to select a scene and objects to interact with, as well as create and customize 3D lesson plans for training and general education.

EON Reality, Inc. is the world’s leading interactive 3D software provider for businesses and education based on virtual reality technology. Their creation tool lets users easily build engaging interactive learning simulations, which can be totally customized and then displayed on a laptop or in a fully immersive environment.

The easy-to-use interface allows users to quickly choose from thousands of 3D objects to configure, scale and position within the space. These can be combined with PowerPoint presentations, videos, images and links to generate quality learning experiences. After creating a customized scene, it can be viewed and shared with others in stereoscopic 3D.

These impressive virtual 3D environments inspire new ways of learning. The videos below show a medical environment for learning about the skeleton and the brain, and a nature environment for exploring animals in a garden community: