Voices

Voices February 22, 2019

Yes, there is life after HQ2 – if we’re smart about it

By PHIL RUGILE // With the Amazon pullout from Queens, politicians and businesspeople are apoplectic about our future. Well, hold on – when life throws you lemons, time to make lemonade. Maybe with vodka. The reality is, we are still in growth mode and we need innovation spaces more than ever. Labor Department data shows an overall increase in jobs, though many business owners will tell you finding talent is their biggest growth challenge –…

Voices February 15, 2019

In this ‘Green Mile,’ the Island has a healthy head start

By JEFF GUILLOT // It’s been roundly embraced by progressive presidential candidates and panned by conservatives as a pipe dream dripping with bongwater. But regardless of your position on the package of legislative initiatives collectively known as the Green New Deal, Long Island’s longstanding commitment to environmental protection could put us in a unique position to reap the benefits of this dialogue. Regardless of whether or not this idea ever finds its way to the…

Voices February 8, 2019

For your best innovation ROI, look to the ‘regulars’

By ROSALIE DRAGO // From the technological advances of the Bronze Age to the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, innovation requires people. It follows then that the capital investment with the most innovation ROI is the investment in human capital. Businesses are eager to innovate, but more often than not this is approached with investments in departments or initiatives or a select cohort of innovation experts. Real innovation – the kind that enables us to sustain…

Voices February 1, 2019

Students have changed. Will 21st century education?

By HARRY AURORA // Close your eyes. Picture a classroom. What do you see? Chances are you see children seated in tidy rows of brown desks, a teacher standing in front of a large chalkboard, maybe a map of the United States hanging in the back. If you’re of a certain age, perhaps you even see Smart Boards and a sea of silver laptops. These are still familiar sights in the American classroom. This archetype,…

Voices January 24, 2019

Island finally finds its footing on the co-working path

By PHIL RUGILE // Helping new companies get started has become a big part of the “Startup Economy.” Investopedia defines a startup as “a company that is in the first stage of its operations,” often bankrolled by their entrepreneurial founders, who are attempting to capitalize on a new product or service. It’s no easy task. Until you’ve experienced the terror of being an entrepreneur – of struggling to convince your target market of your product…

Newsletters January 23, 2019

No. 374: On Sully, ‘MacGyver,’ Pluto and Nomorobo … and the Oscars go to New York!

Over the hump we go: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, and the midpoint of another exciting week of innovative entrepreneurism. It’s Jan. 23 out there, and to our readers on Pitcairn Island, a safe and joyous Bounty Day to you (celebrated every Jan. 23 to commemorate the burning of the HMS Bounty by her infamous mutineers in 1790). Write up: To everyone else, please enjoy National Handwriting Day, an actual event that encourages us…

Newsletters January 18, 2019

No. 373: On Tesla patents, quasi-three-day weekends and Winnie the Pooh (and introducing the ‘Voices’ of Innovate LI)

Flake out: That’s two down and just 49 1/2 to go, dear readers, as another productive workweek concludes and 2019 gains steam – and with barely a snowflake in sight, this is already shaping up as the quietest winter in recent memory. Jinx! Winter is coming: Actually, there is a little snow in our weekend forecast, and that’s not a bad thing – not only is the white stuff a critical part of natural…

Voices January 17, 2019

The shutdown and you: A Long Islander’s guide

By JEFF GUILLOT // One thing I drill into the collective consciousness of students every semester is that the role of the federal government in your daily life is minimal, compared to state and local governments. In normal, peaceful times, the average citizen only interacts with the federal government if they are interacting with the military or the immigration system. Virtually every other element of your day-to-day interactions with government are at more localized levels,…