Good morning, All,

The iPhone 5 was introduced last week and while it has made moves forward (Apple introduced iPhone 5, 4” screen, 7.6 mm thick, 112 grams, 4G LTE capable, A6 processor, Lightning dock connector: http://tnw.co/Raj50k) – and is the fastest-selling iPhone to date, the battery is still not removable, and we know that the FBI can listen in, even when the phone is turned off – which is true of all smartphones, just for the record. Still, supposedly forward technology moves. So quickly, in fact, that again, we don’t stop to consider the consequences. When gmail was first introduced in 2004, no less than 30 civil liberties groups were in court arguing that with their ad serving, GOOG was reading our email and targeting us – a clear invasion of privacy. Was then and still is, yet gmail has become part of the internet landscape and we have happily given up our privacy and lots of it for the sake of convenience (How Google products go from creepy to cool: http://cnet.co/LU15kA). If they can do it, so can the government. A precedent has been set. As the writer says, convenience trumps privacy – are you cool with that? Now with Google Glasses, the company literally wants to get inside your head – and that’s just not cool by any stretch of the imagination (Google’s Project Glass is cool, but it raises a number of privacy concerns: http://tnw.co/OulVHe). Technology and the internet have certainly sped things up – including the rate at which we get used to things, like the disappearance of our rights. We’re like children who’ve been distracted by the lollipop and don’t see that doctor (or worse) coming at us with the needle. Social media has only exacerbated the issue. We’ve said it before: with all of the information we readily share via facebook, twitter, foursquare and whatever other SM technologies you care to throw into the mix, there’s nothing that can’t be known, mined and discovered within a few simple keystrokes. We know that this isn’t news to you. Every now and again, we like to tap you on the shoulder as a gentle reminder, since we are the early adopters and more importantly, the creators of this brave new world. The so-called information highway is being charted, and moreso every day. Let’s be careful out there, and respectly of our users/customers. We live in a world where there are so many security cameras out there watching that we now have security cameras watching the security cameras (apologies: we can’t find the link to the article, which appeared last week). Remember the expression, ‘off the grid?’  We have seen the grid, and it is us.  Onward and forward.

Deadlines:

The list of Startup Weekend Upcoming Events

The Awesome Foundation wants to give you $1000 for your best idea – almost anywhere in the world.  We give micro-grants each month to projects that are inspiring, delightful, and elegant: in a word, Awesome. To apply in NYC: http://bit.ly/NWueRO For more information and the complete list of chapters all over the world: http://www.awesomefoundation.org/

NYC Best for Business Infographic Competition, deadline September 21^st. Designers, show the world why NYC is the best city for business for a chance to win $1,000 cash prize, a poster-size print of your work signed by Mayor Bloomberg, and bragging rights as the City’s top infographic designer. Infographics must incorporate the NYCEDC Dataset to be eligible. The top applicants will be selected as semifinalists and the winner will be chosen by public voting on NYCEDC.com. For more information and to apply: http://www.nycedc.com/competition

NEW  CornellNYC Tech Now Accepting Applications for ‘Highly Selective’ Beta Class, Deadline October 1^st.  Classes start January 2013.  The inaugural class of future tech leaders will help shape the future of the tech campus. Candidates must have the highest academic credentials, and demonstrate strong entrepreneurial interests, leadership skills and a passion for community engagement. For more information and to apply:  http://tech.cornell.edu/apply/

NEW  AWS Global Startup Challenge, deadline November 9^th. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Global Start-Up Challenge is a way for promising start-ups to get noticed and compete for an opportunity to win some great rewards. This year’s challenge offers prizes such as $100K in combined cash and credits for multiple winners, VC introductions, PR support, and more. If your start-up is built using AWS, we want you to apply!
Meet Tier One Investors: Finalists will be flown to San Francisco where they will meet 1:1 with top VCs
More Winners, More Prizes: This year we will award winners in four categories, and award each of the four winners $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in AWS credits
Press and Attention for Your Start-Up: Past winners have been covered by top tech news outlets, and AWS offers other free promotion to top teams as part of the contest. For more information and to apply: http://bit.ly/OwE8ny

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For you edification this week:

How Netflix’s lobbying dollars could lead to improved email privacy in the United States. Currently, here in the US, for the police to get their hands on your personal email, no warrant is required. Yes, your email really isn’t very secure: http://tnw.co/OwFzCF

How Your Wireless Carrier Overcharges You. And since some of you are buying the iPhone 5 and may need services changes…: http://bit.ly/RTT710

Are You Building Facebook’s Empire, Or Your Own? http://bit.ly/OQthFw

10 Top Reasons Why First-Time Entrepreneurs Fail: http://bit.ly/QiuVDC

8 Surprising Startup Lessons – What You Don’t Know You Don’t Know. It takes more than a big idea and a thorough business plan to start a new business. Most entrepreneurs aren’t quite sure what else it takes until they’re well underway, and many are shocked to discover important elements of startup success that they simply hadn’t considered at all: http://rww.to/RP9KoQ

The Misstep of Quora and The Importance of Trust Amongst Your Community. You know the old saying about trust … “It takes years to build and seconds to destroy.” And once destroyed it is very difficult if not impossible to repair: http://bit.ly/OwJ2B7

How Facebook turned the normal processes of dying and grieving inside out: http://tnw.co/OhSY3u

Elevator Pitch/Member News
Hint, hint: Feel free to tell us what you’re working on, or if you’ve been featured in the press…Share, and we will, too!

Congratulations to Michelle Madhok (shefinds.com), whose book, WEAR THIS NOW: Your Style Solution for Every Season and Any Occasion, just came out.  And just for the record, on average, women waste a total of two years of their lives staring at their closets, trying to figure out what to wear. For more information and to order your copy: http://www.shefinds.com/wearthisnow/

Congrats also go to our buds @ParkingPanda: Parking Panda¹s Parking Spot Rentals Service Launches In San Francisco And On iPhone: http://tcrn.ch/PBSvYE

TechSpeak for Entrepreneurs, September 20-21st. 15% SOS code: SOS.
We are pleased to partner with Webgrrls International and invite you to attend the TechSpeak for Entrepreneurs event on September 20-21 in NYC at a discounted rate. To receive a 15% discount, use code SOS: http://bit.ly/SOS35

Just for your amusement, and speaking of drinking the Kool-Aid, Jimmy Kimmel takes a first look at the iPhone5 http://youtu.be/rdIWKytq_q4 That’s it from us this week and remember: To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.(#BumperSticker). And now, as always, help is on the way…