As part of ongoing efforts to provide riders with a modern transit riding experience, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) today announced the awarding of project stipends of $55,000 each for two vendors selected to provide digital bus stop sign solutions for testing under the new Innovation Studio.

Right now, the economy is all over the place. And when things get confusing, we look to basic economic indicators to help explain what's going on. Today, we're bringing you two episodes of our daily show The Indicator that focus on the bond market.

The market for U.S. treasury bonds is generally safe, predictable and pretty boring. Recently, though, it's been anything but. We look into the fluctuations in bond prices and the yield curve (one of our favorite indicators) to try to help us understand where the economy stands right now.

These two Indicator episodes were originally produced by Brittany Cronin and Noah Glick. They were fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Gilly Moon and Katherine Silva. Kate Concannon edits The Indicator.

The Planet Money version was produced by Dylan Sloan and edited by Dave Blanchard.

Music: "Funk Lounge," "A Fulltime Job" and "Velvet Groove."

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Innovation is crucial for game-changing advancements in society, whether it's treatments for serious diseases, developments in AI technology, or rocket science.

Today on the show, we're airing two episodes from our daily economics show The Indicator. First, a new paper suggests that breakthrough innovations are more likely at smaller, younger companies. We talk to an inventor who left a big pharmaceutical company to start afresh, leading to some incredible treatments for serious diseases.

Then, it's off to Mars — or at least, on the way. Elon Musk's company SpaceX did a first test launch of a rocket meant to go all the way to the red planet. The rocket made it up off of the launch pad and lumbered briefly through the sky before self-destructing over the Gulf of Mexico. Suffice it to say, it's not quite ready. NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel walks us through SpaceX's business plan as we try to figure out if this company has the funding and business acumen to reach its moonshot goal.

These two Indicator episodes were originally produced by Corey Bridges & Brittany Cronin, engineered by Katherine Silva & James Willets, and fact-checked by Dylan Sloan & Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon edits the show.

The Planet Money version of this episode was produced by Willa Rubin, engineered by Robert Rodriguez, and edited by Keith Romer.

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For anyone running a business, technology is both threat and opportunity. Today, we run through techniques entrepreneurs can use to take advantage of new tech or defend against the dangers. It's not just about the product you're selling. It's about consumer psychology, and ethics, and taking calculated risks to navigate uncertainty.

But, since this is Planet Money Summer School and we want to set your business on the path to riches, we're going to talk about how to use tech to dream big. Maybe more than anything, technology creates opportunities for the little guys where the big established companies can't be so nimble or have too much to lose.

Take the classic concept of the innovator's dilemma: a company that innovated and succeeded, now faces a choice about any disruptive new technology. Do they risk tossing out their existing advantage and switch to the new tech, or play it safe and risk becoming obsolete?

Most new technologies don't end up disrupting an industry. So it is totally rational for the big existing companies to ignore each new flash in the pan. But nobody wants to end up like Kodak: sticking with film while the digital camera takes off. So what to do?

Our friendly professor has a few ideas – for the little guy and the big old company. He'll explain the shape of how new technology gets adopted, sometimes called the S curve. We'll also hear examples of what stops promising new tech from taking off: from dishwashers to driverless cars, and even the humble elevator.

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The Indigenous rights activist was honored for her grassroots leadership and policy advocacy in the Ecuadorian Amazon and beyond.

TORONTO, ON — Eleven U of T researchers have been selected as recipients of the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders funds totalling $1,873,485. The John R. Evans Leaders Fund was established to assist institutions in attracting and retaining talented researchers. Candidates for funding must be either recognized leaders or have demonstrated the […]

NRC and CCAB invest over $1M to advance innovative therapies first discovered at UofTToronto, ON – An innovative collaboration between government, industry, and academia aims to accelerate the development of cancer treatments in Canada. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Toronto-based Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) have put […]

University of Toronto Engineering, Google and Actua partner on Innovate U, a day-long STEM event for children in grades 3–8, featuring hands-on coding, circuitry and moreToronto, ON – More than 1,400 students from Grades 3–8 will descend on the University of Toronto on Friday, May 13 for Innovate U, a massive day of hands-on activities […]

Toronto, ON –  In what University of Toronto President Meric Gertler called “an historic investment in Canadian science and innovation,” the federal and provincial governments are joining with the university to provide almost $190 million to upgrade almost half of U of T’s research labs over the next two years. The announcement of the Lab […]

Toronto, ON – A new partnership has been launched at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management to promote and develop initiatives for students and faculty in the area of financial innovation across all of the school’s programs. The Rotman Financial Innovation Hub in Advanced Analytics (Rotman FinHub) will create new classes and learning […]

TORONTO, ON — Norton Rose Fulbright and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (U of T Law) are pleased to announce their collaboration in the Innovation Law Clinic (ILC) at MaRS Discovery District. The ILC is a unique student clinic dedicated to providing high quality business and IP legal services to start up and early-stage businesses. Students’ […]

When we look back at 2020, what will we have learned after a global health crisis, a national reckoning around racism, and a divisive election?

Apple leaders need deep expertise, immersion in details, and collaborative debate.

When Apple was smaller, it may have been reasonable to expect leaders to be experts on pretty much everything going on in their organizations. However, they now need to exercise greater discretion regarding where and how they spend their effort.

When Steve Jobs arrived back at Apple in 1997, he laid off general managers of all business units and combined disparate functional departments into one functional organization.

China is achieving a new level of global competitiveness, thanks to its hyper-adaptive population.

Hoffman, now a partner at Greylock Partners, says innovators must ignore hype to identify new technologies with real traction. It starts by envisioning how they might shape the future.

The President announced new steps with the private sector to strengthen the manufacturing sector, boost advanced manufacturing, and attract the good paying jobs that a growing middle class requires.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) is pleased to present its Innovation Summit in Irvine, CA, March 13-14. Leading industry innovators and longtime lean and innovation advocates will converge at the Irvine Marriot to share exclusive insider knowledge with attendees.

Workspace receiving recent A2LA accreditation fosters collaboration and creativity; Validates new products.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the latest cohorts in its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP).

Students at Washburn Rural High School (WRHS) will benefit from a new state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance career and technical education.

How virtual prototyping and dynamic load analysis can help reduce machine design costs and get to market faster.

How virtual prototyping and dynamic load analysis can help reduce machine design costs and get to market faster.

ACIE (Asian Conference for Innovation in Education). March 3 (Mon) - 4 (Tue) 2025, at Osaka Central Public Hall, Osaka.

Renovate America has launched an online marketplace that gives homeowners a one-stop shop for browsing helpful renovation project advice, finding and selecting highly rated, quality-tested contractors, and comparing multiple financing options. With Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies expecting healthy growth in homeowner spending on remodeling through 2025, and with sustainability and energy-efficient upgrades among the fastest-growing market segments, the marketplace at the revamped renovateamerica.com is positioned to capitalize on key trends in home improvement.

These simple guidelines will help HVAC contractors shift their business from “practitioner” to “specialist.”

Duct renovation is not a silver bullet. Instead, it’s an important piece of the overall comfort system.

Give your duct renovators purpose and help them understand why their position is valuable.

Offering duct renovation can be a boon to HVAC contractors, and the time to get started is now.

“This campus has been designed to create a culture of collaboration and sustainability with our OpenBlue digital platform at the core of its design,” said Vijay Sankaran, chief technology officer at Johnson Controls.

At a national gathering of energy efficiency leaders, Midea introduced its newest heat pump technologies and took part in important discussions on accelerating the adoption of sustainable HVAC solutions across the U.S.

HVACR innovations present and past characterized the MARS booth at the recent AHR Expo in Las Vegas.

Mid-City Supply invested $1.6 million in the renovation of its Michigan City, Indiana, location, expanding the new building to 18,600 square feet from its original 10,500 square feet, the company said.

New cooling technologies that promise to revolutionize the way climate control is approached are emerging in the HVACR industry.

Rheem's new Innovation Learning Center is a $5 million facility designed to meet the training needs of specialists in Rheem's air-conditioning and water-heating divisions.

To serve customers who want to decarbonize and become more efficient, the folks at Regal Rexnord are leveraging new technology to meet new standards.

This year’s Dealer Design Awards gold winning product in the Refrigeration and Ice Machine category is the Quantum Air™ Remote Air Cooled Condenser from Heat Transfer Products Group Inc.

HVACR distributors today are introducing software to meet contractors where they’re at and to fit the way they place electronic orders. At the same time, they’re working to maintain the personal relationships they’ve built with those customers.

At the AHR Expo, manufacturers displayed their latest commercial refrigeration equipment, which included condensing units, components, controls, and other solutions.

Winners of the The NEWS’ eighth annual Dealer Design Awards’ HVAC Commercial Equipment category have brought new ideas to the commercial market that should help contractors meet the commercial challenges they face.

Friedrich recently sponsored a NEWS webinar titled “Ductless Split System Innovations That Matter to Your Bottom Line.”  Below are questions taken from the Q&A portion of that webinar.

United Technologies Corp. (UTC), the parent company of Carrier Corp., recently opened the new UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

More than half of U.S. commercial building space is cooled by packaged HVAC equipment, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). So it comes as no surprise that energy efficiency is the biggest trend driving the rooftop market.

Just like bees return to the hive every day for sunset, Yellow Jacket has habitually returned to the AHR Expo every January for the past 45 years.

Last year was a notable one for Testo Inc. as the test and measurement manufacturing company celebrated its 60th anniversary. However, 2018 promises to be just as momentous as Testo US will reach its 35th anniversary milestone.

This product is a leave-behind HVAC analytic device that technicians can install on each unit, regardless of the brand they service.

To meet the ambitious environmental goals being proposed at all levels of government, residential air-to-water heat pumps are emerging as a transformative solution to lower carbon emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce utility bills.

Now a days rail transport become a cheap means of transport to any class of people and for the working of the trains it requires some energy in the form of Electrical finally to convert in to mechanical support for... Read more

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