Washington, DC: 50 Fastest Growing Companies

Just as I returned from my two-week getaway from the U.S. realities and the proximity of The White House, I've learned the names of the companies that made the list of "50 Fastest Growing Companies" in Washington, DC.

These companies have grown consecutively over the past three years and it is time to mention them:

Social Media Etiquette: A salad with a side of iPhone

How many times you were annoyed with someone on your company who would in your presence text, email and/or do whatever you do on the mobile devices? I, personally, cannot tolerate someone in my company using mobile devices (or any of those cool gadgets – tablets and such) because I believe that’s the time for face-to-face communication and enjoying each other’s company.
 

I would care less for someone who is not part of my company but is sharing the same space with me use their devices, although – you’d agree with me – it’s rather rude, especially if the devices make a notice.
 

It’s especially rude, if another person who is using a device in front of you – is your partner and/or a family member. This is away crossing the line of the basic etiquette.

FAB: TECH: Italian Vogue, curvy women and iPhone apps

 That's truly fabulous to see that some of the most influential fashion publications, like  Italian Vogue, - and at least in other countries - are slow, but surely, starting to promote a healthier woman's body.

Despite the fact that 'they' (editors and writers of a fashion magazine) call the healthy body type - curvy, it's still very refreshing - and welcoming to USA - to see that beauty is not in the "skinniest", but in the "healthiest" body type.

Italian Vogue already hit NYC, and hopefully will soon come to the other corners of the country. If you like it, show your support - buy it, or at least browse thru it at a book store (I do so myself!). So does Scott Schuman, who credits his fame, popularity and success of the street fashion photography to the photographers @ItalianVogue

However, if you can't do know Italian language, I should  mention that Apple Inc. has Apps to learn Italian - and for traveling in Italy.

But please note, while some of these iPhone Apps are helpful in learning a bit of the language before your trip, others are not as much.

TECH: MEDIA: «The 100 Most Creative People in Business», by Fast Company

It’s not longer a secret that USA attracts the best out of the best specialists from around the world. Many people come and immigrate to USA with a purpose to invent and build a progressive company and/or organization and many of them succeed.

Many of those inventors whose companies are now defining your lifestyle, of some sort, are – the former immigrants. Take, for example, Sergey Brin, the founder of Google, who is an immigrant from Russia, or Martha Stewart – a polish immigrant, and/or the PayPal’s founder - Max Levchin, who is an immigrant from Russia. All of them came to USA and built an empire, because USA is one of the rarest countries that promotes the idea of a small/big business and gives everyone a chance – be it a citizen and/or an immigrant, to invent, and many American organizations support it as well. One of such organizations that promote, support and award the inventors of our day and age is Fast Company.

Each year Fast Company celebrates the most creative people in business by identifying the world's most innovative minds in «The 100 Most Creative People in Business» event.

Not only I’ve attended the event, but I’ve got to meet these “best of the best” innovative people. According to Fast Company’s Editor-in-Chief, Robert Safian, their list of the creative people is growing each year. Today they recognized 100 people – it was 25 people last year. Maybe not surprisingly, nearly every person in Fast Company's top 10 is involved in work that is tech- and Internet-related. Here are 2011's most creative people in business according to Fast Company: