Is Southern California becoming the next Silicon Valley? It just might, if these entrepreneurs and bloggers have anything to do with it. A Los Angeles Times article explores a new trend in the hi-tech world--so-called tech geeks meeting up at social events to find investors, network and have fun. Last year, Southern California ranked second in the U.S. for tech investment. Silicon Valley, of course, holds the top spot. According to Ernst & Young, VCs invested about $712 million in IT companies based in L.A. in the first three quarters of 2007, compared with $680 million in all of 2006. "There seems to be this fearless energy behind some of the things coming out of Los Angeles," said Mike Macadaan, an AOL employee. "I thought, 'I better pay attention here--the next MySpace or YouTube might come out of LA.'"

Several weeks ago, we blogged about sending business greeting cards to your clients, vendors and employees. Now, Hallmark Business Expressions has some tips for companies wanting to spread last-minute holiday cheer. If you think you're too late to order cards online, think again. Hallmark Business Expressions is offering free overnight shipping on all card orders between now and December 17. Another way to save time this holiday season: Take advantage of automated envelope addressing, stamping and mailing services from Hallmark Business Expressions. Whatever you do, Marc Wagenheim, product marketing director for the company says avoid sending an electronic greeting in lieu of a real greeting card. If you're too rushed to send out a greeting card in December, Wagenheim suggests sending a New Year's card in January.

Advertisers are looking for ways to get their messages into your head--and they're succeeding. In fact, A&E is promoting a ghost-themed series called Paranormal State with the help of a technologically advanced billboard. According to this article in Advertising Age, it uses technology that transmits an "audio spotlight" from a rooftop speaker so the sound is contained within your cranium. So far, this technology hadn't been used on such a grand scale as this New York City billboard. Typically it's ideal for museums and libraries that promote a quiet environment. Joe Pompei, president and founder of Holosonics, the company that created the technology for the billboards, says it was designed to avoid adding noise pollution. "If you set up a loudspeaker on the top of a building, everybody's going to hear that noise. But if you're only directing that sound to a specific viewer, you're never going to hear a neighbor complaint from street vendors or pedestrians," he said.

But not everyone is welcoming this rather intrusive technology with open arms. The website Gawker criticized the billboard last week by saying, "How soon will it be until in addition to the do-not-call list, we'll have a 'do-not-beam-commercial-messages-into-my-head-list'?"