SFGate - Home of the San Fransisco Chronicle: Innovation is still innovation, even if it's 70+ years old. After a ride aloft in one of history's most memorable air disasters, the zeppelin, Brian Hall, a software entrepreneur, decided America needed some rigid airships of their own to fly the skies around sunny, funny California. "Starting Friday, Airship Ventures will begin offering rides that provide a bird's-eye view of Napa and Sonoma wine country, the Big Sur coastline, San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area. The cabin holds 12 passengers and two crew members, and tickets start at $495 per person for an one-hour ride." Have no fear, this 246-foot long Zeppelin NT (New Technology) uses helium to keep it aloft, which is not a flammable gas, so extinguish any visions of exploding Hindenburgs and the resulting carnage. The company has commissioned 2 additional zeppelins to be built which will eventually take tourists and thrill-seekers for a ride on the East Coast. More details on this buoyant business idea in Californians float a plan: Return of the zeppelin.

PEHub.com: Connie Loizos interviews "The Undertaker" in a recent piece that sends shivers down the spines of startups everywhere. Also known as the 27-year-old Sherwood Partners in Palo Alto, the moniker stems from the companies job of mopping up and chopping jobs in a ruthless triage that hopes to save sinking businesses. What's the method behind this amputative madness? Sherwood co-founder Marty Pichinson tells us the bloody tale, full of sorrow and woe. "I feel very bad about this. We’ll do well but I don’t feel good. We’re not going to have a depression but this is life changing. This is everything changing. There will be new government laws. There will be new oversight. There will be new ways to do business. People talk about when the IPO market is going to open up again. You think people are going to run back to the stock market in another year or two? I don’t think so. I’ll tell you a story. I went to Costco two days ago. I like to shop. I wear Lucky jeans on the weekends. They cost me $90 at Nordstrom’s, but I found two pairs for $39 apiece at Costco. I almost bought them, but before I reached the checkout, I said to myself, I don’t need them." Even the Grim Reaper is cutting back on fancy pants, people! Read A Q&A with Silicon Valley’s "Undertaker" for the rest of the story.

ArsTechnica.com: Some exciting developments are underway the field of nanophotonics, which is "research dedicated to understanding and using light on ever-smaller scales" and could revolutionize computer chips, pregnancy tests, and tumor detection. Good stuff, huh? Join Chris Lee as he takes a technical and deep journey into plasmons, the stuff that makes studying nanophotonics possible along with an interview with field expert Naomi Halas, Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor of Chemistry at Rice University in Sculpting light: interview with Naomi Halas, plasmon pioneer.

GigaOm.com: Mike Hirshland, general partner at Polaris Venture Partners and guest columnist for Om Malik's important blog, writes on 10 Tips for Building Revenue in the Ad Recessionwith tips that every business can use to squeeze every last penny from their precious supply of Washingtons. To top off the list, Hirshland gets right to the meat of the matter. "1. Hug your stars. Identify your best people, and make sure they know — and feel — how valuable they truly are." This is only the most important from a list of 10 tips, so be sure to visit the site and read the rest of an industry expert's hot ad advice.

Chron.com: Most of us have heard about the success pursuit and arrest of a significant number of members of the Mongol biker gang but did you know there is a trademark/IP angle to the story. Michael Doyle of the McClatchy-Tribune writes, "Uncle Sam could end up owning the name of the Mongols, a West Coast motorcycle gang accused by federal prosecutors of 'crimes and acts of violence.' Like other motorcycle outfits including the Hells Angels, the Brotherhood Nomads, the Misfits and the Wicked Women, the Mongols trademarked their name. Now, culminating a three-year undercover investigation, federal prosecutors are hoping to take that name away from them." Yikes! I would hate to be the attorney prosecuting this zinger of a trademark lawsuit (pun intended). Looks like The "Man" hopes to have yet another reason to pull over a Harley-riding motorcyclist who happens to be sporting the Mongols trademarked membership patch, as if they needed one. Full story in U.S. hoping to ride away with Mongols gang name. Sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction!a