Ebay Getting Into Micro-Financing: It appears that Prosper and Zopa are going to be having some competition in the micro financing world. Ebay has purchased a company called MicroPlace:

MicroPlace plans to launch a web-based, eBay-like marketplace to connect “ordinary” people with micro-finance entities that need capital, according to the website. Founder Tracey Pettengill is co-founder of the Silicon Valley Microfinance Network and was previously CEO of 4charity, a technology company whose vision was “to make philanthropy accessible, convenient, and efficient for companies and their employees.”

Two micro-finance marketplace sites already exist, one calling the phenomenon “social lending.” UK’s Zopa, which is coming the to the US market, is funded by several VCs, including Benchmark, which funded eBay in its pre-IPO days. Prosper was started by e-Loan founder Chris Larsen and John Witchel and is also backed by Benchmark Capital – and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar through his Omidyar Network.

Early U.S. Daylight Savings Doesn’t Save Power:

The early onset of Daylight Savings Time in the United States this year may have been for naught.

The move to turn the clocks forward by an hour on March 11 rather than the usual early April date was mandated by the U.S. government as an energy-saving effort.

But other than forcing millions of drowsy American workers and school children into the dark, wintry weather three weeks early, the move appears to have had little impact on power usage.

The Hot Dog Man: This is an interesting read and look into the way to conduct a business.

And for those that need a bit more reading:

Festival of Frugality