Leps have so much ground to cover - tourism, hi-tech manufacturing, broadband, accessing EU money - but they haven't got the resources to do it.

BBC: Local Enterprise Partnerships face financial challenge

It doesn't sound a very hi-tech business, but Emmanuel told me that Cambridge software expertise and the collaborative culture were among the many good reasons to base his firm here.

BBC: Start-up Britain - Cambridge v Tech City

The fact that we ran into each other and she came up to me - she didn't say 'Hi' and run off.

CNN: Before she was Gaga: The unseen photos

But what about people who don't have access to the latest hi-tech gadgets, which are often expensive even in comparatively rich Western nations?

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hi-Crush, which has been selling sand to customers for only a year, doesn't have much of a track record to show investors.

WSJ: For IPO Market, Sand, Then Vacation

That said, if we assume the as yet unknown price isn't stereotypically high -- and that audiophiles don't mind a big, potentially noisy desktop as a home theater PC -- the Hi-Fi Z77x could be a treat for those who want to wring every nuance out of music and movie soundtracks.

ENGADGET: Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X gives audiophiles 7.1-channel analog sound, overpriced cables thankfully optional