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The news this week was dominated by announcements coming from Google's two-day I/O event, some of which was highly applicable to startups. The most popular story by far this week was the Big G's introduction of their big data APIs, which may make the process of sophisticated computations easily attainable to startups. Aso this week we discuss some ideation tips from Twitter's Jack Dorsey, a program linking college interns with startups and some factors for the success of mobile coupons. Additionally, we pour over some data from a survey of over 500 mass customization companies, as well as building communities around co-working spaces.

Should college students consider buying an iPad to use in place of netbook or notebook computer? Since the release of the new Apple slate device a week ago, this question has weighed on the minds of students, parents, teachers and school administrators alike. On the surface, the iPad seems like it could be the ideal device for mobile computing on campus with features like its optional iWork office suite, an Internet-connected bookstore called iBooks which supports the commonly used DRM-free ePub format, the 160,000+ applications available via iTunes, many of which are educational in nature and, of course, access to the greatest research tool ever invented: the Web.

However, despite the iPad's pluses, there are still some issues that students should consider before purchasing this device.

In the earliest days of the Internet, getting an .edu email address and signing in to Pine for the first time was a rite of passage for many college freshmen. Now, however, virtually every new college student got an email address before even graduating from primary school. Because of this, a number of schools are now considering phasing out email hosting for their students altogether. According to a recent report (PDF), 20% of American colleges already outsource their email systems to commercial providers, and more plan to do so in the future.

Forget losing your job, apparently your MySpace or Facebook profile and photos can now cause you to lose your degree. In what may be one of the most frightening rulings regarding social networks and privacy to date, a federal judge has ruled against a former student of Millersville University of Pennsylvania who was denied her college degree because of an unseemly online photo and its accompanying caption found on her social network profile.