ReadWriteWeb

In a post last week about how to measure the effectiveness of startup employees, we mentioned that perhaps the number of hours worked isn't the best metric. With that said, this weekend was Labor Day weekend in the U.S., one of the more popular get-out-of-town weekends of the entire calendar, but does that apply for entrepreneurs and startups? Certainly there were some die-hards out there that refused to leave their desks this weekend, but we still wanted to know - do startups labor on labor day? I polled Twitter over the weekend and got some interesting responses. Here's what you had to say.

In the recent months, entrepreneurship has been a hot topic in Washington. From the proposed Startup Visa, to Senator Dodd's financial reform strategies and even to the overall need for more job creation - many agree that entrepreneurship will play a large role in turning this country's economic woes around. But one group in support of entrepreneurship is asking for something a little different from the President: a national holiday.

If you're reading this, you already know you're screwed.

Someone, somewhere has been forgotten on your gift list, and you're scrambling. As per usual, we at RWW have got your back. Here are five ideas that will not only save you from certain disgrace but just might make you look a little more with it and wired than your loved ones expected.

You have to wonder how often this happens these days. High-speed coverage (or at least coverage that's advertised that way) is now widespread, and there have to be times when a solid 3G connection can beat an understaffed checkout line hands-down.

Which means customers are bringing the competition into the bricks-and-mortar stores with them -- and they can switch allegiance as easily as point, click, swipe, call up the keyboard, tap tap tap, dammit, backspace, no, that wasn't it, tap tap (repeat eight or nine times)... submit.

The holidays are now upon us and after today's turkey is digested, it will be time to strap on your most comfortable shoes and prepare for an early day of marathon shopping. "Black Friday," the unofficial retail holiday that lands the day after Thanksgiving, kicks off the season with deals and doorbusters...not to mention crowds and chaos.

However, those of you with an Apple iPhone can get a leg up on the other shoppers who have to fumble through old-fashioned newspaper printouts that list each store's bargains. You can have all the deals at your fingertips, thanks to new iPhone applications that list everything on sale. And that's not all, either. Read on for our guide to preparing your iPhone for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season beyond.

Shopping is horror. The prices. The lines. The hordes of clamoring consumers. The thought of holiday shopping is, in itself, enough to make us wish for simpler days when putting coal in someone's sock was a legitimate option.

But, whether we like it or not, we can't Grinch out; so we'd better start thinking about the gift-giving season now and get it over with. And since your friends at ReadWriteWeb are huge geeks, we thought we'd amuse you with a few Internet-enabled oddities that might actually make your obligatory retail purgatory a little more bearable.