Startups trading equity for services // How to hack a Syrian dictator // Estonia’s first-graders are learning to code [Links]

Dot-Com Bubble’s Equity Swaps Are Back [Wall Street Journal]: “The swapping of equity for services is exploding, as a range of professional services providers—including website designers, attorneys, ad agencies and business consultants—seek to profit directly from the growing demand for their services on the part of U.S. start-ups.”
Hacking Assad … as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4 [The Times of Israel]: “An enterprising hacker immediately tried a password widely acknowledged to be one of the most imbecilic possible: 1234. … Within moments the hackers had at their fingertips a trove of private missives belonging to the dictator of Damascus.”

Guess who’s winning the brains race, with 100% of first graders learning to code? [VentureBeat]: “…Estonia is implementing a new education program that will have 100 percent of publicly educated students learning to write code.”
Human Genome Sciences to cut 114 positions [Baltimore Business Journal]: “Human Genome Sciences, a Rockville-based life sciences company, is eliminating 114 positions beginning in October … Last month, GlaxoSmithKline completed its $3.6 billion takeover of Human Genome Sciences…”
Columbia security software developer receives $50M in funding [Baltimore Sun]: “Tenable Network Security Inc., an information security software developer based in Columbia, said Wednesday that it had received $50 million in funding from the venture capital firm Accel Partners.”
New smart phone app lets people pose with Ray Lewis [Baltimore Sun]: “The app will raise money for one of Lewis’ favorite charities, the United Athletes Foundation. It will cost 99 cents and be available on the iTunes store, the Android Marketplace and www.MoZeus.com.”