The Harris Theater buzzed Tuesday night as a full house of technology, business and entrepreneurial types cheered each other's successes at the 10th annual Chicago Innovation Awards show.

The award presentations weren't all serious ponderings, however, as a duo from the Second City comedy troupe made light of native Chicago "des" and "dos" and big guys who like to eat, a la the 1991 Saturday Night Live skit about Chicago Bears' Superfans. Their definition of innovation included Chicagoans electing someone not named Daley as mayor (or "mare," as the pronunciation would have it).

Besides the 10 Innovation Award honorees, which the Sun-Times profiled Wednesday, the event recognized 10 Up-and-Comer finalists -- start-ups in an early stage of development that show great promise.

Retailers are pouncing on social media tools this holiday to let shoppers share gift ideas, boast about their generosity and find and order products without having to stand in line at the checkout.
Most shoppers will wonder whether retailers can get the technology to actually work. I'd love to hear your experiences as you venture out on the seasonal odyssey of checking off your Santa list.
Here are efforts by three major retailers:

Calling entrepreneurs seeking venture capital -- and what tech savvy wizard isn't these days?
The early application deadline is Nov. 18 for entering the 13th Annual InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum.
The event, slated for April 4-5 in St. Louis, showcases 45 high-growth companies from throughout the Midwest in three categories: Technology, life sciences, and clean energy/sustainability.
The application form can be completed online at InvestMidwestForum.com.

Technology is giving shoppers new insights into deals -- not just where they are but when they're best accessed.
Here's the scoop: