Author: Serkadis

You may recall, last month, we wrote about some jokers who came up with the idea of the SarcMark to indicate when you were being sarcastic. They forgot to use their own mark on the stunt, though, because it seems pretty ridiculous to create a proprietary punctuation mark for which they expect people to pay $1.99 to get a special app to use. Like that would work. Of course, a few things happened in response. First, a bunch of people noticed that the SarcMark looked remarkably like script version of the Hebrew letter “pey.” In other words, get yourself a Hebrew font, and you’re probably good to go.

But, perhaps much more interesting is that the sarcasm wars have now broken out. In response to the closed and proprietary SarcMark, another group has launched the Open Sarcasm project that is, instead, pushing a version of an upside down exclamation point to indicate sarcasm — based on the already in existence Ethiopian punctuation mark for sarcasm (which is why it’s already a part of unicode) . I have no clue if they’re being serious or sarcastic. Which is why the world needs more sarcasm markers.

Still, whether or not any of this is serious, it actually does show how betting on proprietary solutions can often come back to bite you, as more open, cheaper, and more flexible solutions pop up to fill in the gap. So, yeah, to SarcMark, good luck with that project.

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Leading statewide higher education coalition will make grants available for change-making student-led service and service-learning projects that will aid those hardest hit by the economic crisis and help California achieve a more innovative, green and sustainable future.

San Francisco, CA – To catalyze and mobilize California colleges and universities to aid in the state’s recovery and renewal, California’s only statewide coalition dedicated to ensuring higher education’s civic purposes today announced that it will make up to six grants available as part of the second phase of its Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative. California Campus Compact’s Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative encourages and supports change-making student-led service and service-learning projects that will not only aid those hardest hit by California’s economic crisis, but also help California emerge from the crisis with a more innovative, green and sustainable economic future.

“California higher education institutions have long served as incubators of innovation,” said Elaine Ikeda, executive director of California Campus Compact. “We truly believe that the energy and spirit to serve, lead and transform cascades among inspired college students throughout California—and it is that spirit that we hope to harness with this grant opportunity.”

California Campus Compact is funding Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative and a second initiative, Social Innovation Generation: California Recovery and Renewal Initiative, through a three-year Learn and Serve America Higher Education grant of $1.3 million from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Through both initiatives, California Campus Compact will work with more than 85 campuses, 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 500 faculty, staff and administrators and 300 nonprofit organizations.

A detailed Request for Proposals for the second phase of Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative is available at www.cacampuscompact.org along with information on how to register for a one-hour technical assistance conference call, scheduled for March 10, 2010. To apply for this grant opportunity, colleges and universities must be current members of California Campus Compact. The application deadline is May 5, 2010.

Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative Phase One Grantees

On January 1, 2010, California Campus Compact announced the three grantees selected to participate in the first phase of Social Innovation Generation: Student Leadership Initiative. They are:

California State University, Chico. With the city of Chico’s increasing number of home foreclosures and a poverty rate that is almost double that of the state, more than a quarter of its residents now live below the poverty line. To help nonprofit organizations in the city meet the needs of a growing population in crisis, Community Action Volunteers in Education, a program of the Associated Students at California State University, Chico, is developing Chico Homeless Advocates. Through this program, student leaders will provide outreach and support to homeless individuals and families along with volunteer hours to support the staff of shelters, meal, job-training, counseling and mental health outreach programs. California State University, Chico is collaborating on the Chico Homeless Advocates Program with the City of Chico, Greater Chico Homeless Task Force, Torres Community Shelter, Jesus Center Kitchen and the Sixth Street Drop-in Center.

“These community agencies desperately need volunteers, and through this program we hope to provide a regular stream of student-volunteers to support their efforts,” said Mary Flynn, program administrator for Community Action Volunteers in Education. “Students will receive extensive training before they begin to volunteer, and we believe that through this experience, they will gain a greater understanding and empathy for members of our community who struggle with issues related to hunger and homelessness.”

University of California, Los Angeles. To address the rising rate of childhood obesity among at-risk youth in Los Angeles, introduce and encourage healthier eating options and restart school garden programs lost to unprecedented budget cuts, University of California, Los Angeles’s 200-member E3: Ecology, Economy and Equity student group is partnering with Farm to School, a nationwide nonprofit organization that promotes healthy eating and improving school nutrition by connecting K-12 schools with local farms and maintaining school gardens. Through the partnership, students will be restarting school gardens and sustainable food programs in communities that have been most adversely impacted by California’s economic downturn while providing mentorship to middle school and high school youth through their collaborative work in the gardens.

“We are really looking forward to getting our hands dirty and working with the high school and middle school students to restart their schools’ gardens,” said DeeAnn Resk, a graduate student who helped develop the grant proposal in conjunction with the University of California Los Angeles’s Center for Community Learning. “We are very concerned about unequal access to healthy and local produce for students in disadvantaged communities, and we want to promote healthy eating among these youth and their families.”

University of Southern California. The area immediately surrounding the University of Southern California’s main campus is a low-income, high-transition, multi-ethnic community that is served by small nonprofit social service providers that confront all of the major problems found in center city areas, including stepped up rates of unemployment, homelessness and crime. University of Southern California students, in collaboration with nonprofit social service providers in the area, are developing a new initiative that ties into the campus’s well-established alternative spring break program. Students and community partners will engage in community mapping and dialogues to assess how local nonprofit organizations have been impacted by the economic downturn and then plan alternative spring break activities that will support these nonprofit organizations and fill the gap left by budget cuts.

“Through this process—with students and community organizations at the table together—some very tangible community needs will be addressed,” said Melissa Gaeke, director of the Volunteer Center at the University of Southern California. “Students will have the opportunity to really grapple with defining a problem and working through it to achieve an outcome in which the service they provide will truly fill a community need. “

About California Campus Compact

California Campus Compact is a coalition of leading colleges and universities that works to build the collective commitment and capacity of colleges, universities and communities throughout California to advance civic and community engagement for a healthy, just and democratic society. Through innovative programs and initiatives, grant funding, training and technical assistance, professional development and powerful research studies and publications, California Campus Compact each year invests in and champions more than 500,000 students, faculty members, administrators and community members involved in diverse and ground-breaking activities that support and expand civic and community engagement throughout California. For more information, please visit www.cacampuscompact.org.

Filed under: Motorsports

A recent report out of Spain suggests that the USF1 team won’t make it to the starting grid in Bahrain and that the team’s chances of making it to the next two races are in question, putting the entire season in jeopardy. To make matters worse, rumors are circulating that one of the team’s principle backers – YouTube founder Chad Hurley – has pulled his support from the Formula One upstart and that Brian Bonner, a former IndyCar driver and the team’s head of business development, is no longer working for the firm, taking a co-director position at B4 Marketing.

It’s been some time since we’ve heard any word from the team, beyond the announcement that Argentinian touring car driver Jose Maria Lopez has been tapped to handle driving duties. The lack of a second driver, along with rumblings that former YouTuber Hurley is considering backing the Campos team or Stefan GP doesn’t help matters. And to muddy the waters further, the USF1’s headquarters are apparently up for sale, suggesting something’s rotten in Denmark Charlotte, and validating Bernie Eccelstone’s earlier predictions about the team’s troubles. Thanks for the tip Adam.

[Sources: Marca, Crash.net]

Report: Rumors swirl about possible demise of USF1 team originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elgin, Ill. — Emergency crews remain on the scene of an early-Wednesday apartment building fire that injured three people and displaced about 60 in northwest suburban Elgin.

Fire crews responded at 2:45 a.m. to a report of a fireat a three-story, 30-unit apartment building at 1199 Fleetwood Dr. in Elgin, Elgin Fire Capt. Dave Schmidt said.

Firefighters arrived at the building at 2:49 a.m. and the fire was extinguished about ten minutes later, Schmidt said.

The fire started in the kitchen of a third-floor apartment, he said.

Emergency crews treated three people for smoke inhalation and they were all treated and released at the scene, Schmidt said.

Initially, a mutual-aid box alarm was called following reports of multiple injuries, which brought in ambulances from five other communities, Schmidt said.

Fire and police crews remained on the scene investigating the causeat 6 a.m., Schmidt said.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

A week after a DuPage County judge ruled Westmont police lacked probable cause to arrest Chris Chelios on a drunken-driving rap, the hockey great’s attorney sought to have the charge officially dismissed.

Attorney Terry Ekl filed the defense motion Wednesday morning before DuPage Associate Judge Cary Pierce in light of the judge’s recent ruling that insufficient evidence of impairment existed. Pierce based his decision on a 15-minute police video of Chelios’ Dec. 28 traffic stop.

Pierce set a future court date to give prosecutors time to respond.

Chelios – a former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman who now plays with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves – was arrested after a 4 a.m. stop on Ogden Avenue near Blackhawk Drive. He was charged with DUI, improper lane use and speeding nearly 20 mph over the posted 35 mph limit.

Chelios refused to submit to a breath test, but Westmont police accused him of having bloodshot glassy eyes, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and of performing poorly on field-sobriety tests.

On the video, Chelios admitted he had “a couple” of drinks. He declined the officer’s requests to elaborate. Chelios swayed at one point while performing a balancing test, as well as improperly putting his foot down, but he noted his multiple knee surgeries.

“Can’t you just let me go home, please?” he asked. “I’m safe. I’m not a danger. I’m begging for a favor.”

During last week’s statutory summary suspension hearing, Pierce ruled police did not have reasonable grounds to make the DUI arrest based on the video. The arresting police officer was not present in court to offer testimony.

Chelios was stopped one block from his parents’ home, where he is staying while he plays for the Wolves. He maintains homes with his wife and four children in Detroit and Malibu, Calif.

The Chicago native won three Stanley Cups, three Norris trophies and appeared in four Olympics representing the U.S. He played nine seasons with the Blackhawks during the 1990s after seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. The all-star defenseman also played with the Detroit Red Wings from 1998 through last season.

He signed with the Wolves in October 2009.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

The following is a list of the articles that appear in the February 2010 issue of Technology Transfer Tactics monthly newsletter. If you are already a current subscriber click here to log in and access your issue. Not a subscriber already? Subscribe now and get access to this issue as well as access to our online archive of back issues, industry research reports, sample MTAs, legal opinions, sample forms and contracts, government documents and more!

Technology Transfer Tactics,
Vol. 4, No. 2 (pp 17-32) February 2010

• Kauffman proposal for ‘free agent’ faculty draws strong reaction from TTO execs. It was the shot heard round the tech transfer world; in fact, it was interpreted by many tech transfer professionals as a shot across the bow, if not a full-force slap in the face. In a brief one-page treatise in the January/February edition of the Harvard Business Review that the stalwart publication cited as one of the top 10 “breakthrough ideas” of 2009, Robert E. Litan, the Kauffman Foundation’s vice president for research and policy, and Lesa Mitchell, vice president for advancing innovation, set tongues wagging and blood pressures rising.
• Keep your eye on the option pool during initial valuation. Successful negotiation of start-up funding leaves most new entrepreneurs flush with excitement. But investors will almost always slip an option pool into the equation, which means the share value to the founding group can sink in a flash. It can be a throttling experience for the uninitiated.
• Engineering institute’s contract work builds corporate links to aid long-term tech transfer results. Giving engineering students hands-on training in product development techniques and real-world experience working with industry is the core mission of the Institute for Industrial Innovation created by the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Institute’s ability to do contract engineering research projects for industry isn’t expected to reap immediate technology transfer benefits in terms of expanding or monetizing UWM’s portfolio of intellectual property. However, building industry contacts via the Institute is a vital component in UWM’s long-term efforts to develop a sustained technology transfer strategy.
• Incubators adapt to changing conditions, but remain a solid option for start-ups. Start-up incubators have been hammered by the same economic forces that have buffeted the entire commercialization pipeline, and several have run into severe distress that poses an extra challenge for the fledgling technology start-ups they are designed to nurture. Still, the sector as a whole is in fine shape, and incubators remain a key option for technology transfer offices looking to support new ventures.
• A sign of the times? RPI shuts down campus incubator. In a move that reflects the changing landscape for high-tech incubators as well as the potential hazards for start-ups housed within them, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced in early February that it is closing its on-campus business incubation center. Ironically, RPI’s incubator is one of the oldest and most successful, having spawned several major companies over its 30-year existence.
• Pre-incubation program offers fledgling companies an official address and valuable support. Incubators are great for nurturing early-stage companies that are at the point where they need staff and space to fuel growth. However, what about those very early-stage companies that have great ideas and IP, but they need funding and further development before they will be ready to hang out a shingle?

Twitter’s gloomy growth figures may finally be changing as the latest numbers for January show a decent pickup in new users from the previous month. In fact, compared with the previous six months or so, the eight-percent bump in unique visitors to Twitter.com is a very welcomed sign. With the recent influx of new users, Twitter ca… (read more)

Building the Future One Teacher at a Time

Register for the Student Program Spring Conference Today!

Join future teachers from throughout Illinois at the IEA Student Program Conference.  This is THE conference for students entering the field of teaching.

Friday, April 9, 2010
I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center,
Champaign, IL
Online Registration

• Conference sessions are planned to meet your needs.
• Sessions build on those things learned in college and university classrooms to extend knowledge and understanding.
• Educational experts conduct sessions and network with student participants regarding current issues and trends in education.
• Various vendors display and sell educational materials.
• Participate in IEA Student Program elections by listening to candidate speeches and voting for 2010-11 IEA Student Program Executive officers

IEA President Ken Swanson as keynote speaker!

Ken Swanson, a science teacher from Belvidere, Illinois, has served as IEA President since 2005. Prior to that Ken worked as IEA Vice President, and at the local and regional levels within IEA. Ken provides a voice and important insights at the national level as well while serving on NEA committees. He has been recognized as a grant recipient for classroom endeavors and recently received the “Champion of Freedom” award from Rainbow PUSH/Excel. Participants will enjoy his inspirational remarks and reflections from his numerous teaching and leadership experiences.

Agenda

Friday, April 9
5:00-7:00 P.M. Registration
7:00-10:00 P.M. Dinner Program and Keynote Speaker

Saturday, April 10
7:30-9:00 A.M. Breakfast
9:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Sessions

Sessions

Select your Saturday elective session topics: All You Wanted To Know That They Didn’t Teach You In The College of Ed, Math Differentiation Made Manageable, Resources From NEA About Early Childhood Literacy, Terrific Tips For Teaching Writing, Top Ten Considerations When Working With English Language Learners, Teacher’s Retirement System, What Is Collective Bargaining, and many more!

Registration

Please register online by April 1, 2010

Brochure

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Jaguar

You know that cat? It’s not only out of the bag, but the bag has been beaten, robbed and burned to a crisp. Translation: Jaguar is bringing a brawny, hopped-up version of its XKR to Geneva. Dubbed the XKR Special Edition, this Jag is actually a combo platter of two other XKR specials. Still with us? Good.

Let’s start with the first two. For 2011, the supercharged, 510-horsepower XKR will be available with a Speed Pack. What’s it do? The Speed Pack raises the bad kitty’s top speed from 155 mph to 174 mph (both speeds are electronically limited). Then there’s the Black Pack that, besides being fun to say, is an appearance package for the already pretty good looking XKR.

Should you opt for the Black Pack, you get gloss black 20-inch Kalimnos wheels, gloss black chrome grille and side vents, red brake calipers and a body-colored aero-kit. You can even go for an “XKR” graphic on the side sills (we’d advise against that last bit). Rather than calling the two combined packages “Black Speed,” Jaguar is instead calling the whole megillah the XKR Special Edition. Until Geneva. Press Release and video after the jump.

Continue reading Jaguar to unveil faster, blacker XKR Special Edition in Geneva

Jaguar to unveil faster, blacker XKR Special Edition in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wisconsin, US | Inspired Inventions

At the end of the 1800s, the University of Southern California sought to build the world’s largest telescope. In preparation, two 42-inch “blank” disks were cast by the Parisian glassmaking operation of Mantois. By 1890, however, the university could not afford to follow through with the project and the glass for the lenses was left unclaimed.

At this time, a young and entrepreneurial astronomer named George Ellery Hale saw opportunity in USC’s misfortune. He appealed to his home institution, the University of Chicago, to purchase the disks and construct a new observatory to serve as home to the telescope that USC could not build. To fund his endeavor, Hale found support in the form of Charles T. Yerkes, a wealthy businessman who made his fortune with Chicago’s electric railways.

Playing up to Yerkes’ pride, Hale told the transit magnate that his name would live on forever if he supported the project. Yerkes, who was fighting off charges of fraud, embezzlement, and bribery at the time, saw the observatory as an opportunity to save his reputation. And so, for about $300,000, the world’s largest telescope was built and Yerkes Observatory was founded in 1897.

Housed in a six ton, 60-foot-long tube atop a 43-foot-high mount, the telescope dwarfs the observer. And with a 40-inch diameter lens, the Yerkes refractor is still the largest of its kind in the world. This is largely due to the fact that gravity becomes an insurmountable problem for lenses with diameters greater than 40 inches. Such large glass lenses actually sag under their own weight, deforming their shape and rendering them useless, making Yerkes a symbol of an aging technology pushed to its limits. In observational astronomy’s crucial transition from lenses to mirrors, Yerkes stands as the signal of an era’s end.

Nevertheless, Yerkes Observatory bills itself as the birthplace of modern astrophysics. This is because it is not only the world’s first university astrophysical observatory and one of the earliest examples of “Big Science” in America, but also the first observatory built with the primary function being research as opposed to merely housing a telescope. As such, Yerkes represents an important shift in observatory design.

With a long history of research, Yerkes has been the site of many important discoveries: the detection of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere and the finding of Uranus’ fifth moon and Neptune’s second moon are just a few. The tradition continues today with important work being done on topics such as the interstellar medium, the formation of globular clusters (spherical groups of stars), and near-Earth comets and asteroids.

The observatory is also interesting for its architecture and grounds. John Olmsted, whose brother Frederick Law designed New York’s Central Park, served as the landscape architect for the 53-acre site on the edge of Geneva Lake. The buildings, designed by Henry Ives Cobb, are at once a display of mythological ornamentation and a source of wry commentary. Along with the signs of the Zodiac and phases of the Moon, the stone details include caricatures of the University of Chicago’s first president William Rainey Harper as well as donor John D. Rockefeller. Depicted on the swollen nose of each Rockefeller caricature was a stinging bee, possibly insinuating that the observatory’s benefactor was being “stung for his money”. However, Hale thought that image to be grotesque and requested the insects’ removal soon after the observatory opened.

Lainate, Italy | Follies and Grottoes

Built in 1589 to hold the art and fossils collection of the Borromeo Visconti Litta, the Ninfeo (“nymphs’ cave”) is an architectural oddity standing in the middle of a small park, separated from the main building of Villa Litta.

The strange structure of grotesques (halls built to resemble natural grottos) is composed of various rooms either, apparently carved in coral, or covered with frescoes and huge decorations made of coloured river pebbles. Greek-style statues abound in niches, on fountains and columns, and most of the decorations have mystical, alchemical or otherwise allegorical meanings.

When a local association began the restoration works in 1980 after centuries of abandonment and misuse, the Ninfeo revealed an unexpected and most unique surprise. The whole complex hides a wonderful array of hydraulical mechanisms built to amaze and delight the visitors! Undetectable pressure pads activated “naughty” jets of water, and hidden alcoves housed “fountaineers” whose job was to watch for cues from the owner of the place to start and stop “magic fountains” everywhere.

The difficult and still ongoing restorations have reactivated hundreds of spouts already, making dozens of wonders available again for the modern visitors. Today you can experience incredible “rainbow halls”, sculptures animated by water, a strange-sounding water organ, several joke-spouts, rain chambers, fountains and more.

The Ninfeo is still a fragile thing, so you are advised to check the official website to visit on the few days of “full visits” where all the water wonders are actually working. A special treat are the summer nights in which the guides are dressed up with actual Renaissance garments: they will guide you through the various halls explaining the many intricate details both of the art and technology of this really unique place.

Croatia, Europe | Intriguing Environs

There are two Adriatic islands intricately linked to the mythos of Marshal Tito the former communist autocrat of Yugoslavia. One of them is the barren and desolate gulag island of Goli Otok, the other its spiritual opposite, hedonistic paradise of Brioni.

Brioni is a place of Cadillac and dinosaurs, an improbable collection of features and artifacts, which compose a bizarre wonderland for communist Honchos. Brioni, is in reality a group of tiny islands, only 2km off the coast of Istria. Veli Brijun, the biggest of the islands is only 5.6 km² in area.

Noted for their mild climate Brioni was singled out as a leisure resort even in ancient times. In the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire they were known as the pearl of the Austrian Riviera, a luxury vacation spot for the rich and powerful of the Empire. In the interwar period the resort faltered as the great depression took its toll on the lifestyle of even the ultra rich. Quite improbably, for a place whose fate has been so intimately tied to the capitalist economy, fortune started to smile upon Brioni once again, this time after WWII when they become a part of communist Yugoslavia.

Marshal Tito, the Communist autocrat of Yugoslavia, selected Brioni for his seaside residence, and Brioni entered the most glamorous phase of its history.

Extensive, remodeling took place immediately after the takeover. A new pavilion for the president was built. A private zoo was founded. Even a safari park and the private hunting grounds were created. Hunting was one of the favorite pass-times of both Marshal Tito personally and communist elite in general.

An apocryphal story claims that heating was installed in caves which served as winter shelters for exotic animals, even in early 1950s the time when luxury of central heating was still unknown even to the inhabitants of capital cities of Belgrade and Zagreb, and most of countryside was still struggling with hunger.

The zoo and safari park were populated with animals especially purchased or donated as gifts by various heads of states of third world countries. These include, Somalian wild sheep, a gift from Emperor Haile Selasie of Ethiopia, various sorts of Antelops, mountain and plains zebras, gifts from president of Guinea, lamas, Asian elephants, donated by president of India, etc. etc. etc.

As a favorite residence of Marshal Tito Brioni enjoyed visits by numerous celebrities, ranging from mentioned presidents of third world countries to American astronauts and movie stars, as Tito was also a big movie fan. An eclectic list of individuals, it includes 90 presidents from 60 countries, Ho Chi Minh, Haile Selassie, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, Michael Collins, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Carlo Ponti, and Gina Lollobrigida.

Today the Brioni islands are a curious mix of national park, hunting ground and once again a commercial luxury vacation resort.

Among the odder remaining sites on the islands are included a museum of Marshal Tito, his famous car 1953 black Cadillac, a 1700 year old olive tree, 200 dinosaur footprints dating back to the Cretaceous Period, remains of a Bronze Age hill fort, a couple of Roman villas from 2nd century BC, and remains of a Byzantine palace, and a small church said to be built by the Knights Templar.

Over the past few days I’ve talked about the South Wales Hydrogen Highway, the Scottish Hydrogen Highway and the ITM Power hydrogen fueling stations being built for the 2010 London Summer Olympics.

About 10 months ago, I had also talked about how London’s Mayor Boris Johnson had reversed his decision in regard to introducing hydrogen cars to the streets of that city including fuel cell powered black cabs.

Now, in addition to the ITM Power refueling stations, Air Products will now be dispensing hydrogen fuel from mobile trailers. The Air Products mobile refueling units will be parked at local gas stations around London providing compressed H2 gas for the black taxis during the 2012 Olympics.

I first saw one of the Air Products mobile hydrogen refueling trailers about 4 years ago at a National Hydrogen Association Conference and Expo in Long Beach, which will be repeated this year May 3 – 6, 2010. An anti-static cord is placed first upon the car’s bumper or some other metal part and then the hydrogen is dispensed.

The three companies that are developing the London fuel cell taxis are Intelligent Energy, Lotus, LTI (London Taxis International) and TRW Conekt. The expectation is that there will be a measurable reduction of CO2 and particulate matter compared to taxis running on diesel fuel.

The Register’s Tony Smith notes in a report that the last 12 months have been good for netbook makers, who cumulatively shipped 30.2 million of the mini laptops in that period. According to market watcher Strategy Analytics, that’s 79 percent more than they moved in 2008 and amounts to 50-60 percent of total portable PCs shipped and around 17-20 percent of PCs sold overall.

The researcher also forecasts further growth this year as netbook chips deliver more performance and ARM licensees take on Intel’s dominant Atom platform.

The iPad notwithstanding, I’m still convinced that Apple has fumbled the ball in not offering a netbook. If it can sell an iPad for $500, I deduce that a netbook with a clamshell form factor, a real keyboard and trackpad, plus ideally a low-powered Intel Core CPU, decent connectivity, and capability to run the real Mac OS, should be eminently possible at an entry-level price of $600-$650 — at which I contend it would be a strong seller. It’d certainly be a machine that would appeal to me much more than the iPad does in its announced configuration.

Chinese Knockoffs

A knockoff outfit in China is showing the way, having released a tantalizing example of the potential for a truly appealing Apple netbook, if Apple were inclined to play ball. The Chinese tech industry-watching blog M.I.C (ie: “Made-In-China”) has posted a review of what it calls “the ultimate MacBook Air knockoff” — the best MacBook Air wannabe ever, featuring a real glowing Apple logo and a form factor almost as thin as the real MBA — which M.I.C. thinks is possibly the most beautiful product the Chinese knockoff makers have ever copied. I’m inclined to agree.

Of course it’s not really a Mac, and OS X is not supported. It is a PC netbook in ersatz Mac clothing, powered by the latest version of the ubiquitous 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU with 1GB of RAM (upgradable to 2GB RAM at a modest additional cost of $180 RMB), a 160GB hard drive, a 13.3-inch (1280 x 800) LED-backlit display and a swappable 4-cell battery, plus 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and, get this — selling for only $1,900 RMB (about $280). To say it’s much more affordable than Apple’s real MacBook Air is an extreme understatement.

The M.I.C. reviewers say typing is a pleasure on the MBA knockoff’s full-sized keyboard, and there’s a spacious trackpad too, although it doesn’t support multitouch technology.

Connectivity-wise, the knockoff netbook is somewhat less challenged than a real MacBook Air, with two USB 2.0 ports rather than the MBA’s one, a mini-HDMI port, and one headphone jack, but you also get an Ethernet port and a SD-card slot — not bad at all for a $280 laptop. There’s also a webcam along with an infrared detector beside it.

The downside cited is noise, with the fan reportedly running almost nonstop during basic operation, which would be tiresome, especially if you’re fan noise-averse like me.

As far as I can tell, these units aren’t likely to ever make it to North America as it’s a given that Apple Legal would have a lot to say about it. But if they were available, I don’t think I could resist. It looks like a great little inexpensive solution for taking on the road, and possibly running Ubuntu or Puppy Linux on instead of Windows.

How about you? Would a machine like this appeal? More pointedly, don’t you wish Apple would build a netbook Mac like this?

UPDATED 9 a.m. Feb. 17: Here are some of the ways East Central Illinois residents are helping the people of Haiti.

We will update this as more events occur; if you have an event, please send the details to [email protected] with “haiti relief” in the subject line, and include a way for us to contact you to verify details:

• Concern about the victims of the Haitian earthquake has prompted the students of Hendrick House to organize several fundraising events during February, which is also Black History Month.

Resident Director Saheed Rosenje said throughout the month the entire  Hendrick House advisory staff and a majority of the student government officers there will volunteer time and efforts to raise funds for Haitian relief.

The money will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross.  The owners of Hendrick House have pledged a donation matching the funds raised by the students.

 “The awareness is still here now,” said Grace Wellman, a resident adviser, “but we fear that it will decrease as the month continues, while the need will still be present.”

Smash for Haiti will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Feb. 27 at Hendrick House and will be open to the public.  Students and guests will be invited to play video games, “beat up” on their friends on screen and join in free tournament and free play of Super Smash Brothers Games.  More information is available at www.smashforhaiti.org.

The students also will be able to express how much they ”love” their resident advisers by contributing to collection cans adorned with the adviser’s photo, throughout the month.  The adviser with the most raised on March 1 will get a pie in the face.

“Kisses for Haiti,” Feb. 1 – 14, encouraged students to be sweet to  their friends by sending them CandyGrams, which were delivered on  Valentine’s Day.  The Hendrick House Government provided the CandyGrams with the students’ total purchase price going to the Haitian fund.

• Some Franklin Middle School students have raised $700 so far through their “Helping Hands for Haiti” fundraiser.

Members of Franklin’s National Junior Honor Society are collecting donations at lunch, after school and at sporting events for relief in Haiti.

They’ve put a “Helping Hands for Haiti” bulletin board in the school’s cafeteria, with photos of the nation. Anyone donating for earthquake relief can write his or her name on a hand and put it on the bulletin board, said Meg Goethals, a sixth-grade reading teacher and the adviser for the National Junior Honor Society.

“Instead of getting a snack that day, (students) are giving their money to Haiti,” Goethals said. “It’s been really nice to see.”

The students hope to reach $1,000 in donations. The student organization emphasizes leadership and community service, in addition to academics.

The fundraising drive will continue through February. The students will donate the money they collect to the American Red Cross.

• CHARLESTON — Students from Eastern Illinois University, along with the Haiti Connection, will be collecting donations for Haiti.

The university’s Conferences and Event Planning class will be selling “Stand with Haiti” wristbands, in addition to collecting medical supplies and monetary donations throughout the semester.

Wristbands will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Thursday in the University Union and in Coleman Hall.  In addition the students will also have a table set up before the women’s basketball game at 5 p.m. until after the televised ESPNU men’s game on Thursday outside Lantz Arena.
Medical supplies such as Tylenol, bandages, antacids, toothbrushes and vitamins will also be collected during the basketball games. Batteries also will be collected.

All proceeds benefit Haiti earthquake relief efforts and will be made through the Haiti Connection, which is affiliated with the Newman Catholic Center.  Contact Dan Crews, instructor of the conferences and event planning class, at (217) 581-2113 or Roy Lanham with the Haiti Connection at (217) 348-0188 for further information.

Crews said the group has set a goal of raising $1,000, but he “would not be surprised if we doubled that by the end of the semester.”  
 

•  The newly organized group C-U Haiti Relief presented an international forum and fundraiser for Haiti, called “I (Heart) Haiti”, on campus this week.

Speakers with knowledge of Haiti shared their perspective about the country, and gave information on ways to participate in relief efforts, said organizer Melissa Pognon. The event also featured musical performances by drummer Bolokada Conde and Rhythm Manding, featuring dancer Alseny Soumah.

Conde and Soumah, both from Guinea, West Africa, have toured the world with Guinea’s top-performing music ensembles and are currently visiting instructors at the university through Robert E. Brown Center for World Music. Rhythm Manding is a group of Bolokada’s students who often accompany him for local performances.

For more information: www.bolokadaconde.blogspot.com

C-U Haiti Relief is a consortium of students, faculty, and Champaign-Urbana community members working for disaster relief in Haiti. The group is an initiative of Planners Network, an association of professionals, activists, academics and students involved in planning professions who promote political and economic change. 

• Students at Prairie Elementary School in Urbana are collecting jars of peanut butter to send to Haiti.

The peanut butter will be given to the First Christian Church Friday, which will send them overseas. The school is hoping to collect 100 jars of peanut butter.

The relief project ties in with the school’s study for Black History Month of George Washington Carver, a scientist who conducted research on peanuts.

• Students from an Urbana High School sociology class, taught by Mark Foley and Ellen Dahlke, netted about $2,200 for earthquake relief in Haiti during the week of Feb. 1.

The students sold red T-shirts and bracelets, had a bake sale, collected pledges and placed donation cans around the school. They sold the red “We (Heart) Haiti” T-shirts and the bracelets at the Urbana-Champaign Centennial basketball game on Feb. 5.

A portion of the gate receipts and concession money from the game also went to Haitian earthquake relief, through the UNICEF Foundation.

• Students from Carrie Busey Elementary School students celebrated the 100th day of school the first week of February by raising more than $700 for Haiti.

Students were asked to bring in 100 coins of any denomination and donate them to the American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

Several staff members suggested collecting coins, then decided to combine it with the 100th-day celebration, said teacher Crystal Hunt, who is also student council sponsor for the school.

Several of her first-graders brought in 100 pennies or 100 coins. By the end of the week-long drive, students had raised $738.02.

•  Champaign West Rotary Club raised more than $10,000 during a 24-hour winter campout in downtown Champaign on behalf of Haitian relief.

Members camped in emergency shelters from ShelterBox International, which has already provided shelter for more than 30,000 people in Haiti.

Each ShelterBox supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless (see www.shelterboxusa.org). The agency estimates more than 1 million Haitians lost their homes in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Rotary International is a primary sponsor of ShelterBox.

The Champaign West Rotary shelter was set up at 202 S. Neil St., C, until 6 a.m. Feb. 4. Rotarians collected money throughout the event, and the total came to $10, 412. That will be added to the $4,905 already donated by individual Rotary members, a club press release said.

Area businesses supporting the campout included WDWS-AM, The Atkins Group, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Devonshire Realty, First State Bank, BankChampaign, One Main, Rogards, Robesons, Kanfer Gallery, AR Mechanical and Tatman’s.

• Students at Central High School donated $2,000  to pay for two ShelterBoxes in Haiti.

The Interact Club raised $1,000 when it set up a ShelterBox display in the school lobby and showed a video of their use around the world. And the Student Council decided to allocate another $1,000 for a second ShelterBox.

• Amy Hatch and Laura Weisskopf Bleill, co-founders of chambanamoms.com, offered to donate a dollar apiece, up to $100, for each post on their Web site about individual Haiti relief efforts.

Five people agreed to match the pledge, so the effort totaled more than $300, Bleill said.

• An Urbana couple is spearheading a community quilt project to raise money for Doctors Without Borders relief work in Haiti.

Jacqueline Hannah is seeking at least 100 donated quilt blocks for quilts that she and her husband, Mike, will put together. The finished quilts will be raffled off, with the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.

The blocks can be simple or fancy. They should be 12 inches square, with bright colors and no words or drawings. They may be of any pattern but should be pieced or appliqued.

Hannah is also looking for donations of cotton quilting-quality backing material, as well as batting from old blankets that are not stretchy and are thin.

Blocks from kids are welcome as long as they are pieced, meaning the blocks have more than one piece of fabric sewn together.

Hannah has a simple pattern she can e-mail on request. Her e-mail is jzwhannahgmail.com.

She and her husband will cover most of the costs but would appreciate donations. Hannah and her husband also want help sewing the quilts.

Hannah asks for the blocks by Feb. 20. People may drop them off at the Common Ground Food Co-op on the east side of Lincoln Square Village in Urbana. Hannah is manager of the co-op.

• Yankee Ridge School in Urbana collected more than $1,000 through its “Hundreds for Haiti” campaign that ended Thursday..

Fourth-grade teacher Vickie Cromwell suggested a penny drive to tie in with the 100th day of school celebration that day. Children started bringing in coins earlier this month.

Principal Mary Beth Norris said Friday she hadn’t tallied the final amount, but “it’s probably over $1,000.”

“We’re excited about that,” she said. “I think everybody was looking for a way to help and make a difference in Haiti.”

• South Side School in Champaign also raised money for Haitian relief, led by third-graders Cecilia Allen and Georgia Atkinson and and fifth-graders Maddie Atkinson and Sophie Wathen.

They put collection boxes in every classroom, and set up a table at the school’s annual Fun Night celebration Friday. The total haul: $350. The money will go to the American Red Cross.

• St. Matthew School in Champaign challenged its 450 students and 50 teachers to donate $10 apiece for Haiti.

They surpassed that goal on Feb. 5, raising $5,213 for Catholic Relief Services, according to Principal Kathleen Scherer.

• At Holy Cross School in Champaign, children were asked to bring in their own money for a special collection for Catholic Relief Services. If they didn’t have any, they could offer a good deed or a prayer, said Principal Rose Costello.

They collected a total of $1,200.

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The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District made it official Tuesday night when the park board voted to close Dolphin Lake Pool in Homewood, which the district has owned and operated since 1970.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to close the swimming pool, 183rd Street and Governors Highway. The Dolphin Lake Clubhouse will remain open.

“I dreamed about the pool (Monday) night,” Commissioner Sue Bertram said. “It’s the hardest decision I’ve had to make in 18 years on the board. The only thing to feel good about is we did all we could to keep it open as long as we could.”

Board president Bob Haderlein said it came down to simple finances – trying to run two pools, both of which have lost a combined $729,000 since 2001. The park district also operates Lions Club Pool in Homewood.

“I didn’t dream about the pool, but I laid awake (Monday) night thinking about this tough decision,” Haderlein said. “We have to look at the reality of the situation. This is what we have to do.”

After the meeting, park district executive director Debbie Kopas said the district will talk to several excavators about removing Dolphin Lake Pool. Immediate plans are to turn the site into green space.

“We’ll survey the public up the line to see what they want to do with the pool site in the future,” Kopas said.

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An Englewood man was issued six tickets for allegedly driving a van that hit and killed a 6-year-old girl and critically wounded her aunt Tuesday in Chicago’s Marquette Park neighborhood. Additional charges are still possible.

Eddie Lumpkin, 48, was allegedly driving a vehicle that struck a girl and her aunt at 7340 S. Ashland Ave. about 6:30 p.m., police said.

Jade Washington, 6, of the 1400 block of West 73rd Street, was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Comer Childrens Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

Jades 21-year-old aunt was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said. Fire spokesman Larry Langford said the woman suffered multiple fractures.

Lumpkin, of the 7300 block of South Damen Avenue, was cited for not having insurance, failing to carry a drivers license, failing to reduce speed, negligent driving, striking a pedestrian in the road and driving under the influence, police officer Laura Kubiak said.

Langford said the full-sized white van appeared to strike Washington and her aunt as the two crossed the street. When emergency crews arrived, the driver and van were still on the scene in the middle of the block.

The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating, police said.

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An Oak Lawn man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for hauling 340 pounds of marijuana over Interstate 80 in Nebraska.

Charles McMillin, 53, was stopped for speeding near Lincoln, Neb., in January 2008. The state trooper who stopped him smelled marijuana coming from the car. A search turned up the drugs and $3,000.

The Nebraska State Patrol contacted Illinois authorities, who searched McMillin’s home and found 111 pounds of marijuana, as well as drug-packaging materials, ledgers and nearly $27,000.

The court ordered all the cash turned over to authorities.

McMillin was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Neb.

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A driver is facing charges of resisting arrest after leading police on an early-morning chase from Oak Lawn to Elk Grove Village, police said.

The man apparently injured a Hillside police officer while resisting arrest after police stopped the car he was driving near Oakton Street and Arlington Heights Road after a chase, Hillside police Sgt. Don Brown said.

“He didn’t want to submit to arrest and one officer was injured in the process,” Brown said.

The injured officer suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized out of precaution, the sergeant said.

The suspect was also taken to an unidentified hospital for precaution, Hillside police said.

The chase reportedly started in Oak Lawn, but police there would not immediately provide a time, location or reason the chase.

Elk Grove Village police confirmed being involved in the arrest of the man, and said they are investigating a crash that happened during a chase where a man struck a Stone Park police car.

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