Category: News

Last week we flagged an interesting announcement from The Treasury regarding a proposed invesment from China in a gold mine in Nevada.

In announcing its intention to block the deal, the Treasury cited national security issues.

Well this is music to the ears of Molycorp — a company engaged in the mining of rare earth metals — which has received subsidies from the government, as well as a major investment from Goldman Sachs (GS).

The company has made a big deal out of the fact that that China is expanding its global mining share, and thus it should be eligible for subsidies. In fact, it’s big strategy seems to be playing the scare card.

And so we’re not surprise to see this approving Tweet out of the company in regards to the move from Treasury. Protectionism ahoy!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Treasury Tells Obama To Block Chinese Investment In Nevada Gold Mine
• Goldman’s Mining Subsidiary Using China Fears To Get Taxpayer Money
• Why Did Goldman Get A $3 Million Gov’t Gift For "National Security"

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Japan, Hatchback, Honda, Toyota

The latest issue of EVO hasn’t dropped into our laps yet, but our favorite Brit pub apparently got the scoop on another variant of the Toyota FT-86 — one that’s supposedly track tuned and considerably cheaper than the model due to arrive in 2011.

Powered by the same Subaru-sourced, Toyota-tuned boxer four, this supposedly stripped out variant could dispatch some of the standard model’s amenities and come equipped with upgraded brakes and suspension components specifically designed for track work and drifting duty. According to EVO, a fully optioned FT-86 would carry a price tag of around $27,000, while this budget-oriented performance model will retail for around $22,000 — a similar setup to the Hyundai Genesis Coupe RSpec.

EVO goes on to report that Toyota’s crosstown rivals are working on a one-make race series for the Honda CR-Z and plan to campaign the hybrid hatch at the 24 hours of Nurburgring enduro in May. The more the merrier we say…

[Source: EVO via FT86Club via Jalopnik]

REPORT: Track-focused, budget-oriented Toyota FT-86 on the way originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking cell phone companies is a tough thing to do. Some of these companies have a bunch of popular handsets, whilst others have just one or two yet manage to sell as many or more. Rank the companies by cumulative sales across all of their lines and the results will swing one way; rank them model-by-model, and they might look completely different.

Such is the case with the iPhone, according to the latest numbers from The Nielsen Company. While RIM’s marketshare with their BlackBerry line is still nearly double that of Apple’s, the iPhone has now surpassed everything else to become the most popular phone in the US.

The iPhone’s lead is fairly tight, coming in at 4.0% of all mobile phone owners while the BlackBerry 8300 series follows closely behind at 3.7%. The rest of the list is made up primarily of feature phones, outside of appearances by the BlackBerry Storm and the BlackBerry 8100 series in 7th and 10th respectively. As the iPhone 3GS doesn’t make an individual appearance on the list, we’re assuming that they’ve combined the 3G and 3GS into one product line.

A few more interesting tidbits gleaned from the Nielsen report:

• The most popular reason people pick pre-paid phones isn’t because the lack of contract — that’s actually #4 — but because the plans are more straightforward. It’s followed by “No monthly bills” and “Emergency use only”.
• 21% of households now use mobile phones only, with no land line to call their own. This is up from 15% in 2006
• 15% of households now own at least one smartphone

Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies

A concept to create an open, competitive licensing system for university innovators — the brainchild of researchers at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, MO — is one of Harvard Business Review’s “Ten Breakthrough Ideas for 2010.” Current restrictions imposed on the commercialization of federally funded discoveries in the U.S. slow the diffusion of new technologies, according to an HBR article by Robert E. Litan, vice president for research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation, and Lesa Mitchell, vice president for innovation. Such limitations are detrimental to the U.S. economy and to the universities, they argue. “We know that there are many vital innovations and discoveries languishing in university labs because of a suboptimal licensing system at many universities,” Litan says. “One simple amendment to the Bayh-Dole Act would allow faculty members to choose their own licensing agents/experts and bring these discoveries to market quickly.” Mitchell and Litan argue that if faculty members could choose their own licensing agents, increased competition would speed up the commercialization of new technologies while allowing universities to collect the same royalties as under the current system.

Source: TD Ameritrade

Harried holiday shoppers should welcome a security technology developed at the U.K.’s Oxford University. Bill Roscoe, PhD, professor of computing science and senior research fellow, is developing technology that will allow shoppers to make payments using their mobile phones. The technology is designed to work in almost all situations: person-to-person, in a shop or restaurant, at a vending machine, online, or as part of a telephone conversation. “We have technology which enables anyone to easily create a secure connection between two devices,” Roscoe explains. “It can work via Bluetooth, WiFi, the internet, or across ordinary telephone or SMS connections.”

The core of the technology is a security protocol that enables strong cryptographic keys to be created with the least possible work. “The protocol prevents anyone from doing any searching to break into the transaction,” Roscoe explains. When using the system, a payer would check whether a short numeric code (4-8 digits for most applications) generated within his or her phone is the same as the one generated by the payee. Since the number is random, it does not have to be secured. The process ensures that the customer’s mobile is correctly connected to the store or individual mobile receiving the payment, which can be made through electronic cash or credit stored on a mobile phone, authorization of a credit card payment, or instruction to a bank to pay a merchant or individual a specified amount. Payment occurs without the exchange of sensitive information such as credit card numbers or PINs, and the phones do not need hardware modifications. “The technology puts the payer in charge of the connection and lets him or her have direct control over how much is paid and to whom — very much like a check,” Roscoe says. Isis Innovation, U-Oxford’s tech transfer company, is working with Roscoe and seeking partners to commercialize the technology.

Source: PhysOrg.com

Turns out Capcom has more pseudo-NES goodness in store for early next year. Aside from Mega Man 10, They’re also putting a retro sheen on Dark Void with the DSi platforming title, Dark Void Zero.

Here’s another innovation with a holiday spin. A palm-sized modular toy that was created by a fourth-year industrial design student in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech has been awarded a design patent and is available for licensing through Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP). Created by Kelly Harrigan of Manassas, VA, the toy took the top prize last year in a competition for wooden game or design objects for ages 3 to 99 hosted by Swiss toymaker Naef Spielzeug. Harrigan layered the wooden shapes of her toy with a type of ceramic magnet called ferrite – thus, the toy’s name “Ferra.” The modular design “allows for smooth movement between pieces and the opportunity to create several configurations,” Harrigan adds. When laser cut, the toy can be produced with little material waste.

Source: Newswise

»  Some startups say the iPhone is more than just a cash machine for app developers … It’s the bridge to building “the next generation of big tech companies.” [LAT]

»  Mozilla is “thisclose” to launching a Firefox for mobile browser. Code-named “Fennec,” the Nokia N900 will supposedly get it first. [BBC News]

»  When it comes to being the fastest 3G network—at least in terms of data—*AT&T* wins, hands down. [Gizmodo]

»  TuneWiki, Flixter and Google Voice make it into Digits’ list of the “best-reviewed” Android apps of 2009 [WSJ]

»  A video review of Google and Yahoo’s free WIFI campaigns for the holidays. [AdAge]

»  U.S. netbook sales revenue is forecast to hit $11.4 billion this year, up 72 percent vs. 2008. But growth in 2010 will be flat. [DisplaySearch]

We’ve heard so many stories of copyfraud that many of us have been wondering why there aren’t greater penalties for making bogus copyright claims. It appears at least someone over in the UK is asking the same question. We already noted how Lord Lucas, a technology aware member of the House of Lords who can program and has run some digital businesses, was speaking out against Peter Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill, noting that the entertainment industry is to blame for not adapting.

Now, via Michael Scott, we learn that Lord Lucas has introduced an addition to the Digital Economy Bill adding remedies against those who bring “groundless” copyright claims:

“169A. Remedy for groundless threats of infringement proceedings

(1) Where a person threatens another person with proceedings for infringement of copyright, a person aggrieved by the threats may bring an action against him claiming–
(a) a declaration to the effect that the threats are unjustifiable;
(b) an injunction against the continuance of the threats;
(c) damages in respect of any loss which he has sustained by the threats.
(2) If the claimant proves that the threats were made and that he is a person aggrieved by them, he is entitled to the relief claimed unless the defendant shows that the acts in respect of which proceedings were threatened did constitute, or if done would have constituted, an infringement of the copyright concerned.
(3) Mere notification that work is protected by copyright does not constitute a threat of proceedings for the purposes of this section.
(4) A copyright infringement report within the meaning of section 124A(3) of the Communications Act 2003, if notified to a subscriber under section 124A(4) of the Communications Act 2003, does constitute a threat of proceedings for the purposes of this section.”

While it would be nice to see those who are falsely accused of copyright infringement have at least some stronger legal rights, it seems unlikely that this gets anywhere.

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Como muchos de vosotros sabreis, los Ford del mercado americano disponen del sistema Sync, una solución tecnológica de entretenimiento que incorpora conectividad a Internet. Por el momento no esta disponible en Europa aunque se afirma que llegará a lo largo del 2010.

Gracias a este sistema, los pasajeros podrán navegar por Internet si se pincha un modem HSPA en el puerto USB del coche. Este creará un punto de acceso WiFi que estará protegido por encriptación WPA2 (lo mismo que un router doméstico recien instalado) y una lista de usuarios autorizados para evitar el gorroneo.

Por otra parte, actualmente en Estados Unidos es mucho más barato acceder a internet mediante móvil mientras que en España y el resto de paises europeos es más caro. Lo más seguro es que el resto de fabricantes adopten una posición similar a la de Ford en los próximos años.

Related posts:

1. Ford confirma el motor V8 de 5.0 litros para el Mustang GT
2. Fotos del Ford Focus RS
3. Ford C-Max 2010, imágenes oficiales

They may not work with X-Box, Wii, or PlayStation and the entertainment value is definitely not a selling point, but three great software tools specifically designed to assist tech transfer and licensing professionals may be just the ticket for last minute TTO stocking stuffers. All three are offered at discounted and affordable rates through partnership with 2Market Information, parent company of Tech Transfer E-News.

• Competitive Analysis Valuation (CAV) software provides a straightforward method for determining IP value. Created by nationally recognized IP law expert Ted Hagelin, the CAV Software yields clear and logical valuation results through a single program platform for negotiation, planning and reporting purposes. CLICK HERE for details.
• ktMINE provides hands-on access to an incredibly rich source of royalty rate data in more than 6,000 searchable full-text license agreements and detailed agreement summaries. This online, interactive IP database allows you to quickly find true market comparables and benchmarks. CLICK HERE for details.
• The US FDA Regulatory Calculator provides users with a potential FDA predicate, regulation product code, and the classification and regulatory pathway associated with a medical technology. With this tool, you’ll save hours in initial research and eliminate the need for outside experts early in the process – as well as minimize the potential for miscalculations with due diligence, technology assessment, planning, and commercialization. CLICK HERE for details.

The New York City-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation will work with the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology and its affiliates to speed the development of drug targets and pathways that promote the survival and function of insulin-producing cells in individuals with diabetes. The joint program plans to fund research at academic centers around the world that could eventually lead to novel drug targets and industry collaborations for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The program will solicit grant proposals from academic and medical research foundations for one- or two-year research projects focusing on agents and compounds that safely promote the survival and function of beta cells — cells within the pancreas that produce insulin and are lost in the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes. Preserving or maintaining beta cell mass and activity in people with type 1 diabetes can reduce insulin requirements, enable easier and more effective control of the disease, and lower the risk of short- and long-term complications. “This program will clearly help accelerate the translation of basic research into therapies useful in the treatment of diabetes,” says Alan J. Lewis, PhD, president and CEO of JDRF.

Source: PR Newswire

A start-up is by definition lacking in experience. And though a few lucky ones have veteran leaders who’ve been through the process before, that’s the exception rather than the rule when it comes to university spinouts. It stands to reason, then, that start-up managers are in dire need of best practices, and that’s exactly what Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is delivering. The center has posted a series of best practice documents on its website in an attempt to reach out to more of the region’s start-ups than it can work with directly. “We’ve been trying to reach beyond the bricks and mortar of Georgia Tech, to figure out how to help accelerate companies that for some reason aren’t good candidates for our incubator,” says Stephen Fleming, vice provost of Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and acting director of ATDC, a start-up accelerator. “How do we scale and reach people who we don’t share a water fountain with? One avenue is a better set of resources. These best practices are things we’ve been sharing with our existing clients for a long time,” Fleming comments. Several of those best practices – focusing on elevator pitches, business plan summaries, and investor communications – are detailed in an article in the December issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

General Motors (GM) plans to experiment with running auto factories 24-hours a day.

It’s a bold move to become the most efficient auto producer in the world.

Even Toyota (TM) doesn’t run 24-hours, despite the fact that in many other industries 24-7 factories are common.

Given GM’s current overcapacity, this means that some factories will experiment with this new 24-hour operation, while others will be shuttered.

WSJ: The move comes as GM is closing other plants around the country. That means the 23-year-old Kansas City factory, which will add more than 900 jobs, as well as two other GM plants scheduled later for a third shift will become boom towns of sorts as other plants go dark.

What’s shocking is how, traditionally, only operating 69% of the days in a year used to be considered running at 100% capacity.

That’s no accident. The Obama administration auto task force that oversaw GM’s reorganization last spring was startled to learn that the industry standard for plants to be considered at 100% capacity was two shifts working about 250 days a year. In recommending that the government invest about $50 billion in GM, the task force urged the company to strive toward operating at 120% capacity by traditional standards.

Keep in mind that was just two shifts working 250 days a year, which is 500 shifts. Three shifts working 365 days could theoretically create output could be 1,085 shifts. That means that true output potential, from the same factories simply run more intensely could be 120% more than the industry currently imagines.

Yet some in the auto industry question whether 24-hour operation would ever be possible.

But industry manufacturing experts are skeptical, noting that the federal task force had limited automotive experience. “Do those guys understand the business?” asked Ron Harbour, whose Harbour Report is a widely followed analysis of auto-plant efficiency.

But come on, 24-hour operation has to be possible, even if difficult at first. The same goes for working more the 250 days a year.

In the long-run if done well, maximum intensity just makes sense from an efficiency stand point. In the future we’ll probably laugh about two shifts x 250 days a year. If we can fit entire libraries of data inside a mobile phone, or create biologically engineered drugs, running an auto factory 24 hours a day surely must be within reach as well.

Hopefully this GM gamble works out — and hopefully the auto union doesn’t prevent it from becoming the standard.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Microsoft’s Departing CFO Joins GM As CFO And Vice-Chair
• GM CEO Fritz Henderson Stepping Down
• Fritz Henderson’s Daughter Calls GM Chairman "A SELFISH PIECE OF SH*T"

Colorado State University’s clean energy commercialization arm, Cenergy, has co-founded Prieto Battery to manufacture charge insertion (Li-ion) batteries using a 3D structure to enable a larger functional surface area. The resulting batteries are cheaper, up to 1,000 times more powerful, and 10 times longer lasting than traditional batteries, according to CSU. Using an electrodeposition process, Amy Prieto, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry, grows nanowires that comprise the anode — the first key piece of the battery. She uses electrodeposition again to coat the tiny structures with a polymer electrolyte. Cathode material then is added around the coated nanowires, resulting in a three-dimensional battery. The nanowires that make up the anode cover a surface area that is 10,000 times greater than a traditional battery, Prieto says. The high number of three-dimensional wires creates a much larger functional surface area than other current batteries. According to Prieto, the electrodeposition manufacturing method is fast and inexpensive, allowing the technology to be scaled up to create batteries that can be used for everything from pacemakers to automobiles.

Prieto Battery is the first start-up produced by Cenergy. Prieto, who also serves as chief scientific officer for the new company, expects to demonstrate the first prototype of the battery by early next year. In February 2009, CSU’s TTO applied for a patent that encompasses all Prieto Battery technology. The patent has been exclusively licensed to the start-up. Bohemian Asset Management in Fort Collins, a privately held division of the Bohemian Cos., supplied the first round of funding for the company.

Source: Green Car Congress

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Hatchback, Ford, UK

There are few things we love more than hooning around in a vigorous, purebred sports car – and that’s exactly how Mcchip-dkr describes its 401-horsepower Ford Focus RS. That’s the Stage 2 version delivering the “whole-blood athlete,” but if you want to work your way up to those heights, you can get the Stage 1 conversion for €799 ($1,142 USD). You’ll take your hatch from 301 stock horsepower to 345 and bump torque by about 50 lb-ft to 383 with an ECU upgrade.

But if 401 is your lucky horsepower number and you like the sound of 457 lb-ft. of torque, then you’ll need €4,499 ($6,421 U.S.). That pile of pounds will give you access to a new manifold, uprated intercooler, spark plugs, and a sports exhaust as well as the necessary ECU tweaks. Mcchip-dkr thankfully didn’t do anything regrettable to the Focus RS’ already terrific looks. What they’ve done with torque steer outside of the stock RS’ trick Revoknuckle and limited-slip setup is anyone’s guess.

Have a look at the press release after the jump, and there are more images of the car in the high-res gallery below.

[Source: Mcchip-dkr]

Continue reading McChip introduces Ford Focus RS with 401 horses – Are you lovin’ it?

McChip introduces Ford Focus RS with 401 horses – Are you lovin’ it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Getting more out of your patent budget is more critical than ever in the current economic climate. And though these costs may seem largely outside your control, there are dozens of specific strategies you can adopt to significantly reduce your legal bills while improving overall patent quality. Technology Transfer Tactics’ Distance Learning Division has secured two top patent attorneys with numerous TTO clients to guide your efforts and stretch the dollars you spend on patent research, applications, filings and prosecution. On February 9, 2010, join Jean Baker, PhD, JD, head of the Intellectual Property Group at Quarles & Brady, and Jack Cook, JD, leader of the firm’s Research Institutions-Industry Team, for Patent Prosecution: Best Practices for Reducing Costs While Improving Patent Quality. They’ll provide cost-saving insights gained from years of working closely with and advising TTOs worldwide, with a singular focus on getting more out of your legal team, spending less, and enhancing patent quality even as billings decline. CLICK HERE for details and to register.

And don’t miss these outstanding audioprograms coming in January:

• Successful Outsourcing for Tech Transfer Organizations, January 6, 2010
• “Shrink Wrap” Your University’s Technologies for Industry: Packaging Your Innovations to Minimize Corporate Risk and Extract Optimum Licensing Value, January 27, 2010