Category: News

Royalty Rates for Trademarks & Copyrights, 4th Edition has just been published, with 30% more transactions and benchmark rates featured. Along with an unrivaled set of benchmarks and real-world rates from transactions completed through 2009, this 4th edition, published by IPRA Inc. and authored by royalty and valuation expert Russell Parr, also shows how to implement financial models for the derivation of royalty rates. Details are include on rules of thumb, profit differential calculations, investment rate of return analyses, and discounted cash flow analysis, along with examples that can be used as a template for your specific applications. For details, a table of contents, sample pages, and to order, CLICK HERE.

After taking the mass media to task last week for its often one-sided negative coverage of tech transfer, it’s only fair to recognize an outstanding portrayal of a tech transfer professional in the consumer press. Writing in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, reporter Tom Breckenridge profiles Mark Coticchia, vice president for research and technology management at Case Western Reserve University. Breckenridge describes Coticchia as “one of the most important figures” in remaking the Ohio economy. That’s heady stuff, considering that tech transfer professionals usually toil in obscurity, but probably accurate. Here are some excerpts:

When Coticchia arrived on the job eight years ago, an e-mail from a noted faculty member informed him that his mission to spin university research into new business “was all a bunch of bull- – – -.” Coticchia took the missive in stride, admitting that “I had to make people believe it could be done. That e-mailer couldn’t have articulated the challenge in front of me any better.” Since then, Coticchia has parlayed VC savvy, a well-paid staff, and a smile that beams like a lighthouse at midnight into a steady flow of high-tech deals and new business. The university collected $16.3 million in licensing revenue in 2008 — eight times the amount collected by Ohio State University, despite OSU’s much larger research budget. Coticchia’s office also had a hand in spinning out five companies from CWRU last year.

Coticchia “is really good at the blocking and tackling” of technology transfer, says Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart, a venture development organization that has invested in seven CWRU start-ups. “He’s in a complex work environment,” Leach adds. “It’s not the easiest thing to commercialize and monetize technology quickly.” Coticchia and his staff engage in a daily dance of diplomacy, trying to balance the interests of multiple parties: university officials who insist on fair royalties for commercial successes born in their labs, faculty inventors who want a reward for their sweat equity, and companies that don’t want to pay too much for rights to the innovations. Then there’s the patent and market research that Coticchia’s staff manages in the years-long grind of moving innovation to market. “The mix of people, technology, and capital is different for every opportunity,” Coticchia says. “To get the right mix at the right time is absolutely critical to success. That’s why it’s more art than science.” Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, last year asked Coticchia to head efforts to drive more technology transfer — and community prosperity — from Ohio’s 14 universities and 23 community colleges. “He’s just exceptional in his understanding of what’s needed to be done and how to leverage Case Western Reserve as a driver for the Northeast Ohio economy,” Fingerhut says. “I really came to believe that he was the best in the state in this area.”

Coticchia previously headed the TTO at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also co-founded Lycos, the Internet search engine. In 2000, he left the university for a VC firm, where he courted some of the country’s top research institutions for technology-related investment opportunities. His real-world business experience distinguishes him from tech transfer leaders who start their careers as researchers before moving to the business side. Coticchia’s mindset has always been that of a venture capitalist, according to Mark Crowell, past president of the Association of University Technology Managers. “Mark thinks about what makes a good [business] opportunity, the potential for emerging companies, what the risks could be,” Crowell says. Coticchia admits that his approach hinges on hiring people with the attributes valued by VC firms: technology backgrounds and advanced degrees, sales and marketing experience, and an understanding of company formation and product development. To attract these skills in a competitive industry, CWRU’s key staffers are paid 20% more than the industry average. But they’ve delivered results. The $16.3 million in licensing revenue collected in 2008 is eight times what it was when Coticchia arrived, and the TTO crafted 31 licensing deals last year, up from six in 2001.

Source: cleveland.com

Four law firms have secured contracts from the National Institutes of Health potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years for contested proceedings over patents awarded in the biotechnology, chemistry, and mechanical/electrical/software fields. Foley & Lardner will begin work soon on its first NIH contract, worth up to $208 million. Mark Kassel, who chairs Foley’s chemical and pharmaceutical practice, says the NIH has a right to review the contracts annually and his firm is likely to see “some fraction” of the $208 million. “It’s all based on what the need is,” Kassel says. Three other recipients previously received NIH contracts. San Francisco-based Townsend & Townsend & Crew could see up to $209 million, and Chicago-based Leydig, Voit & Mayer is looking at $183 million. McAndrews, Held & Malloy, whose only location is in Chicago, won a contract worth up to $181 million. Townsend and Leydig won other NIH contracts earlier this year and will focus their NIH efforts in their home offices.

The NIH Office of Technology Transfer hires private lawyers to help it steer technology developed in NIH laboratories and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through the patent process. The office filed 343 U.S. patent applications and received $92.7 million in patent royalties in fiscal year 2008, according to its online statistics. According to Kassel, the contracts with the law firms call primarily for litigation support, patent interferences, and inter partes reexaminations. The bulk of Foley’s interferences will be handled out of its D.C. office, according to George Quillin, a partner in the office. The firm’s payday will depend, in part, on the NIH’s appetite for litigation. “I’ve been involved in interferences where the other side gives up right away,” he says. “Or it could be a very closely fought [court battle].”

Source: The Blog of Legal Times

The University of Florida has inked an agreement with Sterling, VA-based G4i Consulting to provide government business development services to UF-affiliated technology companies. The agreement has the potential to bring several hundred million dollars in new government contracts to UF’s incubator companies and to increase licensing revenues for the university. The goal is to establish a fund that will accelerate the commercialization of UF’s start-ups by introducing them directly to government clients and Fortune 500 companies operating in the government contracting space. Plans call for the fund initially to support the creation of a dedicated business development “Gator Team” for five to seven portfolio companies. Drawing on G4i’s customer relationship management system, E PROMIS, and its proprietary business intelligence, each Gator Team will work with G4i to focus the strategy, business, and marketing plans of its incubator companies and develop a proposal aimed at winning multi-billion-dollar contracts over a two-year period. “As focused as we are on driving licensing, we’re also seeking out relationships that will set our start-ups on a path for success,” says David Day, director of UF’s Office of Technology Licensing. “UF’s affiliation with G4i introduces our incubator companies to the largest consumer in the world. The U.S. government buys more than $300 billion of goods and services annually. We believe this can be a powerful engine for fast tracking the university’s technologies into the marketplace.”

As part of its own expansion efforts, G4i plans to open its flagship on-site presence at UF’s Florida Innovation Hub — a 45,000-sq.ft. “super” incubator for scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs expected to open in December 2011. G4i’s dedicated Gator Teams will be housed on-site to assist in market research, business development, and proposal management. In the meantime, G4i expects to begin the appraisal and evaluation of UF start-ups in the fourth quarter of 2009. G4i is currently capitalizing the fund with VC, hedge fund, and private equity relationships.

Visit: G4i Channel

While most licensees act in good faith and strive to abide by their contractual obligations, some — according to several studies the majority — intentionally or not end up breaching their contract. Under-reporting of royalties, failure to support the IP as promised, re-interpretation of definitions, sublicensing arrangements, and financial hardship are just some of the common reasons TTOs and their faculty frequently get short-changed. If you don’t have an airtight post-license monitoring procedure in place, you could be losing millions in royalties. That’s why we’ve lined up three leading experts in licensee monitoring for an intensive 90-minute distance learning event: Post-License Monitoring and Support: Performance and Revenue Enhancement Strategies (and when all else fails, how to pull the plug and take back your IP), scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, 2009. Our panel of three experts will show you how to discover these missing dollars using a systematic, thorough auditing process while maintaining positive relationships with licensees. And they’ll also outline the specific steps, after a problem comes to light, you must take to protect your IP and collect your rightfully share royalty payments. For complete details and to register, CLICK HERE.

PLUS, it’s still not too late to register for Thursday’s live event: CLICK HERE for information on Shifting Your TTO from Market Push to Market Pull: Finding the White Space.

Adfonic, a UK-based operator of a self-service mobile advertising marketplace, has raised $600,000 in seed funding from cleantech entrepreneur Gordon Shields.

PRESS RELEASE

Adfonic (http://adfonic.com), the web-based self-service global mobile advertising marketplace, today announced that it has secured $600k in its first round of funding. The money raised will fund the recruitment of key personnel and the next phase of development for its advertising platform, as well as allow it to expand internationally.

The funding comes from Gordon Shields, a clean tech entrepreneur, who is best known for founding Shields Environmental, the world leader in re-use, re-marketing and recycling of surplus network assets for mobile network operators. Working with Adfonic, Gordon’s role will be one of leadership and mentoring, not simply as an investor.

Launched in July, Adfonic offers the industry’s most advanced targeting capabilities and campaign management tools, enabling advertisers to deliver relevant messages to specific audiences on mobile devices through both the mobile web and application platforms such as iPhone and Android.

Victor Malachard, CEO of Adfonic comments: “We are thrilled that Gordon has joined the team here at Adfonic and already his insight is proving invaluable. As we grow the team and increase the capabilities of the platform, there is no doubt we will continue to attract the most relevant advertising agencies and brands and grow our base of key publishers.”

Gordon Shields, the investor of Adfonic, adds: “The Adfonic team fills me with confidence as they offer a clear yet creative analytical platform. I have watched this innovative and ambitious team enter a competitive market and now look forward to sharing with them my experience and connections in the mobile sector”.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact:

Media contact:

Emma Parlons on behalf of Adfonic on +447958 951118 or at [email protected]

Other business:

Paul Childs CMO at Adfonic on +44 7711 417 430 or at [email protected]

About Adfonic

Launched in July 09, Adfonic is Europe’s first self-service mobile advertising marketplace. Adfonic is headquartered in London, with operations in France, Spain and USA. Adfonic offers comprehensive and intuitive capabilities that make it easy for advertisers to connect with their target audience and for publishers to maximise the earning potential of their mobile sites and applications. The company was founded by three mobile and marketing industry veterans, Victor Malachard (CEO) Wesley Biggs (CTO) and Paul Childs (CMO) who collectively bring 40 years of mobile marketing, mobile technology and start-up experience to their role.

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The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency, and two international partners have awarded more than $250 million to 14 multidisciplinary teams of researchers in California, the U.K., and Canada to develop stem cell-based therapies for 11 diseases. The Disease Team Research Awards include approximately $8 million from the U.K.’s Medical Research Council and approximately $35 million from Canada’s Cancer Stem Cell Consortium to fund the international portions of the collaborations. The four-year grants mark the first CIRM funding explicitly expected to result in a filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin a clinical trial. The awards fund research teams that include basic scientists and clinicians from both academia and industry. These collaborations are expected to speed the process of establishing clinical trials by insuring that clinically relevant issues are considered early and avoiding potential safety issues being discovered late in the process.

Alan Trounson, president of CIRM, says the pace of the Disease Team projects stands in contrast to the decade or more that’s usually required to reach clinical trials. “By encouraging applicants to form teams composed of the best researchers from around the world, we think CIRM will set a new standard for how translational research should be funded,” he says. CIRM and the agency’s international partners will actively manage each team, and decisions to move a project forward will be made at key points in the development cycle. The teams are targeting leukemia and solid cell tumors, acute myeloid leukemia, age-related macular degeneration, HIV/AIDS, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, sickle cell anemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and epidermolysis bullosa.

Source: Bioresearch Online

In a cold but light drizzle today, after breakfast with veterans in the East Room of the White House, the President and the First Lady along with the Vice President and Dr. Biden went to Arlington National Cemetery. The President took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, then spoke at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

The President began his remarks extending his thanks to VA Secretary Shinseki, and to the Bidens and their son Beau, who just returned from Iraq. He expressed humility to be speaking to the veterans in the audience, and spoke in awe of the “determination” he saw in the eyes of those grieving yesterday at Fort Hood. Noting that there have been times in the past when America did not stand by our veterans, the President pledged that this would never happen again:

That is my message to all veterans today.  That is my message to all who serve in harm’s way.  To the husbands and wives back home doing the parenting of two.  To the parents who watch their sons and daughters go off to war, and the children who wonder when mom and dad is coming home.  To all our wounded warriors, and to the families who laid a loved one to rest.  America will not let you down.  We will take care of our own.

And to those who are serving in far-flung places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an America that is forever here for you just as you’ve been there for us.  That is my promise — our nation’s promise — to you.

Ninety-one years ago today, the battlefields of Europe fell quiet as World War I came to a close.  But we don’t mark this day each year as a celebration of victory, as proud of that victory as we are.  We mark this day as a celebration of those who made victory possible.  It’s a day we keep in our minds the brave men and women of this young nation — generations of them — who above all else believed in and fought for a set of ideals.  Because they did, our country still stands; our founding principles still shine; nations around the world that once knew nothing but fear now know the blessings of freedom.

That is why we fight — in hopes of a day when we no longer need to.  And that is why we gather at these solemn remembrances and reminders of war — to recommit ourselves to the hard work of peace.

There will be a day before long when this generation of servicemen and women step out of uniform.  They will build families and lives of their own.  God willing, they will grow old.  And someday, their children, and their children’s children, will gather here to honor them.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

—————————————————

Mensaje del Presidente sobre el Día de los Veteranos

Ayer, en un día frío y lluvioso, luego de desayunar con veteranos en el ala este de la Casa Blanca, el Presidente y la Primera Dama en compañía del Vicepresidente y la Dra. Biden se dirigieron al Cementerio Nacional de Arlington. El Presidente participó en la ceremonia de colocación de la corona en la tumba de los soldados desconocidos, luego dio su discurso en el Anfiteatro Conmemorativo del Cementerio Nacional de Arlington.

El Presidente comenzó sus declaraciones dándole gracias alSecretario de Asuntos para Veteranos Shinseki y a los Biden y a su hijo Beau, quien recientemente regresó de Irak. Expresó humildad al hablarle a los veteranos en la audiencia y habló en admiración a la “determinación” que vio ayer en los ojos de aquellos afligidos en Fort Hood. Haciendo notar que ha habido veces en el pasado cuando los Estados Unidos no ha apoyado a nuestros veteranos, el Presidente prometió que esto no volverá a pasar.:

Ése es mi mensaje a los veteranos hoy. Ése es mi mensaje a todos los que prestan servicios bajo condiciones peligrosas. A los esposos y esposas en casa que hacen la labor de dos padres. A los padres que ven a sus hijos e hijas irse a la guerra, y a los hijos que se preguntan si mamá y papá regresarán. A todos los combatientes heridos y a las familias que han enterrado a un ser querido. Estados Unidos no los defraudará. Velaremos por los nuestros.

Y a los militares en lugares lejanos hoy, cuando su campaña concluya, cuando vean nuestra bandera, cuando toquen nuestra tierra, estarán en casa, en un Estados Unidos que estará a su disposición para siempre, así como ustedes lo estuvieron para nosotros. Ésa es la promesa que yo y la promesa que nuestra nación les hacemos.

Hace exactamente noventa y un años, los campos de batalla de Europa quedaron silenciosos al finalizar la Primera Guerra Mundial. Pero no conmemoramos este día, año tras año, como una celebración de la victoria, por más orgullo que sintamos por esa victoria. Conmemoramos este día como un homenaje a quienes hicieron posible la victoria. Es un día para recordar a los valientes hombres y mujeres de esta joven nación –muchas generaciones de ellos– quienes por encima de todo creyeron y lucharon por un conjunto de ideales. Debido a lo que hicieron, nuestro país aún existe; los principios de nuestra fundación aún brillan; países por todo el mundo que alguna vez conocían solamente el temor ahora conocen los frutos de la libertad.

Es por eso que luchamos, con la esperanza de que algún día ya no tengamos que hacerlo. Y es por eso que nos congregamos en estas conmemoraciones y recordatorios de guerra: para volver a comprometernos con el arduo trabajo de la paz.

Pronto llegará el día en que esta generación de hombres y mujeres de las Fuerzas Armadas dejen el uniforme. Se dedicarán a sus familias y a su propia vida. Dios mediante, llegarán a la vejez. Y algún día, sus hijos y los hijos de sus hijos se congregarán aquí para rendirles homenaje.

Gracias. Que Dios los bendiga. Y que Dios bendiga a Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. (Aplausos.)

After the good news comes the bad. Just yesterday, news about trophies being blocked on the PS3 version of Modern Warfare 2 came out. That’s been fixe…

Across the pond, where public companies have taken a much larger stake in tech transfer activity than they have in the U.S., a deal between two firms may signal industry consolidation. London-based tech transfer company IP Group will take a 20% stake in the much smaller Fusion IP in a £3.2 million ($5.7 million) agreement. A co-investment provision for the larger company will allow IP Group to take a share in any new companies incubated by Fusion. Sheffield, U.K.-based Fusion has exclusive arrangements to commercialize discoveries at the universities of Cardiff and Sheffield, which both spend approximately £90 million annually on research. Fusion’s investments are valued at £6.4 million, and each year the company creates two or three spinoffs — principally in the fields of information technology, engineering, and biotechnology. IP Group, which is more than nine times the size of Fusion, with a market capitalization of £140 million, also commercializes third-level research from a group of 10 universities, including the universities of Leeds, Oxford, Bath, and Glasgow.

“We as a company were quite keen to raise a small amount of additional money — a couple of million or, maximum, £3 million,” says David Baynes, CEO of Fusion IP. “We got money out there in the marketplace talking to institutions, but then we had a chat with the IP [Group] guys.” Those conversations convinced Fusion that the IP Group’s stake was a better deal. Through the co-investment agreement, any new deal funded by Fusion would create a company that is 12% owned by IP Group, 48% owned by Fusion, and 40% owned by the academic initially responsible for the commercialized discovery. In addition, IP Group offers an in-house recruitment team for tech start-ups and a capital markets team that raises money for portfolio companies. “Those are quite nice resources for us to be able to tap into,” Baynes says.

Source: Financial Times

Binghamton University, State University of New York, is targeting entrepreneurship with a pair of initiatives. Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum, modeled after the university’s successful Languages Across the Curriculum program, offers small stipends to faculty members who agree to provide an entrepreneurship component on a continuing basis in their classes. Faculty members will submit proposals to a committee comprised of their peers and of representatives from outside groups such as Catalysts for Intellectual Capital 2020 (CIC2020). The committee will decide which projects to fund. “Our role as sponsors is to get the ball rolling and leave decision-making to the committee,” says Eugene Krentsel, assistant vice president for technology transfer and innovation partnerships. “Every discipline has the opportunity to have a component of entrepreneurship added to a syllabus. If you are a sculptor, you may eventually open your own gallery. If you are pre-med, you may run your own clinic at some point.” Faculty members will be required to devote a set minimum of class hours to the entrepreneurship component, Krentsel says, adding that faculty members need only provide a “teaser” to their syllabi to pique the interest of students. The committee hopes to receive initial proposals for Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum in December and to make funding decisions by January 2010, says Ken McLeod, a committee member and bioengineering professor. “You have to start small and let this grow,” he points out. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”

The second entrepreneurship initiative is aimed at faculty members who are considering starting their own businesses. Zhihao Yang, chief technology officer and co-founder of NanoMas Technologies, will serve as special adviser for entrepreneurship. Launched in the Start-Up Suite of the university’s Innovative Technologies Complex, NanoMas represents one of Binghamton’s most successful ventures. Yang will draw on that success to offer hands-on help, encouragement, and information to faculty members seeking to proceed with a business plan.Yang, who has agreed to serve as the adviser for six months, will have his own office on the second floor of the Innovative Technologies Complex. “It’s great for us to have someone who can not only teach it, but say, ‘Hey, I’ve been there. I started one. Here’s what it took,’” Krentsel says.

Source: Binghamton University

Economists say the country is on the verge of a recovery, but businesses and universities are still in cost-cutting mode. They’re slashing budgets, curtailing programs, and implementing hiring freezes. At the same time, TTOs are under increasing pressure to bring in fresh revenues. With few if any options for adding staff, many offices are turning to the student body for the help they need. Such raw talent needs to be developed, but a well-crafted internship program can significantly stretch your resources. “It’s a way of sending emissaries back out into the institution so that, once trained, these graduate student interns can talk about what kinds of things are necessary as you are developing invention disclosures,” explains Michael Batalia, PhD, director of the Office of Technology Asset Management at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. For example, while most researchers know their fields very well, they may not have good notebook practices, and they may not know what to look for the in the patent landscape, explains Batalia. “The graduate interns help to set up lines of communication between our office and the different departments.”

Batalia launched the Wake Forest internship program in 2008 as a way to offload some of the time-consuming legwork involved in managing disclosures, and also to build a “back bench” of qualified TTO professionals. “As an office grows and expands you need qualified people, and that can be a challenge,” he says. “It also gives the students alternate career paths and exposure.” A detailed article on using students to bolster TTO staff appears in the October issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Pittsburgh, PA-based Wellspring Worldwide, LLC, plans to acquire the Flintbox Innovation Network, an online global IP exchange, from UBC Research Enterprise (UBCRE), a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of the University of British Columbia. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. Based in Vancouver, B.C., Flintbox is a U-British Columbia spinout and represents a strategic addition to Wellspring’s online software product business. The acquisition will extend Wellspring’s Technology Gateway product, enabling more than 160 universities, government labs, and companies to post, exchange, license, and purchase technologies online. Wellspring also plans to develop the Flintbox platform into an open innovation network by incorporating technology from other Wellspring software products. The open innovation network will enable universities and companies to collaborate on research and commercialization agreements and allow partner organizations to manage online material transfer agreements, multi-institution disclosures, and bundled marketing and licensing. The combined business will operate under the Flintbox brand name and maintain its operations base in Vancouver.

Source: Central Penn Business Network

I probably don’t have to tell you that many businesses are still struggling with the concept of using social media. Many simply can’t find a good reason to use it at all, and many more find themselves using it but struggling to validate that use. They can’t find the ROI. They feel that too much time is being wasted. Basically, they’re just using social networks because they feel like they’re supposed to. They just want to keep up.

Many businesses are even banning social media from the workplace entirely. In fact, a great deal of our readers have expressed that they feel that social media doesn’t belong in the workplace because employees are there to "work," not "goof off."

Well, that may be the case, and perhaps social media doesn’t fit into your business at all, but considering your general business goals can help you decide whether or not there is a place for social media, and whether or not your employees can fit into that puzzle.

As social media enthusiast Chris Brogan told WebProNews in a recent interview, it’s time to get over the touristy part of social media and start getting down to business.

He says it’s not "Gee whiz, it’s cool" anymore. It’s "What are we gonna do with it?"

"Great you can type. Now what?" he says.

Here are some sample goals a business owner or manager might set for social media use. Once the goal is considered, then you can look at the tools that are out there and evaluate which ones will give you the best shot of achieving those goals.

20 Possible Goals

1. I’m a content provider, and I want to expand my reach.

2. I want my customers to be able to stay updated with news about my company.

3. I want to get to know my customers.

4. I want to promote my product.

5. I want to stay abreast of current news and trends.

6. I want to share my ideas with likeminded individuals.

7. I want to increase brand awareness.

8. I want to provide customer service and support easily.

9. I want to find a job.

10. I want to recruit.

11. I want people to like my brand.

12. I want to collaborate on business projects.

13. I want to directly sell a product.

14. I want to earn respect within my industry.

15. I am getting information overload, and I want to get organized.

16. I want to drive traffic to my site.

17. I want to attract advertisers and make money.

18. I want to get more involved with local prospects.

19. I want to get more involved with people on an international and global level.

20. I want to keep up with my competitors.

There are certainly more possible goals for business social media use out there. I’ve probably not even scratched the surface. What goals do you set for your social media efforts? Discuss here.

Related Articles:

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

 

Just in time for the holidays ThinkGeek is proud to present the TaunTaun sleeping bag. Immortalized last spring in an April Fool’s joke, interest was so high that ThinkGeek decided to make it. Now you can pretend you’re brave Captain Kirk on the Ice Planet Hoth fighting the evil Ewok Empire and slaying the Cylons. Or something.

Anyway, it will cost $99 and there is a limit of two Tauntauns per customer. Apparently you can wear it around like a Snuggie.

Product Page

Technology developed at the California Institute of Technology that enables fuel cells for micro applications has been patented and licensed exclusively to a subsidiary of VIASPACE, Inc., an Irvine, CA-based alternative energy company that provides products and technology for renewable, clean energy. U.S. Patent 7,585,577 was licensed to Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC). The inventors are Sekharipuram R. Narayanan and Thomas I. Valdez, both with the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where the direct methanol fuel cell was invented.

The new patent is related to monopolar fuel cell stacks. Traditionally, direct fuel cells have employed stacked unit cells arranged vertically like slices of bread in a loaf. Monopolar stacks use the same unit cells, but the “bread slices” can be laid horizontally next to each other. This allows for a thinner fuel cell that is more suitable for many micro applications like mobile phones. According to the patent, the stack design offers two- to three-fold improvement in power densities. The technology is suitable for manufacturing, uses inexpensive plastic materials, and is easy to assemble and troubleshoot. DMFCC says the technology substantially improves the commercialization prospects of portable direct methanol fuel cell power sources.

DMFCC already holds an extensive portfolio of direct methanol fuel cell patents licensed from Caltech and the University of Southern California. “This new patent adds significant value to our intellectual property portfolio,” says Carl Kukkonen, CEO of VIASPACE and DMFCC. “It will be difficult for any company to go to market with direct methanol fuel cells for micro applications — or other applications for that matter — without first obtaining protection under the Caltech patents which we have licensed.”

Source: Reuters

Google CEO Eric Schmidt while appearing on Fox Business made some interesting comments about Google’s emergence as a huge Microsoft-like business power. I thought most interesting was Schmidt’s statement about Google becoming like Microsoft, "Hopefully, we won’t repeat the mistakes that Microsot made ten years ago that ultimately led to all these things that happened with them".

Schmidt elaborated:

"In our case we see ourselves as a disruptor, and a disruptor because we are using new technology to solve real consumer problems, that in some cases people didn’t even realize could be solved. We are also a company that operates at scale using computers globally. And of course, we are in the information business and people have a lot of opinions on how information should be organized."

Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto asked Schmidt in reference to Google’s new Dashboard product how we really knew if Google deleted our personal data when we pressed delete via Dashboard. Schmidt’s response:

"Because we say so and we would be sued (if we didn’t)."

Cavuto joked: "It’s like … come in peace to serve man."

Watch the whole interview below:

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

The heads of state and high ministers of Europe’s 27 member nations are now putting the finishing touches on a sweeping new telecommunications regulatory framework, some of whose provisions would go into effect as soon as the first quarter of next year. One of the provisions that appears likely to be approved without much debate would prohibit any Internet service from saving anything whatsoever to individual users’ systems without their prior consent. And if they don’t give consent, Web sites will just need to find a way to deal with it.

Although Europe’s member states would be charged with enforcing this framework, technically there appears to be nothing that would prohibit any of them from taking action against non-conforming Web sites outside of their own borders — even outside of Europe — on the grounds that they publish to European readers.

“Third parties may wish to store information on the equipment of a user, or gain access to information already stored, for a number of purposes, ranging from the legitimate (such as certain types of cookies) to those involving unwarranted intrusion into the private sphere (such as spyware or viruses),” reads the October 22 draft of the regulatory framework (PDF available here). “It is therefore of paramount importance that users be provided with clear and comprehensive information when engaging in any activity which could result in such storage or gaining of access. The methods of providing information and offering the right to refuse should be as user-friendly as possible.”

The exceptions that the new framework would allow include when a Web site must store something on the client side, when the user has specifically requested a service where that storage is necessary. But simply typing in the URL of that service may not constitute a request or an authorization for that storage; the site may still have to put up some type of notice. The framework also makes it feasible for Web browsers to effectively communicate a kind of “all cookies allowed” state to Web sites on behalf of their users, so that consent may be presumed if that’s what the user permits. That would let users bypass a kind of “Vista UAC” scenario where they’re prompted for permission to continue every 30 seconds.

But it might also become a security concern, as users who would enable browsers to say, “Go ahead and send me everything,” and then filter absolutely nothing that’s incoming, may open themselves up to more than they were expecting.

In the meantime, the entire Web may have to start functioning like User Account Control in order for sites to comply with this new directive, especially if it becomes law in a matter of months, in the opinion of Pinsent Masons technology law attorney Struan Robertson. In a post for his firm’s Out-Law.com blog on Monday, Robertson wrote, “There has been almost no fuss about this little law, despite the harm it could do to advertising, the lifeblood of online publishing. It also threatens to irritate all Web users by appearing at every new destination like an over-zealous security guard.”

Robertson was also among the first to point out that the entire Web analytics business — how sites like Betanews counts their users — depends on the cookie mechanism, which may no longer function in the background. “So almost every site that carries advertising should be seeking its visitors’ consent to the serving of cookies,” he wrote. “It also catches sites that count visitors — so if your site uses Google Analytics or WebTrends, you’re caught.”

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2009

There are many things we can do that fall under the category of Basic Stress Management. We know that we can eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest, and eliminate addictive habits like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. These behaviors will create energy and it takes energy to manage stress.

So what do we know about Advanced Stress Management?

Advanced Stress Management is evolving our stressful habits into successful practices by evolving the mind. In order to evolve our mind we must take responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude. Frequently we live our lives while our thoughts are on autopilot. When our mind is on autopilot we are not necessarily thinking but reacting from our habits. We get up in the morning, without intention, get ready for the day, go to work or school, get home, watch TV, go to bed, and then we do it all over again.

In order to evolve our mind we must remove ourselves and our thoughts from autopilot and take responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude by living with intention. We can start our day with intention, live our day with intention, and end our day with intention.

How do we live with intention? One way is we can take our worries and turn them into faith.

For example, we may be worried about not having enough money. When we worry about not having enough money we may feel doubt and fear about our situation. When we feel doubt and fear we start to make decisions based on this doubt and fear. Some decisions may be to cut back on our expenses and luxuries.

When we evolve our mind we take responsibility for our thoughts, become aware of our worry, and then focus on a what we want. We focus on a solution, move towards that solution, and that will create faith.

When we are worried about not having enough money, the opposite would be having more than enough money. This goal of having more than enough money is our intention. We should then wake up in the morning with intention, asking ourselves, “how can I make more money?” We should go through our day thinking, “What can I do today, right now to make more money?” And then we can go to sleep with intention by thinking about what we would like to do to make more money. When we think like this we feel desire and make decisions based on the feelings of desire. Some decisions may be to start a business or look for a better job or career.

This intentional behavior is taking responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude.

We take responsibility for our thoughts by taking them off autopilot and a habit of worry, and focus them on goals.

We take responsibility for our feelings by removing the doubt and fear and replacing it with intention, expectation, and hope.

We take responsibility for our actions because we take action towards our goals versus taking action in the direction of our troubles. This behavior creates faith, the opposite of worry.

And finally, we take responsibility for our attitude by having faith rather than fear.

Advanced Stress Management is truly evolving the mind by taking responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude. These successful habits create desire, faith, and confidence by becoming aware of and eliminating thoughts of doubt, fear, and worry.

If you are a worrier evolving the mind might take some serious dedication. But, when we become accountable for our thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude, we truly become experts on managing our stress.

If you are having a hard time and are unhappy something must be done. If you would like to learn more about destressing yourself with advanced stress management I can help you, for free!

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If you would like to live the life you dream of, let me help you. Learn to destress yourself, for free, by me, and learn what advanced stress management really is.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Hope this is helpful.

Have a great day and until next post…

Don’t forget to have fun and be playful, it’s in your nature.

Elizabeth

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