Category: News

Interacademy Programs Between the United States and Eastern Europe 1967-2009 documents how interacademy programs have played a significant role in establishing and maintaining American scientific contacts with colleagues in Eastern Europe prior to and following the lifting of the Iron Curtain. The book also discusses the changing roles of the academies of the region and the changing nature of interacademy cooperation that has emerged since 1991. The countries of interest are Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the former German Democratic Republic, and the countries that previously were united politically within the framework of the former Yugoslavia.

The book should be of interest to officials and specialists in both the United States and the countries of Eastern Europe who are actively engaged in promoting scientific cooperation through bilateral and other channels. Also, an emerging audience for this book is the growing group of analysts in the United States interested in “science diplomacy” involving U.S. cooperation with countries that have political agendas that differ in important respects from the objectives of U.S. policies.

Improving the Measurement of Late-Life Disability in Population Surveys summarizes a workshop organized to draw upon recent advances to improve the measurement of physical and cognitive disability in population surveys of the elderly population. The book questions whether or not the measures of activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living used in many population surveys are sufficient as the primary survey-based indicators of late-life disability. If not, should they be refined or should they be supplemented by other measures of disability in surveys? If yes, in what ways should disability measures be changed or modified to produce population estimates of late-life disability and to monitor trends? The book also discusses what further research is needed to advance this effort.

Construction productivity–how well, how quickly, and at what cost buildings and infrastructure can be constructed–directly affects prices for homes and consumer goods and the robustness of the national economy. Industry analysts differ on whether construction industry productivity is improving or declining. Still, advances in available and emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve construction efficiency substantially in the 21st century and to help meet other national challenges, such as environmental sustainability.

Advancing the Competitiveness and Efficiency of the U.S. Construction Industry identifies five interrelated activities that could significantly improve the quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of construction projects.

These activities include widespread deployment and use of interoperable technology applications; improved job-site efficiency through more effective interfacing of people, processes, materials, equipment, and information; greater use of prefabrication, preassembly, modularization, and off-site fabrication techniques and processes; innovative, widespread use of demonstration installations; and effective performance measurement to drive efficiency and support innovation. The book recommends that the National Institute of Standards and Technology work with industry leaders to develop a collaborative strategy to fully implement and deploy the five activities

Last week the catchily-named organization ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) announced that it had approved the use of Hindi, Mandarin, Hebrew, Korean, and twelve other languages — that are not based on the Roman/Latin alphabet — for use in domain names. It may not seem like much to most people in the USA or Europe, but in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa this news was was momentous.

Consider that you have been told about a source of near unlimited business, entertainment, and information, but to get access to it you have to read Korean… That is how the internet has appeared to the bulk of its users. Typing in domain names in characters you don’t understand is a total roadblock for many. With this change the floodgates will likely open, bringing literally millions more users online — those who have never used Roman characters in their daily lives.

Such an announcement will have implications for the world of web content management and e-commerce for sure. it will likely drive demand for technology to manage the increase in web content and the ever greater lingual fragmentation of that content. Something that will excite vendors for sure. For developers, business users, and implementers (the constituency of CMS Watch) the initial impact may be simply testing that your applications still work with non-Latin characters. Don’t assume they do, as though most browsers can support all kinds of character sets, software applications are typically much more limited.

There are so many potential implications to this announcement. Implications that we can currently only guess at, with repercussions that may resonate over the next decade or so. In English-speaking regions we may not even see or even hear of much change, but the rest of the world (most of the world) will be busy building their own web, drawing in billions of new users, and spawning a new set of web teams (many of which will likely be bigger than ours). All of which could nonetheless remain quite invisible to us.

GridPoint Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based smart-grid company, has acquired ADMMicro, a Roanoke, Va.-based provider of energy management systems for the commercial and industrial sector. No financial terms were disclosed. GridPoint has raised around $220 million in total VC funding, from firms like Goldman Sachs, New Enterprise Associates, Susquehanna Private Equity, Perella Weinberg Partners and Robeco.

PRESS RELEASE
GridPoint, Inc., a leading smart grid company, today announced that it has acquired ADMMicro, a leader in energy management systems for the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector. The acquisition extends GridPoint’s smart grid solutions to a broader customer base, further strengthening the company’s commitment to transform the distribution and consumption of electricity.

“The smart grid cannot be fully realized without integrating intelligent facilities that are equipped to automatically achieve optimum efficiency,” said Peter L. Corsell, CEO, GridPoint. “ADMMicro is an innovative company that has established a leading position in a rapidly expanding market segment. Our respective technologies are highly complementary and will benefit producers and consumers of electricity across the board.”

ADMMicro helps clients cost-effectively manage their facilities to increase energy efficiency. The Roanoke, Va.-based company’s energy management and submetering systems automatically monitor and control energy consumption, including HVAC systems and lighting, and provide customers with online reports.

ADMMicro’s proven C&I systems, which are in use at thousands of sites nationwide, will enhance GridPoint’s portfolio of software solutions, which aggregate and manage distributed sources of load, storage and generation for utilities and their residential customers. GridPoint’s software allows utilities to efficiently balance supply and demand and improve grid reliability and empowers consumers with user-friendly tools to manage energy consumption.

The utility market remains a core focus for GridPoint, which will continue to develop products and services that redefine relationships between utilities and their customers. For example, the extension of GridPoint’s solutions into the C&I market creates new opportunities for utilities to engage enterprise customers in demand response and load reduction programs.

GridPoint’s strength in data analytics and designing user interfaces will further enhance ADMMicro’s energy management offerings by enriching the experience for customers, which include public sector and Fortune 500 businesses, including leading national retail, pharmacy and restaurant chains.

“Our companies have a closely aligned vision, which involves empowering our customers with visibility and control over energy consumption in order to realize savings and lower their carbon footprint,” said Don Howell, CEO, ADMMicro. “We look forward to participating in GridPoint’s exciting mission to enable the smart grid.”

Howell and ADMMicro’s management team are veteran electrical engineers and utility executives who have worked in the fields of energy management, building management, electrical power monitoring, and retail operations for more than 25 years. GridPoint values ADMMicro’s leadership role as a high-tech innovator and employer in the Roanoke Valley and will continue its operations there. ADMMicro has been featured in Fortune magazine and was recognized with a 2009 Rising Star Award by the NewVA Corridor Technology Council, which serves the growing technology industry in the region encompassing Roanoke, Blacksburg and surrounding counties.

GridPoint is working with utilities nationwide including Austin Energy, Duke Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and Xcel Energy. The company’s interoperable enterprise-class server technology enables utilities to rapidly integrate and manage emerging technologies, resulting in a practical path to developing a clean, efficient 21st century grid. GridPoint has raised in excess of $220 million to fuel its organic development and acquisition strategy. Investors include Altira Group, Craton Equity Partners, Goldman Sachs Group, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Perella Weinberg Partners, Quercus Trust, Robeco and Susquehanna International Group (SIG). GridPoint was recently named to the Global Cleantech 100 and was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer in 2008.

About GridPoint

GridPoint, Inc., an established leader in smart grid software, enables utilities to easily manage the transformation to a smart grid. GridPoint’s software aggregates and manages an intelligent network of distributed energy resources that controls load, stores energy and produces power. Utilities efficiently balance supply and demand, improve grid reliability and empower consumers with user-friendly software to manage energy consumption. Utilities and consumers realize the benefits of energy intelligence with GridPoint’s solutions including home energy management, load management, renewable integration, storage management and electric vehicle management. With GridPoint’s interoperable platform, utilities rapidly integrate and manage emerging technologies, resulting in a practical path to developing a clean, efficient 21st century grid. On the Net: www.gridpoint.com

About ADMMicro

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., ADMMicro offers a new breed of intelligent energy management systems equipped with revenue-grade accurate metering devices to monitor electricity, natural gas, propane, or water consumption. The patented system can enhance security systems and manage retail maintenance service calls. The Energy Management System delivers rapid ROI for buildings of 1,500 square feet and up. ADMMicro is an Energy Star partner. On the Net: www.admmicro.com

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When Capcom asked its community members if they wanted DLC or a separate game for Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition, they really wanted answers. As…

Yes. It is finished. We can shut down NASA, DARPA, all the arts and sciences, and stop trying now. The pinnacle of human achievement has been reached. Robot vacuums have been hacked to play the parts in a real-life game of Pac-Man.

The ghosts are actually moving autonomously along computer-defined lines (they can’t “see” the actual maze) and the Man of Pac himself is guided by an RC controller. I was a little disappointed to see that he doesn’t eat the dots, though.

I won’t waste your time by summarizing all the hacks and modifications that went into this project; they’re well-documented here, and good reading too if you’re into that sort of thing.

[via Giz and En]

We just wrote about how the Danish anti-piracy group was dropping its lawsuits against individual file sharers after realizing that Danish law made it almost impossible for the industry to win those cases. However, as pointed out by brokep, the international wing of the recording industry, the IFPI, wasted little time in trying to spin the news in its favor (Google translation of the original). The IFPI insists that the lawsuits won’t stop, but just that the anti-piracy organization was realizing it needed more detailed evidence — and this means that it will now start seizing computers to get evidence. Now, the Google translation trips up over the word “beslagslaeggelse,” but multiple Danish speakers have confirmed that the word means “seize” or “confiscate.” Of course, that raises some questions about why a private organization representing record labels has any right to seize computers of individuals. I think they were better off when they just admitted they were going to give up on the counterproductive legal strategy.

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By Tim Conneally, Betanews

South Korean consumer electronics giant and number two mobile phone seller worldwide, Samsung has re-negotiated its cross-licensing agreements with Qualcomm to the tune of $1.3 billion plus continuing royalties.

Though most of the terms and conditions of the deal are confidential, Samsung has said that the deal will give Qualcomm access to 57 of its mobile technology patents, and in turn receive access to Qualcomm’s 3G CDMA/WCDMA and 4G OFDM patents for the next fifteen years.

Samsung said this deal is “more favorable than the previous one.”

With such a substantial amount of money, it’s hard to imagine how costly Qualcomm patent licensing used to be.

In July, the South Korea Fair Trade Commission hit Qualcomm with the largest fine it’s ever levied on a single company for abusing its dominant market position to obtain higher licensing fees.

That fine was the result of a three-year investigation into Qualcomm’s collection of royalties, which the Commission alleged were unfairly stacked against companies that didn’t use Qualcomm chips. The Commission said Qualcomm would impose higher royalties on handset makers that used modem chips from Qualcomm’s competitors.

Qualcomm told the South Korean media that this deal with Samsung has nothing to do with the company’s fair trade violation there.

“We anticipate accelerated CDMA device growth in calendar year 2010 as the global migration to 3G continues,” Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm said.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2009

Just a quick post to report on a meeting today with a group of lobbyists and others who currently chair Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs). The group had objected to the Administration’s new policies barring the appointment (and reappointment) of federally registered lobbyists to agency boards and commissions. Although we have previously addressed their views here and here, we feel it important to meet with those with whom we disagree to discuss their concerns face to face. Much of the discussion focused on the arguments offered in the letter the group sent us (pdf) and our response letter (pdf). Click here (pdf) for the list of attendees.

We explained to the ITAC chairs that this issue is not about the few corrupt lobbyists or specific abuses by the profession, but rather concerns the system as a whole. For too long, lobbyists and those who can afford their services have held disproportionate influence over national policy making. The purpose of the President’s agenda to change the way business is done in Washington is to level the playing field to make sure that all Americans and not just those with access to money or power are able to have their voices heard and their concerns addressed by Washington.

We explained that in deciding to limit the ability of lobbyists to serve in government positions, including as members of agency advisory boards and commissions, we considered various arguments and counterarguments. We weighed the options, and considered the alternatives. In the end, we decided that while lobbyists have a right to petition the government, it would best serve the interests of a fairer and more representative democracy if we limited their ability to do so from special positions of privileged access within the government.

The result will be a Washington that is more reflective of all of America. We have already begun the process of recruiting new voices to advise the government through these agency boards. We believe small- and medium-sized business owners will be excited by the opportunity to help serve their country and advocate for their interests.

To make it even easier for those with valuable insight and expertise to offer to join this process from outside the Beltway, the Administration is working to develop tools to utilize internet technologies to make federal advisory committee proceedings accessible online. For example, the most recent meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) was watched online by 5000 people. This Administration is committed to seeking out those voices and bringing the change they represent into the decision making process in Washington.

We explained this to the ITAC chairs and asked for their help in reaching out to broaden and diversify these boards and commissions. We informed them that while we will always seek ways to improve good policies, we do not intend to rescind this decision. The ITAC chairs, although expressing their disagreement, are willing to assist in finding qualified replacements and we thank them for their commitment to working together to make the system work better for everyone.

Finally, we also replied to a letter from the American League of Lobbyists on this subject today-ALL’s letter is here (pdf) and our reply is here (pdf).

Norm Eisen is special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform

It could be said that the Google Books case is becoming the new Microsoft-Yahoo deal, having created all sorts of controversy and dragged on and on.  And on some more, as it turns out, since the involved parties are pushing a target date back again.

A revised proposal concerning how Google and its critics could settle their differences was originally supposed to be submitted to Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan federal court a little more than a month ago.  Obviously, that didn’t happen, and Chin picked today (Monday, November 9th) as an alternate goal.

Now, Motoko Rich has reported, "The parties to the Google book settlement, which would legalize the creation of a vast library of digital books, have asked the judge overseeing a revision of the agreement for an extension to this Friday, Nov. 13."

It sounds like the lines of communication are still very much open, though, as Rich also wrote, "[T]he group indicated that it had met with the Justice Department before and after the October status hearing and had met as recently as Friday, Nov. 6."  And (hopefully) Friday the 13th isn’t far enough away for this delay to signal serious trouble.

So as before, stay tuned, and maybe this whole thing will be resolved before the "early 2010" deadline Microsoft and Yahoo have set for their partnership.

Related Articles:

> November 9th Target Set In Google Books Case

> Google Books Gets A Little More Organized

> Google Books Opens Door To On-Demand Printing

On Thursday at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C., Vice President Biden moderated an in-depth discussion focusing on the long-term, structural challenges facing middle class families in today’s economy. Joined by a panel of policy experts, the group focused on broader issues such as the overall labor market in recent decades; shifting gender roles and the need for work-life balance in today’s economy; economic inequality and mobility; the increased gap between productivity and wages, and much more. 

Going forward, the Middle Class Task Force will continue working with these panelists, among other outside experts, developing policy ideas to help lift the living standards of working families.  As the Vice President put it Thursday: "That dynamic—where the economy’s moving forward as middle class families fall back—that just doesn’t work for the president, for me, and, certainly, for millions of families who are finding the system to be working against them, not for them."

Check out the video below:

Click here to see the video.

Terrell McSweeny is Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President.

The new 2010 Volkswagen GTI is a stylish and versatile piece of machinery. This latest installment in the GTI’s nearly three-decade existence has been restyled to provide the driver with a sleek exterior, a comfortable interior, and plenty of power for moving around in the daily grind.

VW wanted us to drive test out this new car so bad, I was flown out to San Fran and put up in a swanky hotel for three nights where I was wined and dined. It was hard leaving my blue-collar routine in Detroit, but someone has to do it.

You know what though, I was thoroughly impressed with how the 2010 GTI performed during normal everyday driving and not-so-normal parking lot autocross racing. VW was even kind enough to provide me with one of their TDI cup drivers, Perry Richardson, to show me how to put the Mk VI GTI through its paces.

The two courses provided were set up thusly: a slow speed course that was very technical with numerous tight corners and switchbacks. Then there was a high-speed course, which featured a couple of good sweeping corners and a slalom at the end of it. Perry took me through both courses, explaining his technique to navigate through the sea of orange cones as he drove.

Then it was my turn. While a total blast to drive, my driving skills were not on the same level as Perry’s. Nonetheless, this event displayed just how powerful Volkswagen’s direct injected turbocharged 2.0L four cylinders are that making 200 SAE hp at 5,100-6,000 rpms and 207 lbs-ft. of torque from 1,800-5,000 RPMs. The 16-valve DOHC engine and six-speed manual transmission propels the GTI to a respectable 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds. The standard transmission allows the GTI to achieve a decent 21 city/ 31 hwy. MPG (EPA est.).

Now, as much fun as a manual gearbox is to drive, VW’s optional six-speed automatic with DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) gives the driver the ability to just get in drive and go, or put it into manual mode and control the up shifts and down shifts. The DSG automatic utilizes a computer to control the dual clutch system, telling one clutch to engage the next gear while the other clutch releases the current gear. The result is a smooth, crisp shifting, better acceleration (0-60 in 6.7 seconds), and improved fuel economy (24 city/32 hwy.).

A very neat feature on the automatic gearbox is the launch control. All you have to do is set the transmission into manual mode in first gear. Then turn off the traction control, put one foot on the brake and the other one the accelerator pedal. Release the brake pedal and let it fly! All this power is transmitted to either the standard 17 inch x 7 inch or the optional 18 inch x 7.5 inch wheels and “European-tuned” suspension.

While the wheels were stylish enough, I thought the suspension was almost too firm for a daily driven vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, I like a firm, responsive ride, but I felt like I was home in the pothole-riddled state of Michigan while driving around the surface streets of San Francisco. It’s not a bad ride, I just think they could improve on it some more.

Then there is the interior. It’s clean, functional, and easy enough to access the back in the two-door models. The front seats are very sport-minded and hold you in place during various… let’s just say fun maneuvers throughout your drive.

I love the fact that an integrated an iPod connection into the car. This makes jamming your favorite tunes a breeze on either the standard touchscreen radio or the optional navigation system with a 30 GB hard drive (20 GB of which can be devoted to music). Both of these radios support Bluetooth, so you can keep in touch with everyone hands-free.

How much is it, you ask? The base starts out at $23,290 and goes on up from there. It is available in six different colors: Deep Black Metallic, Candy White, Tornado Red, United Gray Metallic, Carbon Steel Gray Metallic, and Shadow Blue Metallic. Let me suggest checking out what 25-years of GTI heritage has created.

The implications of this deal are exciting. Google has purchased, in cash, the internet VoIP company Gizmo5 for a cool $30 million. The deal brings a true SIP/VoIP provider into the Google fold — the potential to merge the acquired technology with Google Voice and/or Google Talk is staring us right in the face. Last month there were rumors that perhaps Skype, due to legal issues with its own VoIP technology, might purchase Gizmo5 as a backup plan of sorts. However, that deal went south after Skype’s creators settled with eBay over future licensing of the core technology behind the popular service. So what do you think? Will Gizmo5 go the way of Orkut and fade into the internet oblivion? We’re hoping it will be more like GrandCentral…built into something we all love and the wireless service providers hate!

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Today EJI argues at the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Petitioner Joe Sullivan in Sullivan v. Florida, which challenges the imposition of life-without-parole sentences on young adolescents.

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While TV is the most common way for people to watch sports, the Internet is the most popular way for both men and women (36.1% and 32.7% respectively) to get sports news and information, according to a new report by Burst Media.

The Internet is trailed by local TV programming (23.7%), national TV networks (15.1%), local newspaper (6.7%), national newspaper (3.6%), and sports radio (2.9%).

Among the key age segments, 18-24 years and 25-34 years, the Internet far outweighs both local and national TV coverage as the main source of sports and news information. Adults 55 years and over still turn to local TV news over the Internet.

Among all respondents sports content is in demand regardless of which media is cited as their primary source. Nearly one-half (49.2%) of respondents use the Internet to check sports scores and 41.3 percent read sports-related news stories online.

Interestingly, nearly as many women as men use the Internet to check sports scores (47.3% vs.50.5%), read sports stories (39% vs. 42.8%) and visit professional team sports sites (25.2% vs. 26.2%). The Burst survey also found over half (55%) of all respondents indicated they have never watched live streaming game coverage on the Internet.

"It’s abundantly clear that men and women of all ages are active consumers of sports content online," said Chuck Moran, Chief Marketing Officer for Burst Media. "This provides marketers an opportunity to expand the reach of their campaigns targeted to sports enthusiasts by adding an online component".

"Also, by utilizing a multichannel strategy of combining Internet and TV, advertisers can surround their target audience with coordinated messaging for greater impact."

The survey also found that although the Internet is the most popular media source for sports content, it is not seen as the best source. Overall, national TV sports networks, such as ESPN, are viewed by respondents as the best place to get sports and information news. However, men believe national TV sports networks and Internet sports content sites offer equivalent sports content (30.1% and 28.7% of men, respectively).

Related Articles:

>NFL Players Get Official YouTube Channel

>UFL Debuts Tonight, Partners With AOL

>Social Media: A Day In The Life Of An NFL Player

The guys at FinalFantasyXIII.net got their hands on the latest issue of Shonen Jump and we now have new scans for Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360, PS3). …

I just came across this story in the neighborhood newspaper. I can’t find it anywhere online. What is wrong with our seventh-graders that they are using their DIY skills to make shanks instead of putting together a cool fort or at least a more creative weapon? They couldn’t, I don’t know, modify Nerf arrows with metal caps so they hurt when they hit?

If they’ve got some violence in the system, as many kids do, they need to work it out. Most kids do that through video games these days, yet why do I get the feeling that somewhere in the Seattle school district tonight, somebody will be cursing the same games for making kids more violent?

Luckily, no one was hurt in this incident. The kids involved were expelled, but beyond that nothing is known. I think that going to an inner-city high school and being held up at gunpoint a couple times has made me a more well-rounded person all told, but I wouldn’t wish a shank on anyone.

You’re stuck in quite the conundrum. You want the chic elegance of the iPhone – but you want unbridled flexibility that comes with the Android platform. Whatever are you supposed to do?

If you’re able to read Chinese and are absolutely insane, there’s a solution: the APhone A6. Straight out of a Chinese handset cloning workshop, the APhone A6 is built to walk the walk of Apple’s finest, but talk the talk of Google’s.